Sales Management Mastery

4 Reason Why Tom Brady Would Be A Great Sales Manager

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:30:50 +0000

It’s not quite football season yet, but it is mini-camp time in the NFL…so it’s got me thinking…

It’s been very trendy in the past few years to bash the New England Patriots, but you gotta admit, their star quarterback Tom Brady has alot going for him.

With three Super Bowl rings, millions of dollars in sponsorships, a supermodel wife, great teammates who love him, plays for one of the greatest coaches and football organizations of the modern era…you could say he’s pretty fortunate.

Love him or hate him, he’s certainly a guy who has achieved alot in a very short period of time.

But the greatest thing that he has is what he posseses inside.

Sure, he has all the trappings of success for sure, but most importantly he’s got the intangibles of success – and that’s what makes him truly great.

Even if you’re no fan of the Patriots, there’s much we can all learn from New England Patriots QB Tom Brady in our own pursuit of top performance.

Let’s talk about just four of Brady’s intangible character traits and how they relate to sales management.

1. He always works to hone his skills. Anyone who knows football will tell you that Brady didn’t start his pro football career with stars attached to his name. In his early college days he was merely average, slotted as a third stringer on a potent Michigan lineup. He was slow, and a bit fat around the middle – but he worked hard. Brady trained to sharpen his abilities every chance he got, and still does the same today. Now he’s become one of the best QBs playing in the league.

Like football, sales management is a continuous learning process. Average but talented sales managers can become great someday by continuously striving to improve their craft. Top sales managers also risk losing their touch if they refuse to learn new things.

Brady was a sixth round draft choice who earned a third string roster spot. He worked his tail off to achieve what he’s done.

2. He knows himself and his weaknesses. What’s truly admirable about Tom Brady is that he has weaknesses, but he readily admits them. “There are plenty of things I’m deficient at,” he said one time in an interview. “I’ve never been a great athlete.”

Brady accepts his weaknesses, even embraces them, and—going back a couple of paragraphs— has worked darn hard to make up for them by exploiting his ample strengths. He says, “I feel some of my strengths are my awareness and decision making.”

He works at minimizing his weaknesses but he constantly is working his tail off to improve his strengths even more.

3. He sets a good example. True a great leader sets the right example. But Brady’s a model player for everyone in the team, and he lives it. A few years ago Brady agreed to defer some of his salary so the Patriots had more salary cap dollars to spend it on other players. As a top sales manager, are you willing to sacrifice the spotlight (or even some of your bonus comp) if you know that it could help the rest of your team?

Are your sales managers willing to take a backseat and highlight the strengths of your reps, stepping aside so THEY can be the stars?

4. Last but not the least, he’s modest. Brady’s got the supermodel wife and admit it, even if you’re a dude, he’s got GQ good looks. But Brady chooses to keep it real, even blushing when he talks about himself on camera. His modesty is unparalleled in this self-centered, egotistical, spotlight grabbing media age. He is more of a superstar because he is so modest.

Don’t let a little success as a sales manager get in to your head. Be humble. In the world of sales, like football it can all change so fast.

No matter how good or bad a situation gets, stay on an even keel; show respect for your sales people, your peers and to everyone in the office. No one likes a braggart.

And in the process, aspire to be just a little more like Tom Brady.

To learn even more about sales management training, get our free sales manager training.

Share what you think are some other essential characteristics of a good sales leader by leaving a comment below.

SMM 6 | 4 Proven Methods to Motivate Salespeople…Gently

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:11:26 +0000

In this episode of Sales Management Mastery, you learn how to motivate salespeople in everyday situations…while staying true to your own or your sales manager’s own individual style of sales leadership. We use some examples from great leadership figures like Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan and Teddy Roosevelt, and then adapt these methods to how a sales manager can use them to motivate his salespeople.

CLICK HERE to get immediate FREE access to your choice of sales management training INSIDE The Sales Management Mastery Academy, where you’ll get access to your choice of sales manager training courses, including “How to Motivate Your Sales Reps”, “How to Turn Around Your Underperformers in 30 Days” and “How To Hire A Sales Superstar”…plus dozens of free tools and resources for becoming a top-performing sales manager.

Video:

SMM 6 | 4 Proven Methods to Motivate Salespeople…Gently

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How To Hire A Sales Superstar | 3 Proven Tips To Tell If A Sales Resume Is Truthful

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:35:04 +0000

This may come as a shock to you…but some people are not 100% truthful on their resumes….

Well, yes it has been known to happen on occasion, but there have been times when people (and not just sales people) take a little creative license when writing their resumes.

The big untruths, you can probably pick out:

“…was instrumental in the signing of the SALT II Treaty…”

“…single-handedly responsible for wiping out hunger in the countries of Botswana, Niger and…”

“…won seven CEO Circles in six years…”

The less obvious ones are take a bit more work for you to uncover. In our continuing blog series on how to hire a sales superstar, we delve into three tips on how to do that here:

1. Do they list their jobs by year only or by year and date?

If they list past positions by year only, they may be trying to hide something. Perhaps there was a period of unemployment they are trying to fudge over by giving years of employment only and not months. Another indicator is that if they just list years of employment and no date, then they may just be plain lazy – an indication of lack attention to detail and follow up – both important attributes to possess for ultimate sales success.

2. Are the job descriptions specific or vague?

The more specifics the better, in this case. Also, the more specifically described the accomplishment, the more likelihood that it’s true. It’s far easier to fudge a vague non-specific achievement, but a specific one is harder (and more risky) to fudge, because it can be easily checked in a background check or asked about by an interviewer.

3. If they have accolades, do they use “power words” to describe those accolades?

Sales is a combination of action and results. You definitely need someone who takes action to be working for you – especially someone who proactively creates opportunities on their own, without you have to “motivate” them to do so.

Words like “achieved”, “won”, “accomplished”, “catapulted”, “exceeded” and “generated” are action-oriented “power words”. They bespeak confidence and striving, both important traits that all high performing sales representatives possess.

However, “passive words” like “managed”, “responsible for” or “completed” are far more submissive.

You want a resume filled with “actions words” to say the least…

However, if you have a lot of accolades, but they’re all stated in passive, non-power words, then you have a disconnect. This would lead to skepticism on whether or not those accolades are 100% accurate.

Action-oriented achievers talk and write in power words, non-achievers typically talk and write in “passive words”.

If the resume still looks good, but you have questions, then that candidate may be worth a live interview just to get the specifics answered in a face-to-face interview.

To learn even more about sales management, get our free sales manager training.

Are you doing the same thing when it comes to screening sales resumes? Post a comment below.

SMM 5 | The Lazy Sales Manager’s Way to Coach Salespeople

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:52:08 +0000

In this episode of Sales Management Mastery, you’ll learn our best technique to coach salespeople so that the busy sales manager can both save time and become a sales coach. This easy-to-use technique will also motivate the sales team in the process.

CLICK HERE to get immediate FREE access to your choice of sales management training INSIDE The Sales Management Mastery Academy, where you will get access to ALL of our sales manager training courses, tools, and resources for becoming a top-performing sales manager.

Video:

SMM 5 | The Lazy Sales Manager’s Way to Coach Salespeople

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SMM 4 | A Simple Way To Lead Your Sales Team To Sales Stardom

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 02:25:51 +0000

In this episode of Sales Management Mastery , we teach your sales managers how to set the bar higher when setting expectations for your sales team and how to fight mediocrity by using astronomically high expectations above quota to drive your salespeople to ultimate sales success.

