The Keys to Understanding Sales Management
Are you in control of your sales? Do you have an efficient and effective sales management process?
Exit Your Way is a group dedicated to helping business owners create value in their business with the intent to sell. The group hosts a routine podcast featuring leading business experts. These experts typically discuss what it takes to run a profitable business. And it starts with the core values of the people behind the business.
In a recent episode, Walter Crosby of Helix Sales Development shared valuable knowledge. The discussion outlines what businesses need most.
Walter described himself as someone who “tripped into sales” after receiving his degree in Economics. Something he says, “doesn’t prepare you for sales”. That trip into sales led him to the realization that he enjoyed helping others solve problems. Namely, he enjoyed helping them find ways to add value and make the sales process both fun and rewarding. A process that allowed him to rise to sales management.
His unique experience harbored a few questions about finding people for sales and how the core values tie into the process as a whole. From their discussion, you’ll learn:
- How to find sales people
- How core values impact the relationship between the business and client
- The role a sales manager plays in the overall success of the business
- The key to developing a sales process that works
Read on as Andrew Cross and Damon Pistulka of Exit Your Way speak with Walter about the keys to understanding sales management.
How to Find Sales People
Your salespeople are important to your business for many reasons. They establish the culture of your business and represent its image to the public. So hiring the right person for the job is necessary for its success.
Andrew: “How do you find salespeople?”
Walter: “It’s a difficult process. It’s even more difficult when industries believe every salesperson needs experience – it’s not always going to happen. You need someone that can sell your product or service in sum. You need to attract the right people towards the role you’re trying to develop. Good ad copy explaining roles and culture of business… need to speak to the person you’re trying to hire. You stand out by looking different.”
How Core Values Impact the Relationship Between the Business and Client
A salesperson is the main contact your business has between them and the customer. Along with hiring the right person for the job, the message of the business needs to be communicated throughout the entire chain of business to best suit the needs of the customer.
There is no point to sell things a customer doesn’t need. Likewise, you miss the mark when you fail to sell what they do need. Knowing how to identify what the customer really needs is key to doing good business. That starts with the core values.
Andrew: “Is understanding the core values of the company important when hiring a new salesperson?”
Walter: “You play an extremely important role as a salesperson. You are the meat of the company. There’s different skills for every position in sales. From management, to VP, to base level, you need to carry the company message all down the line. You need to bridge a gap between all roles. Our job as management is to assign the right people, with the right competencies, to the right positions”
“Communication is the root of most problems. If the communication line isn’t clear down the line to the salespeople, that’s where issues arise.”
“The problem with most salespeople is they don’t ask the difficult questions to get the truth to come out. Being good at sales means having a meaningful question to the customer, act like you’re truly interested.”
“You don’t have to sell every customer. If they don’t have a problem to solve, there’s not much you can do. You have to uncover value. They don’t want to be sold, they don’t care about you. They care about what you can deliver to the customer… what can you offer.”
Andrew: “You need to find out if a client truly needs the help. Sometimes they really don’t”
Walter: “As a professional, you have to make sure they understand that. It really is about doing the right thing. If it’s not something the business needs, don’t sell it. It doesn’t matter how much you’re going to make off the deal.”
The Role a Sales Manager Plays in Overall Success of the Business
Those on the selling floor are guided by those who have sold before. The goal of a sales manager goes beyond coaching the salespeople. They should be able to evaluate the current situation and make any changes to prompt more success.
Damon: “Sometimes being a sales manager just means you’re the salesperson that has lasted the longest. Can you touch on the fact that even if you’re a great salesperson, you won’t always be a great sales manager?”
Walter: “They’re different skill sets. Your job as a manager is to observe, and occasionally steer the conversation in a different way. You have to have the ability to coach, to pause, and give the salesperson the chance to learn. Have the skills to debrief, what you did well, what can change. Giving the answers isn’t always the best tactic. You want your salespeople to learn on their own. Only 60% of it is actually coaching.”
Damon: “The topic of this podcast is The Keys To Sales Management. Can you hit on some more points here with that?”
Walter: “If there isn’t a documented stage/process you can follow.. Something you can teach, the common language. How do you expect to go anywhere?”
Andrew: “Is it really apples to oranges with salespeople and sales managers?”
Walter: “If you’re a sales manager, you’ve probably been a salesperson before. The process of a sales manager can be learned without previous sales experience, but it doesn’t always translate. If there’s an open sales manager position to fill and the CEO who doesn’t have managerial experience steps in, it can go all wrong.”
“You have to find out the pain points and how to monetize them. Your discovery process is like pulling out someone’s heart – you have to show them what’s not working.”
The Key to Developing a Sales Process that Works
Business thrives on consistency. That’s why it’s important to establish a process that works with the business to reach its goals. Walter shares how to develop a sales process that works and cautions to what happens when it doesn’t.
Damon: “How do you develop a sales process?”
Walter: “Go directly to the people that are developing a new business. Every new business owner has one, you just need to discover it. I have a sales process that works at 90%. You always ask the same things and get the same answers.”
“If a sales organization is having a hard time retaining employees, that costs a lot of money. Helix Sales Development does things different than anyone else you’re going to hire. We’re looking to give answers. Can your team be more efficient//effective. Give information and a strategy to solve those problems, then we help implement that strategy.”
Conclusion
Walter may have “tripped” into sales, but his ability to learn and use his skills allowed him to build a strong and successful business. Helix Sales Development combines mentorship with the process to create a business that thrives. Walter shows that without a proper understanding of the customer, the process, and your role, success can be difficult to achieve. Schedule a 15-minute virtual coffee date with Walter today to learn exactly what your process has been missing!
Check out Walter’s feature on The Exit Your Way Round Table podcast! Here we dive deep into some important sales management questions and why most systems end in failure. If you have any questions, schedule a virtual cup of coffee, and find out how we can create a unique results-driven plan for your business.
