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Executive Guide: Improving Sales from Managers to Salespeople
March 27, 2008
By Patrick Stakenas
Leading senior sales management executives aren't just relying on end-of-quarter numbers to understand the strength of their managers and their teams: They're always looking for better ways to guide management and lead sales talent. But, like salespeople, sales managers want to win—they love the competitive aspect of their job. So, companies need to be careful not to fall into the trap of treating their sales managers the same way they do salespeople, and not to solely rely on the numbers to determine their success.
When senior sales management has actionable insights into their managers and salespeople, they can then separate the process of sales and management to drive the desired behavior of each. They can then use this knowledge to lead, teach and coach managers to better manage and help their sales team produce greater results.
Companies that value their sales managers instruct them to focus on moving "B" players up to "A" players and "C" players up to "B" or out. They do this by providing their management team with the right information and the tools to coach and lead. In the past several years, savvy senior sales leaders have begun to better leverage their sales managers by providing them with "actionable insights" into their teams. These key sales performance indicators are published, measured and weighted to illustrate their importance in the business. Once managers get their hands on the objective consolidated information, they can do their job properly, meaning you will see the results.
Tips to Guide Managers to Manage More Effectively
1. Provide managers with information on their salespeople that is systematic and both objective and subjective. It should give them actionable insight into what areas need to be improved and how to do it.
2. Many managers were star sellers in their day, but that doesn't mean they know how to pass that "gift" along to others. Train and give managers direction on how to coach sales reps, and on what areas to coach. This is referred to as "training the trainer."
3. Managers need to understand their ability and responsibility to coach, lead and train. Once you have a "How to Train" program in effect, make sure to hold managers accountable so they are actively coaching.
4. Track where your management team members are spending their time. As previously stated, good managers let their top people operate and focus on turning their "B" players into "A" players, their "C" players into "B" players or managing them out. There should be signs of steady improvement of sales staffers.
5. Enhance your managers' ability to get results from the entire team, rather than just from one person. Any sale is a team effort and success will continue to elude you if managers are playing favorites.
6. Provide tools for managers to make decisions and direct based on leading indicators so they can take action quickly with salespeople.
Tips to Guide Salespeople to Improve Their Sales
1. Use performance management technology and tools to track the leading and trailing indicators of success. This serves as a personal benchmark and allows the sales reps to define their strengths and weaknesses and focus on the areas that need improvement.
2. Understand each salesperson's strengths and weaknesses, how they rate every day, and commit to managing both.
3. Coach salespeople and provide guidance on skill improvement on an ongoing basis. Offer ongoing training on a continual basis to keep reps sharp.
4. Provide structure and measures of the right indicators so sales reps can see where they rank. Salespeople are competitive by nature and this will inspire them to go above and beyond their colleagues to maintain—or increase—their position.
5. Train and manage activities that lead to results. All programs must serve a function. Make sure reps can take away something, whether it's cold-calling tips or some newfound motivation from a presentation.
6. Manage both objective and subjective data to build a successful skill set.
7. Increase clarity of information and measurement. Making it apparent that there's only one version of the data to eliminate confusion and inaccuracy between the team.
Patrick Stakenas is president and CEO ForceLogix, which is a Chicago-based company that builds on-demand sales performance management solutions.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
This article is brought to you by Sales & Marketing Management, the leading authority for executives in the sales and marketing field.
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