TODAY'S MESSAGE
10 Winning Strategies to Expand Your Sales Management Skills
by Lynn Giuliani
No two leaders ever possess the same personality or management style. Each has their own ideas, attitude and aptitude. Enthusiasm however and clarity of purpose are essential ingredients for any effective sales manager. Developing management expertise creates an array of opportunities for achieving success both professionally and personally. Consider these suggestions in striving for your own style and expertise.
1) Clearly define the goals you want to reach. Visualize them vividly and communicate them to all concerned. Incorporate the mindset of success and through your own commitment and enthusiasm, instill it in others.
2) Trust yourself and rely on your own decisions. Use everyday common sense. Every test you face as a leader begins within you.
3) Anticipate problems and take action to prevent them. A good sales manager should always be ahead of the game. Their vision should anticipate challenges and have a contingency plan in place. With such foresight one can bring order to disorder and restore a smooth operation as quickly as possible.
4) Honor your time! Time is our greatest commodity. Allocate your time and delegate responsibilities to each of your sales team members. Instill the same priority of time in each of them. Even 5 minutes can create a new opportunity if one uses their time wisely.
5) Be understanding. Understanding people is part of any sales manager’s job. One needs to lead with compassion along with an open mind. Remember that you are the leader and others look to you for direction.
6) Always encourage a can-do attitude. Be quick to offer praise for job well done and always give key team members the credit for their success. Your job is not to do but to motivate others to do for the benefit of the team. To many times sales managers want to be the producers rather than looking towards a broader vision of building success through the strength of their team.
7) Be willing to face problems and take action immediately to solve them. A good sales manager rebounds quickly from temporary set backs, such as pricing, competition or personnel issues. They keep their goal in sight and stay true to the course.
8) Reward and recognize often. Sales managers know and practice the principle of “You Get What You Reward”. Public recognition and praise will motivate most any team.
9) Build relationships. The ability to work with people and develop trusted relationships is absolutely indispensable in effective leadership.
10) Be an effective communicator. A great sales manager is able to share knowledge, ideas and transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm in others.
Apply these suggestions and create a winning team… that’s what being a successful sales manager is all about.
Lynn Giuliani
www.progressionsinc.net
Call Lynn at 360 319-6776 or email her at lynn@progressionsinc.net
She will gladly help you with your sales success through individual sales coaching, classroom training or custom designed programs.
* Featured Book of the Month*
Sales Management (The McGraw-Hill Executive MBA Series)
-by Robert J. Calvin
From the Publisher
THE MCGRAW-HILL EXECUTIVE MBA SERIES
"Executive education is suddenly every CEO's favorite strategic weapon."
—BusinessWeek
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Synopsis
The Handy Paperback Edition of McGraw-Hill's One-Volume, MBA-Level Course on Sales Management
The hardcover edition of McGraw-Hill's Sales Management is renowned for its straightforward treatment of the entire process of recruiting, building, and managing a results-driven sales team. Now, this value-packed paperback edition provides busy executives with everything found in the hardcover, all in a package designed to be more easily transportable and affordable.
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TODAY'S ACTION PLAN
Recognize and reward your sales team. Be a leader and inspire them towards success.
