How To Make Your Sales Manager Better

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How To Make Your Sales Manager Better

Written by Mike Brooks

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A New Sales Managers' Experience

Your new job comes with a new energetic morning routine. You hit the gym, grab some Starbucks refreshment, and get to the office pretty close to 9am. You check your messages, drop off your brief case and with coffee in hand, walk into the boss’s office and sit down.

You got that long desired promotion to Sales Manager. You competed with others across the company and after an exhaustive process, won. You have already told your family and friends, have packed up your personal things and have moved into a corner office. Your new business cards are on order, your name is on the door, and your email salutation properly identifies you as Sales Manager.

On your desk is a blank pad of paper, pencil in hand you begin to identify the things you want to do. Yes, you did prepare a list for the interview process, but that was an academic exercise. Now it is for real. You have a very large sales target to make and your team is already behind.   You want to be at the top of the sales leader board within a month. You have many ideas to implement and begin to write.

Soon you have an impressive list of things you want done. You will correct some wrongs, fix some long-standing problems, and shape the sales team toward a new vision. That new vision includes some long overdue organizational and operational changes to better align with your sales goals. The sooner you can make these changes, the greater the confidence to achieve your goals.

You call the team together for a meeting the following day. Your enthusiasm and confidence are evident as you address the team. You politely asked your boss not be here for this meeting because you are eager to establish your new role and authority. The prior sales manager got too close, played favorites, ignored conflicts, and was not actively involved in account situations. You made a promise to yourself not to be guilty of those same things. Instead, you will provide strong, confident and fair leadership.

You boldly announce your overall plan and begin describing the changes you are making. In your excitement, you quickly go through the first 3 changes, without pause or interaction. Recognizing this, you slow down, pause, lift you head and ask for comments. What was next said by your team you were unprepared to hear.

The meeting deteriorates into a free for all. Everyone offers his or her complaints. There are complaints about money, territories, sales targets, technical support, and, of course, marketing. At times, it seems the team is challenging your authority. You grow concerned you are answering too many questions with, “I don’t know”. You cannot believe they are putting you on the spot, asking difficult account specific questions.   This meeting is going nowhere fast.   You abruptly break off the discussion, run through the rest of your list, adjourn the meeting, briskly head for your office and close the door. You just cannot believe your team behaved like children. You are not sure if you are more angry or disappointed. Either way, you will be tougher at the next meeting.

You avoid the team all afternoon as you call your old customers and announce your promotion. You introduce the replacement sales rep and wish your old customers good luck. Later that evening, before your celebratory dinner party, you notice an email from your boss and open it. He wants to know how the first team meeting went.   He asks that you meet with him in the morning to talk about it.

Your new job comes with a new energetic morning routine. You hit the gym, grab some Starbucks refreshment, and get to the office pretty close to 9am. You check your messages, drop off your brief case and with coffee in hand, walk into the boss’s office and sit down.

Your boss is a very experience sales leader. His Rolodex is as impressive as his resume. Part of the job appeal was the opportunity to work for him. People that have worked for him are always prepared for promotions and more responsibility. Your boss finishes the phone conversation he was having and bids you a good morning.

Here is where we break with this story, because I would like you, the reader, to think about the situation and make a note of what you believe will be said in the next 15 minutes of this meeting.   What advice and guidance will his manager offer? When you are ready, read on.

Your new boss has a reputation for asking good questions, and he is demonstrating it now.   He asked how you prepared for the meeting, what you expected from the meeting, what you did to profile the personnel, how you opened the meeting, how you addressed the senior members, and lots more. He was kind, but direct with his input. Here are the notes from that meeting.

Never go to the boss’s office without paper and pencil so casually. He sent you back to your office to get them. You will not make that mistake again.

New Sales Managers show up on the job with credibility. It is always a matter of how much of it they will give up in the first 60 days. Even a little faith in the selection process will help the employees believe their new manager is skilled and qualified for the job. Beginning your relationship with a list of immediate changes eroded your credibility. Rebuild your credibility by meeting individually with your team members, starting with the most senior person.

Your initial priorities are employees, customers, and transactions. Address them in that order. Get to know your employees first. They are your greatest assets. Then concentrate on getting to know your key customers. Then you can focus on the sales transactions. Without knowing both your people and your customers, your assessments and coaching will not be on target.

