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Add You - Be a Successful Sales Manager not a Super Seller
How can a company produce zero-defect products, boast dramatic cycle-time reductions, be certified for consistent, reliable performance...and still lose valuable customers?Doesn’t the systematic effort to reduce waste, improve yields and streamline processes lead to better service, higher profits and more loyal customers?The answer is ‘not necessarily’. Here’s why:Quality Assurance (QA) efforts such as ISO Certification, Six Sigma Quality Control and 10X Cycle-Time Reduction can lead to greater consistency, lower costs and higher speed. But these programs alone will not keep your finger on the ever-changing pulse of your customers’ interests, hopes, needs, fears and feelings.QA leads to greater predictability and higher standards. That’s important!But customers are human. And humans are intrigued by creativity, appreciation, personal touch, extra-mile efforts and surprise. That’s important, too.To win with customers in today’s competitive world, you need both.<
This latter approach may help the manager feel more confident, or give then the buzz they had when they were a seller. It will probably also start to
In my practice, I meet with many entrepreneurs. Listening to their stories is a poignant reminder about just how difficult it can be to find the investment money they need to grow their businesses. Many often ask me about the best ways to raise money for their businesses. Believe it or not, often times my answer begins with a story about my dating life. It goes something like this:Although I was not blessed with Brad Pitt’s good looks or the best conversation skills, thankfully, I did catch the height gene and measure in at about 6 feet, 2 inches. Now, by Midwest standards, this is no significant thing, but in New York City, for whatever reason, it was one way to differentiate myself from many of the other guys in the singles scene. So, when I went to parties or out with friends, instead of competing with every other guy for the attention of the same group of women, I would try to meet the women who were taller than most of the men in the room. Knowing my dating limitations, I played the odds
Why does this seem to happen so often? It does seem that the transition to sales management is one which can often prove a struggle! There is a long list of reasons, few of which are the fault of the person doing the sales manager's role. The organisation is probably a significant contributor to the problems facing the sales manager! A lack of clear succession planning is part of the equation. Maybe there is a limited understanding of what the role really involves, or should involve! The chances are that the senior management may share many of the misconceptions of the sales function and how it operates in a successful environment. Where sales is concerned, there is usually too much short-term thinking and a focus on results. I agree that the sales manager is there to achieve the targets and to work within a budget. However, to paraphrase the great Peter Drucker, "sales results are not an objective in their own right, they are an outcome of achieving the other objectives." Another tripping point can be an expectation that the new sales manager should be acting like a predecessor - provided they were successful and, typically, outgoing and told a convincing tale about how things would turn out!
In common with many other managers, the sales managers have probably been promoted into their role with little real preparation, guidance or training. This will be compounded if they were given the opportunity because they were one of the best in the sales team. (Rather than choosing the person with the right qualities to do the job.) Sales does have an additional time pressure, in that results need to keep being obtained from the outset. There is little time for a learning curve! Without the development support the newly appointed manager has a limited range of choices. A typical response is to think about role models we have known and adopt and adapt what we liked or respected about them. This is often done unconsciously as well as consciously. Entering a new role with more responsibility carries different pressures. These will cause most people to feel some degree of under-confidence. To overcome this, it is natural to do some things which will help to reinforce confidence. For many, this will mean finding opportunities to prove they are worthy of the new role. Where are these? Dealing with customers, chasing the large order and proving to the sales team why the manager should have been given the job!
This latter approach may help the manager feel more confident, or give then the buzz they had when they were a seller. It will probably also start to
“If you build a network, you will have a bridge to wherever you want to go.”Those words are from Harvey Mackay, marketing guru and business person extraordinaire, and probably one of the world’s foremost authorities on networking.You know, I spend a LOT of time at networking events. That’s because I know that to achieve success, professionally as well as personally, you need to have a network. And you have to be a bridge-builder, not a fence-builder—and certainly NOT a bridge-burner, like Ted in the following true story that was told to me recently.While attending a big company event, my friend Marcie was approached by Ted, who made a noticeable attempt at engaging her in conversation. He was a sales rep who had been trying very hard over the last five years to get more business from the company hosting the event.He said he was very happy he’d been given the opportunity to attend this private party to mark the transfer of power from the owner to one of his kids. Marcie was a bit
In common with many other managers, the sales managers have probably been promoted into their role with little real preparation, guidance or training. This will be compounded if they were given the opportunity because they were one of the best in the sales team. (Rather than choosing the person with the right qualities to do the job.) Sales does have an additional time pressure, in that results need to keep being obtained from the outset. There is little time for a learning curve! Without the development support the newly appointed manager has a limited range of choices. A typical response is to think about role models we have known and adopt and adapt what we liked or respected about them. This is often done unconsciously as well as consciously. Entering a new role with more responsibility carries different pressures. These will cause most people to feel some degree of under-confidence. To overcome this, it is natural to do some things which will help to reinforce confidence. For many, this will mean finding opportunities to prove they are worthy of the new role. Where are these? Dealing with customers, chasing the large order and proving to the sales team why the manager should have been given the job!
