What are the Sales Management Essentials and how do we master them?  Well firstly Sales management and leadership is not about selling!

In fact when one examines the role of the modern sales leader it quickly becomes evident that there just isn’t time to sell. Equipping sales leaders to perform the tasks for which they are responsible, and sustaining the momentum of the sales force in its drive for incremental value and volume, at the same time as continuously improving the customer experience, is a challenge that demands a high degree of maturity, dedication, focus and extraordinary leadership skills.

Tragically many sales managers are promoted to this crucial role without the training and development that this demanding role requires. Too often these managers end up as little more than highly paid “super salespeople”. 

The brutal facts in today’s world of sales management…

  • Sales leaders are given very little or no support when it comes to being a competent, effective sales managers.
  • In most instances the majority continue to learn their craft by observing their managers and then replicating both the strengths and faults.
  • Today’s sales mangers perpetuate the mistakes of their managers.
  • Few sales leaders receive formal training in “sales management” practices – either before or during their tenure.
  • Sales management training happens less than annually or not at all.
  • Even where sales leadership is relatively mature, managers do not know what standards to use to coach and develop their teams.

 

The sureness of our success

  • If sales managers are more frequently and better trained and coached themselves, their sales teams achieve higher performance and results.
  • No other type of sales training has a more positive correlation between frequency of training and sales performance.

Whilst much is made of the role of sales leaders as coaches, little attention is given to the other crucial roles performed by effective sales leaders, beyond coaching and / or themselves being “super sales / relationship people”. 

With more than 40 years field research and experience observing and addressing sales and sales leadership challenges, Barrett has been able to highlight 8 fundamental functions of sales leadership which provide sales managers with the knowledge, skills, confidence and competence to…

  • Define sales strategy and see to its implementation
  • Develop, implement and monitor sales systems
  • Inculcate sales disciplines that support a performance culture
  • Stimulate innovation and change
  • Select and build sales teams
  • Train, teach and coach sales teams
  • Facilitate territory management plans that support strategy

 

sales management essentials

click to see our sales essentials website

These 8 Sales Management Essentials are:

  1. Creating and managing sales systems, processes and protocols
  2. Supporting the sales effort and instilling disciplines
  3. Developing and managing sales strategies
  4. Stimulating and managing change
  5. Managing sales performance, budgets and targets
  6. Sustaining commitment to the organization
  7. Developing, training and coaching
  8. Selecting sales team members and stimulating individual talent

sales-management-essentials-diagram

Sales management and leadership is a multifaceted role. Mastering these 8 functions is not easy however raising awareness and making these functions visible is the first step to sales management and sales leadership mastery.  Let’s get these topics in the sales leadership agenda and stop selling and start getting sales management fit.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.
Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au 

 

PS: If you are interested in attending the Sales Management Essentials 5 day intensive workshop in 15-19 April 2013 please contact us to book your place or call (+61) 03 95330000.

Who is it for: Barrett Sales Management Essentials is designed for sales managers and people moving into a role in sales management who want to ensure they are current with sales management best practice.

Until now no single program has provided sales leaders with a complete curriculum of sales management and leadership skills and techniques.

Participants will leave this unique workshop with an entire portfolio of skills, systems and competencies, including…

  • How to create an effective sales strategy that supports the organisation’s focus;
  • how to develop, map and monitor territory plans;
  • how to profile what characteristics are required in salespeople and then how to interview and staff the sales operation;
  • how to introduce sales systems that enhance productivity and establish reward mechanisms to inspire top level performance;
  • how to manage under-performing salespeople, map customer, account, new business development and prospecting strategies and skills;
  • effective solution selling skills; including questioning, listening, analysis, problem solving, solutions development, influencing, integrating and closing. 

 

2 Comments

  • Sales Management Tool says:

    I see a lot of different sales managers in action, in-the-field, coaching their salespeople. The most productive and successful managers I’ve encountered have what I call a “three-dimensional” coaching approach. It’s what I believe allows these managers to feel in control, proactively coaching their teams versus perpetually reacting. Conversely, those who aren’t as effective as they’d like can’t seem to put their finger on why; it usually can be tracked back to one of the following three dimensions that are missing:

  • Eric Fajardo says:

    Sales management is a crucial and yet often neglected area. As a B2B marketer, the marketing component is only relevant if B2B sales are being made and managed effectively.