Global CMO™ The Magazine - REPRINT July 2013 | 1

Does Your Brand Have GAME?Andrew Vesey ggmn

What Selling Is Really About

David Tovey

Issue 5 | Volume 1

July 2013 - REPRINT

Greg W. Marshall fgmn:

The Evolving Role of Sales (and Marketing)

Six Best Practices For Opportunity Management

Laura Patterson

Global CMO is the Official Magazine of Global Marketing Network, the Global Body for Marketing Professionals. www.theglobalcmo.com

The Golden Rule Of Closing The Sale

Richard Denny

Key Account Management

Antony Michail fgmn

70 | July 2013 Global CMO™ The Magazine - REPRINT

What Makes A Great Sales Manager?Julia Payne pgmn

There’s 3 things I know to be true about sales management:

1. A sales team will never perform any better than the way they are managed or led

2. It’s not what you say that’s important, but rather how you say it

3. You have to earn respect as a sales manager and not simply rely on your position

Sales management has always been at the top of the board agenda. However, with reduced revenue and margin opportunities on products and increasing service resource costs, companies must now do more with less. ‘Lean’ is here to stay and sales managers must learn to deal with, if not embrace the new norm of competitive threats, informed buyers and ever increasing revenue targets. But how?

Global CMO™ The Magazine - REPRINT July 2013 | 71

Our thinking on this subject is perhaps not for everyone. It’s certainly not for those antiquated sales leaders – and there’s a lot of them out there - who still think the way to lead a sales meeting is through creating a climate of fear coupled with a healthy dose of shouting and belittling. It’s also not for those leaders who are intimidated by change or new ideas and prefer to regurgitate their outmoded practices and metrics. “We’ll be having none of that newfangled thinking in our organisation, thank you very much”. No, rather it is for those leaders who are looking for outstanding performance improvement and are prepared to put their head above the parapet to see what others are doing and to hold not only their teams accountable, but also themselves. Leaders who want a practical approach which drives high performance sales behaviours.

Driving High Performance Sales Behaviours

Two things are generally accepted about sales people:

1. They are motivated by money.

2. They lack self-confidence. They just want to be loved.

The first can be taken care of through bonuses, compensation plans and incentives. However, a sales manager must move beyond financial motivation to develop a high performance team.

Recognition

Internal recognition is one of the sales manager’s most powerful tools. Being recognised for sales performance or for activities that further the company or develop individuals satisfies the sales person’s need for reassurance. It proves they and their performance matter. It breeds loyalty to the company and is shown to drive customer loyalty. Everyone wants to be associated with success.

Sales team development is like training a puppy. They may be cute and adorable, but they need discipline and praise in equal measure.

Tip: Never lose an opportunity to praise a sales person

Competition

Sales people are competitive. They may want to be loved, but it’s a dog eat dog world out there and they all want to be top dog.

Despite what they say, no sales person is happy to come second in the rankings or clap their team member as they step up to take Employee of the Month. Sales teams are the breeding ground of competition and a sales manager needs to harness that spirit across the department to drive both individual and team performance. It really doesn’t matter what’s on offer; a holiday, gym membership, a cornflake – it can be anything. The managers that can develop and promote a competitive spirit within a team in

a constructive manner, will be part way to the sales team doing their job for them. Why drag a team along when they are happy to drive their own performance through outperforming their neighbour.

Tip: Great sales managers create an environment where the sales team are competing against their own personal best.

Developing Skills

Sales is a discipline like many others and although sales people like to think of themselves as mavericks who live on the edge, in reality they welcome structure and development. Great sales managers develop team spirit and drive performance through increasing the sales knowledge and techniques of their teams. By this, we don’t mean attend a yawningly boring programme on negotiation and influence or by insisting they do their own admin – that is just not going to happen. Rather sales managers must help their team to learn new methods of selling on a practical level, one that works in the field. Tips, techniques, words, phrases – things that matter to the team, that inspire and motivate and will enable them ultimately to gain both reward and recognition.

Tip: Great sales managers empower their sales team to believe that they are better than they really are. They then coach them to become as good as they believe.

