The Three Deadliest Mistakes Sales Managers Make
The Three Deadliest Mistakes Sales Managers Make
Mistake #1 – Not firing soon enough. Sales managers are often willing to give their employees too many opportunities in hopes that they will turn around a poor performer. While this can happen, the odds are stacked against it. In fact, most sales managers hire quickly and fire slowly. The results can have devastating effects on your company, employees and customers.
In a recent study, managers were asked how long it took before they knew if a new employee would work out. The answer was a week. While this was often a gut reaction, it was usually dead-on accurate. Yet it took, on average, 10 years to get rid of the employee. While this study was not specific to salespeople, the implication is the same. In a very short period of time after hiring a salesperson, you should know if you have a keeper.
The longer you keep a poor-fit employee, the bigger the issues. You will do no one any favors, especially the employee, by letting him limp along. In fact, you will damage your credibility as a manager and risk losing your good employees if you put your head in the sand and hope things get better on their own.
Mistake #2 – Poor or no training. Most companies and sales managers do an abysmal job at training salespeople. The most popular on-the-job training is some version of the “sink or swim” approach. This is when you hire a salesperson, spend a few hours with him here and there over the first couple of weeks, throw some product and company information at him and then expect him to dazzle your prospects and customers. If the salesperson is lucky, you also let him ride along with a senior salesperson and observe first hand how to make a sales call. Then, the new recruit is cast off to make it happen on his own.
This is a recipe for failure. Instead, you should determine what a successful salesperson needs to know in your company and be prepared to give your people the proper training. This includes training on your products or services, your industry and markets, internal operations, customer service and sales.
Training is an investment that pays dividends when done properly. A well-trained workforce is a productive workforce. Make sure that your training is structured to maximize retention and application. Most programs focus on providing a “big fat content dump on the trainee” which does not facilitate long-term value.
In fact, research indicates that if someone is exposed to information once, they will retain only 2% of it after 16 days. With the proper use of repetition, discussion and application, the retention rate can be increased to 65% or higher. While it takes longer to train properly, the results speak for themselves. If you need assistance from experts, get it. Providing manuals is not training.
Mistake #3 – Failure to set clear expectations with consequences. It all boils down to accountability. As a sales manager, you need to hold your salespeople accountable. Period.
If you have kids, you should easily understand this concept. Your kids seek structure and boundaries, and as their parent, you need to provide if for them. Children need to understand what is expected of them and the consequences that will be imposed if they do not live up to the expectations. Being too lenient is actually detrimental to raising well-adjusted and responsible children while being too harsh can have other negative repercussions. The right balance of fairness and toughness is required to be a good parent.
Salespeople are no different than kids, just bigger. They need to fully understand what is expected. They also need to understand the consequences if they do not meet the expectations. Consequences must be clear and implemented consistently. You can’t be like the poor parent who constantly threatens but never delivers. Instead, you have to do what you say you are going to do. Of course that includes providing rewards, as well as consequences. Then, and only then, can you expect your people to perform at an optimal level.
The Three Deadliest Mistakes Sales Managers Make - To learn more about this author, visit Will Turner's Website.
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When a company has underperforming salespeople, it can be for many reasons. Often it’s because the sales manager is too nice. He may confuse wanting to get along and building a team with getting results. You can actually do both simultaneously if you know how to avoid some of the common pitfalls that sales managers make.
Mistake #1 – Not firing soon enough. Sales managers are often willing to give their employees too many opportunities in hopes that they will turn around a poor performer. While this can happen, the odds are stacked against it. In fact, most sales managers hire quickly and fire slowly. The results can have devastating effects on your company, employees and customers.
In a recent study, managers were asked how long it took before they knew if a new employee would work out. The answer was a week. While this was often a gut reaction, it was usually dead-on accurate. Yet it took, on average, 10 years to get rid of the employee. While this study was not specific to salespeople, the implication is the same. In a very short period of time after hiring a salesperson, you should know if you have a keeper.
The longer you keep a poor-fit employee, the bigger the issues. You will do no one any favors, especially the employee, by letting him limp along. In fact, you will damage your credibility as a manager and risk losing your good employees if you put your head in the sand and hope things get better on their own.
Mistake #2 – Poor or no training. Most companies and sales managers do an abysmal job at training salespeople. The most popular on-the-job training is some version of the “sink or swim” approach. This is when you hire a salesperson, spend a few hours with him here and there over the first couple of weeks, throw some product and company information at him and then expect him to dazzle your prospects and customers. If the salesperson is lucky, you also let him ride along with a senior salesperson and observe first hand how to make a sales call. Then, the new recruit is cast off to make it happen on his own.
This is a recipe for failure. Instead, you should determine what a successful salesperson needs to know in your company and be prepared to give your people the proper training. This includes training on your products or services, your industry and markets, internal operations, customer service and sales.
Training is an investment that pays dividends when done properly. A well-trained workforce is a productive workforce. Make sure that your training is structured to maximize retention and application. Most programs focus on providing a “big fat content dump on the trainee” which does not facilitate long-term value.
In fact, research indicates that if someone is exposed to information once, they will retain only 2% of it after 16 days. With the proper use of repetition, discussion and application, the retention rate can be increased to 65% or higher. While it takes longer to train properly, the results speak for themselves. If you need assistance from experts, get it. Providing manuals is not training.
Mistake #3 – Failure to set clear expectations with consequences. It all boils down to accountability. As a sales manager, you need to hold your salespeople accountable. Period.
If you have kids, you should easily understand this concept. Your kids seek structure and boundaries, and as their parent, you need to provide if for them. Children need to understand what is expected of them and the consequences that will be imposed if they do not live up to the expectations. Being too lenient is actually detrimental to raising well-adjusted and responsible children while being too harsh can have other negative repercussions. The right balance of fairness and toughness is required to be a good parent.
Salespeople are no different than kids, just bigger. They need to fully understand what is expected. They also need to understand the consequences if they do not meet the expectations. Consequences must be clear and implemented consistently. You can’t be like the poor parent who constantly threatens but never delivers. Instead, you have to do what you say you are going to do. Of course that includes providing rewards, as well as consequences. Then, and only then, can you expect your people to perform at an optimal level.
The Three Deadliest Mistakes Sales Managers Make - To learn more about this author, visit Will Turner's Website.
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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