Why Fractional Sales Management is growing

Some business owners are struggling. They know sales can be better, but they struggle to find the right formula. Some options they consider:

1. Manage the sales team themselves. This means the owner now has less time for the other aspects of the business. They may understand the need for sales, but they may not feel qualified to actually grow sales. More importantly, their own sense of urgency to "grow sales" can actually have an adverse motivational effect on the sales team as their own tense desperation comes out in sales meetings. What usually follows next is micro-management of the sales team, and this will drive the team to look for new jobs.
2. Allow the team to self-manage sales. Hope is not a plan, and hoping sales will get better without a solid plan to grow is a lot of hope and hot air. Reality will bite hard, and again, what usually follows is the death-spiral of desperate "need" for sales to grow and micro-management.
3. Promote someone from the sales team or let them manage sales part-time. I would take a pause here to reflect that this might actually work in rare cases where a good sales person also has the right leadership qualities. However, who do you promote? Your best performer's numbers may suffer under the increased responsibility if only part-time, or they may just resent the added responsibility. If you actually promote them into full-time leadership, you risk losing their numbers if there is not a solid plan to replace their production. Bit of a dice roll, but it could work - again, if they have the expertise needed. Moving anyone else into leadership other than the best performer will have the entire team scratching their head and asking "Why so-and-so" is moving up?
4. Hire a full time sales manager. Hiring from outside makes more sense, but here the cost of another head-count without a solid plan to grow sales quickly can create undo pressure on the role. With that "need" monster lurking over their salary, a new sales manager could fall into the same trap as the owner and begin micro-management of the sales team. Again, this would have the adverse effect of causing sales to actually decrease as the team starts to look for roles elsewhere.
5. OR - look for a creative solution: Fractional Sales Manager.

Benefits of Fractional Sales Management - why it is growing.

Fractional Sales Management can provide.....

1. .... expertise at a fraction of the cost. You pay for a slice of their time, but get ALL of their expertise. Many small businesses and start-ups cannot afford the headcount - their need is great, but their budget is small. It is the "more bang for your buck" a lot of small businesses and start-ups desperately need.
2. ... time. When businesses are small and start-ups need to watch their pennies, hiring a fractional sales manager can buy you more time as your dollars stretch farther. If you are the owner, letting someone else shoulder the burden of sales management gives you time to focus on other aspects of the business. As a business owner, what would you do if you could get 4, 8, or even 16 hours a week back?
3. ... a solid foundation for growth and success in a repeatable sales process. A fractional sales manager can uncover this process, or even create one, and turn it into something the rest of the sales team can use without forcing "cookie cutter" solutions. Since every sales person has a different personality, a fractional sales manager can help each individual tailor a repeatable process to their strengths and skill sets.
4. ... a possible long-term solution. As your business improves and sales grow, letting the fractional sales manager continue in the role may continue to be the best financial decision you can make. In some cases, you may want to hire them full-time, but that decision can be made when the business is ready for it.