The Exceptional Sales Manager | "Sales Manager" Archive

Editor's note: This is the first in a new monthly column found exclusively on VirginiaBusiness.com.

Be specific

by Robert King
for Virginia Business
February 2006

Welcome to a new monthly column on sales management skills. Our primary purpose is to challenge you: your practices, your beliefs, and your habits. Sales management is the best and worst occupation in business. It is the best because you get to deal with salespeople all day, every day. It is the worst because you get to deal with salespeople all day, every day.

No doubt salespeople are special. Their efforts churn our economy. Their inconsistencies churn our stomachs. I'm in love with salespeople and the sales process. I feel so strongly about them, I dedicated my first book to their success. It is titled Are You An Exceptional Salesperson?

The fact is that many of you wouldn't have a job without salespeople. Still, managing them tests our resolve. Each presents his or her own set of issues, problems, concerns, fallacies, inadequacies, annoyances, attitudes, etc. Each also presents his or her own character, enthusiasm, flare, potential, passion, charm, dedication, etc. Spend time with me and you'll hear me talk much more about the second list than the first.

The fact is that salespeople really want to succeed. They really want to make more money than they've ever made. They really want to possess better selling skills. They really want to have more appointments and close more business. They really want direction. They really want direction from you! I'm sure you've experienced joy, as I have, when you are able to assist them, and they encounter success in any of these areas.

Let me give you one take-home from this month's column: Be specific.

I was in conference a couple of weeks ago with a sales manager who has a team of 25-plus sales folks. "Good people," "dedicated" and "eager" were words that he used to describe them. When it came to their performance, I asked him, "What would you like to see your people do better?" His response: "Everything." Believe it or not, that is the No. 1 answer I hear from sales managers when posed that question. I probed for more details.

After several minutes, I shared with him something that I'll share with you now. If you have a true interest in seeing your people improve, be specific in your instructions and motivation efforts. Some sales managers today stand up in front of their team once a week, or less, and say something like, "Our goal this quarter is $17 million and so far we're at about $6 million. People, if we're going to meet our numbers, you need to make more calls in order to see more people in order to close more sales. It's that simple." Notice that everything that is said involves generalities, not specifics.

Sure, selling is somewhat of a numbers game. But, this is not an example of exceptional sales management. Neither is sitting at your desk all day putting out small fires. Neither is bouncing from strategy meeting to strategy meeting. Neither is waiting for a salesperson to come to you with questions. The sales manager's job is outside of his or her office and with the salesperson.

If you notice members of your team underperforming, there may be any number of potential reasons why. If you want to make a real difference in their performance, spend time with them, observe them, acknowledge their strengths and then address the skills they are lacking. For example, "Jim, the way you opened your presentation today was remarkable. You were honest in your rapport building and established trust and professionalism right out of the gate. The prospect was with you until about the middle of your presentation. You forgot to ask him questions along the way, to see if he was still with you, and I noticed his eyes began to glaze over, he became fidgety and then you lost him. Remember questions in your presentation, Jim. It is so important that you gauge their interest in your solution along the way. When we get back to the office, let's role play your questions a couple of times and I think you'll remember them next time."

What do you think? Do you think a salesperson would respond to that kind of instruction? Do you think they would feel motivated by your attention to their success? What does it say about you that you would give that person so much of yourself? Will this suggestion take more time? You bet. Will it pay off? Absolutely.

What you're really doing is setting a a standard of performance for salespeople at this particular time in their particular growth. They will no longer see themselves compared to anyone else. They will have a clear picture of what they need to do in order to be better. Within individualized parameters, most salespeople thrive. Folks, do you want to make a difference in the individual growth of your sales professionals? The exceptional sales manager knows to be specific in his motivation and instructions.

Robert King is president of The King Consortium, founder of Executive Exchange and author of "Are You An Exceptional Salesperson?" He lives in Midlothian with his wife and two sons. To learn more about The King Consortium, visit: www.thekingconsortium.com.