The job of a Sales Manager is not to be the best salesman on the team
During my first year as a Sales Manager, there was a thought that was always ingrained in my mind that to be the boss, you must be the best salesman in the group, so that the employees will respect you. So I rushed to find more customers and always accompanied the sales staff to close the deals. Despite working so hard, our work only stops at a good level without achieving any "lifetime" achievements. It was only after I realized that it was my job to educate individuals to get better and better that our sales really accelerated!
Since then, I've spent more time planning team training, going through individual performance metrics to see who needs more knowledge or skills, and researching how to deliver. interesting so that everyone can absorb it most effectively. The surprising thing that I have noticed through the training sessions is that the sales staff themselves want to be trained, not only because they want to improve their professional skills but also because they feel like the company is creating an opportunity for them. develop.
Spend time helping salespeople focus on key sales activities
Not only sales staff but almost everyone often spends their precious time on useless things, sometimes doing a lot but not making customers buy, just in vain catching shrimp and raising storks, wasting time and money. effort. And it is the responsibility of the Sales Manager to help them realize which are the main sales activities to focus on to avoid going astray. It could be guiding them to identify what is in the best interest of their clients, asking them what they need to get the job done better, or as small as showing them how to limit travel during non-work hours. job…
Never try to be the “Key Problem Solver”
When I first started as a boss, I was always there to solve difficult situations for employees. I see it as part of my job, even enthusiastically. Don't like it, when the problem is solved, especially in difficult situations, you are free to receive praises, to say "awesome as a toad". However, after a while, I realized that this practice did more harm than good. I need to encourage employees to think for themselves and learn important skills on their own, or they will always depend on me.
For example, once an employee knocked on my door to ask for advice because she didn't know what to do when the customer side had an extra last-minute decision maker and this person was in favor of a competitor's product.
I must say that at that time, I really wanted to give my own opinion because I still couldn't get rid of the feeling of euphoria when being admired by the staff. However, I restrained myself and told me to avoid this trap. So I didn't answer, but instead asked: "I've been following this client for quite a while and know the situation well, so what do you think we should do next?"
Fortunately, the employee would start brainstorming, but that time I was not so lucky because she continued to cling: "I thought about many ways but didn't know what to do, so I asked my boss".
"If I wasn't here, what would you do?"
At this point, the employee laughed and said a few ideas, and I listened and gave feedback until we chose the most effective way. Gradually this also became a habit in the group. There are still some situations where I need to respond quickly - for example, an employee is on the phone from a customer and presses mute to ask me something but this is only a rare case.
Treat employees like customers
To lead an effective sales team, treat them like you treat your customers! For customers - you take the time when they need it, explain everything that concerns them, provide the right information, solutions and tools for them and make it easy for them to work with you. The same goes for your sales team. Give them what they need to succeed and focus on what's important to them. You will be an effective leader with an effective team.
This is the first thing I realized but also the hardest thing for me to do so far because many times because of the pressure, I see employees as family, ready to "vent" all my frustrations on them. And although there are training sessions, training, often asking questions, encouraging, but what I can do is still not as I expected. I need more effort!
Recruiting new sales staff is really difficult
There are 9/10 colleagues who agree with me on this with both hands and feet. Hiring may not happen as soon as you become a Sales Manager but soon you will.
One of the biggest mistakes I made when I started building a sales team from scratch was prioritizing candidates with sales experience and forgetting the core elements. For me, it's the ability to connect with customers, being curious about things, being smart, and having a love of selling.
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