|
|
> Living on the Top Line - The Book > Joe's Blog > What's Wrong with Some Sales Managers?
What's Wrong with Some Sales Managers?I've observed how retail furniture sales managers work for over 30 years and am always amazed at how little things have changed. My work as an agent for change in our industry began with my first experience as a store manager with only 6 salespeople to work with. What became apparent to me early on was that the salespeople were underpaid, under-trained, and under-lead, and were pretty much on their own when it came to dealing with consumers. This led to my attempt to understand the nature of the work of selling in our environments and to my fanatic concentration on obtaining and using sales metrics to build selling strategies and sales management systems.
All revenue comes through salespeople. Their success or failure is your company's success or failure. Yet what is the percentage of time that is spent by sales managers actually partnering with salespeople right out there on the floor to make them successful? That means success by their definitiion instead of management's definition.
Most sales manager do not know what metrics are important, nor do they have ways to improve them if they did know. Few managers I've met provide each salesperson reporting to them with a clearly defined, written pathway to their own goals, or help them to learn and implement actions that will improve those metrics. Here's my take on why this is true:
Sales managers who do this kind of coaching take accountability for outcomes. They know that whether a salesperson applies specified strategic actions or chooses to ignore the company's selling strategy is a reflection on them; on their own skills and abilities. It's much simpler to work with furniture, or "systems" like service, because there is no other personality to contend with, no human will to deal with, no persuasion required.
Many sales managers dislike dealing with the metrics of sales, finding all kinds of reasons to cast doubt on the efficacy of "the numbers", because metrics shine a light on deficiencies that lie within the manager's realm of control, and they don't like being exposed that way. So, instead of embracing metrics as a way to improve sales performance, they make every effort to hide from them.
It's about time all that changed. Sales volume - revenue - is not some inevitable outcome of nature that cannot be controlled by humans, yet that is exactly how many sales managers view it - everyone is doing "the best they can" and some people are "naturally" moer talented than others (true) and there's nothing they can do about the lack of natural talent (untrue).
Successful people are not successful totally because of what they are, but because of what they do - hwo they act, how they serve customers. Their actioins can be observed, documented, taught, and coached. They, too, can learn and improve and are usually the first to adopt new ways that will improve their performance.
Sales managers are there to improve the numbers - to sell more, to get salespeople and companies to their goals - NOT to open and close the store, turn on the lights, and respond to everything that happens. They are there to make things happen.
|
|
|