Seek to understand the situation more clearly before proposing changes. A doctor who prescribes before completing a diagnosis would be labeled a quack. A new manager proposing changes before understanding the unique situation will be similarly labeled. Your team has invested in their current environment and success. Your list of quick changes are viewed as threats to their continued success. You must build a case for the changes.

Not everyone on your team has the same skills and experiences. Do not treat them like they do. You can likely bring your senior people into your manager deliberations. Your junior people are likely more fragile and not all information is suitable for their discussions. Your authority is not based on what you know. Share all that is appropriate. You cannot be their Pal, but you can be friendly, empowering, and inspiring.

The organizational changes you want will affect other managers. You do not build a collaborative environment with your peers by imposing changes on them. Work with your peers. They are a great resource for you. If changes are required, build those recommendations collectively.

I consult with a lot of business owners, and I hear a common complaint:
"The sales team isn't making their revenue numbers and my sales manager doesn't seem to know what to do to get them to improve. What should I do?"

After reviewing their sales processes, their training program, sales scripts, etc., I always ask the same question: "How much production is your sales manager generating per month?" And I almost always get the same answer - "My manager doesn't sell."

Therein lies the problem.

The problem with most sales managers is that they don't sell. And the problem with that is - how can they teach and manage something they aren't doing themselves (or worse, can't)?

Now, I know there are differing opinions on this - some say managers need to manage from the sidelines (like coaches), need to be involved in higher level responsibilities, need to attend endless meetings, and need to be able to set revenue goals and get their team to achieve them.

I agree with some of this (except the endless meetings part!), but the most effective and respected sales managers and V. P.'s I work with all lead by example. They have a personal quota and they keep their skills sharp and refined because they are on the phones closing prospects and clients every day.

Because of this, they have a real understanding of what it takes to get the job done, and so they are in the best position to teach it to others.

Here are the top 5 benefits of having a selling sales manager:

Sales managers who actively sell have an up to date, intimate understanding of what techniques, skills and strategies work in your selling environment. And having this first-hand knowledge means they can teach it to others.

Because a selling sales manager has this immediate experience of closing sales, they are in a much better position to help their team members close business as well. They can easily do a TO (take over) when a sales rep needs help. This not only teaches the rep how to handle selling situations, but it often saves a sale as well. This is what your sales manager must be able to do, and it is a crucial part of their job.

A selling sales manager commands the ultimate respect and confidence of his/her sales team. A sales manager is a leader of his team, and the best way to lead is by example. Sales reps respect and follow a leader who can help them close sales and achieve their goals. They'll also work harder for them.

A confident sales manager grows a confident and productive team. Nothing is better for a sales manager than to have him/her demonstrate, to themselves and others, that they have what it takes to successfully close sales. A successful selling manager isn't afraid of setting production goals because he knows he can achieve them (and he knows what it's going to take).

As a business owner, you must have the confidence that your manager knows exactly how to accomplish your company's revenue goals. The most accurate way to determine this is by having the sure knowledge that he knows how to do it himself. This experience is invaluable and will ensure that the goals you set are reasonable and reachable.

The #1 problem I run across when working with companies is an unreachable, unrealistic revenue goal set by the owner that has no real buy in by the sales manager. It is this disconnect that causes friction, undermines morale, and often leads to demotivated, underperforming sales teams (and managers).

All this can be avoided when you have an experienced, hands on, selling sales manager who can give you honest and accurate feedback about production goals and the ways to achieve them.

There are many more benefits of having a selling sales manager leading your team, but I hope this short list has convinced you. Believe me, the fastest way to make your sales manager better is to give them a quota and require them to pick up the phone and start closing business.

If you don't already have a quota for him/her now, then do yourself (and your company and your manager) a favor and set one this week. All of you will benefit from it!

Mike Brooks
		About the author:
		With over 20 years of inside sales closing experience, Mike Brooks has been billed nationwide as Mr. Inside Sales. Once a bottom 80% producer, Mike learned and perfected the skills of Top 20% producers and became the number one sales rep out of 5 Southern California branch offices. Author of the hot new book,The Real Secrets of the Top 20: How To Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, Mike's proven techniques, strategies and skills are used successfully by companies in industries such as securities sales, high-tech sales, pharmaceuticals, equipment leasing and other business to business applications. Mike combines proven, current tactics and skills with personal experience to provide a motivational and practical presentation. .