I encourage sales managers each month to graph both the company’s performance and each of their salespeople’s performance in each of these areas. A significant percentage of sales managers’ performance is measured by their ability to deliver graphs that are trending in the desired direction.
Formal training and education must take place in all organizations that wish to develop greater and greater levels of professionalism among their sales personnel. Sales meetings, as an example, should not be limited to discussing market prices on key commodities and reviewing the status of upcoming projects.
As an example, one essential sales skill that is rarely addressed in many sales organizations is the sales staff ’s ability to make professional presentations. Product knowledge is important, but of even greater importance is the ability to communicate a product’s features and benefits to customers and prospects.
I encourage my clients to video record each of their salespeople on a regular basis making key product presentations so each salesperson can see themselves as others see them. Golf pros use this method to improve their clients’ golf scores, as do coaches and teachers in virtually all sports. This teaching method works equally well for sales managers who wish to improve their salespeople’s presentation skills.
Warning: Salespeople frequently resist standing in front of a video camera; so sales managers have to make this teaching method a requirement. Done right, the job of sales managers is one of the most difficult jobs in any organization. Salespeople need a motivated sales manager to provide the coaching they need to achieve their full potential. n
