The Seven Myths of Sales Management

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  ndlicht109/02/08 Report as spam
  1

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  Right on track. Did you notice that the Truths were always people oriented?
  
  I espescially like the comment about low performers and how keeping them around kills morale. It also drains a manager's time and frankly, you can not train away, coach away or manage away a bad or poor quality employee.
  
  Its important to recognize what makes your team member tick as in exactly why do they each succeed and under what circumstances. Each team member has strengths and weaknesses so defining each person's weakness, asssessing if its a critical hinderance and deciding if a weakness can be "fixed" is also an important part of sales management.
  
  Its a people business. Respect is earned by example - example of being approachable without fear, approachable for help, leveling, and championing for your team.
  
  Chastizing in private only is a good rule as well.
  
  But remember, sales folks can and do make excuses so don't accept them. Analize togehter where the shortfalls are, why and work through a method of changing into a selling mode that works. If that fails, say good by and let the person go.
  
  Rah Rah isn't a motivator, managing the numbers isn't a sales motivator, contests dont fix performance and price changing doesn't assure more sales. Again, its a people business and thats always a cooperative work in progress. Respect your people, involve them, keep it a 2 way conversation and share their ideas while giving them full credit all goes a long way to being a great Sales manager.

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  ptiseo09/03/08 Report as spam
  2

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  This set of myths and truths applies to much more than just sales managers. Any manager should read this and think about it.
  
  Even the quota myth. Other departments use quotas as "a club to beat employees" with, like calls answered or network uptime.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine09/03/08 Report as spam
  3

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  QUOTE: This set of myths and truths applies to much more than just sales managers.
  
  Yo! Alph! Great to see you back! And you make an excellent point.

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  tpgaynor09/03/08 Report as spam
  4

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  I thought attitude was everything?
  True there are myths and truths then there is reality. Reality is the bottom line which generaly ='s a combination of myths and truths plus or minus one's perspective, x's the number of fires on-going, divided by E=MC to the 2nd power, which ultimately boils down to your god saying something like "what have you done for me lately" to which your responce and/or action(s), depends entirely upon your "attitude" to which we all can agree on or should at least that attitude, yes attitude is everything!
  Meaning your attitude will make or brake you, your employee, employer and customers. So forget the myths and truths, it your attitude that makes the reality of your position and others.
  It's realy that simple. Manage your attitude and everything else takes care of itself.
  TGAYNOR
  BIG Co., Inc.

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  LesDel09/03/08 Report as spam
  5

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  My personal favorite is Myth #7. My last position didn't have a sales manager, instead we had a technical guy who liked the sales role and had a buddy higher up who promoted him. Sales is an afterthought, how hard can it be to schedule a few lunches and kill some time during happy hour? On a sales call, he believed he needed to be there to help close and a few of us personally witnessed Myth #1 in action. Very trying.
  
  Prior to this, I had a manager who was in mid-20s, a hard worker but clearly following the latest management book he'd read. I had to give him props for working on his skills (Truth #7). He fully bought into Truth #2 and once told someone else that it's not important if you believe it (sales goal) but that you can get others to believe it. Credibility dropped instantly.
  
  All this would be entertaining if it weren't for the fact that sales is a social exercise, we thrive when we're in motion, either with our colleagues or with our prospects. And when these Debbie Downers threaten our income and drag momentum and support, it's time to find some new entertainment.

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  hardeepyadav200309/05/08 Report as spam
  6

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  ofcouse the author is genius and good cammand over sales managemnt.
  In my opnion some more imformation are esential because this is understandable only for a profession and the expert sales manager but what for a new person that need imformation about sales. what is sales how this help or affect the performance of the organization directly ir indirectly.
  because a student and new researcher need the breifing and the conclusion about the topic.
  Basically the author has used the expert point of view. this is great and useful.
  yes these are te myths about sales.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine09/05/08 Report as spam
  7

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  So, Ray! Sounds like everyone is on board with this one.
  
  
  
  When's the book coming out?

