Sales Management Tips 101 – Making a career of sales
- Are you sure you want to be a manager? – Moving into sales management is the most obvious career path for successful salespeople, but not always the best one. Before accepting a management role, be sure that you are ready to accept the responsibilities that go with it.
- Invest time in coaching – Coaching your salespeople is one of the most effective ways of driving performance improvement over both the short- and the long-term. Make sure that you devote enough time to this critical responsibility, and make sure you are teaching them how to think rather than telling them what to do.
- Respect is more important than friendship – One of the mistakes that newly promoted managers sometimes make is to behave as if former colleagues are still their “mates”. Friendly relations are, of course, important, but the most important thing you need to earn is their respect – and sometimes this means having tough and honest conversations.
- Be prepared to constructively confront negative behaviours – Respect is earned through a willingness to constructively confront negative attitudes or behaviours, even if the individual concerned is “delivering the numbers”. Ignoring such behaviours simply stores up trouble for the future. You need to confront it now and not put it off.
- Leave a legacy – One of the most satisfying aspects of sales management is the feeling that you have helped others to succeed, and to become better salespeople themselves. That is perhaps the greatest legacy you can leave when you move on.to make sure you don’t miss any important signals.
