Sales Management Blind Spots

 

We talk a lot about sales people, and tips to help them be more successful, but what about sales managers? Hiring and managing a sales staff can be tough, but to be truly successful, sales managers need to recognize blind spots they may have. A post at SellingPower.com lists the biggest.

• Struggling to hire good salespeople. It seems like experienced managers should have no problem hiring good sales people, but managers tend to hire sales people who mirror themselves.
• Hiring experienced sales people to save on training costs. While there’s a lot to be said for experience, some seasoned sales people lose their edge. They may stop listening to the customer. They may take short cuts.
• Assuming you have great relationships with top clients. When was the last time you talked to those clients? Are you or your sales personnel spending time asking about changes and challenges these businesses face? Make sure your clients also think the relationship is ‘great.’
• Thinking salespeople are just motivated by money. Money is excellent, obviously. But an Incentive Marketing Association study found that merchandise and travel awards are remembered longer than cash, and are more exciting.
• Relying on your gut. The fact is successful sales managers rely on analytics, not on hunches about what works and what doesn’t.

Take a good look at yourself and your team. Change is hard, but working to fix any of these weaknesses now will bring success in the future.