Lead by Example: Do as I Do

Written by Colleen Stanley

Running a successful sales call with a prospect and/or customer is an important skill for a professional salesperson. Running a successful sales meeting is an equally important skill for sales managers because it is a great forum for reinforcing and modeling selling principles. Unfortunately, too many sales meetings are ran ineffectively. There is no leadership by example provided for the sales team. Weekly or monthly sales meetings often illustrate “Do as I say and not as I do.” Actions don’t align with words and credibility erodes for the sales manager. Here are three areas where credibility is eroded.

1. On-Time sales meetings

Sales managers stress the importance of being early and on-time for meetings with prospects and clients; however, the start time of the weekly or monthly sales meeting is often the first place where the “Do as I say and not as I do” misalignment occurs. The sales meeting starts late because it takes 15 minutes to “round everyone up.” While the rodeo is in progress, the on-time salesperson is penalized, waiting for peers that are scrambling to gather last minute data for the meeting or just rolling in because they hit the snooze button that morning. The message sent to the sales team is being late to a meeting is okay, being unprepared is approved, and being disrespectful for keeping people waiting is tolerated.

A highly successful sales manager tells the story of new rep training where 15-20 reps landed at the corporate office for two-weeks of sales training. The first day of training, the sales manager gave the opening expectation speech which went something like this:

Follow the leader “We have a lot to cover in two weeks and will be working with many of our in-house managers to make sure that you are well-equipped to handle all aspects of your job. I want to make sure we set clear expectations at the beginning of this training. My expectation is that all of you will be ready to go by 8:00am each morning. Ready to go looks like this: You have visited the restroom, got your coffee, poured cream in that coffee and are in your seats with pen poised in the air by 7:55am.”

This successful sales manager shared that no one was late during the two weeks of training and all information was covered. The precedent set was that the material being covered was important, time is valuable, and respecting their peers’ time is a core company value. By the way, this company experienced 20 - 25% growth consecutively for 10 years.

2. No Agenda or Objective for sales meetings

Sales managers teach salespeople to have an objective for each meeting with a prospect or customer. Good sales managers know that agendas for meetings eliminate “howdy calls.” A well-planned meeting ensures the sales call is beneficial for both the sales person and the prospect. The same theory applies to running effective sales meetings. What is the objective of the sales meeting? Is it a troubleshooting meeting? A product training meeting? A sales training meeting? A well-run sales meeting includes an agenda that is sent out prior to the meeting. The agenda outlines what the sales manager is covering, what is expected of each salesperson attending the meeting, and intended outcomes of the meeting. When a sales team sees the leader running an effective meeting, they see actions aligning with words. That alignment creates a belief in the importance of preparing for their sales meetings. Actions always speak louder than words.

3. Action Items

Sales Managers coach their sales team on setting mutually agreed upon next steps with prospects. This important skill clarifies the commitment from each person attending the meeting and ensures that the sales call isn’t going into “stall mode.” sales meetings are no different. The effective sales manager closes the meeting with clear expectations of action items. Next steps vary based on the initial agenda. For example, a troubleshooting meeting means assigning the exploration of a process and bringing two Problem Solving ideas to the next meeting. Action items following a product knowledge meeting require each salesperson to present three benefits of the new product and provide one selling tip for introducing the product to clients. By assigning action items, the sales manager keeps the team committed and moving forward towards the resolution of a problem or the improvement of knowledge and skill. The team is not stagnant and conducting “Ground Hog Day” meetings.

An effective sales leader knows their sales team is watching and is good at practicing, “Do as I say and (most importantly) DO AS I DO.”

Colleen Stanley -
	Colleen Stanley is president of SalesLeadership Inc., a business development consulting firm specializing in sales and sales management training. The company provides programs in prospecting, referral strategies, consultative sales training, sales management training, and hiring/selection. She is also the author of “Growing Great Sales Teams: Lessons from the Cornfield.” Reach Colleen at 303.708.1128 or visit www.salesleadershipdevelopment.com. Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or electronically as long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thank you. Read More >>
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