Sales management can be a difficult task. After all, you are eventually responsible for the success of the company. So, when you hire your sales staff or, if you already have them in place, make sure you avoid these 5 common mistakes.
- Recognizing with a Side of Criticism – too often managers (all managers) recognize their staff for a job well done, and then easily they slip in the “but.” “But next time, let’s try to improve on this.” It is a common tactic; however, it can be interpreted by your staff as a lack of appreciation. The best scenario in this case is to recognize first; take your staff out to lunch, etc. Then at your next sales meeting bring up improvements and goals for the next sales objective. Be sure to space the recognition and the sales meeting at least a few days apart a weekend would be best. It is the small celebrations of achievement and success that will motivate your sales force to work harder next time.
- No Developed Sales Plan – if there is no developed sales plan, how are you planning on leading a team? The success of a sales force depends upon planning, tracking and reviewing goals and objectives. Be sure to have your sales force, including yourself, plan day-to-day activities and responsibilities.
There are three steps to developing your sales plan, if you don’t already have one:- Don’t develop the plan by yourself. Have your individual reps come up with a plan, and then guide them to the correct objectives.
- Establish a planning cycle with weekly and monthly goals to accomplish. Regularly review the results of the planning cycle against your plan to make sure you are on track.
- There is no point in having a plan, goals, objectives, or a planning cycle if you do not measure the results. Don’t overwhelm yourself or your staff with excessive measuring and numbers. Focus on the most important metrics for your business.
- Lack of Sales Support – even if you hire a sales person with years of experience in your industry, you cannot expect them to know everything about your company, products, or specific markets. Implement an effective sales training program for every level of sales person that may join your company to avoid this problem.
- Being the Control Freak Manager – do not intimidate or control your sales force. It is a surefire way to get them to quickly leave and go to a competitor. Managers need to partner with their sales reps to become a team and share in responsibility. Don’t lose your top performers by treating them poorly.
- No Accountability – people make up all sorts of excuses for not performing up to par. Sales reps will fail occasionally regardless of training and support. However, if support, training, and marketing all succeed, then the lack of results comes from the sales rep. Be sure to implement a clear policy on sales accountability and stick to it. Expect to lose staff however, you will be weeding out the week sales reps, and your business will thrive in the process.
Spend the time to analyze your sales team from the inside-out and define if you have made any sales management mistakes. You can help build a successful and rewarding company and culture when the sales management function is not overlooked.