Sales Force Management

"Consideration For New and Experienced Sales Managers"

M ost Sales Managers have been sales reps much longer than they have been part of sales force management. The transition is often difficult. In most cases new Sales Managers are given very little training or coaching to help with the transition.

It is not realistic to expect a new Sales Manager to know how to manage. Reporting to a Sales Manager is hardly effective preparation for the role. As a result, new managers often just do things the way that their manager did them.

The duties of a Sales Manager vary widely based on the size of the company, how the products or services are sold and the number of people to be managed. Sales force management is difficult without proper training.

The typical salesperson has to deal issue from customers and their management. However, a Sales Manager has to deal with customers, their management and a sales team. The responsibilities are greatly expanded from those of a salesperson. Below is a framework and structure, created over many years and based on real world experience, to help plan your approach the new role.

Review each of these areas, and map them to your specific management requirements. Look for areas where you can grow, areas you can maintain a current level, and areas that need immediate attention.

Business Issues

Sales force management is similar to running a small business. Listed below are a number of areas of focus. Each area needs to be addressed to keep your business running effectively.

Sales coverage and Partners

Your first concern as a manager is to provide proper coverage. Territories and accounts have to have the right number and level of people assigned to them. Your job as a manager will be extremely hard if you don't have the right sales coverage with qualified individuals and partners.

Account Planning

It is important to identify the accounts that are key to your business success, and to have a process in place to plan for the continued revenue growth from these accounts.

Pipeline Management

Pipeline management is the review of the quantity, quality, and velocity of all the deals and opportunities in your team's sales funnel. It is a part of every sales managers responsibilities and should be done on a regular basis.

Sales Forecasting

Sales forecasting is a subset of pipeline management. It deals with the top opportunities that are nearest to closing. An accurate sales forecasting process is extremely beneficial to you and your company.

Opportunity and Deal Management

Part of your sales force management is to create and maintain a good sales process and map. In addition, an opportunity management process for your top strategic and revenue deals needs to be in place. Make certain your team knows how you want them to sell and how they should engage a sales opportunity. All of this helps your sales team be successful.

Business Acumen

It is your responsibility to make sure your team members have the required business knowledge and acumen to succeed in their position.

Processes, Controls, and Methods

Your organization runs more smoothly when the proper processes, methodologies, and controls are in place.

Business Infrastructure Tools and Support

Make certain that your sales team has the right infrastructure in place. This includes having the right tools to do their job, and the correct level of support to allow them to maximize their sales time with customers.

Metrics and Reports

Create a set of metrics that give you a leading indicator of how your business is progressing. Often metrics are lagging indicators that show what has happened. By creating a dashboard of leading indicators, you will be able to provide accurate reports to upper management, which is a critical part of your responsibilities.

Cadence and Rhythm of the Business

Every sales organization has a certain rhythm to the business. As a Sales Manager it is critical to pay attention to the flow of the business. There are things that need to be done daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and on an annual basis. Identify those expectations and plan your annual calendar accordingly.

People, Leadership and Readiness Issues

The most fundamental part of sales force management involves getting your people ready to sell and leading them in the process. Below are some of the considerations relating to leadership and the readiness of your people.

Hiring the Right People

Hiring people is a skill that is seldom developed as a salesperson. As part of the sales force management team, you will be engaged in writing job descriptions, reviewing resumes, conducting interviews, and presenting job offers. Every Sales Manager should get trained in how to recruit and hire good salespeople. Hiring great talent is the fastest way to accelerate your sales results. A hiring mistake will drag your team down for a very long time. See the article on hiring salespeople for more information.

Training and Development

Keeping your team trained and developed in a way that is appropriate to their sales responsibilities is key requirement. Consider the type of training that brings your team the most impact, and do your due diligence to find the right deliverable to fill that need. See the article on sales training for more information.

Motivation and Attitude

It is your responsibility to set the attitude for your team and to keep them motivated. This is an area that is often overlooked. Having a highly motivated team with an attitude of confidence makes every Sales Manager's job a more pleasant experience.

