Trust, but Verify to Win More Forecasted Deals

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A logo of accellion One of the biggest frustrations sales managers have occurs when deals forecasted by salespeople to close – don’t close. What’s the problem here? Both salespeople and sales managers are optimists by heart. So it’s easy for sales managers to believe reps’ rosy forecasts, especially when the sales rep has performed everything described in their company’s sales funnel or CRM.

During the Cold War, President Ronald Reagan used the slogan “trust, but verify” when describing his policy toward the Soviet Union. And this is the same slogan that effective sales managers need to keep in mind when talking with salespeople about important sales opportunities.

Effective sales managers know how to temper the salesperson’s enthusiasm by finding ways to verify their reps’ optimism.

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Hiring Tips for a Sales Manager Position

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Far too many times I have had SVPs and CEOs report to me that the only thing they paid much attention to when hiring sales directors and managers was whether the candidate had a successful portfolio in revenue attainment. Yes, managing sales numbers, quotas, and data effectively is very important in a sales leadership role. But a sales director or sales manager can only achieve their numbers through others — so they also have to be effective leaders of people. Any firm that is looking to hire or promote into a sales leadership position should become aware of the qualities that make leaders successful.

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What External Factors Motivate Salespeople?

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Many sales managers with whom I have worked believe that motivation comes solely from within, not from external factors. Managers who think this way disconnect from the idea that they have an impact on sales rep motivation; they think motivation is just part of a sales rep’s internal makeup and therefore don’t see motivation as part of their job description.

We all know that there is a large internal component to motivation. But there are also external factors at play that affect the level of motivation —money, achievement, recognition, and responsibility, for example. These are all factors that you as a sales manager can influence with effective sales coaching skills.

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How Untrained Sales Managers Impact Sales Growth

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Many companies spend heavily in sales rep training, but are sometimes disappointed when they see little impact on sales growth. Ironically, lack of results from sales training can often be traced to a lack of sales manager training. New skills or methods that reps pick up from sales training fall by the wayside because untrained sales managers often aren’t effective at holding salespeople accountable for implementation.A logo of accellion

Untrained sales managers are prone to a number of problems that can hinder their effectiveness and limit the achievement of their sales teams. Unless they are provided with the knowledge and skills on how to be a sales leader, untrained sales managers may cause the following problems:

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Four Habits of Great Sales Coaches

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Effective sales coaching is the daily investment you make in developing the success of others. Here are four habits that the best sales coaches work into their daily routine:

Share your real-life experiences

The principles of success that you learned as a sales professional deserve to be taught! And there is no better way to teach others than through the sharing of your personal stories and examples. It may take you a bit longer, but it is well worth it.

Think through your biggest sales wins, and losses. What did you do right?

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3 Critical Skills New Hires Lack

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The best sales managers know how to hire enthusiastic people who have the right attitude and want to take advantage of a great opportunity. But even the best new hires usually lack many key skills. Where does a sales manager start? Here are three critical skills you should coach your new hires on.

Qualification Skills

Do you remember when you were new on the job? Did you know how to recognize prospects that could turn into good clients and those that would just waste your time? Neither did I!A logo of accellion

Too much valuable time is wasted on low potential accounts. New hires need to learn how to weed out under-qualified leads faster.

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7 Tips for Confronting Problem Performers on Your Sales Team

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One of the most difficult situations sales managers face is how to confront problem performers in a way that gets them to change their ways, and become more successful. I define a problem performer as anyone who has not responded to your coaching conversations. In other words, you noticed poor performance or unsatisfactory behavior, brought the issue to the attention of the person, and gave them specific and actionable advice on how to correct the situation. Then, they made no change. Here’s what you do now….

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Where Should You Spend Your Sales Coaching Time?

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As a sales manager, if you are managing your time well, and balancing priorities enough to be coaching your reps –congratulations!! A big dilemma faced by most sales managers, though, is how to coach and more importantly whom do you commit the bulk of your sales coaching time to? Who you coach is every bit as important as how you coach.A logo of accellion

Like most sales managers, you likely have some “A” players, your top performers. You also some have “C” players — the people who are always at the bottom in terms of results and attitudes. And most of your reps are “B” players — the people in the middle.

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How to Recognize Year End Sales Achievements and Motivate Your Team

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A logo of accellionThe end of the year is fast approaching and your annual sales numbers are solidifying.

It’s time to ask yourself: Does one or more of your sales reps stand out from the pack? Does this rep possess “super star” qualities such as an awesome work ethic, the ability to solve their own problems, someone you can consider a self-starter?

This rep most definitely needs to be recognized as much for his or her own achievements, but also as an example for the rest of the team as someone who is following the company’s idea of a the definition of success.

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Priority Checklist: Are You a Proactive or Reactive Sales Manager?

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A logo of accellionTime management is a critical component in sales. As the old adage goes, time is money.

But, do you know if you are a proactive or reactive sales manager?

We have devised a list of questions and common everyday tasks that sales managers are faced with in an effort to help you prioritize your day to day activities and adopt a proactive mindset.

First, How many of theses activities do you tackle everyday?

  • Respond to emails and phone calls
  • Check sales numbers
  • Check in with newest reps or the ones who are struggling the most
  • Check the status of deals
  • Respond to boss’s requests
  • Reach out to customers
  • Spent time doing one-on-one coaching
  • Link your actions to strategic priorities
  • the list goes on…

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