We allocate resources against the number of companies we need to contact. For example, if we wanted to contact 100 companies, and an average sales rep could contact 20 per day, then we'd need one rep for a week. Not that the formula is quite that simple, of course. We need to determine how many calls will be needed to close an account. When all of that is factored in, the ultimate goal is divided by the number of weeks until show time, and weekly goals are set.
Salespeople get a boost from preliminary work done by the research department.
Our research department almost partners with the sales team. Armed with the survey results, salespeople already know a lot about a company when they make the very first phone call. As a result, they find it easier to schedule appointments with prospects, Walsh says. NAB finds fax-back letters effective in paving the way for salespeople. Fax me a floorplan, or Stop bothering me.