Sales managers: It's not the will to win, it's the will to prepare to win

By Max Cates, Author of sales management book, Serve, Lead Succeed! https://booklocker.com/11051

It's not the will to succeed that creates top sales people. It's the will to prepare to succeed. I've known highly competitive sales people who love to succeed but they fail because they don't have the discipline to prepare, they don't study, they don't practice or rehearse. They show up super-confident, competitive, with years of experience then fail when the going gets tough. Many times they resort to what made them successful in the past, doubling down on charisma and dogged insistence rather than innovative problem solving to meet customer needs.

Here are a few thoughts for sales managers on developing the mental toughness for sales teams to prepare to succeed:

1. Create a culture of continuous learning. It includes traditional sales training but goes beyond to learning from each other, sharing knowledge at sales meetings, helping each other develop new skill sets. It all starts at the top with you, the sales manager. You are the role model for learning and sharing.
2. A learning culture is the basis for continuous improvement. Even the best can get better. The best is not good enough. If you surpass objective, add another 10% next year. Keep moving forward with stretch objectives. That's what prepares your people with an aggressive mind set to become the best they can be.
3. Don't just suggest your people prepare. Insist on good preparation. You know the drill: know your customer, their needs, personality, goals; know your product line, product applications, discounts; practice, rehearse, role play for effective presentations.
4. Do prep checks. Your attention to preparation sets the tone for your team. Send a strong message that no one goes out without being prepared. Zero tolerance for half-baked sales pitches.

For more on sales team productivity, see the book Serve, Lead, Succeed! https://booklocker.com/11051 and the non-profit group Servant Leaders in Sales Home (servantleadersinsales.org)