The New Sales Manager
You’ve just been promoted to sales manager, now what?
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The New Sales Manager
We received this question from Martin, a new sales manager from Scotland.
I have recently been promoted to sales manager. We are a relatively inexperienced team, with 7 of the 8 account managers I’m responsible for being with the company less than 18 months. This is a ‘growth’ year for our team I am being told. As a first time sales manager, I want to make sure I get it right. It’s also tough accepting I’ve gone from being a top 3 account manager to managing a team that is delivering mediocre results so far. Do you have any advice for a new sales manager?
Martin, your question is like deja vu for me. Almost 15 years ago, after I was named Account Executive of the Year, I was promoted to Sales Manager . . . of the worst sales team in my company. It was bad. We were dead last out of 52 sales teams, and all but one of my salespeople were brand new. And my tenured salesperson wasn’t setting any records.
Like you I was getting tons of pressure from my management team for a quick turnaround. They were using buzz phrases like, “This is a growth year for you.” Which translated into, “We are sick and tired of this team lagging behind. You were a hot shot sales rep so let’s see what you’ve got. Oh by the way, even though this team has been a bottom feeder for as long as we can remember, we don’t have any patience. We expect you to fix it now.”
Though I’d like to think that my situation and your situation are unique, it’s much more common than most senior management teams would like to admit. Top salespeople who get promoted are rarely given a functioning, highly-effective sales team. In most cases, they are given a team that is failing. Then, because management is desperate to get the team turned around, they heap tons of pressure on the rookie sales manager. And to make things worse, the new sales manager, who has often had little to no formal management or leadership training, and even less experience, is left to figure it out on his own.
Here is the depressing news: the vast majority of these new sales managers don’t make it. They either get fired or go back to their old sales role. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With some help from a great coach I eventually turned my team around and lead them to become #1 in the company. Though it won’t be easy, with a few simple steps, you can beat the odds too.
Your Salespeople are not Like you.
The biggest mistake most rookie sales managers make (especially those who have been consistent top performers) is to project their own values about work ethic, career goals, and personal goals onto their people. You’ve already acknowledged that you are used to seeing your name at the top of the rankings and it makes you uncomfortable to be on a team that is underperforming. So your natural instinct is to think to yourself, or worse say out loud, “Why aren’t these losers more like me.” Then you go about trying to make them like you. The result is almost always disastrous. This is an important concept that you must come to grips with so pay close attention. Your salespeople are not like you, they don’t want to be like you, and there is nothing you can do to make them like you. They don’t want the same things you want and they will always do things for their reasons, not yours. If you want to be an effective sales manager, find out what they want; understand what motivates each individual and help them get what they want. That is not an easy thing to do but you’ll have to trust me here, this is your most critical task as a new sales manager.
Failing Less is Achievement
Most rookies are impatient. They want their team turned around and they want it turned around now! This is exacerbated by an already impatient senior management team. As much as you want instant success, your team will not turnaround all at once. It is important to understand this. Instead, with your leadership and a clear set of goals, your team and the individuals on your team will slowly but surely fail less. Now here is the cool thing – failing less is achievement. Maybe you are not at quota or plan, but if you are closer today than you were yesterday, you’ve got something to celebrate. Each time you fail less you gain momentum and that momentum moves you closer to your goals. When you keep things in this perspective as a leader, you will begin to see and praise the small victories that move your team forward. That will energize you and your team because as these little wins pile up, they will lift you up.
Train, Observe, Coach, Follow-up
Rule number one for sales managers is you can’t lead a sales team from behind a desk.
You can only lead from the field. Your job is simple. Train your people, observe them in action, coach them to improve, and follow up with praise, feedback, and more training. If you are not in the field with a salesperson (or in the call center, or observing a phone block) you are not doing your job. Do your paper pushing early in the morning, at night, or on the weekends. And during the golden hours be with your people training, observing, coaching, and following up.
Invest in Yourself
Read and listen to everything you can get your hands on about leadership and sales management. Some of it will be brilliant and some of it will be crap, but all of it will help you hone your skills as a manager. Leading people is physically and mentally draining and you are going to make a ton of mistakes. Investing in your knowledge will help you both identify those mistakes so you don’t make them again, and help you hone your skills and grow as a leader.
Have Fun
I’ve held almost every sales position possible from entry level to senior management, and hands down my favorite job was sales manager. I loved the job because it gave me the opportunity to build a close-knit team and to watch my people grow, get promoted, and achieve their personal goals. That was my real reward as a leader. Sales is an amazing profession and it is supposed to be fun. Try not to take business or life too seriously. Work hard and play hard. Celebrate. Have fun. And enjoy the incredible opportunity you have been given to lead and develop a team of Sales Professionals.
This is Jeb Blount, the Sales Guy. If you have a sales question please send it to salesguy@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email.
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