Better Sales Manager - 3 Ways to Make It Happen

Become a Better Sales Manager
If you want to become a better sales manager, you must first understand your success is now based upon the success of your sales team, not your individual ability to win opportunities, impress clients, or close deals – the stuff that probably got you the promotion in the first place.

Your Success Depends Upon the Success of Your Team
As a sales manager, you are now in an important leadership role in charge of building and leading an effective sales team. The only way you can be successful is if your sales team is successful. To become a better sales manager, you must leverage the strengths of each individual salesperson in a way that makes the team thrive by:

Having a clear sales strategy
Setting clear success metrics
Defining clear roles and responsibilities
Following a consistent sales process
Putting a sales coaching process in place

Lead Situationally, Not How You Like to Be Led
Too many salespeople move into a management role mistakenly thinking they must lead every person the way they themselves would like to be led. In reality the situational leadership experts have it right, and nothing could be further from the truth.

Great sales managers who receive proven sales management training know each person on their team is different and, therefore, lead, manage, and coach accordingly to each person’s unique strengths, weaknesses, and situation.

Avoid Micromanaging
Unfortunately, too many sales managers also struggle with when to be “hands on” or “hands off.” Many sales reps resent anything close to micromanaging and yet others need close supervision or they fall behind. Successful sales managers recognize that different individuals have different needs and adjust their sales management style to their team.

It’s a bit like what you first learned in consultative selling training except that instead of playing to your customer’s preferred working style, you play to your sales rep’s preferred working style.

3 Tips to Be a Better Sales Leader
Here are three tips from our sales leadership simulation assessment that allow for the differing needs of the sales team:

Set Up Regular Sales Coaching Sessions
The goal for these sessions is to meet with each sales rep, one-on-one, to review their top one or two client accounts and discuss their most pressing goals, problems and needs. This is not about micromanaging.

This is your opportunity to become a better sales manager by learning what strategic plans your rep has to grow these critical accounts and how you can most help them to succeed. Most managers like to start with weekly 1×1’s and then move to bi-weekly once the team starts to norm and perform.
Use Data Effectively
As a sales manager, you should have access to relevant customer, financial, quota, satisfaction, and sales process information that paints a clear picture of where each and every sales rep stands vis-à-vis their targets.

Use the information to inform and coach your reps regarding where they should focus their energy and to spot gaps in their performance that need attention.
Add Special Meetings When Necessary
There are times that call for unscheduled, all hands sales meetings — a new product launch, a bit customer win or loss, a reconfiguration of the company, or a shift from selling products to selling solutions. Do not be afraid to clearly communicate what you know, what you do not know, and when you will be able to fill in any gaps.