Sales management = activity management

A COMMON misconception

.ILamong sales managers is that they are managing themselves. You can work unsupervised. You know how to sell. You know how to build a territory. These combined skills are not common-that's why you were made manager!

Last week I had a similar conversation with two different sales managers in completely different industries on opposite sides of the country.

East Coast (Lumber): "James, I'm not their father; I shouldn't have to tell them all these things."

West Coast (Seafood): "James, I shouldn't have to babysit these guys; they should do these things on their own."

My answer to both was the same, "That's exactly what you have to do. Sales management is activie management. If you don't want to babysit your team, you need to get out of sales management."

Hire Talent

Many sales managers (and companies) think they can get around managing salespeople by hiring only the most talented. There are inherent problems with this strategy. Number one: there just aren't that many superstars out there. (My best guess is this group represents about one out of 40 of the current sellers in any market.)

The other problem with the superstar group is they want superstar compensation. I've found very few companies who can stomach the price or believe these salespeople are worth it.

Superstars may not fit your company culture. Who is going to manage this incoming prima donna? It's great to bring someone in who will put up numbers quickly, but who will deal with them (and the rest of the sales team) when they skip the Saturday sales meeting because they (feel they) don't need it?

In addition to pay and fit problems, superstars can have their own set of management issues. Just because a salesperson can put numbers on the board doesn't mean they don't have to be managed. A sales manager may not have to tell the superstar to close more, but they (the sales manager) may have to spend hours with them in their office talking about the superstar's personal problems.

Final note on superstars: Audit their numbers. Do they do all their business with one account? Do they put up large but low margin business? Are they going to sell your operations people into an untenable service agreement? Sales numbers can be very deceptive. The top line (sales) may be great, but the bottom line (profit) may not be. Interviewing a superstar? Audit first, then hire.

Activity Management

Successful sellers micro-manage their time. Sales managers are reluctant to micro-manage their salespeople. Don't bel Any salespeople who are not hitting their numbers need to be micro-managed. When they start performing, we can ease off on some of the management. Remember, sales team productivity is our responsibility. Do not let low performers intimidate you into not managing them.

Activities sales managers should manage:

By James Olsen

. List of who sellers will call the next day. Who they will call, what they will offer with a delivered price, and the outcome of that call. (Many sellers list only who they are going to call-this doesn't cut it. They must list what they are going to offer to the customer with a delivered price). The preplan and post call list-with outcomes-should be placed in the manager's in box every day before going home.

. Account management. Go over on a regular basis-quarterly, if not monthly. One of the biggest mistakes sellers make is calling accounts who are not buying from them. Sales managers need to help sellers decide whom to keep, whom to visit with the sales manager, and whom to cut or reassign. This will not happen without sales management.

. Emotional management. An area grossly overlooked by sales managers. Your sales team needs your emotional support. Some will need it more than others, but they all will need it. Most sales managers spend more time with their boss than they spend with their sales team. The sales team sees and feels it. What kind of message does this send?

Consistency

If sales managers will spend time on activity, account and emotional management on a consistent basis, their sales teams will perform and improve. The key is consistency. Once your team knows what you expect and that you are going to follow up religiously, they will perform for you.

- James Olsen, Reality Sales Training, specializes in sales training for the lumber industry. Reach him at james@realitysalestraining.com or ( 503 ) 544-3 572.

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