Five Sales Leadership Principles That Produce Championships
Everyone has a favorite sales leader and everyone has, well...one they'd like to forget.
But what about those angels that come along once in a while? Have you ever considered what makes a good sales leader good? I had one of them, ONCE! His name was Stu. And boy could he get the most out of us.
The answer to that question is admittedly subjective, as one person's view of a top-notch sales leader will differ from somebody else's. However, there are a number of traits, attitudes and abilities that are common of all great sales leaders - most of which Stu possessed. Moreover, the need for solid leadership skills is especially important when you are interested in attracting and keeping top talent.
1. Be inclusive. It's important to get your sales-people to feel that they are an equal and involved part of the team. A solid sales leader is certain to treat each employee fairly, not only in terms of salary and other forms of compensation, but also in how that employee is involved in the daily function of the business. For example, one of my clients included his sales team in the developing their new sales compensation plan. He created a 'focus group' amongst his team to solicit their feedback collectively – he then conducted individual sessions to get their input. He even agreed to give them a 30 day notice on when the new plan was being implemented – that came from their collective recommendation. Think the sales team embraced the new plan? You guessed right, YES!
2. Catch Them Doing The Right Things. Always. When I was VP of Sales, I told my then CEO, "Paul, please send a hand-written note to the sales-people who finished in the top ten of exceeding their revenue target for that month." Paul looked puzzled and said to me, "Why would these sales-people who are making more money than they ever have want a note from me...Does it really make a difference..?" Hmm. Good question Paul. Let’s find out...
Several months later, my CEO took a trip to our number one sales office to visit our number sales-person. When Paul walked into the San Francisco office, he was greeted by our top rep in the company, John. With the enthusiasm of a child, he grabbed Paul and rushed him immediately to his office. To Paul's amazement, he saw his five hand-written notes hanging proudly up on the wall that he had sent John the previous five months for his performance. John turned to Paul with a grin ear to ear and said, "It means so much to me that you took the time to write me a personal note...I know you are so busy." Paul was obviously stunned. Here is a sales-person who is number one out of 275 sales-people making the most money he had ever made and the only thing he wanted to show his CEO the hand-written notes hanging up on his bulletin board.
Paul came to me after his trip and said, "Coach, now I see the Power of the Note! Give me more notes to write!" Paul saw the power of the hand-written note - do you? I thought so. Lastly, when you are vigilant about 'catching people doing the right things,' it allows you to 'catch people doing the wrong things' as well - Your team sees you as a fair and consistent leader who is always paying attention to them - when they succeed and when they stumble. You are there to give them feedback. Your team will be accepting and open to any feedback when you are constantly paying attention and making deposits in their account by ‘catching them doing the right things.’ Interested in keeping top talent? Try it, it works.
Once last point here, when you spend time with your people, you get a team that spends time with their customers. They see the positive impact that spending time together has on their results so they follow your lead and start to spend time with their contacts and clients like never before.
3. Mission, not just money. Very few businesses operate out of sheer altruism, but that's not to say that turning a profit is the primary philosophical and practical focus for everyone. Rather, an effective sales leader establishes a genuine business mission. How that takes shape depends both on the business and on the overriding focus the leader wants to set. For instance, a concierge service may emphasize that they touch busy executive's lives because they allow them to spend time on what matters most to them while they handle the trivial items of their life. By contrast, when I was VP of Sales at a technology company, I emphasized how we were changing the way the world communicated and that "30 years from now we'll look back and say that we played a pivotal role in changing the way people did business…” My team loved it. It was beyond the money – they were changing the world! That’s what kept them committed even at 5:15 pm on a Friday.
Not only do these two mission statements serve to motivate employees, it can also infuse a sense of importance in their jobs. The point to be made is that there's something bigger than money - This can really help in keeping employees from feeling as though they have some mundane, day in and day out job. Interested in attracting top talent? Try it - Sell them on the ‘dream’ that you are doing more than just ‘selling widgets.’.
4) Get Involved. Many salespeople are overly preoccupied with their efforts rather than with results. They worry about what their sales managers would or should do for them. They'd rather complain about the poor quality of sales leads instead of taking the initiative through referral asking. Instead of taking total ownership of their job, they feel that their managers owe them. As a result, they become ineffectual.
