When salespeople are not selling; – look to the sales manager.
When they are not motivated to see customers; – look to the sales manager.
When there is no enthusiasm in the team; – look to the sales manager.
Sales Managers don’t look to themselves in these cases, they blame the Salespeople and the Salespeople blame the Sales manager.
The other evening, after a talk, a sales manager came up to me and told me that they were having a real problem with their sales team. “They are just not performing,” “they are not motivated,” “I talk but they don’t listen,” “there is no drive, no commitment, nothing happening.”
Now, all of what’s missing in this team is actually missing in the sales manager!
It all starts with the sales manager.
This particular person who told me this has been with their company for over 30 years and has been the sales manager for just over 20 years. They have been doing the same old thing over and over and are now wondering why it’s not working. The answer is simple. The enthusiasm has died. Not the sales people’s enthusiasm but that of the sales manager! It’s not the salespeople who are bored and have no drive, it’s the sales manager.
Only when sales managers understand that the success of their team is their responsibility, will they start to make some headway to improving the situation.
The sales manager first has to manage and motivate themselves before they can manage and motivate the team.
When the team is motivated it’s not a new light that’s been turned on. It’s a light that was always there and will continue to be there. But it needs the switch to be flipped before it comes on.
“That makes sense but how do I do that?”
By sticking to the simple basics of Leadership and Motivation and using “The 6 key elements” to keeping the Sales team motivated.
1. Provide inspiration.
2. Build positive attitudes.
3. Show recognition.
4. Goal setting.
5. Motivation.
6. Build team spirit and create fun.
Yes, enthusiasm and excitement are what the salespeople need more than any skills training. They need to be reminded of the basics but most importantly, they need their enthusiasm ignited.
Enthusiasm is everything in sales!
When salespeople are enthusiastic and excited about themselves and their profession, they will start feeling motivated and look forward to getting out there and seeing their customers.
Skills or no skills, this is what makes salespeople successful. When salespeople are enthusiastic, nothing will stop them. The customer can’t help getting enthusiastic as well, it rubs off on everyone.
Only when sales managers accept full responsibility for their team’s performance, will they realize that the buck stops with them.
They need to be the role model, the manager, the leader and the coach; all in one. They make it happen!
They set the tone. That’s their job. They get results through their people. Their success depends on the success of their people. They need to manage less and LEAD more!
A good sales manager spends less time in the office analyzing everything and playing with numbers and spends more time out in the field with his salespeople and their customers.
“Our sales are down. If we increase the call rate by 10% and close 1 in 4 instead of the current 1 in 7 we will achieve target” This may be the answer (On paper) but how do you achieve it? What has to happen to increase the call rate and closing ratios?”
The salespeople must want to achieve this. The sales manager has to sell the idea to the salespeople. They have to get buy in from the team and this is where good leadership comes in. Only a good leader can get the team to work together to achieve a common goal, budgets, the sales targets etc.
It is at this point where the sales manager usually fails. They stay in the office and spend their time analyzing numbers and coming up with all sorts of solutions – only on paper.
A good sales manger will get out of the office and lead by example. They will spend a full day working with a salesperson, finding out firsthand what the problems are and how to fix them. They need to speak face to face with their customers to gain information that will help them to come up with ideas for increasing sales.
By doing this they will get respect from the sales team and will get support for their ideas to increase call rates and closing ratios because they are talking from the point of being there and experiencing the situation first hand.
YOU CANNOT MANAGE OR LEAD A SALES TEAM FROM BEHIND A DESK.
By spending time out in the field with salespeople, sales mangers will experience what the salespeople are experiencing and can then coach them on how to improve and what to do to start getting more sales.
Salespeople will perform for a sales manager whom they respect. And that respect will only come from a trust and belief that the sales manager can do what they are asking the team to do.
The Sales Manager MUST LEAD BY EXAMPLE!
It’s all about enthusiasm and excitement. Sales people continually need motivation in order to sell well. They require Inspiration from their Manager to promote enthusiasm and drive.
They need a Manager who leads by example and provides an exciting environment in which to perform. Salespeople should feel enthusiastic about making a sales call.
Remind yourself that you are in the best profession in the world!
Feel good about yourself and your profession and then get the sales team to feel the same way.
So it’s no use complaining about the Salespeople not performing, not being enthusiastic and not listening.
If this is the case, then you are not performing as an effective Sales Manager.