Video:

SMM 4 | A Simple Way To Lead Your Sales Team To Sales Stardom

Transcripts:

SMM 4 | A Simple Way To Lead Your Sales Team To Sales Stardom

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SMM 3 | The Secret To Fighting Mediocrity In Your Sales Team

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 01:31:30 +0000

In this episode of Sales Management Mastery, we teach your sales managers how to set the bar higher when setting expectations for your sales team and how to fight mediocrity by using astronomically high expectations above quota to drive your salespeople to ultimate sales success.

Video:

SMM 3 | The Secret To Fighting Mediocrity In Your Sales Team

Transcripts:

SMM 3 | The Secret To Fighting Mediocrity In Your Sales Team

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SMM 2 | 3 Proven Sales Management Techniques To Establish Trust With Your Salespeople

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:45:29 +0000

In this episode of Sales Management Mastery, we teach you whats really in it for you in establishing trust and give your sales managers 3 proven ways to establish or even re-establish trust with their salespeople

Video:

SMM 2 | 3 Proven Sales Management Techniques To Establish Trust With Your Salespeople

Transcripts:

SMM 2 | 3 Proven Sales Management Techniques To Establish Trust With Your Salespeople

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SMM 1 | The #1 Factor To Achieving Sales Management Success

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:48:58 +0000

Sales Management Mastery now has a podcast!

In this first episode of Sales Management Mastery, we discuss the most important bedrock concept to achieving sales management success called “The Trust Account” a sales training concept sales managers must employ in order to achieve sales success.

Video:

SMM 1 | The #1 Factor To Achieving Sales Management Success

Transcripts:

SMM 1 | The #1 Factor To Achieving Sales Management Success

Download the MP3

How To Hire A Sales Superstar | Part 1

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:02:25 +0000

OK, you need to hire a new sales rep.

Maybe, the one you just let go couldn’t cut it…

Or maybe your company is going through an expansion and you have to hire an entire sales force at once…

Or perhaps your best rep just got promoted (congratulations by the way – even though it does kinda suck for you) and you have to hire quick…

So what do you do?

In our next series of blog posts, we’ll be going through some of the essential steps required to hire top salespeople. In this first series, we touch on screening sales candidates prior to the interview phase.

When you’re under pressure, the tendency is to do a “one and done” interview and hire. These are the “one interview – one offer” kind of sales hires. If you go this route, you’ll regret this later…trust me, Ive done it and it’s the worst thing you can do.

What you need is a strategy to screen resumes, determine which ones you want to either phone screen or interview, then interview, then hire.

You’ve go a lot to do…but you’re busy trying to get sales going in the right direction.

Well for the next few posts, we will be gong through this entire process step-by-step so you make the right decision, minimize the chances of making the wrong decisions, and hire the next sales superstar for your team.

So let’s get into the first step in the entire process of interviewing: resume screening.

Step 1: Examine your hiring criteria

The first real step is to identify what your hiring criteria really is.

Like many companies, you most likely have a job posting somewhere on your company’s website for all to view to the world. It may go a little something like this:

Currently, we seek a Sales Executive in our East Bay, California territory.

As part of our highly visible sales team, Sales Executives target and secure profitable new business to build relationships as aligned with regional and national marketing strategies. You will provide overall support and expertise to new accounts to ensure the highest level of quality service and provide customer education on ABC Corporation’s processes and procedures.

We Require:

A Bachelors degree in Business, Marketing or the Life Sciences
5 years successful front line sales experience including strong “closing” skills
Knowledge of the healthcare industry and the general economics of business
Ability to develop and sustain strong customer relationships
Strong business planning and organizational skills
Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills
Solid PC skills including knowledge of Microsoft software
A valid driver’s license

Well there you go, all you need to do is find all that and you’re on your way to hiring a sales superstar!

Hardly. I’m guessing that this is not the exact candidate you’re looking for….

The problem is that with most postings looking like this, there is really nothing in the posting that will help you to screen out the resumes you don’t want and help you bring in the ones you do want. Nor does it give you any indication of the types of talents that you are actually looking for.

However, at this point, its okay because all you want to do is just have the bare minimum requirements of the job laid out.

Remember, this isn’t the core characteristics you are looking for…we get into that later. All you want to write down is the job description and the bare minimum qualifications you need to hire.

Write out the complete job description. For example, put in writing the following:

The leg work that must be done prior to making a sales call
What kind of sale is it: transactional vs. consultative
How you expect existing customers to be serviced
What essential personality traits are required
How you expect records to be maintained
How many calls should be made in a week
Talents needed to be successful in the role
Determine if industry experience is essential
How many years of experience is absolutely required
Education level

Think through the entire sales process and detail how you want it to be done, what tools will be used, and your expectations for their results.

This exercise should include not only what you want sales reps or account managers to do, but how you want them to approach it. Think about the style of selling you want them to use.

The profile and ad you create may change over time – that’s okay because its sole purpose is to screen out and attract in, at a very rudimentary level, the candidates that could be most well-suited for the job. All it really is a first step in a lengthy process.

With all the work you have to do…you’re gonna need to get some help sifting through the bad resumes so you can focus on the good ones.

And to save you TONS of time, we’ll give you a big clue how to get someone else besides you to do this for you – so you can stay focused on other things, like sales…in our next post.

In the meantime, get writing.

To learn even more about sales training, get our free ebook.

Do you have your own hiring criteria? Please leave a comment after this post.

The Lazy Sales Managers Way To Get More Done And Make More Money

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:34:51 +0000

Wouldn’t your sales managers love to get more done and make more money with less effort?

That all sounds great, you might say…but how do YOU actually do it?

You simply apply the 80/20 rule.

For those of you who may not know, a little history lesson first is in order…

The 80/20 rule—or the Pareto Principle, named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto—states that 80% of effects is the result of 20% of the causes. For you this simply means that 80% of your sales will come from, roughly, only 20% of your sales people.

But when a sales manager applies the 80/20 rule, he can simply get more done in less time by simplifying and throwing out the time-wasters that just don’t matter.

Before we tell you how to do it, let’s first prepare you first for some eventual consequences.

For example, a good friend of mine who has a very successful business once told me a story about how the application of the 80/20 rule can be double-edged weapon in real life. Running a successful online business, he collected thousands of followers on Twitter. But he only had time to follow a handful of people—20 or so, around that number anyway—which he deemed had actually something important to say.

Most took it that my friend was being a snob. Or was he?

OK, this isn’t a “sales management” story by any means. But it is a “time management” story…and chances are pretty good that your sales managers are spending a whole lot of time on activities that are, although important for their jobs, may not have a whole lot of impact on the sales bottom line.

Do they have the courage to make tough decisions like my friend did?

If your sales managers have dreams of becoming sales management superstars, they need to filter right here and now who and what they listen to. For example, if they are constantly looking for training on sales management, they need to pick one or two experts who they identify with and have gleaned great learning and advice from and unsubscribe to the rest. Skim off the cream and leave the rest for the cows, so to speak…

Undoubtedly, there will be lots of new concepts and pieces of advice from different people trying to get in. But your sales managers don’t need all that noise in their lives.

More voices. More distractions. More overwhelm.

For sales managers who want to get more done in less time, here’s just a few suggestions:

1. Unsubscribe from the email lists that waste time. Pick out only the ones that are really worth listening to and those that are in alignment with your goals. Who you really listen to is something you need to figure out on your own…and dump the rest.

2. Stop responding to all the Facebook and LinkedIn group discussions that don’t really add anything to your career.

3. Spend less time surfing the Internet aimlessly…focus in on what you need and don’t stray. Close out your IE browser and turn off your email alerts in Outlook if these constantly distract you.

