How to become a “roving sales leader”

Management by Walking Around(MBWA) took the management world by storm in the 80's. The author of this ground-breaking management theory was Tom Peters.

He was immediately hailed as a "leadership genius" and touted as "one of the top management gurus to come along in over a century".

It really wasn't that big of a deal.

MBWA is really just common sense...

As a sales manager, you can become a management genius too by simply providing your salespeople with "roving sales leadership"...just like ol' Tom advocated over thirty years ago.

The first and most important things you need to do as a top performing sales manager is first establish trust with your sales reps. One of the ways you can do this is by understanding first hand the challenges and triumphs they are experiencing in the field first hand.

By entering into your sales rep's universe and staying there completely uninterrupted, you get to know what's really going on. Your salespeople are your major source of information, so to be a great sales leader you need to stay close with both your salespeople and with the issues that they face.

If you have been spending a lot of time in the office lately, set up a daily auto-responder in Outlook that says that you're unavailable from 9 AM to 5 PM every work day. Better yet, block out 9 Am to 5 PM in Outlook as "busy".

Then get out there.

Get to know their customers and their market firsthand; it's the only way for you to learn how they really do their jobs. And do it without interruptions.

Go to your salespeople - enter into their environment; you create a sense of collaboration and commitment to the cause in doing so...and make a ton of deposits in "The Trust Account" in the process.

How to become a roving sales leader - To learn more about this author, visit Ralph Burns's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Tags:

---

	No article feedback found.
	Leave Your Feedback

---

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

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

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

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

To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

Ralph Burns Subscribe to Ralph's articles (Visit Ralph's Website) Ralph Burns is a sales management consultant who operates the Top Sales Manager blog at http://www.topsalesmanagerblog.com Ralph Burns is a Gold author on EvanCarmichael.com

Ralph Burns's Complete List Of Sales Articles Name Email If you enjoyed this article, get Ralph Burns's Complete List of Sales Articles For FREE! More Ralph Burns The Importance Of The 8020 Rule In Becoming A TopPerforming Sales Manager Setting the Bar Higher As a Top Sales Manager What Seagulls Can Teach You About Top Sales Leadership Maintain LongTerm Success As A Top Sales Manager By Offering Products And Services As Solutions Not Commodities How to become a roving sales leader Why A Top Sales Manager Needs To Be On All His Reps Presets Motivate Your Salespeople Like Richard Branson Build Your Salespeoples Strengths And Use Them As Launch Pads For Better Sales Success How a Top Sales Manager Gets Their Salespeople to Sell More Stuff Why a Sales Manager MUST Evoke The Law of Reciprocity