Fundamentals of Sales Management for the Newly Appointed Sales Manager

by Matthew Schwartz

Overview

This invaluable resource helps you understand what it takes to be a great sales manager, allowing you to avoid many of the common first-time sales management mistakes, and be successful right out of the gate.

Making the leap into sales management means meeting a whole new set of challenges. As a manager, you’re going to have to quickly develop the skills that allow you to build and supervise a sales team, communicate effectively, set goals, be a mentor, and much, much more. Now that you’ve been handed these unfamiliar responsibilities, you’re going to have to think on your feet — or face the possibility of not living up to expectations.

Dispensing with dry theory, Fundamentals of Sales Management for the Newly Appointed Sales Manager helps you understand your new role in the organization, and how to thrive simultaneously as both a member of the management team and as a team leader. You’ll learn how to:

• Make a smooth transition into management
• Build a superior, high-functioning sales team
• Set objectives and plan performance
• Delegate responsibilities
• Recruit new employees
• Improve productivity and effectiveness

This book supplies you with indispensable, need-to-know information on communicating with your team, your bosses, your peers, and your customers; developing a sales plan and understanding the relationship between corporate, department, and individual plans; applying crucial time management skills to your new role; managing a sales territory; interviewing and hiring the right people; building a motivational environment; compensating your people; and understanding the difference between training, coaching, and counseling—and knowing how to excel at each.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814408735
Publisher:	AMACOM
Publication date:	02/24/2006
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	17 Years

About the Author

Matthew Schwartz is a practice consultant in sales and marketing for the American Management Association. He has been quoted in publications including Forbes, CBS Marketwatch, and Sales and Marketing Management magazine. He lives in New York City.

Read an Excerpt

From Chapter 1 UNDERSTANDING WHO IS ON THE CURRENT TEAM Managing Former Peers The first issue for many new managers is managing those who just days ago were at the same level as them. Several issues crop up when a person is promoted to manage people who were formerly peers. They commonly fall into the following three categories:
• Managing friends
• Managing nonallies
• Managing experienced salespeople Before delving into the challenges, let's first take a look at some of the positives. The new sales manager already knows many of the sales representatives' strengths and weaknesses. This is a tremendous asset when it comes to delegation. This also gives the new manager early insights when preparing a plan for the training and development of team members. In addition, the newly appointed sales manager already has a certain amount of rapport with the team. This allows for open discussions about issues. A good rapport also creates a supportive foundation for problem solving and achieving goals. As a new manager, you already possess certain management and leadership characteristics and have the backing of the management team. This enhances your credibility with both management and your sales staff. Furthermore, as a new manager, you have overnight gained "position power." Whether you now have a new corner office, or you remain in the same compact space, the fact is that power has shifted. At the same time, without having extensive management experience and practice under your belt, making the transition to management is a significant adjustment. Even areas that seemed very basic and straightforward before will require extra effort and attention. Here are some of the core categories that touch on this transition phase of your new job as a sales manager. Managing Friends Many management consultants and psychology of management pundits suggest that any friendship should be set aside after a hierarchical change. The logic is that it is difficult to discipline and affectively give direction if you are too close to your subordinate. Also, the inherent premise in friendship is that both people are more or less on par with one another. Now the simple act of changing your title can change perceptions and emotions. Friendships are complicated even before someone is promoted, so when business and money are involved, this can only further complicate any issues or tensions. On the other hand, friendships won't necessarily complicate working relationships. If handled correctly, the closeness of the relationship could lead to more positive results for all parties involved. One of the mistakes people make with friends is to confuse work and personal issues. This can sometimes lead to the manager giving advice to their friends on issues that are unrelated to the job, yet the line is still blurred. Giving advice because you care is part of being a friend. But a boss is in a position of power in the relationship. Giving advice to a friend (now a subordinate) may suddenly seem like you are judging him. Even when you are giving advice directly related to the job, it can be difficult to do so; if the feedback is negative, she may feel that your perception of her has changed negatively. If this starts to happen, it hurts the team, the friendship, and the company. This problem can be avoided by proper goal setting and relating feedback to the goal. If you set goals properly and both parties accept them, the manager won't appear to be judging the friend. The friend's achievement will be measured by whether or not she reaches the goal. Another challenge early on in management is dealing with weaknesses of a friend and/or former peer. How does a sales manager approach this person to correct a problem without destroying the relationship? Here the manager must specifically define and isolate the negative behavior and focus on job and the performance requirements, not on the personality. For example, you might be tempted to say, "Sally, what's with all the comp

Table of Contents

"Chapter 1. Transitioning to Sales Management: New Responsibilities

and Expectations

Going from ""Selling"" to ""Managing""

Understanding the Current Sales Culture

Understanding Who Is on the Current Team

The Challenges of Being on Two Teams at Once

Embracing Change

The Big Picture --- Short and Long Term

What’s Next?

Chapter 2. It’s All About Communication

Listening Skills

The Theory Behind Communication Styles

The Origins of DISC Theory

The Four-Quadrant System

How Roles and Situations Affect Your Style

Working with People with Different Styles

Strategies for Improving Communications

Running an Effective Meeting

Presentation Skills

Chapter 3. Sales Planning: Setting the Direction for the Sales Team

Aligning the Corporate Strategy with the Sales Team

Where Sales Fits in the Corporate Structure

The Customer-Centric Organization

Marketing’s Relationship to Sales

Creating a Plan

Characteristics of a Good Plan

Continuous Planning

Assessing the Business

Chapter 4. Time Management, Territory Planning, and Sales Forecasting

Time Management

The Art of Delegating

Sales Territory Planning

Dividing Up the Territory

Chapter 5. Recruiting, Interviewing, and Hiring the Very Best

Enhancing Your Current Team

Developing Specific Criteria for the Selection Process

Optimal Sources for Recruiting

The Number One Rule in Recruiting: Constantly Recruit

Ensuring a Positive Interview Process

The Written Offer

Firing Is Inevitable

Chapter 6. Building the Environment for Motivation: Compensation

Plans, Recognition, and Rewards

Classical Motivation Theory

Benefits and the Total Compensation Package

Nonfinancial Incentives - Rewards and Recognition

Chapter 7. Training, Coaching, and Counseling: When and How to

Apply Each

Methods of Training Based on Learning Styles

The Core Concepts of Reinforcement

The Development of Winners

Goal-Setting Sessions

Coaching and Counseling

Chapter 8. Stepping Up to Be a True Leader

The Characteristics of a Team

Matching Your Team with the Customer’s Team

The Evolution of a Team

Time to Lead

Index"