4. Create “to do” lists for the day to keep focused.

5. Create, “don’t do” lists to avoid all the time wasters.

6. Don’t engage in office discussions with people who are downers…just excuse yourself politely.

7. Define blocks of time to respond to email. First thing in the morning or late at night. Pick one or the other or maybe both.

8. Use “out of office” auto-responders on your email to alert people that you only respond to email during certain hours of the day

9. Spend 80% of sales field time with the best reps…and only 20% with the not so good ones. Get front-line knowledge of how to get the job done…then teach that knowledge to all the rest of your sales force.

10. Save 30 to 40 minutes a day by NOT having to remember all the login and passwords for all your online accounts by getting the secure password sign-in form called RoboForm…it’s an incredible free service. Get it here at www.roboform.com

To learn even more about sales manager training, get our free ebook.

Leave a message after this post for your comments and feedback.

Surviving Sales Management (frontofficebox.com)
Sales Managers Survival Guide (frontofficebox.com)

The Sales Training Secret to Motivating The Tuned-Out Sales Rep

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 21:41:42 +0000

My wife told me to do it.

As many of you know, I have two young boys. Not unlike some of my former sales reps, they oftentimes lack the motivation needed to do the necessary tasks that will help them to achieve success.

For my boys, its doing their math homework, getting excited about school, reading on their own, taking out the trash, the list goes on…

If you have kids, I’m sure you have the very same issues.

So for the last three months, my wife’s been hounding me to watch a DVD she borrowed called “The Motivation Breakthrough: 6 Secrets to Turning On the Tuned-Out Child” by educator Richard Lavoie.

On the cover, Lavoie claims to have “proven and effective strategies for encouraging any child to learn and achieve success”.

Although it took me three months of do so, I finally watched it a few nights ago.

Despite my extreme skepticism, I was totally shocked…it was unbelievable.

His research and ideas on motivation really hit home with me.

He claims that if a parent or teacher can identify a child’s motivational style – then gear their interactions with them based on those motivations – then the child can achieve consistent success.

Lavoie’s research proves that in order to really motivate the child, you need to first uncover their primary motivations…(if you’ve been a regular reader of this blog, does this sound a little bit familiar?)

To motivate you need to find out if the child is:

motivated by power?
prestige?
praise?
contact with other people?
projects?
prizes?

Lavoie explodes some common myths about motivation and demonstrates that rewards, punishment and competition are not the effective motivational tools most people tout.

Lavoie explores each motivational style in depth, and presents proven techniques, strategies and scripts that can be used either in the classroom or at home to break through a child’s apathy and inspire him to achieve.

Although they are not children (even though they may act that way at times), motivating your sales force is no different.

Watching this DVD reinforced a very important concept in that in order to motivate them effectively a sales manager needs to know what actually motivates them. And this information is easy to get. So easy, that all you have to do is ask for it.

For example, if you try to motivate one of your sales reps with prizes…but they’re actually motivated by prestige…then you’re barking up the wrong motivational tree (so to speak).

We train sales managers to ask “the Ten Questions” to get this information.

Its simple. Just ask the questions, then use the answers to motivate…what could be more simple? To get “the ten questions” as well as a bunch of other great sales training and motivational techniques, get your own copy of our free ebook.

What do you think? How are motivating kids and sales reps the same or different? We’d love to know! Post a comment below.

“The One Minute Manager” | The Greatest Sales Management Training Book Ever Written?

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:13:25 +0000

: Cover of The One Minute Manager

In the early 1980s, Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D. and Spencer Johnson, M.D. sat down to write a book on management called The One Minute Manager. It immediately became a huge hit and a near immediate bestseller.

Thirteen million copies later, its still considered one of the best books ever written in the field of management…and for that matter, sales management…or is it?

“Once there was a bright young man who was looking for an effective manager…”

If you’re one of the few who has not read it, The One Minute Manager boils down to three secrets to efficient and productive management – all easily applicable to the field of sales management. Like its name says, the book focuses on the importance of doing specific “one minute” tasks essential for motivating, leading and encouraging people to top performance.

Many have written about these concepts being far too “simple” or “plain” …or that they don’t easily translate into the world of sales management today.

Rubbish!

The One Minute Manager is STILL one of the greatest books ever written and a personal favorite of Sales Management Mastery.

Is it basic, yes.

Is it simple, very.

However, its like teaching someone to hit a baseball (which I’m now doing with my 7-year old son)…if you don’t do the basic stuff (keep your eye on the ball, hold the bat with two hands, watch the ball hit the bat, etc), I don’t care who you are…you will never hit home runs, let alone make contact.

The One Minute Manager brings sales management back to the basics as well.

So what makes the one minute manager so special?

The first secret is the one minute goals:

This means setting up a meeting between the sales manager – you – and his or her employees, to make sure the goals are clear for both parties and how the sales manager and employees intend to achieve them. “One minute” means this is going to be a quick meeting. The aim is to confirm both short-term and long-term goals, as well as how each employee must to contribute to achieve those goals.

The second is the one minute praising:

The one minute manager doesn’t hold back praise when talking to his or her people about their good performance. This is something we are all AWFUL at doing. It’s the real key to motivation, performance and excellent leadership. He does it simply: he praises them immediately and tells them exactly what they did right that deserved praising. Simple, basic, but hugely effective.

The third and last secret is the one minute reprimand:

Honesty by praising is one thing, and honesty by reprimanding is another. The one minute manager doesn’t hesitate to reprimand immediately, pointing out specifically what went wrong so the employee has a clearer picture of what and what not to do next time around. This is then followed by reassurance to help the employee get back on track.

Is it far too simple to boil down management to basically three steps?

Whether you’re a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a professional sales manager for twenty years or just last week got your first job in management, picking up a copy of The One Minute Manager is worth your while.

The point is this, we all forget the basics. Books like this reinforce the most essential elements which are the essential skills necessary for top sales management and opt leadership.

What do you think? Is The One Minute Manager a dusty old chestnut ready for the trash heap or a highly relevant learning device that should get its own iPhone app? Let us know what you think and leave a comment below this post.

To learn even more about sales training, get our free ebook.

Do Great Sales People Make Great Sales Managers? (thecustomercollective.com)
10 Ways for Sales Managers to Ruin Their Reputation and Lose Their Team’s Respect (thecustomercollective.com)

How To Avoid This Fatal Sales Management Pitfall

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:04:14 +0000

There’s a common misconception that sales managers must be good talkers. Its true that any leadership position requires superb communication skills in which you can clearly articulate your thoughts through the words you use and the way you communicate.

But if you are always talking and never listening, then youre going to have a real hard time leading your sales team…because you’ll never know what really matters to them.

Being a great sales manager is more than just knowing to say the right things at the right time. It’s also knowing when the close your mouth and let the other person do the talking.

Simply put, a top sales manager asks more than tells, listens more than talks.

A top sales manager is first a listener, and then a speaker.

Average sales managers never know when to shut up…

They speak their mind bluntly, thinking the best solution to every problem is to rush into it head-on. On the other hand, a top sales manager withholds his, or her, ideas and opinions—he or she will say it when the time is right. The top sales manager also recognizes that in order to truly lead, the solution must come from the sales person himself. Only in times of crisis or when the sales rep is brand new, does the top sales manager The top sales manager is simply there to guide, not direct.

How do you do this? Simple. Top sales managers ask questions that encourage awareness and self-assessment. They listen carefully to their sales reps’ feedback in order to gain a thorough understanding of their likes and dislikes, their strengths and their weaknesses. This sort of information is the ultimate trump card to great sales management.

Lastly a top sales manager isn’t afraid to ask for feedback on his or her own performance. We are all learning and growing in our respective careers, including you, the sales manager. You are not exempted from having to face your own strengths and weaknesses as a team leader. If you could make the time to listen to the problems of your sales reps, why not go all the way and ask their suggestions for coaching practices and ideas, as well as what they think of your performance as sales manager?

