Happy Friday, everyone!
Here is this week's poll question:
Does a staff of seasoned, successful salespeople require a sales manager? Why or why not?
Looking forward to reading your replies!
We are experimenting with this scenario now because of life's circumstances. While I like not having meetings, the consistency of the morning meeting was an anchor to the role and to each other. And it brought us sales reps together. Even though nobody really liked them, info and expectations were exchanged. We could help each other with ideas. I think without a sales manager, we're drifting, and attention is drifting. We might not see the results this month, but I think it will show in 6 months because there are calls that are being missed, accountability is lacking. I don't like being managed, but I like the attaboys, and normally having to be accountable keeps me moving forward.
From Joe Lyons: Of course you need a sales manager. You keep everything tidy. You keep two or more reps off of any 1 client. You co-ordinate station promotions and build sales promotions for the team. And you train new reps. You cover monitor sheets and generate goals. You motivate those who need motivating and monitor those who don't. What you should not do is compete with your reps for billing.
From Chris Rolando: Think of the sales manager as a visionary. This is the person who looks ahead for new opportunities. The person who finds new research and then teaches it. The person who is ACCOUNTABLE to the ownership for bringing in revenue and helping grow the company. The sales manager is also responsible for making sure the sales department has a "bench"... people ready to start when the need arises.
Yes but....
If the staff are truly seasoned, successful salespeople, then they need a different type of leadership than new rookies. Everyone needs a coach, some need a trainer, some need a manager to go to bat for them when dealing with other departments. Some need a manager to play referee!
Seasoned, successful salespeople should not need micro-managing.
From Chris Lytle: The word that caught my attention in the question this week is "seasoned sales staff." To me that indicates that everybody has their "list" and is happily living off the work they did a few years ago. They've quit prospecting much and wait for the phone to ring. So, yes, you need a sales manager to set and enforce standards of performance and hire new salespeople to push the "seasoned" veterans. I agree with Chris Rolando that sales managers should not carry a list. Radio has very few true sales managers. If you're the top biller and the sales manager, you have two full-time jobs. I rant about that in a short video that I posted to promote my Instant Sales Training website. But the first seven minutes provide a look at the most important job of the sales manager: To continually develop the people who develop the revenue. Here's the link: https://instantsalestraining.com/
This post was edited by Rebecca Hunt at May 6, 2019 12:08 PM PDT
Share this page with your family and friends.