Getting your player ready...
Why is moving from a sales job to sales manager job so difficult? While the principles within the field are the same, the overall skills you need to succeed are very different, says Tony Alessandra, a professional speaker who wrote several books on sales management.
Alessandra explains that the organization’s top salespeople used to move up a company’s ranks by being promoted to sales manager. But that’s a bad move, he says. “When someone is a top-notch salesperson, they typically are able to work well on their own; they’re a go-getter who can succeed independently, without direction from others,” says Alessandra. “A good sales manager is a good coach, someone who can motivate people to sell, someone who listens and puts their needs secondary to the needs of the sales staff.” Sales manager skills Managers also need to work well with others, says Darin Andersen, president of California-based Biz Dev Direct, a management-consultant firm that works with executives to build sales teams. “The sales manager has to be able to deal with individual personalities, egos and skill levels,” he says. “They have to do this in a high-pressure environment, because the success of the sales staff is often placed on their shoulders.” Alessandra says a sales manager must: Be a better listener than talker Be a coach first, salesperson second. That includes creating performance reviews that can lead to future success and generating ideas on how to better sell the product or work with certain clients. Have superior conflict-resolution and analysis skills. Know the individual strengths and weaknesses of every salesperson. Alessandra also says a good sales manager will sell his product in the field, for a few days or a week once a quarter, for example, to better understand what the sales staff encounters. The worst mistake a sales manager can make is coming in late on an account to close the deal, he adds.
“If they get the account or deal, then they’ve shattered the confidence of the salesperson and the confidence of the client,” Alessandra says. Success as a sales manager
Contrary to popular belief, a good sales manager doesn’t have to be an overbearing, stickler demanding each salesperson be on the phone selling, cold calling and prospecting.
Oftentimes, the top members of the sales staff will have higher salaries than the sales manager. This is why many salespeople stay in sales rather than moving into management. Successful sales managers also need to understand and know their product. If they continually come up with new leads and ideas, they will keep their staff motivated and excited, especially where rejection can be part of the job.
As for running ever-popular company sales contests, those are a no-win situation, says Alessandra. While these events do create competition and force people to push themselves, it’s not fair to make salespeople on different levels of skill and success compete.
Instead, create goals for each individual, and work with them to achieve those goals. “But keep them realistic,” cautions Alessandra. “Stretch them, but don’t break them. By pushing the bar higher and higher, you sometimes make things unrealistic, and frustration sets in.”
“Understand your product, understand your people, and continue to coach and teach,” says Andersen.
Alessandra explains that the organization’s top salespeople used to move up a company’s ranks by being promoted to sales manager. But that’s a bad move, he says. “When someone is a top-notch salesperson, they typically are able to work well on their own; they’re a go-getter who can succeed independently, without direction from others,” says Alessandra. “A good sales manager is a good coach, someone who can motivate people to sell, someone who listens and puts their needs secondary to the needs of the sales staff.” Sales manager skills Managers also need to work well with others, says Darin Andersen, president of California-based Biz Dev Direct, a management-consultant firm that works with executives to build sales teams. “The sales manager has to be able to deal with individual personalities, egos and skill levels,” he says. “They have to do this in a high-pressure environment, because the success of the sales staff is often placed on their shoulders.” Alessandra says a sales manager must: Be a better listener than talker Be a coach first, salesperson second. That includes creating performance reviews that can lead to future success and generating ideas on how to better sell the product or work with certain clients. Have superior conflict-resolution and analysis skills. Know the individual strengths and weaknesses of every salesperson. Alessandra also says a good sales manager will sell his product in the field, for a few days or a week once a quarter, for example, to better understand what the sales staff encounters. The worst mistake a sales manager can make is coming in late on an account to close the deal, he adds.
“If they get the account or deal, then they’ve shattered the confidence of the salesperson and the confidence of the client,” Alessandra says. Success as a sales manager
