Some Sales Managers are Idiots!
Some Sales Managers are Idiots!
Yes, I said it, some sales managers are idiots.
I know, I work with field sales professionals all the time and deal with the problems that sales managers cause.
Look at the really smart companies whose sales managers are always successful, they do it right, IBM, P&G, Xerox. We all bought their books and training programs, but few of us actually implemented what they taught us.
I guess the companies simply expected the sales force to improve without good sales management! Sales training does not relieve a company of management responsibility.
Two things that sales management does wrong continually are no goal setting and the wrong skills training.
First, establish goals and then a reward system based on those goals. That sounds simple, but most companies don’t do it. They say “we need to increase the number of new customers this year. So go out and get more customers.” That’s it, no reward system for achievement, no consequences for failure. And, that is not really a goal!!
Remember, a goal is “a detailed objective to be achieved by a specific point in time.” More customers this year is not a goal, it is a dream, wish, hope or something, but not a goal.
Second, this one really confuses me. Companies will spend literally thousands of dollars each year or two on sales skills training, but won’t spend 0 per sales person on a Prospecting Kit. Yet prospecting is the only skill that will get a sales person into a situation where they can actually use their selling skills!!!
So that tells me and the sales team that the sales manager is not really serious about getting new customers. Also, most sales people are really customer service people, they make very few presentations, so they can save the money on that skills training.
If you want to step away from the crowd set up actual goals and a reward system for their achievement. Train your folks in the skills necessary to achieve the goals, and then sit back and watch your business grow. That’s the way the big guys do it.
Sell Well and Often,
Bill
© Copyright 2008 WJ Truax
Bill Truax is a Cleveland, Oh based speaker and consultant. Bill’s focus is on his Achieving Extraordinary Results :It’s just a Skill™ presentations and how anyone can implement this skill base for Goal Achievement. His presentations are fun, motivating, exciting and practical. Contact Bill at 800-253-1214 or Bill@BlitzCall.com
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Tagged as: Amp · Consequences · Crowd · Customer Service · Dollars Each Year · Dream Wish · Failure · Goal Setting · Idiots · Management Responsibility · Management Sales · Managers · Objective · Point In Time · Reward System · Sales · Sales Management · Sales Managers · Sales Person · Sales Professionals · Smart Companies · Some · Thousands Of Dollars · Xerox