This latter approach may help the manager feel more confident, or give then the buzz they had when they were a seller. It will probably also start to
When I talk with business people, they tend to believe if they offer good service, they will automatically get "noticed".Everybody "wishes" for this, but this rarely happens automatically. If you want publicity, you need to give up this "delusion", and pro-actively, systematically, and aggressively contact the media.CNN and USA Today are NOT going to automatically contact you. Instead, these people are EXPECTING you to "pitch" them on story ideas.They EXPECT you to hunt them down, notify, inform, and solicit story ideas.This is simply the truth of people in the media. True, they don't want a sales pitch, but the DO want unique, interesting stories.Without going into a tirade about the role of media in our culture, you simply have to accept the fact, that if you want media coverage, you're going to need to take the initiative.I know, you may have fears and hesitation about calling some of the "hotshots" in the media, however, if you do not approa
In common with many other managers, the sales managers have probably been promoted into their role with little real preparation, guidance or training. This will be compounded if they were given the opportunity because they were one of the best in the sales team. (Rather than choosing the person with the right qualities to do the job.) Sales does have an additional time pressure, in that results need to keep being obtained from the outset. There is little time for a learning curve! Without the development support the newly appointed manager has a limited range of choices. A typical response is to think about role models we have known and adopt and adapt what we liked or respected about them. This is often done unconsciously as well as consciously. Entering a new role with more responsibility carries different pressures. These will cause most people to feel some degree of under-confidence. To overcome this, it is natural to do some things which will help to reinforce confidence. For many, this will mean finding opportunities to prove they are worthy of the new role. Where are these? Dealing with customers, chasing the large order and proving to the sales team why the manager should have been given the job!
This latter approach may help the manager feel more confident, or give then the buzz they had when they were a seller. It will probably also start to
Performance Management is the act of managing personal or organizational performance. What can complicate this process are all the factors that can arise where a textbook process meets the situations and people that exist in your world. As an effective director, manager, or supervisor it is your job to ensure the success of the organization by achieving of all key performance indicators.These targets or goals are accomplished through the implementation and execution of a solid Performance Management Process (PMP). The objective is not to discuss the building or maintenance of the process, but focus rather on the end result.What do you do when your employees have not met the standards or expectations and their performance needs to be addressed? It is your job to protect the business while trying to be sensitive and support your employee’s, and maintain a positive work environment. Sometimes both can be accomplished, sometimes they cannot.So with the success of the business as the p
This latter approach may help the manager feel more confident, or give then the buzz they had when they were a seller. It will probably also start to
Why outsource your payroll?There was a time that a business payroll was handing out cash at the end of the day. That time is long gone. Payroll, payroll record keeping, payroll tax reporting has become both complex and full of traps for the unwary or uneducated. The process can be very time consuming and expensive. By outsourcing your payroll processing you are avoiding risks and taking advantage of all the advances in technology to save time and money.Save TimeUsing a payroll outsourcing provider will save you time. Particularly an internet payroll service providing a paperless payroll solution. How will they do that?You will be able to input time anywhere and anytime from any Internet connected computer.Your payroll outsourcing provider will process the entire payroll and if you use a paperless payroll solution all net pays will be distributed electronically. No longer will you have to waste time and money distributing checks and payroll payment vouchers Your unbanked e
This latter approach may help the manager feel more confident, or give then the buzz they had when they were a seller. It will probably also start to diminish any respect they may have from the team, especially if some of these orders are taken from their customers. It hardly does their confidence any good as they will feel undermined!
The root of the problem is frequently something as fundamental as the actual job description. How well does it set out the range of responsibilities and tasks? Does it define the competencies required to do the job well? The key outcome for a sales manager is to achieve the required sales targets and margins. This should be done by using the resources effectively, especially the sales team! Taking a few orders might help in the short-term and reinforce the ego of the sales manager, it will not provide an ongoing solution for under-performance with team members.
What can be done to improve this and make sales managers operate more effectively? Begin at the beginning with a clearly defined job description as mentioned above! This can be a great help with recruitment or promotion and might reduce the classic tendency of promoting the top seller. (A frequent recipe for disaster as they may not succeed in the role and end up leaving, or being asked to leave. On the way to this, they may have upset a number of the sales team who do worse and might leave!) This job description needs to emphasise that the role involves a variety of activities which are not connected with their own face to face selling. When it is clear what the competencies are and the sales manager can assess themselves against these, some form of development plan can be identified to close any gaps.
The sales manager needs to understand the overall strategy and know how to plan - especially in developing a sales plan. They have to be able to analyse the current situation, market and competition as a starting point. As part of their plan they need to evaluate the capabilities of the sales team and decide whether they have the appropriate structure to deliver against the strategy and plan.
If there is no clearly defined sales process, it will help if they can identify one and break it down to the main steps. From this, they can identify the critical areas to monitor and control. Knowing these points can give the early warning signals if their might be problems in achieving the results later and can also help with more accurate forecasting. There are plenty of software systems to help with this aspect,
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