4 Things You Can Do To Be A Better Sales Manager

Does your sales organization fall short?

Is your sales team a well-oiled machine or a rusty old motor?

Are you getting the most out of your people?

If your responses were “No”, “Well-oiled machine”, and “Yes” then kick your feet up, drink your favorite beverage, smoke a cigarette and enjoy.

If your responses were, “Yes”, “Rusty old motor”, and/or “No” then read on. And no more cigarettes!

What do I know? I’ve never had any formal sales management training. One could say I was thrust into the role. I was left to figure things out on my own. Luckily for me, I have had great mentors, love to learn, and am an avid reader.

My first boss (VP of Sales) was in a similar situation. He did not possess any formal sales or leadership training. Ironically, he taught me more than he probably knows (double entendre) by allowing me to see the challenges he faced and learn from his mistakes. Here’s what I observed:

1) Age Gap

Challenge: Bridging the relatively large age-gap between sales managers and their reps.

Ten years ago the majority of salespeople were older. Now companies are setting up internship programs and hiring college graduates that are skilled in technology. These younger reps are often asked to sell technology or marketing services only. The sales manager wants the younger group selling technology solutions that have a longer and more complex sales cycle.

At the same time, the sales manager wants the older reps selling products. Products equate to transactional business: small or one off orders that require lots of handholding. These are two entirely different types of sales.

How do you get the generations to work together?

Solution: Have your sales team participate in online solution-based sales training together. There are lots of great free online courses and videos that teach the fine art of effectively selling large systems. Try setting up a reverse mentorship program where the younger reps mentor the older ones. The older reps will learn about technology and how to leverage social media, and the younger reps will learn about products and sourcing. You may want to throw a staff party and show The Intern.  The movie illustrates how effective reverse mentorship can be. A young employee mentors Robert De Niro but the younger co-worker and founder, Anne Hathaway, winds up learning more from him. Old people rule!

2) Sales Manager/Marketing Director=Burnout

Challenge: Making sure sales managers are not stretched too thin.

Many companies doing less than $25MM in revenue have the sales manager also acting as the marketing director. This poor soul is expected to oversee the sales team and handle all marketing functions. While marketing and sales are becoming more and more intertwined, they require very different skillsets. Effective marketing creates online content that adds value to your product. New content must be created and distributed regularly and the messaging must be consistent across all mediums. Just because you know how to sell does not mean you know how to write content, distribute content, manage social media and develop a marketing strategy. The sales manager can be so consumed with marketing campaigns that she fails to dedicate enough time to her sales team.

Solution: The sales manager should track her time so she knows exactly how much time is spent on sales vs. marketing each week. She should also track the ROI. If blog posts are driving a 50% increase in website activity and a 25% increase in demo requests, this is a strong argument to hire a contractor to manage marketing. Then the sales manager can refocus on sales management responsibilities. And have more time to smoke her cigarettes.

3) No defined sales process

Challenge: Having a consistent sales process.

Many sales managers fail to take the time to setup a complete sales process. This “loose process” lacks the detail needed to be effective. This “loose process” causes the sales reps to lack consistency in their approach, leading to confusion and sporadic results. The organization conveys different sales messages, causing customers to pick up on the inconsistency. This makes it nearly impossible to maximize productivity and to forecast revenue.

Solution: Define a detailed sales process from start to finish and use it. It’s important to include “after-the-close” steps. Follow-through during a program launch and follow-up after a program launches is critical. Test the process with different reps and ask for feedback. Review the feedback and refine the process. Constantly evaluate your process to ensure it’s relevant and going to deliver the greatest results.

4) Lack of information

Challenge: Keeping track of tracking

Most companies use a CRM or some form of tracking to capture sales activity (we use a Google Doc spreadsheet). Many times sales reps will enter their information but it is often lacking detail and important process steps. Many times a rep will note a lead but omit the timeline and percentage probability of the deal closing. Confusion will reign supreme later on when trying to make sense of the entry.

If a rep closes a deal, you want to know why. And you want to be able to learn and grow from the experience. Duplication is probably desired. If a rep loses a deal, you want to know why it was lost and how you can make improvements. Duplication is not desired.

Solution: Setup your CRM or sales tracking system to capture the necessary information. Require the sales reps to enter all leads in the system. Include names, timelines, company, percentage probability of sales, and contact information.

Activity goals can also be effective. Each salesperson might reach out to 5 prospects per day and set up 1 call/meeting per day. Metrics allow the sale manager to quickly see who is on track and who is falling behind. Then she can quickly address any concerns.

What makes a good boss?

My first boss was extremely open and honest. He shared his concerns, failures, and successes. He allowed me to learn from his mistakes and from my mistakes too. And neither of us smoke. It is bad for our health.

- Sarah Scudder, Chief Growth Officer, The Sourcing Group

Published in Print Solution's January 2017 Magazine. Sarah Scudder writes the monthly Linking Verve column for PS Magazine.