| The following job promotion ritual is repeated in | | | | others' sales performance, whereas successful selling |
| numerous sales organizations every year: | | | | requires an inward focus on one's own sales |
| Step 1: A sales management position is vacant due to | | | | performance. Being in control of your own sales is |
| growth, attrition, or the dismissal of an existing sales | | | | one thing; but it's impossible to be in control of an |
| manager; Step 2: The top sales representative in the | | | | entire team's sales. Therefore, a loss of direct control |
| organization (or department) is selected to fill the | | | | of the sale is required in favor of a focus on the |
| vacancy; Step 3: The top salesperson doesn't like to | | | | sales manager's team members. |
| (or is unable to) manage the sales performance of | | | | Strength #4. Supervising. |
| other individuals, so he keeps focused on personal | | | | Sale managers must possess front-line supervisory |
| selling initiatives, but in doing so, is failing in his role as | | | | skills. They need to know how and when to step in |
| sales manager; Step 4: The cycle repeats itself. | | | | to discipline or change behaviors in an employee. |
| Although sales representatives and sales managers | | | | They must possess wisdom about when to support |
| both work within the realm of selling, many of the | | | | subordinates versus when to discipline them. Top |
| strengths required for success in the roles of sales | | | | sales performers do not need supervisory skills to |
| manager differ than the strengths required for | | | | achieve top dog status. |
| success in the role of sales person. Therefore, few | | | | Strength #5. Managing. |
| top-performing salespeople will become | | | | The key skill of the manager is to utilize every |
| top-performing sales managers. This is important to | | | | subordinate's special strengths to achieve the goals |
| know if you're looking to hire a new sales manager in | | | | of the sales group. Weaknesses in employees exist, |
| your company, and you expect this individual to be | | | | but assembling a group of team members who have |
| successful filling that role. | | | | strengths in the right areas, and knowing how to put |
| This isn't a phenomenon that's unique to selling. There | | | | those strengths to work, is not required of top sales |
| are many highly-skilled and successful physicians, for | | | | performers. It is, however, required of sales |
| example who are unable to effectively manage a | | | | managers who wish to achieve top sales |
| staff of other physicians. There are many prized | | | | performance. These management concepts are |
| athletes who are not able to successfully coach a | | | | described by Marcus Buckingham in his book "The |
| team of other athletes. There are skilled kitchen | | | | One Thing You Need to Know About Great |
| designers, plumbers, and attorneys who are unable to | | | | Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual |
| manage respective groups of other kitchen | | | | Success" (Simon & Schuster, 2005). |
| designers, plumbers, and attorneys. | | | | Strength #6. Coaching, training, mentoring. |
| Before I offer support for my thesis, allow me to | | | | Successful sales managers should be able to coax |
| confess that there are two situations where I will not | | | | salespeople to improved performance, both in |
| argue with the individual who says the top | | | | one-on-one coaching events and in classroom training |
| salesperson in an organization will become a | | | | environments. Although there may be some of these |
| successful sales manager: | | | | elements present in all selling top performers, these |
| (1) The first is where where the new sales manager | | | | elements are crucial for top sales management |
| retains the responsibility for personally generating | | | | performance. |
| sales revenue. This individual is, in effect, either a | | | | Strength #7. Leading. |
| part-time sales manager, or a sales manager in title | | | | According to Marcus Buckingham, again in "The One |
| only; (2) The second is when the sales manager's role | | | | Thing You Need to Know," successful leaders have |
| is to be almost exclusively a rain-maker (a generator | | | | two key attributes: (1) They have the ability to |
| of new business opportunities). That is a selling role | | | | create a vision for the future; and (2) They have the |
| that some sales managers play, but it is not a | | | | ability to get subordinates lined up within this vision, |
| management role per se. | | | | so that individuals' efforts will support, and not |
| The following is a list of strengths (skills) that are | | | | hamper, the group's progress. Successful sales |
| required to achieve phenomenal success as the | | | | managers have these leadership attributes. Leadership |