Remember, a top sales manager is surely a good speaker, but more importantly he is first and foremost…a great listener.

To learn even more about sales management training, get our free ebook.

Share your thoughts on best sales management practices by leaving a comment after this post.

Don’t Do This When Interviewing Salespeople

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Thu, 27 May 2010 23:10:04 +0000

When you were interviewing for your current job, you probably prepped yourself for days, making sure you did all your research on the position, spoke to the few people who know the job well, maybe got a little background information on your boss-to-be.

On the day of the interview you woke up that morning, you might have rehearsed your answers to some of the potential interview questions while you were in the shower.

Maybe you made extra sure that you got a nice haircut was just so and wore your best suit and even shined those beat up Bostonians.

The point is this, when you interviewed, you made every possible attempt to represent yourself in the best possible way.

In short, that day, unless you were sick, you presented yourself in the best possible way you knew how. It was the best that you had.

By the same token, when a sales manager is interviewing sales candidates, think about this: what the sales manager sees in front of him is the absolute best that you’ll ever see of them.

If they don’t blow you away in the interview and sell you on them, chances are slim that they will sell any sales prospect they are presenting your product to.

In the interview you have with them, you’re observing them at their very best. It doesn’t get any better than this.

Don’t convince yourself that maybe they’ll do a better job when they’re out in the field, because they won’t.

If anything, they’ll be worse in their daily sales calls than they were in the interview. Just like you dolled yourself up as best as you could for your current job interview, they did the same thing when they interviewed with you. Everything else will be a steep drop off.

You may tell yourself, that some people just don’t interview well right?

No! Not salespeople. If a sales rep cannot sell you or your sales manager in an interview on their best day, they cannot sell effectively when they’re not at their best. And let’s not kid ourselves, there are plenty of days that a sales rep doesn’t have it all working in your favor.

So don’t settle. Don’t make excuses. If the interview candidate is anything less than stellar…then keep looking you and your sales manager can do a heck of alot better.

To learn more about sales training, get our free ebook.

Tell us what you think. Should you hire a sales interview candidate that just has a bad day interviewing?

15 Mistakes Sales Managers Make When Hiring New Sales Reps (thecustomercollective.com)
Interview Skills (slideshare.net)

The Biggest Mistake Sales Managers Make

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Tue, 25 May 2010 12:31:31 +0000

“Sorry, I’m swamped right now”

“I need to call you back, I’m way behind right now”…

“I’m up to my ears right now…”

Does this sound like your sales managers?

No doubt, in the hectic corporate environment, there is a big tendency for sales managers to get bogged down and extremely busy. The front-line sales manager has so many forces all converging upon him: salespeople, customers, upper level executives, training people, operational departments; all vying for the sales manager’s time.

But by far the biggest drain on the average sales managers time is one thing and one thing only: the sales manager doing their salespeople’s job for them!

Maybe its because most sales managers were typically pretty good salespeople that were promoted to management, and dealing with the daily activites of the sale rep is what they’re most comfortable with. Whatever the reason, it’s counterproductive and takes up way too much of the average sales managers daily activities.

Here’s the real problem: while a sales manager spends all of his time doing the job of their sales rep, this activity has a dual effect:

1. It mucks up their time and bogs the sales manager down – obviously.

2. It creates a co-dependent cycle with the salesperson that’s both destructive and de-motivating.

Here’s what I mean. Let’s say that one of your sales managers sales reps calls him repeatedly and asks him the same kind of question he’s been asking you for the last three months.

What does the sales manager typically do?

without really thinking, the sales manager usually answers the questions.

So what do you think the sales rep will do the next time he has the same question?

That’s right – he’ll call the sales manager again, and again, and again, and so on…

Worse yet, the sales rep calls, the sales manager take the call, answers the question, and if he doesn’t know the exact answer or has to talk to someone before he can answer the question he’ll end up saying: “OK, I’ll have to get back to you on that…”

The sales manager, (trying to help of course, because he is a very attentive and caring sales manager, after all) now needs to make five other calls to three other people and seven emails to five different people to get the answer to the question he was just asked!!!

Meanwhile, more emails and messages continue to pile up in the sales manager’s inbox and voice mailbox that he needs to answer…because those are even more questions that require even more phone calls and emails to even more people and so on and on it goes….

(I think I have to stop and take a break for a minute, because my chest is starting to tighten)….

Most sales managers are unfortunately under the mistaken impression that they must do the work of their salespeople. And in doing so, they need put in extremely long hours in order to achieve the success they desire.

If you were doing the jobs of ten people when would you ever get a break?

No wonder so many sales managers are completely overwhelmed!

This is by far, the biggest mistake sales managers make.

Here’s the paradox…the best sales managers actually get more out of their salespeople when they do less for them!

Huh?

The best sales managers eliminate themselves as “tollbooths through which all decisions must pass” by empowering their salespeople to make decisions on their own.

The completely counter-intuitive effects of this “removing the tollbooth” approach is:

1. This actually MOTIVATES the sales rep to do even more – because they’ll feel the empowerment of “doing it on their own”

2. This then leads to a reverse insanity spiral of the sales manager doing less work….your company’s salespeople doing more

3. You ALL make more money

And while the sales rep is doing all the work your sales managers used to do, they are now far more focused on “the important stuff” – namely the stuff that will help both you and the company to sell more effectively and make more money, while achieving the success you have all been dreaming of.

To learn even more about sales manager training, get our free ebook.

What are you think? We’d love to know! Post a comment below.

How to Make Real-Life Sales Leadership Decisions…In A Panick

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Tue, 18 May 2010 23:20:28 +0000

Do your best sales reps feel disrespected when their sales managers assume they always have ALL the answers?

They hate it!

In fact, they feel that it’s a sign of disrespect, as well as a complete lack of belief (yours) in their inherent abilities (which they feel are enormous).

There is a “real life” trick that you can use to turn even the harshest dissenters into followers by simply changing the way you deal with them. It doesn’t take much, all it takes is for you to release a little control and let them feel the excitement of being on the business end of some kind of relevant policy change…especially one that directly impacts them.

So here’s the trick…clue them in on the decision making process, get them to make the decision for you, and you’ll see the sparks start to fly. You’ll also start to lead a whole lot more effectively in all aspects of your position.

And once you start leading this way, you’ll notice your salespeople are far more engaged and tuned into whatever initiative or blitz you spearhead.

The bottom line is this: salespeople love to be included in on the decision making process. They like to be thought of as important instead of just anonymous cogs in the machinery…and who wouldn’t?

All you need to do is just respect your salesperson’s opinions and in the end, they’ll end up respecting yours. And when you really need them to do something for your, they will do it…without question.

OK, here’s a “real world” example from the few months ago:

I was in a meeting to determine some new “policy” that would definitely affect my sales team. The wrong decision would crush one of my senior reps territory sales for the remainder of the year. However, if it went our way, it could help him to blow out quota for months and quarters to come.

The problem was that I actually had no earthly idea what the right answer should be…so I was kinda freaking out. Worse yet, I could see that my turn was coming up soon…so I had to render an real opinion. Worse yet, my opinion could conceivably swing the vote…and I knew it.

So surreptitiously, (under the conference table so nobody would see), I text messaged my senior sales rep who would be most affected by the decision as to what they would do (knowing full well that he’s hyper-responsive and would immediately text me back).

Sure enough, (and lucky for me) I got my answer in under a minute, seemingly effortlessly relayed it to the group (as if I had known the answer for a milenium) and the decision was made…in my (and our) favor.