Rewards and Recognition

One aspect of keeping your team motivated with a good attitude is to provide a proper rewards and recognition. There are many different ways to provide recognition. However, make sure the recognition is genuine, sincere, and that the recipient gets personal or business value from the reward.

Performance Management

Sales force management requires you to monitoring and managing the performance of all members of your team. Remember to manage all levels of performance. Keep your top performers working at peak levels. Motivate your mid-range performers to do even better. And manage your low performers upwards if you can. If you can't get them to perform at the level you need them, coach them to another job, or out of the company.

Daily Leadership and Execution

One of the key differences in between an individual contributor and a Sales Manager is as a manager your time is no longer your own. Planning your day and leading your team's execution requires you to prioritize, focus and to say no when it is appropriate. It is your responsibility to be an example of how you want your team to operate. Sales force management requires you to set the standards for every team member including yourself.

Coaching on Sales Results and Behaviors

Coaching is another area you have to develop to be a good Sales Manager. The focus of your coaching should be to develop and direct your team. It is not to dictate or make all decisions for everyone in every situation. Coach your team to know why, what, and how to do the things that are expected of them. This is not only good for them but it frees up many hours of your time and allows you to be more productive.

Planning and Reviews

Part of the responsibility of sales force management is making sure your sales people have their plans together and that the plans are reviewed and updated on a regular basis. Having an effective planning process and learning how to review those plans is important so you can add continued value to your team.

Communications

As part of the sales force management team, you get a higher level of visibility and awareness to the operations and directions of your company. It is up to you to distill this information and to communicate what is appropriate to your team members. Having effective and timely communications is important to making your team feel connected and a part of the company's business goals and success.

Strategic Engagement Issues

As a manager, you will be asked to think more strategically, and less tactically. Some of the areas that you should consider in your strategic thinking are listed below.

Strategic Direction and Objectives

As part of the sales force management team, you will be engaged in setting the strategic direction and objectives for the success of your portion of the operations. Learn a good process for developing a strategy and a process for writing clear, specific and measurable objectives.

Selective Customer Relationships

It is impossible for a Sales Manager to have relationships with all of the customers of each of your sales team members. It is up to you to identify and select the key relationships that are most important to the success of your team. Building time into your plan for non-revenue objectives such as enhanced relationships with key individuals is a high priority task.

Internal Feedback and Direction

You will become the collection point for information as the Sales Manager. It is important you gather key information and feed it back internally to the appropriate departments, organizations, or personnel. Often times key pieces of information or knowledge that help set the direction of your company comes from the sales force and their engagements with customers.

Career Management, Planning, and Self-development

Just as it is important to help your team members manage, plan and develop their careers, it is just as important for you to put your own development plan together. This helps you gain positive visibility and develop your capabilities. You can track your progress and focus on your own growth when you have a personal development plan.

Customer, Industry and Market Knowledge

As a sales rep it was important for you to focus on a few customers, often in a specific vertical industry and in a similar market. As part of the sales force management team you are exposed to many more customers, industries and markets. It is important to quickly come up to speed and fill in the gaps in any of these areas that are new to you.

Advocate, Spokesperson and Presenter

As a manager, you get opportunities to be an advocate for your company or products. This may take the form of a spokesperson or presenter for your organization at customer site, trade show, or conference. Take the time to hone your presentation skills. Develop a few standard presentations you can modify and add to for multiple purposes.

Develop Overall Value

You have multiple opportunities to develop value within your team, other areas of your company, and for your customers. Make an effort to understand how others perceive value and how you can be a part of contributing to that value.

Conclusion

Performing your job well as part of the sales force management team, can be a varied and challenging experience. It is up to you to consciously review all aspects of your job description and the tasks that are required of you. Put together a plan that addresses how to deal with people, customers, your own internal business, and your personal development. Look for a mentor or coach to help you grow. Observe best practices and reflect them in your operations. Constantly be on the lookout for ways to improve your team, your company, and your customer's business results.

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