Business Growth: The Sales Managers Secret Weapon

In a recent poll, I asked managers, “What is the biggest challenge you face in 2009?”  Answer “ Increasing sales and doing it with fewer resources.”   Before you can address these challenges, I encourage you to take care of what’s likely to be the biggest roadblock you have, and you may not even realize it’s there.

The elephant in the room.   Your company feels the economic pain.  Sales are down, morale is low, your people know you have to make cuts.  Everyone feels tired, overworked and taken for granted.   Underneath it all is fear, anxiety, and even paranoia.    It all points to INSECURITY – the elephant in the room, and it’s keeping your people stuck in low productivity levels.

Let me backtrack for a minute.  All people are motivated by wants, needs, and values –for hope of gain and relief of pain.  As a leader who gets the most out of people, one of your most important jobs is to help people relieve the pain of insecurity. Indeed, “security” is one of the basic levels in the progression of human needs . . .people need to feel safe, experience freedom, control choices and determine their own direction.  If you can help them do this, you’ll see their productivity increase.  And no, you don’t have to be a junior psychiatrist to do it.  Just follow this simple process:

1.       Make an effort to re-connect with your people on an individual level.   I’m not talking about group discussions and team brainstorm meetings.   Your mission is to make a genuine attempt to understand where your people are coming from without filters or biases.  To do that you must communicate with them individually, in a safe and supportive environment. 

2.       Schedule time to meet with each person one-on-one, for 20 – 30 minutes.  Mostly to listen.  Don’t challenge, disagree, or lecture.  Don’t try to solve their problems.   Share what is currently happening as well as the game plan for surviving the recession.  Ask for their ideas.  Ask, “If you could make progress on any one goal in the next 30 – 60 days, what would it be?”

3.       Begin a weekly series of 20 – 30 minute “listening sessions” with each person.  Ask questions that get them talking and thereby discovering for themselves things that are going on in their lives that impact their job performance.  Help them uncover that elephant in the room.    Again, don’t give advice.  Just listen and attempt to understand their feelings.  Ask them what actions they could take to overcome the elephant.  Many times I’ve listened to people, asking occasional questions that cause them to look deeper within themselves, only to have them smile, relax and say, “Thank you, you’ve helped me so much!.”

4.       Give specific praise.  I’m not talking about the generic “you did a great job,” or “you’re a wonderful sales person.”  I mean dig deep!  Recognize specific talents or skills you’ve observed and value in that person.  Connect these to the positives (strengths) you see in them.   One of the best ways to do this is through the use of handwritten notes. 

5.       Finally, use these sessions to challenge your people to be part of the solution.  Empower them to take ownership of their own success and that of the company.  Encourage them to stretch outside their comfort zones.  Hold them accountable to the actions they commit to taking. 

So use your secret weapon!   Eliminate the elephant in the room and watch your business grow.