I called my sales rep after the meeting and told him the decision. He was thrilled. I actually think he was even more thrilled that I had asked him his opinion in a time of crisis (although I didn’t really tell him I was panicked – although I think he figured it out).

THAT is leadership. Unassuming. Transparent. Non-egotistical. Unconventional. Panicked in a time of need, yes.

However, real leadership that works.

The irony is, the more REAL you are, the better leader you become….

To learn even more about sales training, get our free ebook.

Post a comment and tell me how you lead your salespeople in times of panic.

Warning: Use This Sales Training Meeting Idea at Your Own Risk

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Mon, 17 May 2010 00:52:57 +0000

We’ve all sat through God-awful boring sales meetings right?

Not exactly a good time, as I’m sure you’d agree…

Has the thought ever occurred to you that your sales reps might feel like this almost every time you call a sales meeting?

“Positively absurd” you say!

Well, if you are one of the few who does have the need to inject a little vigor in your next sales meeting, then read on…

Try this to spice things up: next time you call a sales meeting, try a little “lead by being led” reverse psyschology on your sales reps to get them involved in the process of choosing topics.

All you do is simply ask your sales reps a week or two before the sales meeting what they most want to hear about is the best way to get them engaged and helps to “spruce things up”.

After all, if you ask them what they want to hear about in the meeting you can always tell them that “this was your idea” if they are tuning out…a little sneaky but it does work.

It always amazed me how much a little friendly competition gets a sales meeting spruced up as well. I was never a big fan of the “rah rah” games at sales meetings…but it does work incredibly well.

For example at the last company I worked for we had to write down on a flip chart any and all “breakthrough” ideas that we had come up with during the grueling 12-hour sales meeting session that would increase business.

Unbeknown to us, we were building a list that would be used for a day-end competition…

When the day was finally over, we were all told to present the best idea from our individual group to the rest of the larger group in the “most creative way” we could – no hold barred – with the winners each getting a $50 Starbucks gift certificate.

My group of brain surgeons decided that our idea would revolve around “adoption” of one of our sales service sites. To that end, we convinced one of our guys named Jerry to dress up as an “adopted baby” – complete with a table cloth diaper from one of the meeting tables – while me and another guy carried him into the presentation room to deliver him to the “hopeful parents” who were looking to “adopt”.

We nearly dropped poor Jerry as we ran in dressed in our “surgical gowns” – bedsheets we somehow swindled from housekeeping.

Totally ridiculous…I know.

We won in a landslide…and I got a months worth of lattes on them.

Getting people to act completely foolish for competition and prizes – with a good business focus in mind – never fails to “spice things up” at a sales meeting. Give it a try.

If you’re looking for great ideas to really spice up your sales meetings or your sales managers sales meetings, check out Meeting to Win and sign up for their newsletter.

And if you do, I promise you won’t have to dress up in a diaper…

Random Posts

How To Turn Sales Duds Into Sales Stars | Rule #3

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Sat, 15 May 2010 02:31:03 +0000

The thing with underperformers is that because of their failures to hit quota, they start to have a hard time picturing themselves on top. They know they’re performing way below their peers and like a baseball slugger in a slump, they start to lose confidence.

The real challenge for the sales manager is to help underperforming salespeople stop this destructive thought process. Not easy. But a salesperson whose lost confidence in their abilities cannot possibly perform at the level that’s expected of them.

And this is where the third rule comes in.

Rule #3: Set Small Goals and Achieve Them.

Confidence begets confidence. Use this rule to your advantage.

All is not lost. Small goals are the key.

By setting small realistic goals,then achieving those goals, the underperforming salesperson will begin to feel the exhilaration of actually achieving something.

The goal can be ridiculously small..but it doesn’t matter. The point is to gain some wins under their belt.

After confronting underperforming salespeople as we described in step2 – part of the technique discussed the importance of talking about the sales reps personal goals and motivations. The trick now is to divide these goals into smaller servings and supervise the sales person so he, or she, focuses on only one goal at a time. And then start achieving them one step at a time.

With the successful completion of EACH small small task, the sales rep’s confidence starts to grow…and this is a powerful step to gettin them on the path to turning them around.

Baby steps at first. Then bigger and bigger steps as they gain more and more confidence in thier newfound ability.

Here’s an example of what a “small goals” strategy would look like on paper. Each one would need to be achieved in order, one building on the next:

Good pre-call plan
Good pre-call preparation
Good part of a sales call
Good total sales call
Good sales day
Good sales week
Good sales month
Good sales quarter
Good sales year

OK, the first ffew steps are kind of lame, I know.

But the point is that they accomplish something small (and easy) first, then build on those successful accomplishments, one at a time.

If you your sales managers help your sales people achieve their goals over the course of one month or two, a sales quarter, a year and so on, etc., instead of forcing them to change right away, you should notice a considerable change in their performance.

But take note: only confident and talented underperforming sales people can make this change.

An important point here:

“To be successful, you have to first believe that you CAN be successful.”

The role of the sales manager is to see them through the process. Observe them, take notes, and don’t forget to praise them accordingly along the way.

When the time is ripe, your sales manager will reap what they sow.

To learn even more about sales manager training, get our free ebook.

What can you say about the three rules of turning underperformers into sales superstars? Tell me what you think by leaving a comment below.

How to Turn Sales Duds Into Sales Stars | Rule #2

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:31:48 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

“Coal turns to diamond under extreme pressure…”

In our first sales training post on turning your sales duds into sales stars, we discussed how to “set the tone” – an important first step to turing around sales underperformers.

In step 2, lets discuss the use of pressure. Because when it comes to sales performance or more specifically, lack of sales performance…pressure must be applied to the party who is doing the under-performing.

This pressure can take on many different forms, but in this rule, it comes in the form of frank, one-on-one discussions that cut to the quick and speak to the heart of the matter. In this sales training rule, we create pressure by using confrontation.

Rule #2: Confrontation is Good

Most sales managers, uncomfortable with the idea of “confronting” their sales reps, avoid it like the plague. They hope that the situation will just go away on its own. This unfortunately, hardly ever happens. In fact, the more the situation is avoided, the worse it gets.

Sure, confrontation can get intense and uncomfortable sometimes. However, if it is not done – it festers, infects and undermines a sales manager’s ability to lead effectively.

Oh no, confrontation!

Don’t think about it in a negative way. Rather, think of confrontation is simply an opportunity to get things straight.

If you look the word “confrontation” in Webster’s, the meaning is actually neutral in its exact definition. Simply put: there’s no harm in getting things straight with people. Because when you look someone straight in the eye, you get to the sources of their motivation and their behaviors.

Don’t be confused, confrontation should never be confused with negative criticism. In fact, confrontation is the opposite, as long as it is framed in a positive way.

For example, a sales manager could use confrontation to say this to one of her sales reps who’s missing quota:

“I don’t think you are performing up to your considerable potential – you can do far better”.

The sales manager here is setting a lofty expectation for the salesperson. Just by simply giving the sales rep a lofty expectation to which they should aspire to is an effective means of confrontation.

As a follow up, the same sales manager could also use confrontation to align herself to the goals of the sales rep by saying:

“You’re not hitting quota right now. However, it’s in your best interest that you hit your quota. It’s also in my best interest that you hit quota. You see, we both want the same thing”.

Elicit a strong emotional reaction from the salesperson, then you know they have gotten to them…while taking the second step to turning around their sales performance.

Rule #3 in my next post.

To learn even more about sales training, get our free ebook.

What can you say about the second rule? Feel free to leave a comment below.

How To Turn Sales Duds Into Sales Stars | Rule #1

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:19:26 +0000

Let’s face facts…some people simply aren’t cut out to be salespeople.

