Focusing your Coaching
When I talk with sales managers, I often ask them to share with me what kinds of issues they’re working with their salespeople on. They hand me a laundry list. I point out that most of us mortals only have the capacity to improve one or two things at any… Read More
Why Don’t More Companies Train Sales Managers?
Something I’ve never understood is why so many companies invest so much in training sales reps but so very little in training sales managers. Given that many sales managers were promoted out of the sales force rather than MBA programs, this lack of training just doesn’t make sense to me…. Read More
Lessons from a Loss
Turn lost sales into teaching lessons. A lost sale is a failure only when we, individually and as a team, don’t learn from it. Encourage salespeople to share their experiences in order to help others avoid similar problems in the future. Here are some questions to consider: 1. What did… Read More
Second Biggest Sales Mistake: Stopping at the first need
In a previous blog, I talked about the biggest sales mistake that reps make (selling too fast). The second biggest mistake they make is to jump from problem to solution as soon as they hear the first need that a customer brings up. Usually, the first topic discussed with a… Read More
High-leverage Coaching
When I ask sales managers where they spend most of their coaching time, they almost always tell me that work most with the worst performers. I tell them that’s the wrong mindset. “Huh?” they say. (It’s a common reaction.) Think of it this way, I respond. Your worst sales reps… Read More
Coaching Yourself
Most sales managers think too much about making sure that sales reps get their job tasks done, and not enough about how they communicate/coach their people. I advise sales managers to spend their commute home reviewing and replaying that day’s leadership moments. Did you handle each discussion as effectively as… Read More
Your Customers are Making Poor Decisions
Paul Nutt, author of Why Decisions Fail, studied 400 decisions made by senior executives in medium and large businesses. He found that fully half of the decisions had failed. A decision “failure” was defined as a decision that either was not implemented or a decision that was not still in… Read More
The Power of Self Reflection
Twenty-five years ago my boss gave me advice for managing my sales team. “Kevin, if you think the problem you’re having with your sales team is because of your salespeople, that thought may be your biggest problem.” Ouch, that hurt! But the more I thought about my boss’ advice, the… Read More
