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Sales Managers - Are you an "Autocrat" or a "Motivator"?

Guest post by: Wayne Berry

Article Overview: After working for some 30 odd years now with thousands of Sales Managers, I’ve noticed that all the successful managers I’ve met have developed a management style which makes them popular with their people and allows them to get the best out of their people.

Sales Managers - Are you an "Autocrat" or a "Motivator"?

After working for some 30 odd years now with thousands of Sales Managers, I’ve noticed that all the successful managers I’ve met have developed a management style which makes them popular with their people and allows them to get the best out of their people.

Rather than the outdated autocratic style of management, these Top Gun Sales Managers are Leaders, coaches and motivators.

Here are a few of the techniques they use.

1. They express genuine caring about their people. They treat their staff as people and take a genuine interest in each person’s personal as well as professional life.

2. They set clear goals for sales performance with their people, including activity levels. Their people know exactly what is expected of them in all of the vital functions of their job.

3. They lead from the front and they lead by example. They don’t ask their people to do something that they themselves would not, or could not do themselves. People believe what you do and who you are, much more than what you say.

4. They start earlier, stay later, work harder, and set a blistering pace for their people. They actually set the “tempo” for the team.

5. They often get out of their office to go into the field with their sales people. They call on key customers with their sales people and provide valuable feedback and coaching after each call.

6. They manage their own time well and are very well organised, thus setting an example for their people to emulate.

7. They are continually learning and growing through books, audio, video and courses. They know that school is never out for the professional manager, and by example they also encourage their people to be continually developing their skills.

8. They give constant encouragement to their people. Do you regularly praise and give positive reinforcement to your people for behaviour that produces the outcomes you desire?

9. They have a task-focuses business relationship. They continuously discuss and focus on sales performance with their people.

10. They engage in personally focused, casual conversation, taking an interest in the personal lives of their sales people.

11. They give their people considerable freedom to exercise initiative to perform within clear Performance Standards.

12. They keep their fears and misgivings about the business climate, the company or about other people to themselves. They understand that sharing theses concerns with sales staff demoralises them.

13. They keep on keeping on even when the going gets tough. People will follow a leader like this through even the toughest times.

How do you measure up against these leadership traits?

Have a great week. Make it a great week!

Wayne Berry

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Article Tags: autocratic style, business relationship, encouragement, feedback and coaching, genuine interest, gun sales, job, management style, motivators, own time, pace, positive reinforcement, professional life, professional manager, sales managers, sales performance, successful managers, tempo, top gun, vital functions



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