HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE SALES MANAGER?

Being a Sales Manager he/she has to deal with the internal and external factors of an organization. External factors for the organization are totally uncontrollable and are very uncertain or unexpected, whereas internal factors are mostly controllable and some preventive measures can be taken to avoid the loss if any. 

The sales department is considered to be one of the most dynamic and very important functions in the organization as it is directly proportional to regular cash flow. All companies whether it is small, medium or large scale are very much dependent on the regular cash flow and why only companies even human beings are dependent on monetary aspects in today's high-priced world as CASH or anything related to it has gained so much importance as it is impossible to survive without it.

A family of 4 persons won't be able to survive without regular cash flow, how will an organization with 40 employees or maybe more will be able to survive?

Sales Manager of any company is always on his toes and looking for the opportunities to bring money and it may also happen that every time existing clients may not give business and practically speaking new clients won't pay immediately if you go at the 11th hour. Its a helpless and hopeless situation but it's a harsh reality is that he/she has to face many times.

One should have following traits to be an effective Sales Manager:-

1. Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis:- Sales Manager must have an eye on their competitor's products, services and strategies as it will be easy for him/her to launch their own's services and take the advantage of what is missing in the market.

The SWOT analysis must be performed very deeply and intensely by any Sales Manager as for an Organisation it is a very indispensable step and a lot of things are dependent on the present and future. One can say that its the introductory step of a product as by SWOT that particular product or service is getting introduced in front of everyone and if SWOT is performed effectively that particular product or service can make the mark in the competitive world. The size of the organization doesn't matter for SWOT really as for all level organizations it must be conducted.

"Try to master the art of turning your weakness into strengths and threats into opportunities" 

2. Stay Hungry Stay Foolish:- This quote suits perfectly for any person working in a Sales department. I think a Sales Manager shouldn't be satisfied even though he is hitting the mark. My personal opinion is for any Sales guy it is absolutely fine if they are a bit over-ambitious as he/she will try to generate more and more revenue and organization are looking for such kind of employees only. Honestly, speaking organizations are looking for more and more money and it is difficult to tell by raising how much revenue they will be satisfied?

It's one the most effective quality of any Sales Manager if he has to take his organization to new heights he must be hungry and least satisfied even though he cracks a million-dollar deal.

Money is the Oxygen for any Organization & Sales Manager is like a tree that supplies oxygen in the form of money so that an organization's life goes on and on.

For eg:- The best example in today's world is Mr.Virat Kohli. No matter how many runs he scores you will always see the hunger, passion, and dedication to achieve more and more and that is why he is leading runs scorer from the past few years.

3. Excellent Negotiator:- Negotiation happens almost everywhere. It's an art and one should know how it can be done effectively so that none of the parties involved in it suffer any loss. Everyone must remember that an end result of a negotiation process must be a WIN-WIN and not a WIN-LOSE to maintain the relations healthy and keep going. The Sales Manager has to negotiate not only with external clients but also with internal people and let me tell you most of the time negotiation is not a cakewalk for him as he has to cut through the clutter to satisfy both the parties. He must be an excellent negotiator as it is related not only with revenue generation directly or indirectly but also with the reputation of the organization. An effective manager will always put his personal benefits and relations aside at the time of negotiation because organizational benefit must be his priority. He needs to make sure that he has a point on which the discussion is going on and has very good listening skills so that he can respond in an appropriate manner. It is also important to read or listen between the lines as each and everything is not written or said most of the time.

4. Setting Up Realistic Targets:- Frankly speaking, setting up a target is a bit tricky task as you don't know what will be the condition of a market in the next few months, how many team members are going to leave your company or any other thing but target setting can't be skipped. It's very important to show management realistic picture no matter how much exceptional salesperson you are though it doesn't mean that one has to set very less target. By giving a clear picture at the beginning of the year mgmt knows what to be expected and also sales manager can take effective steps and concentrate only on what is required to be done to bring the business. Setting up realistic targets will make the manager's work easier as he doesn't need to focus on each and everything.

5. Identifying appropriate resources:- For any manager its a good headache to identify an appropriate resource for his team to deliver effective and timely results. Its a very tedious and time-consuming process to onboard an appropriate fit for the role and sales manager may have to interview at least 5-6 candidates before hiring. Although a sales manager can't be too choosy or expect 100% right fit for the role which he/she is hiring.

Managers while identifying the talent should not only focus on academics as even an average student who is enthusiastic and has man-management skills can also crack a very good deal.

Following traits should be looked while hiring any candidate for a Sales role:-

A. Must be given Role-Plays in an interview

B. Communication Skills

C. Presence of Mind

D. Attitude

I would say everybody is Salesperson no matter which role they are into, HR has to keep their employees happy by doing outdoor activities, team building sessions, etc. A student has to do well in studies to keep his parents happy. A trainer has to deliver training effectively so that he gets a maximum no of participants next time. Drama artist has to make sure he entertains the audience and there are many more examples like this where a person literally has to present himself in such a manner where people will appreciate him.