The Pain Pointof PeoplePain Points of Sales Management and How to Overcome Them

Nikolaus Kimla

Email: n.kimla@pipelinersales.comWebsite: www.pipelinersales.com

CEO at Pipelinersales Inc.

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Changing PeopleIt is extremely common for sales managers to dive in and attempt strengthen

sales rep weaknesses. For example, a rep is strong at bringing in leads,but weak in closing. The sales manager does everything possible

to strengthen the rep as a closer.

Changing People

Would it not make more sense—not to mention requirea lot less effort—to make them even better at bringing in leads? And every sales team needs great closers. Why take someone who is great at closing and pester them about lead nurturing?

Make them an even better closer!

Changing People

The first decision a sales manager should make as regards people is not to try and change them, but to help them to continuously improve at being who they are, and doing what they do best.

General Sales Manager Rules Regarding People

Never get in competition with your sales rep

—don’t try and show them up by going after the same prospects or

some such.

Never sell for them

—come in and do the deal because you are anxious because they're not closing it. That's a very fast way to

lose their allegiance to you--and you need that if you're going to have a

sales team at all.

Never overrule them

—if they make a decision to use a certain strategy with a particular prospect, or a particular method, don't dive in and make them do

something else.

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Measuring AbilityYou're under an enormous amount of pressure to perform. In order to do so, you have to not only know the best performers on your team, but at what they excel.

You want to figure out what your reps are doing right, and continuously assist them at getting better at it. How do you do that?

Sales is about effective results.You need to measure those results.

For example:● How many leads does a rep bring in? Of what quality?● What percentage of leads does a rep "heat up" and make

ready for prime-time sales?● What percentage of leads does a rep convert to

opportunities?● What is a rep's closing ratio—percentage of opportunities

closed?

Measuring Ability

Measuring Ability

A CRM should provide you tools so you can rapidly see how reps are doing in each of these areas, and more. Pipeliner certainly does—and in fact we even provide an Archive (we're the only CRM that does) in which you can instantly see why sales were won or lost, where they stalled in the sales process, and any other data you need to analyze lost sales.

Freeing Them UpOnce you know which reps are great at which parts of sales, you need to free them up of things that are weighing them down. For example, once I had figured out who the best performers were, I would remove extraneous administration from their jobs. Give them the space to make those numbers.

A Worthwhile SystemThe next major effort you should make is to create a system that truly motivates

your salespeople to sell. A salesperson that is really happy with a commission structure is going to bend over backwards to make sales—and the primary

benefactor is that salesperson's employer.

A Worthwhile System

A great commission structure is especially important when it comes to your top producers. When you come along and ask a top rep to do even more, their first thought is going to be, “Why should I?”And it's true—if they are already at the top of their game percentage-wise, why should they go the extra mile?

You have to make it worth their while.

But It's Up to Them, TooGiven a decent commission structure, a worthwhile product and an even mildly healthy market, it is then truly up to the reps to sell. Just as you are watching and monitoring to see who is a top performer in what area of sales, so you must watch for those that just aren't pulling their weight.

As a sales manager you have quotas to meet. If you have people there who are not producing you must rid yourself of them. As hard as that is, you must do it.

Building a TeamA sales manager, evaluating, coaching, and mentoring personnel, must build a team. You hire the best you can find, get them into the position they're great at, into a commission structure they're happy with, get them all fired up and selling. If they don't make it, you cut them loose. The ones that do, you do everything you can to help.

NEXT SLIDESHARE IN THIS SERIES: The First Thing a Sales Manager Must Know:

Management

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