| Up until 20 years ago, a key function of a sales | | | | imperative to help sales people keep up to date and |
| manager's role was the regular training of their sales | | | | effective. Training needs to be regular for it to have |
| people. What did this look like? Well, something like | | | | any effect. Regular 'mini' training sessions in short, |
| this: weekly 1 hour power training sessions for the | | | | sharp bursts combined with one-on-one coaching in |
| sales team focusing on honing key skills, bi-monthly | | | | the field makes for better and better sales |
| half day or 1 day sessions drilling down on account | | | | performance as well as team spirit, unity and |
| planning, strategy, market and product knowledge, | | | | retention. But when do sales managers have the time |
| and formal class room training usually employing | | | | to learn how to be good trainers and coaches? And |
| external, expert training providers on a once or twice | | | | when do they have the time to put this into |
| yearly basis to boost their teams to the next level. | | | | practice? |
| This was all supplemented by sales meetings and | | | | Since 1997, we have been accrediting and training |
| one-on-one coaching. | | | | sales managers at Barrett to be competent trainers |
| Many sales managers of yesteryear were good | | | | and coaches. Many report very positive outcomes as |
| trainers. However, through my observations across | | | | a result of being able to conduct regular training with |
| many businesses, the training component has been | | | | their teams. Besides sales lifting, team moral |
| replaced by compliance. Caught in a bind of having to | | | | improves, there is better retention of staff, and |
| meet their reporting and meeting obligations, sales | | | | clients seem happier too. |
| managers lose valuable time that should be invested | | | | It has been shown that if a business has skillful, |
| in the continuous development of their sales people. | | | | professionally trained sales managers who can |
| I am seeing that many sales managers are now | | | | strategise and plan; lead, coach and train; effectively |
| relegated to being 'CRM compliance police', caught up | | | | manage their unit; liaise, link and collaborate with other |
| in reporting on numbers of leads, meetings, | | | | divisions; and regularly report relevant, real data to |
| conversions, etc., usually at the behest of senior | | | | the business, then the performance of the sales |
| management to justify their investment in a CRM. | | | | team will improve significantly. No other area of |
| This means that sales people are often left to fend | | | | development shows such a positive correlation with |
| for themselves with no sales management support at | | | | sales results. |
| all and often feel under constant scrutiny to meet | | | | As a rule of thumb, 'best practice' states a sales |
| their numbers quotas. | | | | manager should invest their time accordingly: |
| I get constant complaints from sales managers about | | | | - 60-70% in people development (including coaching, |
| this 'numbers' obsession and they not being able to | | | | training, performance management, recruiting, |
| support and develop their people to be their best. | | | | succession planning and sales meetings) |
| They know numbers are important but numbers are | | | | - 25%-30% in strategising, business planning, future |
| not the only aspect of effective sales performance - | | | | thinking, etc. |
| yet why are they required to worship at the | | | | - 5-15% in reporting and administration |
| compliance alter? | | | | This is a plea on behalf of beleaguered sales mangers |
| Training sales people is vital to healthy and sustainable | | | | everywhere - if you want great sales results, get |
| sales performance. With markets becoming more | | | | your sales managers training again. |
| complex and changing at rapid rates, regular training is | | | | Remember everybody lives by selling something. |