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  Zilmar09/06/08 Report as spam
  8

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  Dear Geoffrey
  Very good set of thoughts, apply perfectly to sales and every management as well. It ocurred to me that I would develop kind of an instrument to access management beliefs and attitudes, based on these seven points- in Portuguese. Can I do it without infringing any author's right?
  Best regards, Zilmar.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine09/06/08 Report as spam
  9

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  QUOTE: Very good set of thoughts
  
  Obrigado!
  
  
  
  QUOTE: Can I do it without infringing any author's right?
  
  I'm not exactly sure about BNET policy on this, but blob posts have certainly been translated in the past, although not into Portuguese, so far as I know.

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  maggal09/23/08 Report as spam
  10

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  I am not even in sales but I work for a publishing
  company and a healthy supply of ad sales are what
  allows me to keep my job (in design). I think this article is
  fantastic and I would love to share it with our sales
  manager but he would resent it and think I was
  undermining him or telling him how to do his job. What
  do you do in that case??? This article, with such
  enlightened insights, would just fall on deaf ears in this
  case. I'll bookmark it anyway for my own enjoyment...and
  maybe share it with a few coworkers. Thanks very much!

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  upshift12/09/08 Report as spam
  11

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  Terrific article. Thank you.
  
  From my own past experience, I was a complete
  moron with respect to #1 and #2.
  
  The line that that sort of relates was from a
  woman who was asked if she could change her
  life what would she change.
  
  Her answer...."Nothing except that I would have
  preferred to have made my mistakes a lot
  faster!"

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  conrad rozario12/16/08 Report as spam
  12

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  Wow! Nice one. I myself act as a sales manager and what you have highlighted is accurate...most think that sales, especially in the Malaysian context, to be just the numbers.....at all costs and that usually costs the organization way too much! Hardly any effort to make those foundational shifts...the cutomer and the profit ringgit always comes first at the employee's expense!
  
  Once again, thanks and well said!

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  Nikkigirl01/02/09 Report as spam
  13

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  There are so many typing errors and spelling errors in this article and the one I previously
  looked at that I am not going to waste my time reading these articles.
  Nancy Gurish
  Cleveland, OH
  P.S. I will not take advise from someone who
  cannot write properly.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine01/02/09 Report as spam
  14

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  Quote: I will not take advise from someone who cannot write properly.
  
  Too bad, 'cause I was born and raised in Cleveland. Parma Heights, to be precise.

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  Waldoemm01/15/09 Report as spam
  15

  RE: The Seven Myths of Sales Management

  Not all bad but I strongly disagree with several points.
  #1: The customer must always be first and at the center of everything a company does. You do not diminish or undercut your sales team if everyone understands customer-centric thinking is company philosophy and policy. A sales team can be empowered to keep the customer first.
  #2: Morale does improve when numbers go up. Belief only goes so far. Every team has achievers, plotters, and weaklings. Management must not only have a well defined plan and establish agreed to objectives but must also set a minimum and measurable performance requirement for every sales member. When a plotter or weak member performance is below expectations it rarely is the result of non-belief.It is more important that there is an advocate or champion of the sales plan who inspires sales success and goal attainment than the belief that success is achievable. People will follow if the vision is defined, the path clear, and the leader confident.
  #3: Management's first priority is to lead. Managing activities is essential to achieving quotas but providing leadership is first and foremost. Without leadership managed activities can produce successful outcomes inconsistent with company goals and objectives.
  #4: Quotas are the primary function of salesmen. A salesman's value is meeting or exceeding sales goals or quotas. The successful sales organization establishes minimum expectations for continued employment and rewards related directly to sales achievement. Salesmen should share in the profit they generate. Top performers should earn top compensation.
  #5: Managers should have answers so they can lead their team members to right thinking. Salesmen need to trust in and depend on their managers. It is not the job of a manager to allow a team member to experiment and try out ways they belief might work for them. While it's important to instill self confidence and independence, managers cannot afford to let salesmen work their way through problems or challenges based on their current beliefs, perceptions, and skill sets.
  #6: I agree.
  Bottom line: Sales success starts with managements commitment to the sales plan, the clear and transparent communication of sales goals and expectations, and leadership that confirms the sales plan will provide opportunity to everyone that does their job.