PROBLEM: I need more revenue !
SOLUTION: look at what else existing Customers need and what other niches need your products.
We all want increased sales, but you need a clear set of targets that you can focus on. We do a quadrant grouping and then focus on the "low-hanging fruit".
PROBLEM: my sales team's closing ratio is getting worse !
SOLUTION: learn techniques to rapidly qualify prospects and gracefully remove the non-buyers.
Your closing ratio is a function of your selling process, your market positioning and your people's tactics. You are undoubtedly wasting time on non-buyers.
PROBLEM: my sales are on target but my cash flow is getting worse.
SOLUTION: become more aggressive with your terms and do it in way that they want to pay earlier.
Do you really need to be the Customers' 'bank' too ? You probably need to revise your terms and begin to 'sell' paying early. There is no reason to wait 30 days or more. You need the cash now. And don't let talk of the 'bad' economy sway you.
PROBLEM: my engineers don't know how to manage !
SOLUTION: get them some business skills, not an MBA.
Engineers think and interact differently than 'soft skill' people. They ignore emotion and seek facts and logic. Can they learn to manage ? Of course they can, with the correct tools and someone who 'speaks their language'.