The job of leading a sales team is one of the most challenging in any organisation. Yet, there are some pervasive myths that many managers buy into—myths that keep their teams from achieving their full potential. Below is my list of the five most damaging myths about being a sales manager, and the reality behind each.
MYTH 1: I have arrived
Most managers acknowledge the importance of professional development for the members of their team, but how many make developing themselves professionally a priority? In my experience, it is only a small percentage. Too many sales managers assume that simply having the title of manager means that they have ‘arrived’, and that they know more or less everything they need to know. A perceived lack of time is often a factor here. Very often, as managers move higher in their organisation, they feel more pressure to produce results— and often resort to working longer hours in the hope of achieving more. If working more does not work, they resort to working harder. While this is playing out, they have little to no time to even consider professional development. Ultimately, they recognise this deficiency and vow to address the problem ‘when I find the time’. That time is never found. This common cycle sends the wrong message to their people. It implies that managers are above the growth and development stage, which most people would acknowledge is the farthest thing from the truth. Committing to your personal professional development plan and being intentional about carrying it out is vital to the culture of your team and essential to supporting its capacity to grow.
MYTH 2: I can coach individual salespeople during team meetings
Bu hikaye Indian Management dergisinin June 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Indian Management dergisinin June 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Trust is a must
Trust a belief in the abilities, integrity, values, and character of any organisation is one of the most important management principles.
Listen To Your Customers
A good customer experience management strategy will not just help retain existing customers but also attract new ones.
The hand that feeds
Providing free meals to employees is an effective way to increase engagement and boost productivity.
Survival secrets
Thrive at the workplace with these simple adaptations.
Plan backwards
Pioneer in the venture capital and private equity fields and co-founder of four transformational private equity firms, Bryan C Cressey opines that we have been taught backwards in many important ways, people can work an entire career without seeing these roadblocks to their achievements, and if you recognise and bust these five myths, you will become far more successful.
For a sweet deal
Negotiation is a discovery process for both sides; better interactions will lead all parties to what they want.
Humanise. Optimise. Digitise
Engaging employees in critical to the survival of an organisation, since the future of business is (still) people.
Beyond the call of duty
A servant leadership model can serve the purpose best when dealing with a distributed workforce.
Workplace courage
Leaders need to build courage in order to enhance their self-reliance and contribution to the team.
Focused on reality
Are you a sales manager or a true sales leader? The difference, David Mattson, CEO, Sandler® and author, Scaling Sales Success: 16 Key Principles For Sales Leaders, maintains, comes down to whether you can see beyond five classic myths that we often tell ourselves about selling.
