If you are a personable individual, appreciate challenges and love to showcase your strong business acumen, then sales has likely been a rewarding career choice. If you’re good with people, have the patience, confidence and the drive to succeed, then you’ll be in position to reap the rewards. As you progress in your position others might decide to call upon you to impart your abilities and knowledge, onto others. In this capacity you’ll now become a manager.
Transitioning from sales representative to sales manager can be both a rewarding, and equally frustrating, experience. So, what are some of the key areas to be aware of? More importantly, what experiences and expertise do you need to impart upon those who’ll now report to you?
Don't Assume Two Roles: Be a Manager First
Companies often make the mistake of asking their newly appointed sales managers to assume two roles. They want their sales managers to be promoted to a management position, but don’t want to lose that valuable connection the sales representative has built with his or her customers. However, there are several issues with asking a sales manager to handle both customer accounts, and a sales department.
First, the sales manager must never be in competition with those that report to him or her. Their job is to generate sales, while the sales manager's job is to lead the sales team. In this case, the manager's success must be predicated on the success of the team.
Second, the sales representatives must be given every possible opportunity to succeed. This means making sales a much easier process by removing any internal roadblocks that do nothing other than make it more difficult to close deals. Here are four critical success factors to properly managing a sales team.
Ultimately, your sales team must become experts in business-to-business (B2B) negotiation. To learn more, please read: Five Sales Competencies Every B2B Salesperson Must Master
1. Stop Managing Accounts and Start Managing Sales
Sales need all the accounts they can work on. The emphasis needs to be on the personal and professional development of the sales representatives, and on the growth of their territories. The compensation for the sales manager should be built around the success of the sales representatives. This will create an atmosphere where the manager will want the sales team to succeed and will support their pursuits.
- Sales managers should never compete with sales representatives.
- Sales representatives must be provided as many opportunities as possible.
- Emphasis must be on the personal and professional growth of the sales representatives.
- Compensation for the sales manager should be built around the success of the sales representatives.
2. Keep the Sales Funnel Full:
Sales representatives need to have plenty of opportunities to pursue. An argument can be made that they should have more than they can possibly work on. When your sales representatives return from customer visits, they should have enough work to keep them occupied until their next visit.It all amounts to keeping the sales funnel full of opportunities. Sales people are often reminded that success and failure are one and the same. One day, you’re on top of the world, and the next, you can’t close the door.
Failure to close orders is common in sales. Sales professionals must have short memories. When they don’t succeed, they tend to dwell on their failures. Therefore, when there are more than enough opportunities available, the sales cycle times are faster, and those lost orders don’t seem as severe.
Don't complicate things. Make sales easy and make your company's sales funnel easy to navigate and understand.
3. Empower Your Sales Team to Take Part in Business Growth!
Empowerment is perhaps the single greatest attribute of a good manager. Allow your sales team to make their own decisions, and to learn from their mistakes. Nothing is more difficult than to work for someone who micromanages your approaches, and second guesses your decisions. When your sales team feels empowered, they’ll have the confidence to handle any adversity. Sales representatives need to be able to make decisions immediately. They must show the customer that they alone have the ability to resolve issues.
Customers want to be reassured that they are dealing with a decision maker, and someone who can make a difference. They must come to understand that their sales representatives are problem solvers, and the best able to handle their concerns. While it’s true that sales people are motivated by commissions, the very best sales people are motivated by success. When they feel empowered to make decisions, and know they have their manager’s support, they will want to do their best for both their manager, and the company.
4. Be Aware of Their Success Without Being Told
Going out of your way to congratulate someone, without them having to tell you what they accomplished, speaks volumes about you as a manager. It shows that you have their best interest in mind. You’ll be amazed at the response you’ll get when you congratulate your sales people for a job well done.
When sales people feel they have to tell someone of their success, the resulting “congratulations”,feels somewhat forced. This is an extremely impactful way to show your sales people that you are in tune with what they are doing, and that you really do appreciate their efforts.
Moving from a sales position, to a sales management position, is definitely a challenge. As a sales person, you learn to become self-sufficient. However, when you move to a management position, you need to lead by example, and impart your knowledge without interfering. Empower your sales team to do what they do best, and reward them with recognition. While it’s true that sales people are motivated by money and commissions, the best are motivated by success. Be cognizant of their success, and show your gratitude.
Comments