Why Isn’t There a Sales Manager Playbook?

Can you relate?

When I was younger, I was given a sales process to follow. I was good at it and I became a top performer. Fairly soon after that, I received a promotion to management.

Wait, now what am I supposed to do? Where is my management process on how to handle my team? I did what most managers do: continued to chase and close as many deals as possible.

My first couple of years were tough. I constantly asked myself if my team was ever going to hit their numbers? Where should most of my time be spent? I feel like a glorified babysitter. Why can’t they sell? Am I training and coaching the right way? Is anyone even listening to what I say? Maybe the KPI’s are wrong; maybe my team isn’t right. Should I fire everyone and start over?

It was tough to know where to start sometimes because I felt overwhelmed. It wasn’t sustainable and I knew there had to be a better way.

Why is this the way it is?

Promote our best sales reps into managers even if it doesn’t fit their skill set and then not train them how to be successful. Seems like a waste of energy and resources. Honestly, I would argue being a top performer and top manager are two entirely different skill sets.

Sales Management Training

In my case, what was missing was a management process and a system to look at everything going on and help me stay ahead of issues. Creating objective ways to measure every area was vital because it helped me figure out where problems were occurring and how to fix them before they became massive.

Once this was in place, I started feeling better about the questions I was asking:

  • Do I have the right team?
  • Am I comfortable with who I am hiring?
  • Do they have a good onboarding experience?
  • Are my metrics realistic?

If you can start to get these things right, you can see the culture and performance of your team begin to change. Some people like to use the term proactive vs. reactive. I prefer playing offense instead of defense.

Curious about thoughts from new and existing managers/ sales leaders on this. What are some of the struggles you have had, and what have you put in place to overcome this?

Two important things to remember:

  1. Being a top performer and a top manager are two entirely different skill sets.
  2. Creating objective ways to measure every area was vital because it helped me figure out where problems were occurring and how to fix them before they became massive. 

Struggling to adopt these ideas? Contact me today for a free 30 minute consultation, where I will provide real life tips and tricks.

Matt D. Ferguson
Sales Leader
FOLLOW

FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK

WATCH ON YOUTUBE

CONNECT ON LINKEDIN

SCHEDULE A CALL

The key to becoming an effective sales leader is to develop a customized leadership process for your team. 

Develop Your Process
WATCH NOW

I Wonder, What If, Let’s Try

Lessons From Your Favorite Street

Every morning my daughter comes up to me with the remote control and says Elmo, Elmo, Elmo. this is an 18-month-old language, meaning she wants to watch Sesame Street. (Yes, I turn it on every time for her. Call me a bad Dad if you want, really I am a pushover for her. 

I found myself caught up in an episode the other day. The characters were trying to figure out how tall Big Bird was, and they were measuring him with blocks. They ran out of blocks and were distraught. The adult on the show said, “What do we do when we have a problem?” 

All of the characters responded in unison: “I wonder, what if, let’s try.” 

I couldn’t believe how genius that was. My wife couldn’t believe I had never heard that on the show before. And it got me thinking about how it related to sales and everyday life.

What Kind of Team Do You Have?

Person A:
People who come to you with all of their problems, expecting you to fix them.

Person B:
People who come to you with issues they and the team have, and a solution to fix it.

What Kind of Manager Are You?

Person A:
When someone comes to you with an idea, you don’t think anything of it because you didn’t come up with it.

Person B:
You listen, talk it out and implement it to see if it can help the problem. In other words- “I wonder, what if, let’s try.”

What Kind of Manager Are You?

I have been in all of the categories above. I would approach managers with problems before thinking through solutions. I would laugh at suggestions people had early in my career because how could they possibly have a better idea than me? 

It took me a while to realize this was hurting me as a leader. 

As time went on, I realized that it made for a better culture to listen and understand people’s problems and solutions. One of my biggest tips as a sales leader is to recognize strong ideas both privately and in front of others. Making your team members feel confident builds a stronger team.

Take a lesson from Sesame Street, implement this into your sales culture, and watch your team grow! Want to discuss how to apply this to your business? Contact me today for a free 30 minute consultation, where I will provide real life tips and tricks.

Matt D. Ferguson
Sales Leader
FOLLOW

FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK

WATCH ON YOUTUBE

CONNECT ON LINKEDIN

SCHEDULE A CALL

The key to becoming an effective sales leader is to develop a customized leadership process for your team. 

Develop Your Process
WATCH US