It’s one of the toughest jobs in the world, with tons of rejection, disappointment and frustration…

But if done well, its also one of the most rewarding and lucrative jobs in the world.

So let’s not talk about the salespeople in your company that aren’t cut out to be in sales. Let’s also not talk about the ones who you know will never make it.

In this sales training, let’s talk about the ones who show glimmers of brilliance at times…land a few big sales every so often…but no matter what just cannot seem to make quota consistently.

Most sales teams have a few of these…and I’m sure you have a few yourself in your sales force.

So how do you turn these kinds of salespeople around? There are three rules to do it and the first one is:

Rule #1: Set the Tone

In order to have any kind of chance of turning around a sales underachiever, a sales manager must first become brutally honest with his sales people. He needs to tell them the truth about their performance.

Sometimes this is an uncomfortable conversation.

Goals are incredibly important. Here we subscribe to the SMART goal setting formula.

If the salesperson is not hitting their SMART goals, then a one-on-one discussion is absolutely essential to discuss and talk about their goals. Tell them the truth about their performance, don’t sugarcoat it; tell it to them face-to-face and tell them over and over again.

Because the only way to change salespeople’s behaviors is to tell them in the clearest terms possible what they are doing wrong.

If the sales manager never tells them what they are doing wrong when they do it wrong, then they’ll never get them to change – plus they’ll lose credibility in the process.

As I heard Norman Schwartkopf once say: “when in a position of authority – take charge”.

So forget big egos, don’t be tentative.

A sales manager needs to be crystal clear with his salespeople about where they are going wrong and tell them in plain terms. When underperformance is observed, tell them that underperformance is no longer tolerated – and that if they don’t change then they may not make it.

This may sound harsh, but its not. A top sales manager can only do this if he has laid the groundwork by making massive deposits in “The Trust Account”. Now its time to make a few withdrawals…just don’t overdo it.

So remember, set the tone. A leader can do a lot of things right. But a leader will never be successful if he, or she, doesn’t set an absolute expectation of excellence.

Rule #2 in my next post.

To learn even more about sales management training, get our free ebook.

What can you say about the first rule? Leave a comment below.

Are you “under-promising and over-delivering”? (sethlevine.com)

Random Posts

Three Proven Methods To Turn Around Your Sales Underachievers

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Fri, 07 May 2010 14:25:01 +0000

You got ‘em. We all have ‘em.

They’re the reps who no matter how hard they try, they just can’t make quota.

Something’s got to be done – and fast. These guys are killing your company’s sales performance. When dealing with underperforming sales people, you can’t delay.

When it comes to sales underachievers, your sales managers need to stop fighting the war and focus on the battle.

In this sales training we give you three ways to take the first steps to turning around your sales underachievers:

1. Focus on rewarding the “smaller” things. Highlight the small steps that might lead to a sale. If the sales manager waits until the actual sale is in the door before they start acknowledging any positive efforts, then this is a missed opportunity.

For example, the sales manager could praise the sales person for showing good probing techniques, for preparing a commendable opening statement, maintaining a solid rapport with other office staff, making good use of sales data, etc.

2. Praise specifically. With an underperforming sales rep, praise all the basic stuff at first. A simple “Good job” is okay…but the more specific, the better.

The sales manager should tell them: “I really loved the say you started that last sales call – you asked very specific, non-threatening probing questions and they just opened right up and told you what their issues are – excellent job”.

3. “Approximately right” is alright. The sales rep may not have reached the real goal yet, but by praising them all along the way to “exactly right” by praising them for doing things “approximately right”, this works wonders in enhancing confidence and instilling optimism in a sales rep who being an underacheiver, may be lacking both.

If the sales manager withholds praise for only when they do things exactly right, then the opportunity is lost. The point is to simply get the underperforming salesperson moving in the direction of success. And the sales manager can do this by

Getting underperforming salespeople on the track to success sometimes is just that simple – when small techniques like this are used consistently, the results will start to come.

Focus on the small everyday battles and your sales managers will start to win the war.

To learn even more about sales training, get our free ebook.

Tell me what you think by leaving a comment below.

The Zero Turnover Sales Force. How to maximize revenue by keeping your sales team intact . Doug McLeod (regnordman.com)
10 Ways for Sales Managers to Ruin Their Reputation and Lose Their Team’s Respect (thecustomercollective.com)

Do Your Sales Managers Make These Common Mistakes?

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Tue, 04 May 2010 22:16:26 +0000

The best, high-performing sales managers are a different breed.

They notice stuff.

They notice what their salespeople are good at…as well as what they’re not so good at. They then leverage the stuff they are good at to coax even greater performance out of their salespeople. They largely minimize the weaknesses.

The average sales managers sees those same weaknesses and thinks that he can fix them. He spends all his time doing just that.

That’s why he’s an average sales manager.

Let’s show an example…

Here we have two top performing salespeople, both having achieved the highest sales awards in their companies:

Jane

Jane has has an incredible talent for building rapport, easily weaving pleasant conversation with the true sales pitch. Her manner is easygoing and laid-back, but hides a profound inner drive.

She’s completely in control of the situation at all times and asks many layered questions of the prospect to uncover their needs. Instead of being “all business”, she talks about jewelry, kids and other non-business activities; easily mixing in rapport building with selling through out the process.

She doesn’t take herself too seriously, taking time for some self-deprecating asides, but constantly driving towards the sale. She uses no real reference pieces, instead relies on her easy, trustworthy manner to build credibility. When it comes to the end, she doesn’t really “close” per se as much as she just assumes they will be moving on to the next step.

Tom

In contrast, “Tom” is incredibly persistent, although a little bit awkward in his approach, people respect him due to his aggressiveness and “never taking no” mentality.

When he is in a sales call, he’s all business, no rapport building whatsoever, but asks few precisely worded questions to uncover his client’s needs.

When he hears objections, he aggressively asks the reasons behind the objections. He then pulls out reference materials to overcome the objections and validate his claims. At the end of the sale, he asks “alternate close questions”, awaits responses before proceeding and aggressively pushes for the next step, and is very successful in doing so.

In our little hypothetical scenario, let’s say Tom and Jane report to your sales managers. Would they look at the above scenarios and think: “If I could just get Jane to use more reference materials and ask more hard close questions and Tom to just lighten up and build some more rapport, both of them would be even better!”

In both cases, the sales manager would be falling into the most common, yet well-meaning trap that average sales managers make. They would be trying to perfect them both.

I have news for you…they’ll never do it.

Instead, get your sales managers to get more out of your salespeople by harnessing their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses.

Not only is it a far easier (and more fun) way to mange…but its a far more effective one too.

Post a comment below and tell me what you think.

The Motivation Breakthrough: 6 Secrets to Turning On The Tuned-Out Sales Rep (topsalesmanagerblog.com)
What Do You REALLY Want As A Sales Manager? (topsalesmanagerblog.com)

How A Sales Manager Can Immediately Become A Sales Leader

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 03:54:33 +0000

What’s one of the highest compliments you can pay to someone you know?

There are a lot of nice things you could say…

“He’s a real nice guy”
“She’s very kind”
“He’s really funny”

The list goes on and on.

But when you speak of the people who are closest to you, maybe your best friend you’ve known for 20 years, the most important one is:

“I trust him”

What if all your company’s sales reps were asked the same question about their sales managers…and they answered the same way?

How powerful do you think that would that be?

How much more powerful leaders and motivators would your sales managers be?

Because once a sales manager establishes or re-establishes trust with their salespeople, then and only then can they start to optimally lead and motivate them…but not one second earlier.

