Thanks for joining the discussion. Regards, Dave

Thanks for joining the discussion, I hope to see you here frequently! Regards, Dave

Look at ads for sales management types, and what they place high value on. The words “hands on ” appear almost everywhere. Hands on is a key symptom for driving failure. Overview, systems analysis, infrastructure development, sales overhead reduction, report efficiency development, goal, objective, strategy development for each sale person, definition of the sales process, dynamic tacking of the location of customers in the process etc all drive huge performance leaps within sales organizations. One most often overlooked is sales office design to optimize communication amongst interdependent players on the sales team.

There is certainly more in the management equation. However, I have never worked for a company that rewards a sales manager for execution at this level. They want manager in the field making calls and solving the problems that the field people they hire should be solving. Many sales managers just keep being sales guy after they get the title. When things get tough, they fail, because they have not executed on organizational development necessities. In the mean time they are the fair haired boy of upper management, usually to the CEO level because they are so present in the field. Until the fundamentals of excellent sales management are better known and accepted sales management will be fraught with misconception and the illusion of time management and load issues. As a sales manager, ones main responsibility is to build the complete infrastructure or repair the infrastructure of the organization to be managed. That is the Goal and when met the outcome of tactical sales efforts will quantum leap.

How can this be driven in everyday sales activities. Simply make the categories above the basis of compensation for sales management. Compensation properly directed will drive outcomes.

1. If the organization has no sales process in place, one of the sales manager’s highest priorities is to put one in place, train the sales people and make sure it is used. Without a strong sales process, it is impossible to manage for performance. It is impossible to make sure the organization and individuals are working as effectively and efficiently as possible.
2. Having a process in place has nothing to do with where the company is in its life cycle, product cycle or tenure. One of the challenges of early stage companies is to figure out what this is as quickly as possible, so that it can scale rapidly. For more mature companies, the process is required for efficient effective growth. It is important to recognize the process changes through the company, product cycles. As you imply, too many organizations put a process in place then fail to keep it updated, reflecting shifts in their markets, competition, strategies and priorities. Part of the “stewardship” role of management is to make sure the processes reflect current realities and position the organization to compete effectively in the future.
3. Your point about managing process and activity (teaching and coaching) is well taken. Managers need to do all of this. However, to often they focus only on activity, and micromanaging it. This is a prescription for failure, from many dimensions. One is they take the responsibility/accountability out of the hands of the sales people (who may be pleased to delegate it up). Two is the numbers just go against the sales manager—it is impossible, by definition, for them to be involved in all those activities (I wrote a blog on the sales manager superman syndrome). The only way, as a result, the manager can be sure things are “in control” is by making sure the processes are in place and to inspect the process.
4. Sales management overload–for first time managers is a real problem. Most often, a large part of the problem is they don’t understand what their job is or how to do it (shame on senior management). Typically, they have been sales people who have been promoted. Their natural inclination is to keep doing what they had been doing, but more, faster….. Clearly a prescription for overload and personal/organizational failure. The manager must learn their job is to get things done through their people. Making sure the right processes are in place, the right systems and tools, the right training, coaching, etc. is critical. Making sure people are leveraging these is the only way to drive performance.

Dan, thanks so much for your comment. You raised some great points that are critical to the sales manager’s success. Please keep visiting and contributing.