Leading sales in tough times - Part 1 for Sales Leaders

Tip 1:?If you have not read it yet, read the book "The qualified sales leader" by John Mcmahon. An excellent read with advice that is practical, real and relevant in today's world of sales.?

Tip 2: If you have read it already, I recommend reading it again?- There are so many nuggets that you can apply.

?Part 1: Confidence:

?A key characteristic of a capable sales person is confidence. Have you ever purchased from someone who was not confident. Confidence in themselves,?confident in what they are selling, confident in their organization. What does this have to do with leading sales in tough times ? Well everything. We all have good days and bad days. We have all won and lost opportunities.

In tough times it is important to keep the confidence levels up - for the rest of the article, lets refer to the confidence levels as the belief system.?

?Let's unpack a couple of thoughts and ideas on?the belief system.

?Do they believe in themselves ? In tough times confidence or self-belief in one's capability can often take a knock. Being aware of each individuals' confidence levels and stepping in as the re-assuring coach is important as a sales leader. It sounds simple, however I want to encourage you as the sales leader to be conscious of each individuals self-belief and to be there when they need that re-assurance in themselves. Think back to a time where you had doubt in your ability and then someone, provided some words of insight and encouragement that helped you self-reflect, adjust a thought or an action and as a result your doubt was removed. The same principle applies here.?The role of coach as a sales leader is a critical success factor in today's ever changing world. By enabling and developing a sense of self-belief in each individual, you are paving the way to success. I want to leave you with one last thought - confidence without humility in the mix, will often be seen as arrogant, the balance is important.?

?Do they believe in what they are selling ? If you have sold it before you can sell it again. All too often we start looking into the faults in our product or service when tough conditions arise. Every product or service will have a gap. If the evidence shows that you have previously successfully sold the product or service, it can be sold again. As a sales leader it is important to work with the product and or service teams to maintain?strong belief in your offering. This can be done by having regular updates on product / service capabilities, regular education, regular feedback on customer success. As the sales leader the relationship between product or service delivery and the sales team needs to be strong. There are many actions that can be taken. What is important here is to retain and keep the belief in what you are selling by re assuring your sales reams on the capability and benefit of what you are selling together with the teams producing or delivering what you are selling.

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Do they believe in the organization ? This ties closely to the belief in what they are selling, however the culture (sometimes referred to as the value system), the vision of where the organization is headed and the belief in the leadership are at the core. These are always important, however in tough times any cracks in these areas tend to stand out. I use the analogy that Sales in tough times can be seen as going to war. Your Sales team are the unit leading the charge in the war, supported by numerous other units (Product development, Support, Services to name a few). Do they know and believe in the purpose - the why ? Do they believe they will be supported and backed when they lead the charge ??As a sales leader together with the leadership team it will be important to focus some attention on these in tough times and to deliver on them consistently. This means leading by example on the values laid out by the organization, this means reminding them of why and where - the purpose and the vision.?This also means operating as one leadership team in unison - a view point not only relevant for sales, relevant to the entire organization. There is nothing more motivating and powerful to build confidence when employees see a leadership team that stands together as one, is consistent and supports their teams when they need it, no matter where the support is needed.

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