| I find it interesting that when I search the internet | | | | 6. The Sales Manager With "I" Problems is the person |
| for articles on sales the focus is generally on the | | | | who takes credit for all the teams successes and |
| sales person and not the manager. I do appreciate | | | | passes mistakes and failures onto their team or an |
| the importance for sales people to improve their | | | | individual. If you want to be a leader, a sales |
| sales skills but who is improving the manager? Let's | | | | manager, then you must take responsibility publicly |
| look at what I believe are the top 10 sales manager | | | | for all failures and pass the accolades onto your |
| mistakes: | | | | team. The respect you will garner from your team |
| 1. The Sales Manager/Account Rep who has to wear | | | | will be inspirational and they will climb the highest |
| two hats. To be a successful sales manager you | | | | mountains for you to make you proud of them. In |
| must be a manager of your people and focused on | | | | some respects you are assuming the role of a parent |
| their success. If they succeed, you succeed. Give up | | | | and they are the child. Your vocabulary should then |
| the account rep role even if it is a plum account. You | | | | change from "I" to "We" or "Them". Try it and see |
| can still be involved with the account but you should | | | | how good it feels. |
| be there to support or help close for your rep. | | | | 7. The Grunter Sales Manager is the person who |
| 2. The Let Me Sell Sales Manager; a great Sales | | | | never listens to his reps and shows their lack of |
| Person does not always mean a great Sales Manager. | | | | interest in many ways. For example; they keep |
| Some of the most successful sales people I have | | | | working on their computer with their head down |
| met over the years were the best closers. | | | | responding with a grunt on occasion. When a rep has |
| Aggressive, talkative and very social. However, many | | | | a problem, stop what you are doing and listen. Now I |
| of these people when moved to a managers role | | | | know we need to manage by effort but if they are |
| began to fail. Why? Because they spent their career | | | | in your office then we must assume you gave them |
| focused on their success. It is very difficult to turn | | | | permission to enter and therefore speak to you, so |
| that switch off. It requires EI, Emotional Intelligence. I | | | | listen to them. |
| believe a measure of a persons EI is nurtured over | | | | 8. The Talker Sales Manager is the person who loves |
| the years and also has to do with how they are | | | | to hear his own voice and never truly listens to his |
| wired. In other words, they are naturally empathetic | | | | reps. "Seek first to understand before being |
| and care about the success of others. | | | | understood" is Stephen Covey's 5th principle from his |
| 3. The I Can Do But Can't Teach Sales manager; a | | | | book the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. |
| great sales manager must be a great sales trainer. | | | | This essentially means we need to listen with our |
| Too often I see sales managers who are great | | | | ears and our heart. We need to connect by |
| communicators but don't know how to reverse | | | | understanding the other persons view point before |
| engineer what they do to teach others. Send them | | | | having them understand our view point. Listen, but |
| off to a seminar or get additional training outside the | | | | NOT with the intent to respond. Which means don't |
| company is their mantra. My suggestion is for this | | | | be deaf because you are thinking only about what |
| sales manager to get some training on how to train. | | | | you are going to say next. |
| 4. The Ivory Tower Sales Manager is the manger | | | | 9. The MBA Sales Manager is the person with very |
| who is not accessible. They have the "I've made it" | | | | little real life experience but has a wealth of |
| attitude and hide away in their big office sending | | | | education that abounds with theory. I pity the reps |
| emails and planning golf games and taking trips. Sure | | | | with this person. This sales manager answers every |
| the sales manager needs to do this but not if their | | | | problem with a book answer. Throw the book away |
| objective is get as many perks out of the job as | | | | and get some real sales experience under your belt. |
| possible. In other words, their rep or the reps client | | | | 10. The Numbers Guy Sales Manager is the person |
| could care less if they were there or not and in fact, | | | | who tries to manage the rep by the Statistics but |
| would prefer if they were not there because it is | | | | has no clue on how to interpret the numbers. In the |
| effecting the nurturing of the relationship started by | | | | old days maybe a poor rep could be motivated to |
| the rep. | | | | work harder by the numbers but reps are smarter |
| 5. The Harping Sales Manager is the person who | | | | and more educated today. One thing we all know |
| never upgrades their experience and knowledge of | | | | about stats is they can be interpreted to mean what |
| sales and is stuck in an old school mentality. They | | | | ever we want to say. As sales managers we do |
| believe if they answer any question with a standard | | | | need to be on top of the numbers but don't use |
| response or sales management spin or use a strong | | | | them as a big stick to get your reps to work harder. |
| arm bully approach this will work on their reps. All this | | | | The numbers should be used to isolate problem areas |
| does is churn out sales reps causing a low retention | | | | in your sales process unique to the individual and the |
| rate and from the outside looking in, your clients and | | | | team. Then once isolated you work together to fix |
| prospects don't want to work with a company that | | | | the weakness. |
| can't even keep employees or keep them happy. | | | | |