| manager of a sales team (or any team, for that | | | | skill is not required of top sales performers. |
| matter). However, none of these skills are | | | | Strength #8. Filtering directives. |
| substantially required for phenomenal success in | | | | The sales manager will receive many directives from |
| front-line selling. This doesn't mean that a top sales | | | | her superiors. To be effective, she must know when |
| performer will never be a top sales management | | | | to filter out or adjust these directives, and when to |
| performer, but it means that the strengths required | | | | take them on with reckless abandon. This is a |
| to fill the two roles are substantially different. | | | | delicate balance, and not knowing when to do which |
| Strength #1. Delegating. | | | | one can wreak havoc in a sales organization. The |
| The sales manager certainly cannot do the front-line | | | | wisdom to know when to embrace |
| sales activity for his entire sales group himself. | | | | upper-management directives, and when to subtly |
| Meeting a sales quota requires the contribution of all | | | | give them secondary attention, will help determine |
| members of the sales team. The successful sales | | | | the success of the sales manager's team, and |
| manager must possess the ability to delegate | | | | therefore, the success of the sales manager. |
| responsibility to others so the group can achieve its | | | | Strength #9. Hiring and Firing. |
| goals. Delegating is quite a different skill than, say, | | | | Top-performing sales managers must make be able |
| closing skill, which is required of top sales performers, | | | | to accurately predict sales performance during the |
| but the skill of delegation is not a skill which is | | | | interviewing process, and must leverage that ability in |
| typically required for top sales performance. | | | | their hiring of subordinates. Without this ability, sales |
| Strength #2. Willing to give up the top spot. | | | | performance will suffer. Top sales performers do not |
| Top sales performers who become sales managers | | | | need this predictive skill. Successful sales manager |
| must be entirely willing to give up the position of top | | | | must also know how and when to remove an |
| performer in a sales organization. For those who | | | | employee from their team so that negative |
| can't, disaster awaits. Sales managers must be willing | | | | repercussions are minimized. |
| and able to put their top salespeople on pedestals so | | | | Strength #10. Deciding. |
| their egos can be adequately fed, while also keeping | | | | There's no question that making good decisions is |
| their own egos in check for the sake of the | | | | important in successful selling. But in a sales |
| advancement of their team. In a larger organization | | | | management role, all decisions are magnified because |
| there is still opportunity for competition between | | | | each decision affects more than one individual. The |
| several or many sales managers, but a top sales | | | | sales manager's decisions affect an entire staff of |
| manager has to be able to point to his top performer | | | | sales professionals and their customers. This means |
| and give her credit for being the top salesperson in | | | | decision-making skills are vital for the sales manager. |
| his group. He also has to encourage other | | | | There are many skills required for sales success. |
| non-top-performers to become top-performers. Since | | | | Among them are the ability to prospect and create |
| many salespeople have been ego-driven in their | | | | business opportunities, the ability to identify |
| successful sales careers, this transition from achiever | | | | prospects' needs, and ability to close the sale. But the |
| to encourager is critical. The skill of allowing someone | | | | sales management qualities listed above are not |
| else to be the top dog is not a skill required for | | | | substantially required for individual selling success. |
| success in selling, and in fact, can be antithetical to it. | | | | While there's some overlap between the required skill |
| Many sales managers who have previously been a | | | | of the peak-performing sales manager and the |
| top sales performer who have been driven | | | | peak-performing sales person, here's my advice: if |
| throughout his entire career to achieve "pedestal" | | | | you're looking for a sales manager who will succeed, |
| status will not work tirelessly to put another individual | | | | hire one that possesses the strengths of a sales |
| on this same pedestal. | | | | manager (those listed strengths above). Many |
| Strength #3. Focusing on others. | | | | peak-performing salespeople don't possess those |
| Sales management requires an outward focus on | | | | strengths. |