Businesses have managers because there is a return on investment in managing the process, regardless of the department. Chaos would ensue were it not for management.
Most department managers have a common language, set of standards, principles, and Laws. Accounting, Finance, Audit, Legal, Operations, Manufacturing, Engineering, Human Resources, and Marketing each have a unique vernacular. The complexity varies, but the rules exist none the less.
The Sales department is not part of this list in my opinion. Sure, managers toss around words like Metrics, KPIs, Forecast, Margin, Revenue, and Close Ratios. However, there is such dispersion in the meaning, the language from company to company is not common as to the definitions of the terms.
This is why we ask: Who is Coaching Your Sales Manager?
It is not uncommon for the spend on sales training to be significant. However, the overlooked & huge problem is Sales Managers who need help.
I write often about our partners at Objective Management Group. The warehouse of Data from OMG backs up the sales manager issue.
Consider the impact of Sales Coaching on Salespeople. If the Sales Manager is Coaching 50% of their time and if the Sales Manager is effective, salespeople are 49% more effective. Therefore, this combination of time and effectiveness yields a 25% increase in revenue.
Here is the problem, less than 15% of sales managers have the skills to be effective at coaching, and even fewer are coaching 50% of the time.
This is why we focus on coaching your sales managers. They need help and rarely receive it. We leverage your resources by coaching the sales managers to coach the salespeople for consistent long term growth.
What are the metrics you use to manage your sales manager’s performance?
- Do they report on the number of 1 on 1 coaching sessions they have with each salesperson weekly?
- How about the work they do in the field with the salespeople?
- The debriefing they do with salespeople about opportunities in the pipeline?
- The number of pre-call plans they do a week with salespeople?
You are not alone if you are NOT managing the sales manager. However, perhaps you should consider the idea.
There are a couple of DIY steps for corrective action and to determine how much help your sales managers need.
- Ask your sales managers these six questions.
- Define the qualifications and skills you need for the sales manager role, and find or develop the talent needed.
- If you are going to hire new sales managers, please take advantage of this Free Tool– click the box for Sales Manager in the form.
The other option is to have a business conversation with us about your sales organization; all five buckets: Salespeople, Sales Management, Systems/Process, Sales Hiring, and Sales Leadership.
We are happy to spend an hour with a CEO or Business Owner to help you better understand your sales organization. Our goal is not to sell something but determine in 60 minutes if there is a reason to keep talking. Give us a call or shoot us a message!
