Sales Manager Coaching vs. Admin: The Great Debate

Written by Steven Rosen

It is very lonely in the world of blogging, so getting comments from clients is a validation that people are reading your thoughts.

In my last blog 5 Ways to Gauge Your Sales Managers’ Coaching, I had several comments from my clients. One VP of Sales loved the article and asked for copies for his Directors of Sales. Two heads of sales from different companies liked the article but did not want to send it out to their front line sales managers because of my comment (see below) that said that coaching was more important than admin. They both did not want their sales managers to feel that it is OK to spend time in the field and not do administration.

“Like many of us, managers tend to spend their time on the activities they are the best at and most enjoy. A manager who focuses extensively on administrative tasks like submitting reports on time probably is less comfortable coaching. The manager who finds creative ways to get into the field and spend more time with sales reps probably sees the value of this time. Remember that administration doesn’t generate revenue or help develop your salespeople and that time spent in the field improves your reps’ ability to be the best they can be”.

Both were struggling with individual sales mangers that were not getting their administration done on time and were tired of excuses. So by sending this article out they felt that they would provide an additional rational for the sales manager not to complete their admin.

From the head of sales perspective not getting reports from their direct reports has a direct impact on their ability to do their job and hence their frustration with their reports that are not on top of their admin. I can certainly see their point of view and there are two learning’s that I have come away with from our discussions.

1. It is always important to manage your boss and keep them happy. Even though the admin doesn’t generate revenue the old adage that “the job ain’t finished until the paper work is done” holds true.
2. It reinforces the article that as a Head of Sales there is little visibility to how well their managers coach and given the lack of visibility front line sales managers can be poor coaches but perceived as good managers by their bosses.

The intended message of my blog was that coaching is the #1 management activity that drives performance. In fact going from good to great coaching can have a direct impact on sales of 19%. The long term impact of developing and retaining your sales people is critical for the long term success of a sales organization. Given my experience with coaching many sales managers I find that coaching skills are an area that even the most successful sales manager can improve upon.

The message great coaching = great performance. Getting the paper work = happy boss.

Do both and be a great and happy!

Steven Rosen -
	Steven Rosen, MBA is Canada’s Sales leadership Coach and the founder of STAR Results. Steven helps companies transform sales managers into great sales coaches. He works with sales executives to develop high performance sales organizations. Steven is an authority in the area of Sales Management and has authored many articles in the area of sales management coaching and on driving sales performance. He was awarded the Top Sales Article in 2009 by Top 10 Sales Articles. Contact Steven at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 905-737-4548Read More >>
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