So a sales manager can facilitate these behaviours in their team, but what are the key behaviours of a high performing sales manager?

The Holy Trinity of Sales Management. The 3 Cs

Consistency

Every sales manager wants consistency from their sales team, but only the most effective managers reciprocate.

Consistency is one of the greatest sales behaviours that a manager can display. By its nature, it’s not one that can be employed when or whether you feel like it and that’s the challenge.

Consistency of process, attitude and communication is vital. Your team is looking for a role model, they need predictability not volatility and that means you must deliver what you have promised, time and time again. As draining as it can be, you need to provide the ‘why’, the rationale, the thinking behind each of your decisions, your actions and your words. You need to deal in fact rather than rumour. You need to lead by example. You need to make the time. In short, being a successful sales manager means more work, not less.

Tip: A sales team learn not from what they hear, but from what they experience.

72 | July 2013

Communication

Communication in sales management comes in many forms; to the team, to management, through feedback, coaching and development.

Effective sales managers are always conscious of what they say and how it may be interpreted. They do not speak in haste, but rather think about the consequences of their words, conscious that it is far easier to demotivate through thoughtless communication, than motivate. They are measured, proactive and constructive in their approach, taking the time to offer guidance and appreciation. They refuse to rush conversations with their direct reports, instead providing clear development plans and messages which lead to increased productivity and reduced team turnover.

Communication is the backbone of sales and sales management. Seeking and expressing views not only ensures transparency and a healthy team dialogue, but distinguishes the exceptional manager from the average.

Tip: It’s not what you say that’s important, but rather how you say it.

Clarity

No sales team will ever perform to any level of meaningful performance where expectations are not clearly established.

Clarity comes from understanding – been there, done that; from responsive communication and systems and processes which are adhered to and consistently implemented. Sales managers who lead effectively genuinely understand the problems their team face and develop practical processes to reduce or eliminate them. They appreciate models and theory, but use them only as a framework on which to hang the specific challenges faced by their team. They measure, but don’t let excessive data stifle the performance of the team.

Role clarity is also essential. It is a proven fact that the best results are obtained when individuals understand what their role entails and the part they play in achieving the company’s objectives.

Tip: A sales person without clarity is like a rudderless ship – going nowhere, fast.

Sales management does what it says on the tin; part sales, part management, although not in equal parts. Sales managers must always be managers first and foremost because the truth is, a sales team will never perform any better than the way they are managed.

Julia Payne pgmn

Co-founder, Incisive EdgeJulia is a member of the GMN Global Advsiory Council and the GMN Membership Committee. She is co-founder of Incisive Edge and Incisive Digital, and an expert is sales strategy and aligning marketing to drive sales. She has advised FTSE 100 companies, mid tier companies looking to enter the FTSE, owner managed companies, Royal families, associations and governments on several continents.

Julia is well known for providing strategic sales and marketing advice that is down to earth and relevant, taking into account real-world complexities of business. She is also a prolific writer, being extensively published in the field of sales and strategy and a highly sought-after speaker on process-led implementation, business growth through sales and marketing and how to drive revenue.

Julia is frequently quoted in the national press, including FT, The Times, The Telegraph, and The Guardian, together with numerous trade publications. She is also a prolific writer, being extensively published in the field of sales and strategy, and a highly sought-after speaker on process-led implementation, business growth through sales and marketing and how to drive revenue.

www.incisive-edge.comwww.incisivedigital.com

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Global CMO™ The Magazine Sample | 1

Markus PfeifferWe profile one of our industry leading

GMN Fellows

CMO Masterclass Brazil

A major forward step for the marketing profession in Brazil

Go Team!Why do sports fans buy tickets? What drives people to purchase?

Sample Issue

December 2013

Industry IconKevin Lane Keller:

Brand Transcendence

Navigating the future of Brand Management

Marketers: Welcome To The Boardroom

The changing role of today’s CMO

50 Shades of CMOOne title, many job descriptions

Global CMO™ is the Official Magazine of Global Marketing Network, the Global Body for Marketing Professionals.

Global CMO™ The Magazinewww.theglobalcmo.com

The official Magazine of Global Marketing Network, the Global Body for Marketing Professionals.

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