This job of being a successful sales manager requires heart!
Nothing in the career of sales management is for the faint of heart! This is a profession that requires a constant ability to balance selling and management skills, both of our people and our customers, while keeping an ever watchful eye on the monthly, quarterly and annual clocks. Thinking more directly about the true meaning of why "heart" is at the lifeblood of this career, if one wants to be "successful" as a sales manager, one must be "consistent", and in order to be "consistently successful", one needs to have heart and truly love what one does.
- You've got to love this as a career, and not just like it as a job
- It's not good enough to just enjoy the work, or just be good at it
- This is a career that requires jump-out-of-bed and love going to work passion.
Whether the title is SVP or VP of Sales, or National, Regional, or District Sales Manager, or any of the ego-inflating titles of CRO or CSO, the real work of any successful manager of sales comes down to striking a work balance between being a Player and being the Coach.
Let's assume that I have some level of sales and sales management skills. The question that I then must ask and answer, and will ultimately guide my success and the success of my team, comes down my decision of how much time am I as a manager going to spend playing the game, and how much time am I going to spend coaching my team.
- The average "very good" salesperson spends 57.5 hours a week "working".
- The average "very good" sales manager guiding a team of 6-10, spends 65
Subtract travel, ineffective meetings, standard non-utilizable time (early Mondays and late Fridays, for example), and the actual "Selling & Sales Management Time", which consists of preparing my team for the game, coaching the game and then following up, comes down to only 30-40% of the total time available!
The rest of that time from the original 3,000 to 3,800 hours is either simply not there (vacations, holidays, sick days) or is managed very ineffectively.
So, why do we want to become sales managers?
- For the competitive sales DNA in us that strives to win and be recognized for our wins
- It's another step from salesperson, to manager, to VP to CEO. (20%+ of the F500 CEOs)
- We simply love building and coaching a team...and, of course winning, which goes to #1.
What are the most important sales management Skills & Attributes?
- Attributes: Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Work Ethic
- Skills: Strategic & Tactical Planning, Hiring & Developing, Leadership & Communication
Want to learn more and be part of a very unique experience?
Attend our Sales management Boot Camp: October 1st-3rd
Good Selling, Good Marketing...and Good Planning !
The time is now, not tomorrow !
Head Coach
