March 31, 2009
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Sales Managers Need Their Own Forum
Tim Roberts
Wearing the hat of sales manager can be a full time grind. When asked what they do, sales managers tell folks they’re “responsible for the numbers.” For anyone who has held the position more than say, two weeks, you know you’re responsible for humans and more precisely, human performance. Humans ain’t all that easy.
Very few people I know have their degree in Sales Management. Okay, none. So what do we know about sales performance? Too often, unfortunately, the manager is the person who was the best sales performer. “He’s earned it,” I hear. Or, “How could I not give it to the guy, he’s outsold everyone else.” That response is kind of like saying, “Private Smith over there killed the most bad guys, let’s make him General.” Work with me, McFly.
Leaders of sales teams like to commiserate with other sales leaders. They are hungry to be in a forum where they can ask, share and deliberate with others on the mindset, skill set and belief set necessary to lead effectively.
Strong leaders want to know what other strong leaders do differently. Often they want to make sure they’re doing something right! They want to know how others hire. They want to know about compensation issues, territory alignment, staging sales meetings and the basics of communicating effectively with a wide range of personalities – of performance behaviors.
Sales leaders are often frustrated with the age old question of why some members of the team get it and consistently hit numbers while others, with the same products, services and territory can win but not consistently. They’re terribly frustrated with nonperforming hires that cost money. Is it any wonder owners are reluctant to properly budget a sales team when they view the entire sales department as “ROI challenged?”
Trustpointe has developed a forum for Sales Leaders ONLY. We consider it a Community of Practice. In this forum, managers wrestle with the day-in and day-out challenges of motivating powerful sales performance.
In one of the great books on managing styles, “First Break All The Rules” by Marcus Buckingham, it’s evident that people want to work for great managers first and foremost. It’s not the money. It’s not the benefits. It’s working for a great leader that motivates people to passionate performance. You want your sales team to practice their craft. Show them that you take yours seriously as well.
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