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I t's been said that nothing is certain except change. What changes do sales managers need to adopt to keep their company's billing on an upward trend?A recent USA Today poll asked working adults if they would prefer working flexible hours so they could spend more time with their family — even if it meant slower career advancement. A staggering 78% said yes. This is big news because these people are the sales staffs of this country's companies. A lot of attention has been focused on the so-called "Generation-X" or "Baby Busters", blaming them for this attitude. The truth is that everyone is viewing life differently. John Naisbitt, the author of MegaTrends, says, "The real challenge ... is not the retraining of workers, it is the retraining of management." Managers have to accept the fact that workers today may have a totally different value system. Some of the salespeople's attitudes that have become apparent this year are:
Believe it or not, this is a list of positive qualities for a salesperson. Someone who is self-oriented won't take no for an answer. Being materialistic and wanting quality time and fun make salespeople work harder to achieve the things they want. Not bowing to authority assures that these salespeople can stand up to their clients and be able to sell them rather than be afraid to close. New ideas are going to be brought into the profession. It is a challenge for the manager, however. To manage people with these values you must: 1. Get to know your salespeople. Salespeople don't leave their personal baggage at home anymore. Managers who spend time with their people, who listen, and who understand the complexities of their employee's lives are the managers who will be successful with them. Reduce memo writing and increase direct communication. Managers must be in frequent touch with the sales force. Talk to them about problems and directly help solve them. 2. Be a coach. The new work force needs a manager who can be their coach, their mentor. The manager has to be challenging and nurturing so the salespeople can reach their full potential. You need to spend time with your staff. Don't be an absentee manager. Help train them. People like training that provides skills which can be applied immediately to the job. Tom Peters describes a good manager; "There is no magic: Only people who find and nurture champions, dramatize company goals and direction, build skills and teams, and spread irresistible enthusiasm. They are the cheerleaders, coaches, story-tellers and wanderers. They encourage, excite, teach, listen, and facilitate." 3. Value people. Most managers make sure their salespeople value their clients. Truly successful managers make sure they value their salespeople. Treat your salespeople the same as you would treat your best client. Salespeople know that they can't yell at their best client or be critical of them or the client will cancel. Salespeople treat their best clients with the importance they are due, listening to their needs and responding to them. A salesperson who feels important to the company will automatically extend those feeling to the clients. To many people, recognition is more important than money. Work at recognizing accomplishments. Use plaques, and sales contests frequently. Make selling fun! Salespeople often get more of a "kick" from winning $100 in a sales contest than from their commission checks. One hundred dollars given in a contest can result in $10,000 in combined billing. In sales meetings, talk about sales made, not sales lost. This inspires confidence. Always praise in public, criticize in private. 4. Involve people. Employees are being asked to take on more responsibility. If you expect them to be accountable, they must be part of the company's goal setting, policy making, and evaluation. Managers must make clear what it is he expects from the salesperson. Authoritative styles don't work on today's salespeople. They are willing to fit into the company's hierarchy only if they can see what they are getting in return. Review performance against goals more often. Managers need one-on-one meetings with the salespeople so they know that they are accountable for their goals. Also, have a goal setting meeting once a month and have your salespeople set their own individual goals. You might be surprised when you add them all up; they will often be higher than the corporate goals. The manager who follows this course is well on the way to less stress, a more stable staff, and higher billing. |
