Characteristics of great sales management

Before you can build a sales management function in your organization, you first have to understand what successful sales management looks like so you do not make some of the classic mistakes most companies make. This is an overview of what great sales management looks like.

1. Characteristics of Great
Sales Management
Sales Management Series
Class 1

2. Agenda
1.Understanding sales management
2.Defining your opportunities
3.Building your team
4.Goal setting
5.Developing a Sales Management plan
6.Motivating and leading

3. Sales Management
•What is it?
•Why do you need it?
•How do you develop it?
•How do you make it part of the culture?

4. Top 10 characteristics of a successful
sales management function
1.Has a seat at the table to help craft the vision
2.Is the voice of the customer and the sales team
throughout the organization − cross functional
3.Is always looking for a better way of doing
things to get better results
4.Knows how to prioritize and motivate others
5.Has a methodical approach to the market –
able to direct resources

5. Top 10 characteristics of a successful
sales management function
6.Wants to win
7.Can build a team – Coach – Make tough
decisions
8.Uses data to guide decisions – objectivity
9.Not afraid to give credit to others
10.Sells more through the team than they can
on their own

6. 1. Have a Vision/
Organizational Alignment
•Know what you want to be and where
you want to go
•Never satisfied
•Agility
•Have a publicized goal - BHAG

7. 2. Market Oriented/Customer Focused
•Know their “ideal client”
•The customer is king
•Aligned on the customer like a LEAN
manufacturing process
•Outstanding marketing content
− Client-centric
− Multiple channels
− Communication

8. 3. Culture of Continuous
Improvement and Learning
•Make improvements over time at all levels
•Realize improvement is not a cost
•Culture of innovation
•Bottom up solutions

9. 4. Operate Under a Sense of Urgency
•Shorter sales cycles
•Custom solutions
•Offensively and defensively strong
•Eliminate constraints for the sales force

10. 5. Process Driven
•Defined processes and systems
•Clearly define how a customer goes
from A to Z
•Flawless execution
•Coach to the system/process
•Accountability

11. 6. Superior People
•Hire right for the right traits
•Can teach products and skills
•Can’t teach enthusiasm or drive
•Treat people as the end
•Give the people the tools they need
•Invest in them (training)

12. 7. Results Focused
•Tangible results are still a primary objective
of any company
•Success comes from execution at all stages
•Successful funnel management
− Volume and velocity
•KPI’s – leading indicators

13. 8. Can Measure Success
•Sales and profits do matter
•How you get them matters
− Professional sports teams analogy
•Utilize business intelligence
•Consistency/rhythm/cadence

14. 9. Reward Success
•Celebrate success
•Pay for performance
•Give everyone skin in the game
•Open book management

15. 10. Have Strong Sales Leadership/
Sales Management Function
•Leader
•Business manager
•Coach
•Recruiter
•Trainer

16. Top 10 Characteristics of a Successful
Sales Management Function
1.Has a seat at the table to help craft the vision
2.Is the voice of the customer and the sales team
throughout the organization − cross functional
3.Is always looking for a better way of doing
things to get better results
4.Knows how to prioritize and motivate others
5.Has a methodical approach to the market –
able to direct resources

17. Top 10 Characteristics of a Successful
Sales Management Function
6. Wants to win
7. Can build a team – coach – make tough decisions
8. Uses data to guide decisions –­ objectivity
9. Not afraid to give credit to others
10. Sells more through the team than they can
on their own

18. Having a Goal and a Vision
•What is your goal?
•Financial VS Non­Financial

19. Marketing Message
•Not about you!
•Who is the customer?
•What do they want?
•How do they buy?

20. Benchmarking
•Where are you today in your efforts?

21. Hiring for Fit
•Personality assessments
•Motivators
•Sales traits
•Environmental factors

22. Sense of Urgency
•What happens when you leave today?
•Complacency Test

23. Defined System and Process
•What is your Sales Process?
•What is the Buying Process?
•What is your on-boarding process?
•Hand-off?
•Closers VS Account Managers

24. Leading Indicators
•Leading vs. lagging
•Rear view mirror or speedometer

25. Measuring and Celebrating Success
•When was your last party?
•Would you even know when to throw
one?

26. Compensation Alignment
•Straight salary
•Cash incentives
•Top-line VS margin
•Premium incentives
•Blended
•Spiffs
•Rewards & recognitions

27. Defined Structure
•Regional
•Product group
•Service specialization
•House accounts
•New accounts (Eat what you kill)

28. Top 3 Duties of a Sales Manager
1.Recruiting
2.Setting goals and developing plans
3.Coaching

29. Building Your Team
Assessing talent
•Knowing who is on your team
•Are they in the right seats of the bus
•Hire for fit
•Hiring and firing

30. Structuring Your Team (Company)
•Leading from the front, the trenches,
or the office
•By region/product/market/area code/zip
code/eat what you kill
•What do the customers want?
− Support roles

31. Goal Setting
•What’s your goal?
•Who developed it?
•SMART

32. Developing a Plan
•Necessary activities
•Delegation and support
•Top of the funnel

33. Motivation and Leadership
•Managing former colleagues
•Leading by example
•Win commitment by earning trust
•Help sales people achieve their potential
•Share credit
•Accept responsibility

34. Peter C. Rathmann, MBA
President
262-442-0896 | [email protected]
www.salestechnik.com