After 34 years in the sales training business we’ve come across some glaring troublesome areas that sales management sometimes just don’t get. Here’s a list of important items to keep an eye out for.

Give them the tools

Like most business disciplines, sales people need to be skilled and updated on the latest skill sets available emanating out of successful sales markets from around the world. Conversely, unlike many business professional’s, sales people are notoriously lazy in taking responsibility for their own growth areas. As employers we need to give them the right sales tools to do the job and then measure and monitor and oh! – be part of that training yourself.

Insist on a plan

Sales action plans come in many formats from monthly, weekly to daily plans. This can devolve down into ‘call’ action plans, make sure you get one and make sure it matches with the ‘call’ reports.

Monitor that plan & outcomes

Monitoring the sales territory plan or call plan and the sales outcomes are vital to your ability to adjust the sales teams approach to the customers, in alignment with accepted marketing plans and strategies. Customer Relationship Management systems (CRM’s) are proving important as part of that management system & lead to ‘Key Account’ action plans to be adopted by all who interact with that set of customers.

“It’s not what happens to you it’s what you do about it that makes the difference.”
–Wilson Mitchell

Coaching for Results

Coach the sales team, as a group & individually. We are all ‘creatures of habit’ and to break some of those habits need constant ‘prodding’ either by our direct line report or by our own step by step focus on changing what does not work too well.

Key Performance Indicator’s (KPI’s)

Areas of change that need to happen over a relatively short term period are best put onto review in a KPI document matched with time frames & a signature (aka; commitment)

Work with them

Work with your sales people, at least on a weekly basis and give them feedback. There is no substitute for accompanying a sales team member on visits to their customers. This is a rewarding experience for the sales representative and for you as a manager. If planned well it is an occasion that both parties will treasure, and in itself is a topic for another discussion.

Assess

Assess them individually and as a team, actively guide and direct the ‘orchestra’, fine tune where necessary, it will bring much joy into your day and life. It’s rewarding to see your protégés grow and develop.

Reward them

Reward them in public, monthly or at ‘conference’ time but reward them for all the frustrations they have in dealing with customers, all the rejection, all those difficult to make ‘cold calls’ and those successful sales closes that come from having the ‘right’ tools in place to do the job and having the ‘sales impact’ the company desperately needs.