Developing A Successful Training And Leadership Strategy

Welcome to the sixth and final installment in our “You Can Always Sell More” series. These articles have been sponsored by ISSA and www.GreatSalesSkills.com. The first five articles are available as free downloads. Use your e-mail address to register and enter “issa” as your password.

Conducting Your Own In-House Sales Training
Once you’ve evaluated your leadership skills and your sales team’s skills (see previous articles in this series), it’s on to training. You have a number of options to select from, ranging from public or university-sponsored training to experts who work directly with your team. The least expensive yet still effective option for you is probably to lead your own training by implementing the following process:

  1. Select a published item to discuss in your next sales-training class. It might be an article from a training or association magazine, an audio or video product, or a few workbook pages from a seminar you attended.
  2. Assign the selected materials to be read, listened to, or watched prior to your scheduled sales meeting.
  3. During your training session, ask team members the following four questions: What success have you had so far (since the last training meeting)? What did you think of the ideas covered in the assigned article/audio/video? How relevant did you think the ideas covered were and how do you see applying these ideas to your current territory? What are you going to try implementing before our next training session?
  4. Coach and lead your sales team between training sessions as it takes on this new skill or awareness.

The Final Component
Becoming a better coach, strategist, and leader by reshaping your sales organization will require you to reorganize, refocus and delegate so you can free up time to be an actual leader.

While most sales managers are good at maintaining what they already have, they do not push the team to do things different or better. Sales leaders, on the other hand, are proactive, maintaining a tactical, strategic and future-focused communications style and process. They are also positive and affirming communicators with a vision of how good their entire team can really be.

Which do you want to be, a “sales manager,” or the more proactive leader of a team of “fired up” change agents?

Want to learn more? This article series was taken from my latest book, You Can Always Sell More — How to Improve Any Sales Force. In it, I outline the entire process described in these articles. You can order your copy by calling 800-526-0074 or through www.GreatSalesSkills.com/issa (and receive your ISSA-sponsored discount).

Adapted, with permission, from You Can Always Sell More — How to Improve Any Sales Force, John Wiley & Sons. Copyright © 2007, Jim Pancero, Inc.

Regulatory News
ISSA Announces Second Group of CIMS Experts

ISSA has announced the second group of individuals to achieve certification as official ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) Experts. This addition brings the total number to 72 individuals representing 25 U.S. states and Canadian provinces as well as Mexico.

Becoming a certified CIMS Expert positions an individual to provide training or consulting services to those cleaning organizations interested in complying with the Standard and preparing to certify to CIMS — a new, consensus-based industry standard that sets forth the universally accepted management principles that have proven to be the hallmarks of well-managed and customer-centered cleaning organizations.

“ISSA is delighted to have such a diverse group of individuals become official CIMS Experts,” said Dan Wagner, director of CIMS for ISSA. “Those who have attended a workshop and committed themselves to playing a valuable role in preparing cleaning organizations for certification have expressed tremendous excitement with regards to the new business possibilities.”

Due to strong interest in becoming a CIMS Expert, a third and final workshop for 2007 is scheduled for September 25 in Woodbridge, NJ. The workshop will be co-sponsored by the New Jersey Sanitary Supply Association, which has identified CIMS as a valuable program for its members and the industry at large. To register for the program, visit www.issa.com/standard.

A full listing of CIMS Experts and their contact information is available online. Details regarding CIMS or becoming a CIMS Expert also are available, or by contacting Dan Wagner at 800-225-4772.


Don’t Miss
AUGUST
23 Webinar: Blueprint for BSC Success — The Five Elements of a Well-Managed Cleaning Organization, presented by Dave Frank. Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., CST; click here to register.
SEPTEMBER
13-14 Cleaning System Design, featuring Dave Frank. Hotel Orrington, Chicago
SEPTEMBER 19-21, ISSA/INTERCLEAN® China 2007. ShanghaiMart Expo, Shanghai China
OCTOBER
2-4, Sales Training Seminar: The Habit of Selling, presented by Don Buttrey. Dayton, OH.
OCTOBER
23-26, ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2007. Orange County Convention Center, West Concourse, Orlando, FL

Carpet Cleaner Clip

Visit www.issa.com/spotting to view a demonstration of advanced stain-removing techniques on tough mustard and ink spots by industry expert Bill Griffin. Watch and learn as Griffin shows you the best tools, chemicals and procedures for accomplishing the job.

The ISSA Educational Quick Clips series offers brief videos on a wide range of relevant topics. Two new clips debut each month throughout 2007.

ISSA Promotes Wagner

In a move designed to better serve the needs of facility service providers and the cleaning industry at large, ISSA has promoted Dan Wagner to the position of director of facility service legislative affairs. In this new position, Wagner will focus on legislative and regulatory issues that are primarily labor or product-application related and will be the primary contact for the association’s facility service provider membership class. He will also be the primary contact for associations and other organizations in the facility service community regarding regulatory, health and environmental matters. Wagner will continue in his overall responsibility as director of the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and its certification program. He can be reached at 800-225-4772; e-mail.


Welcome New ISSA Members!
Cummins Building Maintenance, Inc.
WALDO, OH

Gibson Area Hospital
GIBSON CITY, IL

Homewood Health Centre
GUELPH, ON, CANADA

J+A Cleaning Solutions Ltd.
TORONTO, ON, CANADA

Johnson Controls, Inc.
LARGO, FL

L & J Building Maintenance, LLC
TOPEKA, KS

Merck & Co., Inc.
WEST POINT, PA

School Board of Brevard County
ROCKLEDGE, FL

Sizemore, Inc.
AUGUSTA, GA

Troika Restoration
BLACKFOOT, ID

Unisource Management Corp.
BROCKTON, MA

Individual Members

William Fineran, Augustana College
ROCK ISLAND, IL

Mario Magadan, Augustana College
ROCK ISLAND, IL

Ernest Eppright, Austin Convention Center
AUSTIN, TX

Steve Redwine, Austin Convention Center
AUSTIN, TX

Cindi Carnes, Cache Creek Casino Resort
BROOKS, CA

Christine Lucier, The Edgewater Hotel
SEATTLE, WA

Danny Zeigler, Gibson Area Hospital
GIBSON CITY, IL

Wayne Goodwin, Monadnock Regional School District
SWANZEY, NH

George Bishop III, School Board of Brevard County
ROCKLEDGE, FL

Rosemarie Walley, UNC Charlotte
FORT MILL, SC


All information in "ISSA Reports" is furnished by ISSA. ©2007. All rights reserved.




POSTED ON: 8/1/2007