BUILD A WORLD-CLASS TEAM

Turn Managers into Leaders

Highly successful sales organizations build sales leaders, not sales “managers”. What's the difference? Sales managers often fall into one of two traps: They are either too engaged in the sales process, or not engaged enough.

Two- (2) Critical Mistakes made by Sales Managers:

1. They have difficulty letting go of the last job. They perceive the job of manager as that of a super-sales rep with more authority. They believe they need to make all the decisions, and they usually take the lead in sales calls. They're afraid that the salesperson may lose the deal, so they take over. They typically tell their people what to do. This behavior creates an environment where the salesperson is not empowered. Since the manager is essentially doing the salesperson's job, the manager is not stepping back to observe the salesperson and provide important coaching and feedback. As a result the sales person doesn’t grow.

2. They spend most of their time in the office. They attend meetings, or manage emails, forecasts, and expense reports. They are aloof and disengaged from their people. They are managing the business as opposed to driving it. They see monthly activity reports and try to figure out what happened. In each case, the organization suffers. The salespeople either feel that their manager doesn't trust their abilities or that their manager doesn't care. Both situations create resentment and a loss of productivity. Perhaps even worse, the salespeople aren't being coached and developed.

Effective sales leaders understand that success depends on the growth and development of the entire team.

They understand that their role is to lead the team by:

• Establishing a vision for the team.
• Building a winning culture.
• Developing the strategy with their team and then driving it.
• Thinking six months ahead.
• Motivating and inspiring the team.
• Setting the example for excellence.
• Listening to their people and seeking their input.
• Establishing clearly defined goals and holding people accountable.
• Communicating openly and candidly.
• Actively being engaged with customers and asking for their feedback.
• Letting reps take the lead in customer meetings…and providing coaching feedback.
• Praising good performers and counseling poor performers.
• Developing and mentoring their people.

Crossland Partners has been leading highly successful sales teams and developing outstanding sales leaders for over 25 years. We can help coach your sales management team to develop the leadership skills that will raise the performance of your entire sales team.