Managing a sales force is different from almost any other kind of team management. A person who is great at sales rarely if ever follow a specific mold. Since a technique or approach that works for one person is not necessarily the right for another, management of a sales team becomes more about motivating them to find their own strength. Even in sales teams, these achievers are loners - Racehorses that should be gently nudged in the right direction so that they aren’t harnessed in and lose momentum. Mentally, a sales person performs much better in a relaxed state, and does also work better from a stance of confidence. To harness a salespersons individual power, the key notes have to be motivation, support, and development. Control is only bound to be counterproductive since it removes the individuality that great sales people rely on.

Number Crunching Kills Sales

We can measure pure sales, which is the norm. A sales manager who has the basic approach of dollars per minute is often popular with management, but is inevitably shooting him or herself in the foot. You can achieve a certain level of sales by putting pressure on sales per time period, but it automatically stifles the best salespeople to climb out of the curve and make the big numbers. In order to develop the super-salesman, failure has to be part of the equation. As they constantly look for an edge, they will attempt new approaches and some of those approaches will fail. This is where the sales manager can chose to be a hindrance, or a help. The best producing sales managers I’ve seen are extremely rarely dealing with the numbers when they talk to sales people. They are methodologists. Talking to and evaluating the approaches of the staff. And helping them find out what is, and isn’t working.

Always Motivate

Talking down to any staff member is bad management. But to make a sales person feel inferior is a death blow. As you break their positive attitude, you inevitably stifle their productivity. A sales person who is not performing up to par is normally stressed and disillusioned as it is. Adding to that burden is not going to help the numbers that management wants to see. This is where the support and motivation comes into play. Even if the sales person is underperforming to the point of being let go, advising them of this can be a bad mistake. Negative stress and increased doubt might instill a sense of urgency in a sales-person. It will however take away their confidence, something that immediately will show up in their numbers again. You are creating a self fulfilling prophecy in their constantly declining sales numbers. In order to be a motivator and a coach, the sales manager needs to always consider the basic premises of the sales itself. Assume that the sales person wants to achieve and train them to trust their instincts. Before you can do this, you need to realize and discuss external factors influencing performance.

1. Have the Leads changed?

A salesperson who gets new leads, may have gotten a bad batch. If so, discuss the leads with the sales person. Don’t discuss the results. Removing blame at this point is more important to the overall result and development of the staff.

2. Has the target changed?

Sometimes, the target of the sales call is new. A customer that always used to buy x dollars per month all of a sudden stops, if the purchaser has changed this could very well be the reason for this. Discuss the problem as being separate from the sales person.

3. Has the approach changed?

A sales person that attempts to change their approach or their overall goal (increased amounts over number of sales etc) may encounter a drop in sales initially. If this is the case, discuss it with them and see why they are trying for different results. Maybe they are on to something that can be more productive given time to come to fruition. Discuss the new approach, help the sales person trim their sales methods before making a determination on whether it is working or not.

4. Has the Market Changed?

If the entire sales staff is seeing a change, the market probably is changing. Discuss what the new exit points for the sales call are. What new needs or wants does the customer have that needs to be met before the sale can close.

5. Has the persons own life changed?

Even the best salespeople experience drops when their personal lives are in turmoil. When this happens, look to find supporting functions for the sales person. You are a coach, as such a simple "I understand, don’t worry" can be a much better result generator than anything else. Any person who is dealing with a problem outside of work can benefit from work being a stable and safe location. Even though their overall numbers may be down a little. Providing a support instead of additional stress will inevitably limit the negative impact this has. A person in turmoil will never react well to additional stress.

Sales managers although they are "managers" are really the support function for the sales staff. These corporate loners are athletes in their own right. And unless support and motivation is needed, the best option is often just to stay out of their way so that they can run the race.

Learn to be the motivator, coach, and support function for your sales team, and you will have no problem getting your raise when they shoot your numbers through the roof.