In the average sales organization, the successful sales reps get promoted to managers.  They desire it, right? 

But wait.  These ‘Top’ sales reps are suddenly thrust into a leadership and training mode.  In these situations, there is one common liability.

“The Top sales rep’s biggest strength can now become the Sales Manager's biggest weakness in leading a team.”

Notice I said leading a team, not managing one.

Here's why this happens.

Top sales reps typically don't diagnose and document their sales routines and processes. They just do it, as the sneaker commercial so aptly says.  So, when they are asked to advance the same superior results into a large group, they can't do it.

Why?

Because these individuals are exceptional "drivers”; they know how to get results.  Most of their past success was due to their unique characteristics and individual abilities.  But personal attributes are not easily transferable to the masses.

Sadly, most superior sales performers, when promoted to leadership positions, are unable to truly lead. They can't analyze and teach their personal sales processes in a way their sales teams can digest.

This is important.  Solo reps that move into the management sphere tend to manage people versus becoming a ‘coach of people’ around essential competencies and behaviors.

Most of us can only stretch within the boundaries of our own seeded characteristics and attributes.

Sales leaders must understand sales systems and processes, and STILL be flexible. They need the majority of their salespeople to accept it, own it and benefit from it.

Do you currently have a system that promotes identifying and measuring critical core competencies and essential performance metrics?  Are your people competent in the art of running your numbers and not running after quota?

Sales leaders understand there are a finite number of scenarios in any selling process. If you identify, train to and measure each one of them, you are on your way to excellence.

They shine a spotlight on the most critical competencies and develop training programs to improve rep’s ratios around each one.  One at a time.  That enables the most people to routinely win.

Sales leaders train to each one of these competencies, but they do so by priority. They understand that training to multiple missions at once will achieve few results.  They start with the most important one.  And they don’t move on until the benchmark goal is met.

Sales leaders consider results-oriented training a process versus an event.  They don't just talk about it at sales meetings, or only attend seminars that superficially touch on it.  They extract the most important critical competency, such as creating targeted new appointments, and peel back every element that comprises it.

They break apart the elements into single scenarios.  And they attach powerful routines to each scenario.

Sales leaders spend time developing systematic approaches to improve essential competencies.  And they do it so their people can outperform the standard. 

They set up training campaigns to improve the ratios of success in each critical competency.  Operational effectiveness equals better competency routines.  Better than whose, you ask?  Your competitors', of course.

Sales leaders understand their essential competency ratios and performance numbers. (There are only 5.) They can analyze them against their revenue objectives. And then the priority training jumps right off the page.

It slaps them in the face.

Sales leaders also set realistic goals in line with their performance ratios. They set "benchmarks" for each competency and train specifically to that benchmark.

Jim Tressel, head football coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes, gave a pre-season interview.  It was after winning the 2002 National Football Championship.  He said, "We've decided to identify a number of important performance benchmarks, and effect training to meet them each week.  For instance, we found that over the last 15 years, when we gained at least 200 rushing yards in a game, we won the game 98% of the time.  So we are training to routines that will help us get better at the competency of running the football on the ground in order to reach that particular benchmark more often."

Another great college coach, when interviewed about his coaching philosophy, said, "You develop the best game plan you can, build systems and processes to help support it, train everyone how to work within it, and then let the players go out and unleash their natural abilities.  You let them play the game between the lines."

Sales leaders believe that sales reps will be accountable to results, provided that leadership:

(1) Identifies the important competencies required for success;
(2) Supplies targeted training with appropriate structures for learning and application; and,
(3) Supports and Measures the degree of improvement.

Sales leaders are dedicated to transforming "C" players into "B" players, and "B" players into "A" players.  And they are open to different approaches to accomplish it.

They hold themselves accountable to develop or invest in relevant training systems, learning structures and support tools. And they track return s on their investment.

That’s because they want all of their people to routinely meet or exceed company quotas, as well as help them meet their career goals. They know they must provide the applications and the tools that foster that achievement.

So most Top sales reps’ seat-of-the-pants skills are excellent. The challenge is to convert them to transferable processes and routines that focus on essential competencies and measure improvement. 

The sales leader, as opposed to the sales manager, knows one thing for certain. Their personal success and reputation depends on providing the infrastructure and training tools for all their people to become self-sustained.