You’re a new sales manager. Now what? No one wakes up in the morning determined to do poor job. But what if you don’t know any better? I’ve seen great sales managers and not so great ones. Here’s what I’ve observed in the ones that are great sales managers.
Give effective instructions.
Giving effective instructions is more than simply giving clear instructions to your sales team. Some sales managers prefer to go into a lot of detail when they give instructions. Others simply tell you what they want as the output. The problem is not everyone wants either a lot of detail or just the output.
A great sales manager gives instructions the way the particular salesperson needs to understand what to do. The less assertive salesperson wants some guidance on what needs to be done, how the manager wants it done and what the end result should look like. The more assertive person doesn’t want to be micromanaged. Just tell him what you want and he’ll figure a way to do it.
Great sales managers know which salesperson is which. They personalize their instructions which means they deliver effective instructions.
Be able to give a sincere compliment.
You’ve probably heard that customers buy from people they like. That observation isn’t entirely true. Customers certainly prefer to work with people they do like. Sales managers are in a similar situation. Salespeople prefer to work for a sales manager they like. I see them working harder for them, too.
How can you be liked? A sales manager who gives sincere compliments is someone who is liked. Your job is to notice the work that deserves to be complimented. Of course a big sale deserves a compliment. So does a challenging project whether or not it got a successful result. The work gets complimented, not necessarily the result. It’s a good time for a sales manager to compliment a salesperson when a customer tells the manager about a job well done.
A great sales manager doesn’t blame the salesperson who works hard for a deal and despite the effort, doesn’t make the sale. That’s the time to debrief and figure a strategy going forward that might work in the future.
The idea that a paycheck is enough to get results in sales is a very bad idea. No great sales manager believes it.
A great sales manager works as hard as the top salesperson.
The job of a great sales manager is to remove obstacles from his sales team. That means, just like in sales, the job isn’t nine to five.
A great sales manager is ready to offer help when needed. Discussing strategy or helping with a sale is part of the job. A great sales manager is not aloof and missing in action when help is needed .
The late Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines had the right advice for business success. He believed if you took care of your people, they would take care of the customers and the business would thrive. Great sales managers take care of their sales team. That’s how they all succeed.