Without that foundation of trust, the job of “sales leader” is twenty times more difficult.

At every turn, every possible moment, a sales manager needs to look for ways to strengthen their sales reps trust in them.

Far too many average sales managers try to lead first, but never bother to establish trust with their reps at any level.

Although unfortunate for their sales reps, this is very good for you and your company. Because if ALL sales managers led their troops this way, it would be far more difficult for your teams to surpass them.

To optimally lead sales reps and unleash explosive sales results, your sales managers need to be on the same page as your sales reps. They need to speak their language, and the only way they will listen is if they implicitly trust what they have to say.

What they need to do is make regular deposits in “The Trust Account”. This is our foundational concept for sales managers who read this blog, as well as for those who are members of the Sales Management Mastery Academy.

To learn even more about sales training, get our free ebook.

Post a comment and tell me how do you get your sales reps to trust you?

Sales Coaching Myth #3: Performance Growth Should Not Be The Sole Effort Of The Sales Reps

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:01:05 +0000

The third and final myth in this series of blog posts is also one of the most important topics in sales management. It concerns performance. But it is also about change, about trying to move away from an established routine in hopes of discovering something even better. Alas…

Myth #3 – Results must be reinforced for performance to change.

A sales manager should advocate change, especially for poor or average performers. But even sales superstars need a change of style, a change of pace, every now and then if they want to grow in their respective careers.

But the above statement is a myth. A half-baked truth. If you really want to see your average sales reps grow into sales superstars, then for performance to change, progress needs to be tracked and reward for that progress accordingly. Change simply isn’t possible if you’re only interested in results and not letting the sales reps know where they stand.

The best sales managers advocate both – they track results as well as progress towards those results.

All of us need help one way or the way. And somewhere along the road to change, the journey can get tedious and frustrating for the sales rep. Its the job of the sales manager to guide them every step of the way. Remember the first myth: effective sales management is helping your sales reps learn.

Here are some tips on how you can support this change:

• Simulate a safe environment – The sales rep’s biggest account is no place to try and experiment with new behaviors. Help them select easier and smaller accounts on which they could practice their intended change. You could also tag along on the call to serve as fallback in case things don’t go according to plan.

• Reject the “baptism by fire” philosophy – This approach may work in other walks of life, but not in sales management. A top sales manager must help their sales rep create a realistic assessment of his strengths and weaknesses, and plan a step-by-step procedure on how to go about implementing their desired change.

• Pat them on a back – Confident people are more likely to succeed in everything they do. Same thing applies to sales reps. Sales managers need to constantly encourage self-trust by rewarding even their smallest efforts. See the big picture by slowly building the sales reps confidence one praise at a time.

To learn even more about sales management training, get our free ebook.

Got any other sales coaching myths to share? Tell me by leaving a comment after this post.

10 Ways for Sales Managers to Ruin Their Reputation and Lose Their Team’s Respect (thecustomercollective.com)
Do Great Sales People Make Great Sales Managers? (thecustomercollective.com)

The #2 Myth to Effective Sales Coaching Is…

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:04:22 +0000

This is the second part of the article The #1 Myth to Sales Coaching Is…

In the first article, we discussed the difference between teaching and reaching out. As we discussed, the top sales manager studies and figures out their sales reps’ individual strengths and weaknesses, and adjusts strategy accordingly. Sales coaching as teaching is a myth because sales reps rarely learn anything from that method.

Which leads to…

Myth #2 – Most sales reps can assess their own strengths and weaknesses.

The saying goes, “No one knows you better than you.” Or something like that.

Does this mean that there’s no one else who is a better judge of our own strengths and weaknesses than ourselves? Should sales managers trust their sales rep when he says he has a talent for drawing people in and is bad at compiling periodical reports?

Sad to say, but the answer is a resounding “NO”.

Scientific studies reveal that most people actually do a poor job, a very poor job, of constructing an accurate assessment of themselves. Apparently there’s no such thing as being objective about oneself. Most people tend to stick to other people’s positive opinions about themselves, and disregard anything that says the opposite.

The result is that sales reps normally hold on to their own positive self-assessment even when their sales manager shows proof of their poor or below average performance.

One way to overcome this obstacle is to develop a shared vision of the sales reps’ capabilities. In this way, a sales manager can’t lift the boat out of the water, but he can take the steer and change its course.

If the sales manager can alter the benchmark against which his sales reps judge themselves, then the new measuring stick can really start to make impact.

Here’s what I mean: For example, never compare one sales rep’s performance with “what everyone else is doing”. Instead make a shift towards a standard best practice.

In addition the sales manager can now be sales rep-specific in describing important behavior topics such as “developing customer relationships” and “selling value”. It also puts the sales manager in the critical position to help his sales reps depersonalize criticisms and negative information to make it easier for them to handle.

The road to performance improvement is a difficult road to travel unless both parties, the sales manager and sales rep, agree on where the journey should begin. It is a joint effort with rewards for both parties waiting at the end—performance growth for the sales rep, a job well done for the sales manager and increased sales for the company.

That’s another sales coaching myth busted. Tune in on the next blog post for Myth #3 – Results Must Be Reinforced For Performance To Change.

To learn even more about sales management training, get our free ebook .

What do you think? Share more sales coaching myths by leaving a message after this post.

Using “Deliberate Practice” as a Coaching Technique (myventurepad.com)
17 Best Practices of Top Performing Sales People (thecustomercollective.com)
Maximize the Selling Team (thecustomercollective.com)
Grant Cardone: Virtual Sales Training Increases Sales Production (huffingtonpost.com)
Be Ready for Your Sales Rep (fcmsales.blogspot.com)

The #1 Myth To Sales Coaching Is…

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 23:35:18 +0000

Top sales managers agree that solid sales coaching makes a huge difference between a good and a bad sales quarter. Spending time coaching your sales people is worthwhile, it’s time well-spent, and if your sales managers are spending more time poring over spreadsheets and not coaching their reps, then you need to change your priorities.

What the real top sales managers don’t agree about, however—is how to best go about doing it. It seems everyone has their own opinion of sales coaching.

This difference in opinion and coaching styles has led to a number of useless tips floating around the industry – what top sales managers like to call “sales coaching myths”. Over the next couple of articles we’ll be discussing the different sales coaching myths – so your sales managers can avoid sales coaching mistakes that have the reverse and sometimes debilitating effects.

So without further ado, let’s get on with the show…

Myth #1 – Sales coaching is telling people what to do to improve their performance.

There’s some truth in this statement. The long-term goal behind sales coaching is to improve the performance of the sales people. The above statement says to “tell” your sales people what to do. For average sales managers, there’s nothing that could go wrong with that logic. But for top sales managers, they are aware that effective and efficient coaching is not so much about teaching sales people as it is about helping them to learn.

There is a big difference.

The average sales manager sees it from this perspective: “I’m the manager. It’s up to me to figure out what’s wrong and then I’m gonna tell you what to do to improve your performance. Your job is to get better. My job is to tell you what you’re doing wrong.”

Why is this flawed? Because this way of doing things isn’t coaching – its just dictating flaws.

Top sales managers see it differently, they rather think: “It is my job to know your strengths and weaknesses and help you find alternative ways to accomplish your – or our – goals by leveraging strengths and minimizing weaknesses.”

This real sales coaching model succeeds because both the coach (the sales manager) and coachee (the sales person) work together to help the salesperson achieve their goals.

Top sales managers don’t just tell their reps what to do, they get involved, they get engaged, they know the reps stregnths and weaknesses and work within the confines of those talents to harness the best from them.

Whatever they do…they don’t just dictate and tell them where they stink.

