Kevin F. Davis

After I ended my career as a sales manager, I’ve had the good fortune to observe and work with thousands of other sales managers. Here are five lessons I’ve learned by seeing what the smartest, most effective sales managers do differently that set them apart from the crowd. 1. Smart sales managers replace scorecard coaching … Read full article

Sales managers, do you know what each of your salespeople’s money goal is for 2026? Many sales managers mistakenly think a money goal is a certain amount of money that a salesperson wants to make. This article describes what a money goal and how you can use that goal to motivate your sales team all … Read full article

The Pitfalls of Taking Over Customer Meetings. Sales managers often join their sales representatives during prospect meetings with the intention of providing support, guidance, or lending their expertise. However, an all-too-common scenario occurs where the “superman” manager unintentionally dominates the meeting, steering the conversation and attempting to close the sale themselves. While perhaps well-meaning, this … Read full article

A Sales Manager’s Roadmap for Guiding More Potential Customers to Purchase. Every company benefits from implementing a funnel model that strategically guides potential customers through the steps needed to ultimately make a purchase. Effective funnel management is not just about organizing sales activities—it provides deeper insight into the true status of deals. By consistently managing … Read full article

Driving Success Through Focused Input and Daily Engagement Sales management is both an art and a science. At its core, it revolves around fostering a culture of results, but the challenge lies in how those results are achieved. For many sales managers, the temptation to focus solely on end-goals—the sales numbers—can inadvertently create blind spots … Read full article

Actions to Start and Stop Doing Over the last twenty years, systematic surveys and interviews with salespeople that I have participated in have illuminated consistent themes that shed light on the effectiveness of sales managers. These insights hold profound value, offering a roadmap for sales managers looking to refine their leadership style and drive performance … Read full article

Having collaborated with hundreds of sales managers for over three decades, I’ve gained insights into the pivotal sales management skills that distinguish success from mediocrity. This article highlights four key practices that exceptional sales managers implement, setting them apart from their peers. 1. Superior sales managers observe their salespeople differently A common mistake I see … Read full article

In today’s pressure-packed sales management world, a sales manager who doesn’t have the time or energy to deliberate the best course of action may develop time-saving, automatic practices (also known as bad habits). A bad habit is a tendency to handle familiar situations in a way that typically provides the sales manager with instant satisfaction … Read full article

Read this article to discover the five essential skills sales managers must master to make 2025 the best year ever. In July 2024, a corporate client with over $75 billion in annual sales had 20 of their company’s sales managers complete my online sales management training program. Three months later, these program participants were surveyed … Read full article

For years, I’ve been asking sales managers whether they have one or more chronic underperformers on their team. Hundreds and hundreds of managers have told me “yes.” Then I ask two more questions: First, “How long have you known about this?” The answers range from months to years! And now the most difficult question: “Why … Read full article