“Making the numbers” is simply not enough! Solely focusing on the obvious goals of generating revenue and making budgets ignores the deeper contribution that a sales manager should be making to his/her company. Most sales managers were once salespeople who performed at a high level, making their own numbers on a pretty consistent basis. So it’s no surprise that “singular” mindset tends to carry over with sales managers. By nature, people tend to keep on doing what they do best.
The big first step is moving from “I” to “we”. Sales managers are charged with the performance and results of not just themselves, but all the members of their respective sales team. It’s a big and sometimes difficult switch to caring about the collective as opposed to individual good. Sales managers are infamous for “taking over” a given sale in progress instead of letting their salesperson carry the ball to the close. It’s a new sales manager’s knee-jerk reaction to do what always worked for them. But “taking over” does absolutely nothing to develop the salesperson assigned to that given account.
A successful team typically has a successful coach!
Pick a sport, and the teams that win on a consistent basis usually have terrific coaches who lead the way! It’s true in sports and it’s true in sales. A sales manager’s most important role is to be an effective coach for his/her team. And if a sales manager isn’t predisposed to becoming a great coach, then he/she should think seriously about returning to being a successful salesperson instead. Sales managers have a serious obligation to their team to coach each and every member to a higher and more effective performance level.
Effective coaching takes guts, patience and focus!
Coaches must both praise and criticize team members and work with them on improvement of specific skills and abilities. It’s painstaking, time consuming and sometimes frustrating work. Communicating clearly and effectively on big issues and small details are both parts of the job. Coaching a sales team means coming up with a different solution for every member of the team…one size doesn’t necessarily fit all in terms of coaching. Great coaches know the critical differences from team member to member and operate accordingly.
Effective coaching is critical when the game is changing!
Digital technology is disrupting sales operations across a wide array of businesses. Sales managers who can guide their teams through a rapidly evolving landscape must be adept at coaching. While the playbook may be different, the fundamentals of selling still must be instilled in every salesperson. Coaches must also convey perspective and clarity to the situation at hand. The best teams are more than confident that their coaches will never let them down!
Coaches also need coaching.
Since most companies don’t offer formal training for sales managers, it’s often necessary for a sales manager to seek out someone to be his/her coach. It should be a person that we want to emulate, and someone who has demonstrated how to be a successful coach. We don’t learn quite as much from someone who has failed. There’s also a ton of books written by successful coaches (particularly in sports) that can help any sales manager become a better one.
So embrace the conviction and make the commitment to be a great sales manager by becoming a really great coach!
About the Author
Buff Parham is a widely recognized thought leader and outstanding coach in the media sales and sales management field. With 35 years of sales experience, Buff has worked at Univision, FOX, Belo, ABC and CBS. He believes that hard work matters and that raising the bar and having greater expectations tend to generate greater results. In his spare time, Buff finds cooking and playing golf to be two of the best therapies for a somewhat hectic existence!
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