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Sales Management Principles Continued!
posted: Thursday, December 3, 2009
As a manager, it is often hard to believe you were a salesperson at one point. You should always take the time to remember what it is like in the trenches. The worst type of manager in any field is the one that finally gets to management and immediately forgets about those who are doing the sales work to make the manager look good.
All of that leads us to the next principles to being an effective sales manager. Principle number 7 is: you must be on the floor. This is the best, and only, way for you to keep an accurate pulse on what is going on and what your salespeople are experiencing everyday. By being on the floor, you can listen to the presentations of your staff and be better able to provide the coaching and/or training that salespeople need. Managers should be on the floor to accept turnovers, do takeovers, and generally keep the spirits high. Meet and greet customers, introduce yourself, and be active in making things happen on the floor. Being involved affords you the best opportunities to be an asset to the salespeople working with you.
Great managers provide communication that is direct and to the point, which is principle #8. It is easy for a person to become confused and frustrated if the training point is not clear. Your salespeople will be much more effective if they know exactly where they stand.
We've been talking a lot about training and coaching. While those are both important, positive feedback is more important. Catch people doing something right is principle #9. Your positive feedback should be 10-1 over negative feedback or coaching. Most of us respond much better to coaching if we also know that we will be praised for doing our jobs well. It is much easier to cause change when it is done in a positive manner. If all the manager does is criticize, then the salespeople tend to tune out communication.
As we pick up next time, we will focus on why it is important to continually strive to improve and why nothing ever stands still.
For more information on sales management check out the PSMC - Professional Sales Management Course by clicking here.
FINAO - Failure is Not An Option
Brad Huisken
All of that leads us to the next principles to being an effective sales manager. Principle number 7 is: you must be on the floor. This is the best, and only, way for you to keep an accurate pulse on what is going on and what your salespeople are experiencing everyday. By being on the floor, you can listen to the presentations of your staff and be better able to provide the coaching and/or training that salespeople need. Managers should be on the floor to accept turnovers, do takeovers, and generally keep the spirits high. Meet and greet customers, introduce yourself, and be active in making things happen on the floor. Being involved affords you the best opportunities to be an asset to the salespeople working with you.
Great managers provide communication that is direct and to the point, which is principle #8. It is easy for a person to become confused and frustrated if the training point is not clear. Your salespeople will be much more effective if they know exactly where they stand.
We've been talking a lot about training and coaching. While those are both important, positive feedback is more important. Catch people doing something right is principle #9. Your positive feedback should be 10-1 over negative feedback or coaching. Most of us respond much better to coaching if we also know that we will be praised for doing our jobs well. It is much easier to cause change when it is done in a positive manner. If all the manager does is criticize, then the salespeople tend to tune out communication.
As we pick up next time, we will focus on why it is important to continually strive to improve and why nothing ever stands still.
For more information on sales management check out the PSMC - Professional Sales Management Course by clicking here.
FINAO - Failure is Not An Option
Brad Huisken
