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The Power is in the Question

Guest post by: Dr. Rick Johnson

Article Overview: Does sales management seem to be lost in the wilderness at your company? Was your sales manager your top rated sales person that you promoted based on sales performance? Did your sales manager ever receive any formal sales management training? Do you think your sales force needs to be more aggressive? Are you following best practice principles?

The Power is in the Question



Does sales management seem to be lost in the wilderness at your company? Was your sales manager your top rated sales person that you promoted based on sales performance? Did your sales manager ever receive any formal sales management training? Do you think your sales force needs to be more aggressive? Are you following best practice principles?

These can be telling questions. Often the power of solution is in the question more than the answer because if you ask the right questions, the solutions seem to become much easier to create. Managing a sales force in any industry is no easy task. Sales management is a science but it requires a substantial amount of personal leadership built on the concepts of coaching and mentoring the sales force. So, if you suspect that your sales force and sales management may be lost in the wilderness, create a roadmap they can follow to success. Start with the following on sales management responsibilities:

Sales Management Responsibilities



1. Developing the Sales Strategy --- Creating a discipline within the sales force to identify specific growth targets which include:

· Increased penetration of existing accounts

· New account development , pipeline management

· New product introduction and promotion

2. Developing the Sales Force --- A key responsibility is self development and required leadership skills.

· Coaching and mentoring

· Providing training resources

· Hands on buddy calls

· Monthly territory/account discussions and review sessions. (one on one)

· Showroom management

· Policy & procedure enforcement

· Accountability

3. Manage Activities – Measure Results --- Defining key activities and then managing those activities is a prerequisite to success.

· Design a sales effectiveness process that requires account action plan activities that include but are not limited to:

--- Targeting

--- Goal setting

--- Opportunity reporting

--- Pipeline management

--- Performance scorecards

4. Advertisement & Promotions --- This is budget based but should include the following:

· Open house

· Lunch & learn

· Client seminars

· Social and event selling

· Public awareness, speaking and writing articles

· Testimonials and referrals

· SPIFFS and promotions



A Sales Managers Responsibility Does Not Focus on Selling but it Does Focus the Promotion of Sales

Ability to Follow



The ability to follow the roadmap you have begun to introduce is going to be directly dependent upon the professional characteristics of sales management.

Characteristics of the Professional Sales Manager

• Highly Self Motivated
• Optimistic
• Excellent Leadership Skills
• Skilled at Coaching & Mentoring
• Calculated Risk Taker
• Listens Well --- 80% of the Time
• Plans Well
• Ability to Think Outside the Box Because They Know What Goes on Inside the Box
• Always Lives Up to Their Commitments
• Always On Time With Assignments Requiring No Follow-up
• Exceptional Positive Attitude (Does Not Whine or Make Excuses)
• Excellent Communicator
• Inspires Excellence in Others
• Strong Social and Interpersonal Skills
• Commands a Presence
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Develops Trust and Respect by Showing Trust and Respect for Employees
• Embraces Accountability for Self and Sales Personnel

Let’s discuss some of these points called the characteristics of the professional sales manager. Always being on time and requiring no follow-up is a matter of discipline. Discipline is a learned skill can be enforced by the commitment to best practice principles. Attitude, inspiration, commanding a presence, integrity, optimism and trust are character traits that can be improved through coaching and mentoring but they can’t be taught and learned in a classroom. These traits are developed over time through experience. They are often influenced by the environment and personal mentors during the leadership development years. This experience and influence become the foundation for personal leadership models. However, make no mistake, there is definitely a certain percentage of leadership potential and ability that is inherent based on DNA.

Sales managers are not born but this inherent DNA determines to what extent their leadership potential can be developed. This biological influence can surface in different forms such as; drive, social skills, listening skills or an authoritative compassionate calm that draws people in. But development of these and other skills is essential to becoming an effective sales manager. It will take and effective sales manager to lead your sales force out of the wilderness even with a roadmap to follow. They could still lose their way due to common mistakes.

Five common mistakes include:

1. Lack of Structure ---- Policies, procedures and the culture that determines the behavior and success of the sales force. Including:

· How accounts and territories are assigned

· Systems and procedure on walk in traffic

· Compensation & SPIFF design

· Confusing communication channel

2. Lack of Strategy ---- Effective documented sales growth strategy aligned with corporate initiatives.

· Lack of growth initiatives that include penetration, new account and new product development

· Acceptance of status quo without accountability

· Excessive compassion and complacency

3. Lack of Sales Effectiveness Process ---- Process is the tendons and the muscles that link structure and strategy together.

Process includes:

· Targeting, goal setting and action planning

· Monthly territory performance discussions

· Sales scorecards

· Coaching & Mentoring

· Effective sales meeting

4. Lack of Formalized Training & Development System

· Standards and benchmarks for performance for both outside and inside sales

· Training Matrix with required support

5. Wrong People ---- According to statistics less than 25% of top performing sales personnel promoted to Sales Manager are successful. 55% of people earning a living in sales should be doing something else. 25% of people with the ability to sell are selling the wrong things. (Herb Greenberg – How To Hire & Develop Top Performers)

· Lack of formalized recruitment program

· Lack of bench strength

· Weak leadership skills

Basic Formula for Success:

Make sure your sales management understands best practice principles and teach them the basic formula for success and your sales force wont get lost in the wilderness. That formula is quite simple.

· The Right People

· The Right Structure



· The Right Process



· The Right Strategy



· The Right Development

Make sure your sales manager has the right skill sets. Make sure they have received sales management training. Coach them, mentor them and teach them this formula for success and they will keep your sales force from getting lost in the wilderness. The formula is not difficult and most importantly, it really works.

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Article Tags: sales management, sales management training, sales performance, sales person



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