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It’s been a month with no sales! Do I sack my sales manager?

It’s been a month with no sales! Do I sack my sales manager?

The short answer to this question is a resounding NO! Not unless you enjoy paying your lawyers to dispute unfair dismissal cases.

 A sales manager, or more appropriately, 'sales leader' is a key leadership role in any sales driven organisation. That means sacking your sales leader, more often than not, also means bleeding intellectual property (IP) to your key competitors. Moreover, an emotionally charged ex-sales leader may even take some of your sales team and clients with them. Ouch!

Chopping and changing leadership always creates instability and uncertainly amongst the rest of the team. You will also find developing forward momentum difficult to achieve when you are rehiring for the same position, periodically. The cost associated with doing so is also prohibitive for most businesses. So rather than hiring and firing on an ad-hoc basis - your precious money, time, and energy is far better spent put towards developing the right sales leader and creating a foundation of support to enable them to grow with the business over the long-term.

New sales leader:

This person will need at least six to twelve months to fit into the culture and develop the change required to create and sustain their success. Don't expect miracles overnight. Seldom is real change made swiftly, nor do results come easily when you really need them. Take your time finding a proven sales leader and once hired, give them the opportunity to adapt and build confidence in their role. This may require some lower sales months in the initial phase that you will need to budget for in advance.

Existing sales leader:

A proven method to stimulate an underperforming sales leader (you see potential in) is to provide them with as much support as possible. Not just a pat on the back and the odd bit of encouragement. I mean, planning and collaborating regularly and making sure the communication lines are always open. In the end, it's always about the team, and if the sales leader is struggling, usually so too is the business. Wiping your hands of your sales leader and leaving them to their own devices when times are tough is ill advised.

Some may respond: "Well that's what I pay them to do! If she doesn't make the numbers, I will find someone who can!" That's the old school carrot and stick leadership approach, it doesn't work anymore, and neither does yelling and screaming at staff members to inspire them to action.

Some of the most powerful relationships I know of in business, are when the CEO and sales leader are totally aligned and working towards the same goals. When this type of synergy and confidence is formed - one or two poor sales months then forms part of a grander plan.

In the end prevention is always better than cure, so before you hire a sales leader ensure you follow a thorough recruitment process. Don't rush it. Listen to your gut and makes sure you engage a proven leader that fits the culture and adds value to your long-term strategy. This blog as seen on SmartCompany.com.au





Its been a month with no sales Do I sack my sales manager - To learn more about this author, visit Trent Leyshan's Website.

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Linda Richardson
Linda 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

David Acheson
David 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

Dave Kurlan
Dave 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

Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Are 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

John Brennan
John 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

George Ludwig
George 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

Anne Barr
Anne 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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About The Author


Trent Leyshan
(Visit Trent's Website)

Trent Leyshan is founder and CEO of BOOM Sales! a leading sales consulting, sales training and sales coaching firm specialising in the development of salespeople, culture and team performance.

BOOM Sales! was created on two core foundations: passion for 'selling the right way' and a fascination with helping people achieve their full potential.

As a consultant, facilitator and keynote speaker, Trent has successfully worked with sales people and senior leaders in a wide range of organisations: the corporate sector, technology, new media, advertising, mining and resources, retail franchise, and not for profit.

He is the creator of numerous best-selling sales programs and author of the (soon to be released) book: The Naked Salesman a sales book about 'How to achieve more be revealing more of the real you!'

Trent has successfully created his own market-leading companies, and consulted with and trained some of the worlds (big and small) most demanding sales-driven organisations.

Trent resides in Melbourne Australia with his partner and two children. For more information on Trent and BOOM Sales! please visit: www.boomsales.com.au | www.trentleyshan.com | www.thenakedsalesman.com



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