In a down economy a sales manager faces flack from multiple sources. Pressured by edicts from above and complaints from field sales representatives below, it's a tough place that can lead to knee-jerk reactions. Many rally around the battle cry of "getting back to basics."
How quickly they have forgotten that the old basics
are nothing more than the price of admission to the selling game:
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Fire non-producing sales representatives. |
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Hire sales representatives from competitors; believing
their accounts will follow them. |
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Failed mass marketing promotions. |
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Becoming merely a commodity vender. |
New strategies and tactics are needed to win in today's economic environment. Stay focused and work with the team, get involved, don't manage from behind the desk, manage from the street.
What's a sales manager to do? First, resist the temptation to dive in and take over selling. That will only confuse the customer and demoralize the sales representatives. Besides, shouldn't the managers have their own priorities? Remember the role of sales manager is to think both tactically and strategically. Understanding the difference and directing your team in the right direction becomes even more critical during tough times.
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Sales managers need to focus on the following:
- Talent Acquisition. Raise the quality of your sales force by attracting top professionals to your staff. Inventory good applicants and always be looking for your "weak link" replacement. Bite the bullet and offload the weakest links.
- Retention. Now is the time to take care of your top performers. Top performers need and deserve recognition. Acknowledge their value to the company. The more you give them, the more they give to the company.
- Training. Continuous growth and development are key reasons good people stay with good companies. Yet companies invest thousands of dollars on computer software that will make things go faster, quicker and better. Remember the basics, "Nothing happens until a sale is made." Spend the training dollars on your front line people. Salespeople believe that internal training is good for the company.
- Lead by Example. Model the skills and behaviors you expect from the rank and file. Credibility is lost rapidly when sales representative sense a "do what I say, not what I do" attitude.
- Be a Champion. One of the major reasons, second to money, people go into sales is because they do not and cannot fit in as a corporate administrator. Salespeople typically dislike corporate politics, endless meetings, reports, developing policy, etc. The sales manager must be the salesperson "champion." Fight the internal battles for the sales representatives.
- Reward Great Behaviors. Meeting sales quotas is great, but be sure to recognize other achievements such as account retention, customer satisfaction, and persistence.
The skill set of the sales manager has changed. The good sales managers do not manage sales people; they manage the process, the sales cycle and internal negotiations. They also are the company's strategists. They are focused on not just the "now" but also one and two years down the road.
Today's sales manager is the driver of results and the visionary of the company. Don't get caught in daily tactical management and forget about tomorrow!
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or contact us directly at 410-442-5600. |
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About Sales Focus Inc.
Sales Focus Inc., the leading sales outsourcing company in the US, is focused on developing immediate revenue opportunities for our clients. Our sales outsourcing and process improvement solutions focus strictly on sales deployment and effective management. We work closely with our clients to develop, launch and manage effective sales teams that focus on one thing - generating revenue. Our "One-Team" approach allows focused companies to thrive and succeed in today's competitive environment! We focus on cost containment and profit enhancement solutions. Profit enhancement is a different mindset than cost cutting. Cost cutting means doing less of something; profit enhancement implies doing more of something that will boost the bottom line. We represent the concept of focused profit enhancement solutions. |
Sales Focus is driven towards a single goal: "Generating Immediate Revenue for our Clients!" Whether it's implementing our S.O.L.D. Methodology, Developing Lead Generation Programs or Launching an Outsourced Sales Force, we remain focused on the goal of TACTICALLY GENERATING RAPID REVENUE. Let us help you not only meet, but exceed your sales goals.
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Sales Focus Inc.
2205 Warwick Way, Suite 100
Marriottsville, MD 21104
P. 410.442.5600
F. 410.442.5102
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URL: www.SalesFocusInc.com |
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