Management guru Peter Drucker once said, "The manager who focuses on contribution and who takes responsibility for results, no matter how junior, is in the most literal sense of the phrase 'top management,' for he holds himself accountable for the performance of the whole."
The key to great sales management is to get involved and be highly visible to your customers and highly accessible to your sales team. Don't get so immersed in paperwork that you forget about how people work. Armchair managers don't cut it. Poor managers hide in their offices. Good managers are visible and accessible. They are down in the trenches showing their people how to get the job done. Involvement and caring breed’s loyalty.
Sales-people I've coached will say "my sales manager doesn't play an active role in my job" or another said to me "He doesn't work with me one-on-one; he doesn't go on appointments with me; he keeps his distance. He has no interest in anything except what I was going to close and when I was going to do it."
Personally, my first manager out of college only went out into the field with me only once during my first six months – yes, I said once. By the way, the only reason he chose to come out that one time is because my appointment was near a store that was having a camera sale – are you kidding?!! I wish. That manager only lasted six months. Stu replaced him.
In contrast, the best managers we coach frequently accompany their team out in the field, teach by example, provide honest feedback, and coach their team on ways they could do better. Your team will feel a loyalty towards you because you are involved - you are vested. They know you've 'got their back.' Sales-people love that!
Vital involvement of the sales manager at the customer level keeps sales organization more rooted in the marketplace, and as a result customers feel more connected to the company. For example, it is not uncommon for a business owner that we coach to call customers at the completion of a visit to their location and thank them for visiting. Why? Research shows that customers feel honored by the presence of management. Lastly, if/when your sales-person leaves, you the customer still has a loyalty to you (the sales leader & company) because you’ve spent time with them.
As I mentioned earlier, when you spend time with your people, you get a team that spends time with their customers. They see the positive impact that spending time together has on their results so they follow your lead and start to spend time with their contacts and clients like never before.
5) Earn their trust. Salespeople do not pay so much attention to what their sales manager says; they judge their managers by what they do. Trust is the foundation of any relationship. Trust means that your word is as good as gold, that salespeople don't have to second-guess anything you tell them,and that they can count on you. Trust is not what you preach to your team, it is what you do when nobody is watching.
Managers who have a reputation for changing their views based on who was in their office last have no credibility. That means if you set rules and deadlines, you'd better enforce them. If you schedule meetings, you must hold them. Otherwise you become a joke.
Most importantly, reps must believe their manager is working for the good of the team and will go to bat for them when needed. If you become complacent, have a bad attitude, make rude or abusive comments, or are caught lying or cheating, you betray their trust and end up with a demoralized, unmotivated sales force. Please remember, your team wants to know that you've 'got their back.' Sales-people love that!
You may think that you are watching your reps, but actually, they are watching you. Reps won't buy into what you say unless they buy into your character, your competence and your consistency.
When you make a mistake as a manager, don't hide it, don't gloss over it, but admit it quickly by saying, "I blew it, I made a mistake and I take full responsibility for it." Your honest response will silence the critics and everyone who has ever made a mistake will understand and respect your honesty. If you are too proud to admit your mistakes, you will lose people's trust. When you lose trust, your team will no longer be able to function smoothly and your ability to manage will suffer.
By taking responsibility for your actions you are again leading by example. When you take ownership then you’ll see your team take ownership and responsibility for their actions – the days of people pointing the finger elsewhere are long gone when they see you step up and say, “the buck stops here with me..”
Lastly, when you are honest with your team and they in turn will be honest with their clients – lie to your team and they will lie to your clients. It’s the same as spending time with them – spend quality time with them and they will return the favor and spend quality time with their clients.
Simon & Garfunkel once sang, "Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio..." a rally call for the absence of the missing hero in our culture. Here I am calling out to my 'ol hero, "Where have you gone Stu you great sales leader...a sales nation turns its eyes to you." You bet they are turning to you. In this environment, the sales leader that can follow the principles stated here has a better chance of celebrating this December 31st when the season comes to an end.
Pat Riley in his book 'Winner Within' said it best, "I believe its management's responsibility to create an environment where the team can flourish and perform to levels they thought previously were impossible to achieve." Interesting. Riley just got elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame this month. Maybe Riley and Stu knew each other. "Where have you gone..!"
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