Anyone a Sales Director? Advice...

[fefster]

Hello,

If you were going for a job as a Sales Director and you had a very loose brief for a presentation on how you would improve the business, how would you go about tackling this?

They will give me whatever information I request.

Thanks for any help!

 

[HFE Signs]

hi,

You need to know more about the business i.e. target audience, is it internet based and so on.. you could research magazines to get a structured marketing plan that fits your budget... but you need to know a lot more about the company, previous marketing, scale of budget and so on.. good luck

 

[Billmccallum]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if you are Sales Director level, then surely this would be basic stuff that can be worked out in a couple of hours?

 

[fefster]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your input. I have lots of ideas, but I believe in asking for advice so that I can produce the best possible result. If you have anything to add, I would be very grateful.

 

[elliot.rigsby]

The first thing I would do is to get details of their current structure. Establish their route to market - reps, agents, telesales, internet etc. I would then look at the revenue from each stream and the associated costs attached to each sector. Following this i w ould produce a P&L for each sector.

Next I would look at the existing customer base and analyse where most of the revenue comes from and start to build a picture of where the gaps are.

It is such a wide spectrum and would be difficult to answer this well in a short presentation.

 

[fefster]

The first thing I would do is to get details of their current structure. Establish their route to market - reps, agents, telesales, internet etc. I would then look at the revenue from each stream and the associated costs attached to each sector. Following this i w ould produce a P&L for each sector.

Next I would look at the existing customer base and analyse where most of the revenue comes from and start to build a picture of where the gaps are.

It is such a wide spectrum and would be difficult to answer this well in a short presentation.

Thankyou. I feel it is a very wide brief and that's the part I'm struggling with. They have 3 main sides to the business and my instinct is to dig deep into costs and structures, but how to keep it succinct?

 

[Lease4Less]

What would qualify you for this position?

What are your past achievements in business?

Having a knowledge of the job you are applying for is crucial, but your track record is exactly what has got you the interview in the first place. I would concentrate on what your strengths are and how you will adept them to succeed in this new venture.

 

[Billmccallum]

For a short presentation, analyse the current marketing strategy and inform on which elements you would change/adapt.

 

[elliot.rigsby]

Its will be difficult so maybe you should focus on one particular area.

 

[elliot.rigsby]

This is also good advice! And possibly the best answer here.

 

[Billmccallum]

This is also good advice! And possibly the best answer here.

Which answer????

 

[kulture]

If the scope is too wide, why not ask them if there is a particular area they want you to concentrate on. Treat the employer as a customer, you are selling yourself. If a prospect was this woolly what would you do?

 

[fefster]

Yes, I think asking them to be specific is only sensible as the presentation would be 5 hours long if not. Thanks for all the help.

Any advice on a few 'wow' points?

 

[Stephen Berry]

Wild card suggestion here ..... I'm not certain of it, so treat it with caution.

So .... they want some free ideas from their candidates? you want to stand out from any others they are considering. How about - saying....

"I don't know - if solutions were as simple as a few hours analysis and a 5 minute presentation, your business would be as big as Microsoft by now. Superficial analysis will produce superficial solutions which won't last."

Then some observations about their market - and especially how you see the market developing - there is no point implementing a sales strategy or a sales programme for the existing market - that will be history tomorrow - where will the market be tomorrow? - that is where I need to focus.

Then some observations of other markets where the learning may be pertinent - to show your depth of knowledge. If it were me, I'd go on about how Mercedes have made the biggest brand mess up in history; how Apple succeeded, then went rotten, then grew back stronger than ever; how Budweiser's approach was never going to succeed in Europe; maybe Guinness dual strategy of intense concentration in some areas and general spread elsewhere ...... whatever you are confident will display yoru grasp of the totality of business - as a director and not as a mere salesman.

and .... good luck ...... and chemistry with the panel will be at least as important, maybe more important, than content.

 

[unet]

This is a perhaps a bit of a short response but...........

It sounds like your presentation is directed at senior management.
Although the content is important I would be clear on the conclusions and actions from the presentation.

I have sat through enough presentations and they end up being like the gap between by favorite tv program ( THE ADVERTS ).

Make your closing remarks strong as that will be the only thing your audience will remember!!!!!!!

and gl with your presentation

 

[fefster]

This is a perhaps a bit of a short response but...........

It sounds like your presentation is directed at senior management.
Although the content is important I would be clear on the conclusions and actions from the presentation.

I have sat through enough presentations and they end up being like the gap between by favorite tv program ( THE ADVERTS ).

Make your closing remarks strong as that will be the only thing your audience will remember!!!!!!!

and gl with your presentation

Thanks very much. Yes, it is to senior management, CEO, finance director etc. I was thinking about having a clear objective and making sure that ran throughout as a theme.
I also want to stand out without being gimmicky, so any ideas there would be useful.

 

[dannier]

i am back from Home.Nice to meet you guys here,Just because i do not know how to post a tread to tell you.so i am so sorry to fefster about interupt your thread.

As this new year ,many wishes to your guys.

Regards,
Dannier