Article #9 in our 9 Article Series

Welcome to our ninth and final article in the series “You Can Always Sell More: How To Improve Any Sales Force!”

We end this article series the way we began…discussing how to be a leader and coach of a sales team. As stated in earlier articles:

So how do you actually apply all of this to really make a difference? The two most critical responsibilities of a sales leader are 1) leading and motivating your entire team and 2) leading your team’s selling process as a coach and strategist.

Sales Leadership Responsibility #1 - Leading And Motivating Your Entire Team

An old leadership concept states “you manage processes but you lead people.” Look at the bias of most sales organizations. They call the people in charge of sales teams “managers” focusing attention on the paperwork, administration and processes. Wouldn’t it be both better and more accurate to be calling them “sales leaders” to help them understand where they need to be investing their energies?

Bill McGrane, world renowned peak performance expert and author of “Just Ask,” identified that it is impossible to motivate anyone because everyone is already highly motivated. The problem is they are motivated for their reasons and bias…not yours. All you can do as a leader is to create the proper environment so people can motivate themselves.

How are you redirecting and channeling that motivational energy within your team? The ways to create a stronger team feeling is to first, make sure each team member feels important and second, don’t encourage a “star” system of team recognition.

The Motivational Problems of “Sales Person of The Year” Contests

A “Star” recognition system comes from promoting negative recognition programs like “sales person of the year” where the only way you can have one winner is to first announce the rest of the team are losers. All rewards and contests need to allow for multiple winners (Anyone selling over “X” receives this award). This way one person winning can be celebrated because the winner did not take anything away from the others. How supportative would you be of the person sitting next to you if they had just won your company’s “sales person of the year” award…preventing you from winning it yourself?

Sales Leadership Responsibility #2 - Leading Your Team’s Selling Process As A Coach And Strategist

Your job as a coach and strategist is to proactively look for opportunities where your help and guidance can be of productive help to a sales person. That can occur when you are in informal discussions about an account, when you are out making sales calls with a rep, or during any account briefings or planning sessions.

Developing a multi-stepped plan is the easy part. Actually implementing all of the necessary components and leading your team to higher performance levels is where the real challenge lies.

The key here is to just do something. Too many organizations keep talking about wanting to change…but they never do. Or even worse, once they make the necessary changes and start seeing results the organization moves onto the “next and latest” theory or training concept. What can you do to increase the long-term “stickability” of these ideas within your company and sales team?

Are You A “Sales Manager” Or A “Sales Leader?”

Most sales managers are good at maintaining what they already have. They work to increase the efficiencies and productivity of their team but do not push to do things different or better. They are only reactive generators of change waiting for someone else to initiate the communications or changes necessary to generate increased sales and profitability.

A sales leader though is different. They are proactive maintaining a tactical, strategic and future focused leadership communications style and process. They are also positive and affirming communicators with a vision of how good their team can really be.

Which do you want to be? A “sales manager” functioning as a “maintainer of business?” Or do you want to be the more proactive “sales leader?”

Selling continues to become tougher. Competition is stronger, customers are more informed and aware of the competitive alternatives available, and business in general continues to become more complex and demanding. Your job is to help your sales team figure out how they can continue to win profitable business in this new reality.

Want the complete story? This article series is from my book “You Can Always Sell More - How To Improve Any Sales Force.” This book outlines the entire process we have described in these articles. Order your copy by calling 800-526-0074, through GreatSalesSkills.com or Pancero.com.

I congratulate you for your commitment working through this entire process. Now it’s time to successfully maintain and improve what you have built. Improving any sales force is a ongoing process that never ends…but can always get better.

We know you’re good…my only hope is you and your team are good enough to continue to get better. May you enjoy the process.

Reprint with permission “You Can Always Sell More – How To Improve Any Sales Force” ISBN #0-471-73915-4 John Wiley & Sons.

Copyright 2008 Jim Pancero, Inc.