Sales managers usually earn the job because they have excelled at selling, closing deals and helping their customers to succeed. But the critical skills required to effectively lead and manage a sales team are quite different from those of an individual sales contributor. Make sure you have shifted your thinking from connecting only with customers to connecting and guiding your team so that they, too, learn how to sell well. Your success is now dependent upon the success of others.
Hang on to what you learned in value selling training because it will help you in your new position. However, rather than simply figuring out what your customers want and need, sort out what critical few value selling skills your reps need to succeed; and instead of guiding customers toward a solution, coach your reps toward more effective value-added selling, relationship building and problem solving.
Here are four sales management rules to follow:
1. Clearly define performance standards and expose where people stand.
Don’t leave your performance expectations vague or unclear. Every team member should know exactly what is expected of them and they should understand that they will be held accountable for their performance. Recognize and reward exceptional performance; have consequences for substandard performance. Ignored, poor performers will infect high performers and team goals will suffer.
2. Encourage sales reps to solve problems on their own.
Too many sales managers take over before the “teachable moment.” Give your reps the space to try to figure out solutions to the problems they encounter so they learn what works and what doesn’t. And give them the opportunity to handle customer conversations. They may not handle the discussion as you would but they need the practice and feedback. Afterwards you can debrief together to think about what they could have done differently. Until you give reps the chance to reflect and learn, they won’t!
3. Become an effective performance coach.
The better you develop your sales team, the more effective they will be at helping their clients to succeed and meeting their sales targets. Work alongside your sales reps; be a thoughtful observer of behavior; know how to give constructive performance feedback in a way that is specific and timely; follow up to see that the desired sales skills are actually applied; and hold your reps accountable for the sales behaviors you deem critical to success.
4. Keep your eye on the overall business direction and sales strategies.
It is all too easy to get bogged down in the tactics of sales management, administration and forecasting. Don’t neglect to spend some focused time each week on reviewing and aligning with the big picture. You should have an overall sales plan for success that directly aligns with the overall business strategy. Discipline yourself to have a clear target market, a meaningful differentiation, a proven sales methodology, and a powerful sales culture to achieve your objectives. Continuously do what it takes to ensure that all the moves you make propel you in the right direction.
Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training
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