In our next post, we’ll discuss the myths surrounding the assessment of one’s strengths and weaknesses.

To learn even more about sales training, get our free ebook.

Share more sales coaching myths by leaving a message after this post.

Stepping Out of Your Boss’ Shadow (blogs.hbr.org)
Use Coaching to Resolve Poor Behaviour (managedifficultpeople.com)

Here’s A Sneaky Way To Motivate A Sales Rep…

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:20:43 +0000

Do your sales managers struggle with motivating their sales teams?

It’s easier to do than you might think. Sometimes motivating a sales rep is even easier than motivating a five-year

This sneaky little tip is one that I copped off a behavioral modification book I was reading to learn how to discipline my two kids a bit better. So of course, after I used it on them – I tried it on my sales reps…and even though I shouldn’t have been surprised…it worked like a charm.

This sales training tip is called: “Give ‘em a LOFTY reputation to live up to…(even if they’ve done nothing to deserve it)”.

Terrible title…but effective technique.

Anyway, here’s how it works: Say a sales rep is trying to desperately to figure out some kind of relatively complex issue. So the extremely helpful sales manager really want to help them figure it out. They may know the answer and see them struggling…wanting desperately to tell them exactly what to do.

The real “pro” sales managers don’t do it though.

Instead of actually doing the work for them and telling them what to do, the excellent sales managers says this instead: “You know, (name) you’re the expert here, I KNOW you can figure this out on your own”…she then walks away.

Yes, walks away.

Let the rep figure it out. That’ right, let them figure it out. Your sales managers will be shocked at what will happen without them being there.

Now, of course, they’ll need to follow up with the salesperson the next day or within a period of time that they feel is appropriate to make sure it was done…

The point is this: the sales manager is training them to use THEIR brain…not THE SALES MANAGER’S brain.

Here’s why this is a highly effective motivational technique: when people are empowered to control their own destiny, they are far more motivated to control that destiny.

Because a sales manager cannot be around his reps every second of every day, micro managing their salespeople…or worse yet, baby-sitting them, the sales rep has got to learn to do it on their own!

When a sales manager does this, it empowers the salesperson…and motivates them BIG TIME.

The great thing is by using this technique the sales managers both motivates…AND lets themselves off the hook…less work for the sales manager!

To learn even more about sales manager training, get our free ebook .

Post a reply to this post and tell me what do you think? Get in the discussion below!

Productive Managers Keep the Team Focussed on Outcomes (managedifficultpeople.com)
Why Sales Managers Fail (frontofficebox.com)
5 ways to recognize a good Startup Salesperson (johngannonblog.com)
What Motivates a Salesperson? The Results Are In (thecustomercollective.com)

How To Use “Confrontation” To Turn Around Sales Underperformers

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:11:24 +0000

Avoiding conflict is the key to good sales management. Or is it?

Like I said in an earlier sales training post, the top-performing sales manager spends the majority of his time encouraging his reps…unlike most sales managers who constantly break their reps down through criticism, criticism and more criticism.

This paints a nice, rosy picture…doesn’t it?

When it comes to an underperforming sales rep though – forget encouragement. The time for that has passed.

The sales manager now must become the confrontationalist. Sales performance stinks – and the sales manager needs to take action now!

Rule #2: Confrontation is Good.

Pressure is good. Its what “turns coal into diamond” right? But confrontation most people hate.

For the pro-level sales manager confrontation is their best friend. Most people hate confrontations and will do almost anything to avoid it. But this is a huge mistake.

Sure, confrontations could get tense and uncomfortable from time to time, that’s a given, but it’s also one of the most effective ways of drawing out the true potential of your company’s sales people.

Think of “confrontation” as simply an opportunity to set things straight with a sales person. If you put it that way, it isn’t so bad, right?

By looking into their eyes, you could get to the source of their fears and motivation. This knowledge is the trump card in helping them change their average, or below average, ways.

By confronting sales people and being honest with them, this achieves two things:

It increases the chances of getting them to perform above standards.
It makes it crystal clear to them what is expected from them in the future. Most sales people prefer sales managers who are honest and direct than someone who likes to beat around the bush.

A warning, though:

Never confuse confrontation with negative criticism

They’re the exact opposite of each other!

Confrontation is all about being honest and facing facts, whereas negative criticism is just mindless railing against their inadequacies. The difference is that confrontation is and always should be framed in a positive light.

To learn even more about sales management training, get our free ebook.

I’d like to hear your ideas about being honest and straight with sales people. Leave a message below.

Sales Training 101 for Sales Managers: Set The Tone

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 03:15:34 +0000

A sales manager REALLY must understand one thing about underperformers: there are many different reasons why people perform below standards.

It seems kinda obvious, but here’s why.

The salesperson has little or no talent.

They stink…they’re never gonna make it no matter how hard you push.

Let’s face it: your sales force has more than just a few of these…and its not gonna get any better the longer you wait.

More on that subject in subsequent posts…

For today however, if your instincts tells you this person has something inside him or her that could make him or her an outstanding sales person, at least if it were under the right circumstances, then a sales manager needs to apply the first of three rules of underperformance.

The first rule: Set the Tone.

The first rule is that a sales manager needs to set the tone and be brutally honest with their sales people. Tell them the truth about their performance. If they did something right, praise them. But if they did something wrong, tell it them straight. Don’t sugarcoat it, tell it to them in the clearest words possible.

Indelibly mark these two concepts below into the minds of your underperforming sales people:

The only permanent value of work is achievement
Achievement is a result of relentless effort and commitment

Invite them to a one-on-one discussion and talk about their goals. Explain to them what they need to do for the team for them to come closer to reaching their goals.

As long as the sales manager has invested heavily in the sales rep’s Trust Account, the sales manager is in the right spot.

Remember its the sales manager who’s in the position of authority so the sales manager needs to take charge. Be clear about expectations, and if the rep did something wrong under the sales managers careful watch, they need to tell it to them straight. They have to tell them that underperformance is not an option. If they can’t change, then the sales manager needs to start looking for other sales reps.

It sounds harsh, but it really isn’t.

Sales is a zeros sum game.

So remember, get your sales managers to set the tone. A leader can do a lot of things right. But a leader will never be successful if he, or she, doesn’t set an expectation of excellence.

Rule #2 is coming in the next post.

To learn even more about sales training, get our free ebook .

What can you say about the first rule? Leave a comment below.

How To Handle Sales Underperformers Like A Pro: An Introduction

ralph@salesmanagementmastery.com (Ralph Burns) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:18:56 +0000

Being a sales manager is no easy job. It’s got a ton of stress, and it’s going to require every ounce of managerial decision-making skills to be great at it – especially in this time of global recession.

But do you know what’s worse than having to make a sale when everyone else is cutting back? Managing a team of sales underperformers.

The biggest stress of all comes when a sales managers sales team can’t even make quota. What could be more awkward than that?

Truth is, handling a team of quota underperformers is one of the most difficult jobs of a sales manager. As we all know, a sales person is only as good as his or her numbers. That’s the hard truth. It’s the job of the sales manager to do everything they can to turn those underperformers into sales wizards.

There are three hard rules to turning around sales underperformers, which I’ll discuss in my next posts. But make note…these techniques and these rules have been proven to work over ten years of trial and error…and they’ll only work if you have the right sales person in the role.

If you don’t have that kind of person, no amount of sales management training teaching “turnaround techniques” is ever going to work. You’re better off moving towards your separate ways, if you know what I mean.

Now we got that issue behind us, let’s move on… I’ll discuss the three rules of transforming sales underperformers in my next posts.

So stay tuned!

To learn even more about sales manager training, get our free ebook.

For comments and suggestions, leave a message after this post.

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