The job of sales manager has always been important to a sales team.
But look, fast things have changed and evolved over the last 50 years in selling. Your competition has increased, gotten more competitive, and a lot tougher. Today, we’re in a hypercompetitive reality that has meant the job of a sales leader has become even more critical to help salespeople deal with all these aggressive challenges we’re facing today.
The problem, though, is most sales managers are still using the old stuff that worked ten or twenty years ago. Most followed a more traditional style of management, which was a very reactive position.
Sales managers would tell their sales team, “My door is always open. Call me when you need me!” But all that meant was they were a reactive problem-solver.
These older-style sales managers actively supported their salespeople, but they weren’t really leading them.
The average manager today still only deals with the same four issues, dealing with special pricing, expediting, problem solving, and customer thank you calls. A very reactive support position for the team.
But in today’s hypercompetitive world, we need more. Success in leadership today is based on sales managers becoming more selling-process coaches and leaders.
The difference…the old traditional style of management, this reactive style, focused on results only. The only questions these managers traditionally asked were “What?” and “Who?” questions. “What are you going to close this month? Who’s it going to be?”
What we need to do today to become stronger coaches and leaders of our team is to shift more of our coaching and leadership to look at the process of “How” they sell and “Why” buyers buy. “How are you going to go after that account? Why aren’t you also calling on the owner?”
Today, effective sales leadership has become the most critical variable in the success of a sales team. By helping them improve their messaging, improving their structures, and in getting more help to guide them through this process. What are you doing as a sales manager about changing the way you coach and lead your team? Because we know you’re good. Now the only question is, are you ready to help you and your team to get even better?