Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

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  moffitt10/23/08 Report as spam
  1

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  You know a product is on back-order indefinately and provide no direction to the team on how to manage new business, nor protect existing.

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  bobdurino10/23/08 Report as spam
  2

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  and these sales managers are from where? High School

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  wilmonte@...10/23/08 Report as spam
  3

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  1) Expecting that there are only 9 dumb thing they can do
  2) Setting targets to impress top management that the reps cannot really achieve
  3)Not going on field sales calls to the "difficult" customers to show the rep how it shold be done
  4) Shouting and throwing fits of temper instead of coaching
  
  Willem

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  Kittitian10/23/08 Report as spam
  4

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Excellent article.
  
  I am sure that the list could be extended in many organistions!!
  
  In summary the sales manager must drive the stategy and his in turn must reflect the marketing and overall positioning of the business.
  
  I once read "Stragey without excution is hallucination"
  
  REgards

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  Shaheryar Khan10/23/08 Report as spam
  5

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Really a good article. But I would like to add few things.
  
  Mainly what sales manager do is they share the sales target to sales rap but not the sales strategy. Every product has a cycle, and you have to work accordingly. In this comparative market you have to explore different ways to support your sales team. Not to just watch them or follow-up only for the sales target.

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  vashistha_raveesh10/23/08 Report as spam
  6

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  All the above mentioned things mentioned about the sales manegers are very much true.
  
  The Sales Manager should have a realistic approach and work closely with there team understand their situation and what they feel.
  
  He should always take the feedback and suggestions from the team, I don't think there is any harm in that. it will add only to the Strengthening of team nd build the confidence and faith in team.
  
  
  Regards
  Raveesh Mohan Vashistha

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  kurtchr10/23/08 Report as spam
  7

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Use the words "over paid" when making changes to the compensation plan...

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  ghatbkk10/23/08 Report as spam
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  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Setting earning caps...

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  fobm10/24/08 Report as spam
  9

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  I would have to disagree with Dumb Thing #5: Insist that all contact info belongs to the company and demand all copies when the sales rep leaves the company.
  Depending on the contract of employment, all that information does belong to the company, and is safeguarded so as to enable any replacement rep for that area to perform efficiently and effectively. Without it the new rep would be a duck out of water!

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  LuisLopes10/24/08 Report as spam
  10

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  I have to agree with most of the comments. There are many other things that one should do while in a management position, always support your team. Without them, u are nothing. Secondly, be a solution provider. Be proactive in providing solutions before your competitors do. The only way you can achieve this, is by continuosly communicating with both your team and your clients.
  
  It is vital that a line of communication is in palce in order to channel all the information required in order to achieve all your objectives, whether it may be, targets, solution provider, etc...
  
  I work for a rather large mining company and one thing i have learned along the way, communicate with yr team and always play open cards!!!
  
  
  Luis

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  prateeklv@...10/24/08 Report as spam
  11

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Make the sales persons set sales targets by just mentioning the product (without any information on the time of availability, price, offering, marketing support, etc) and pit one against the other to increase the targets, and then openly praise the one who has set absurdly un achievable high target while degrading the ones who have set practical target!

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  victor vacharadze10/24/08 Report as spam
  12

  this is what is found as a biggest mistake os sales people

  I found below mentioned stuff as the most important mistakes of sales managers, as we face them
  1. Changing mindset
  
  Sales managers (when saying sales manager: it can be manager, supervisor, director. Manager is just easier to express) make lot of decisions everyday, which affects our customers, company, and us as sales managers.
  Think: from what mindset are you currently making decision? From the mindset of sales person or from the mindset of manager? Probably the answer would be ???manager???s mindset??? but are you sure? Have you ever made a decision that felt so right at the time you made it but it turned out in opposite way? I personally have.
  
  I have read somewhere: The art of war: ???your strength eventually becomes your weakness???.
  
  The competences developed as a sales person that worked so well can suddenly become weakness of sales manager because:
  
  Sales person mindset
  Focus on your production
  Do it yourself
  Be popular
  Sales manager mindset
  Focus on building the team
  Delegate the job
  Be respected
  
  If you are to achieve your full potential as a sales manager, many of the decision making habits and mindsets you used as a best performing sales person must be replaced by managerial mindset.
  Faster mindset is changed, the faster success will be achieved.
  
  2. Reactive manager / Focusing day to day issues
  
  Many sales managers focus on managing the issues of the day. They try to solve as many issues brought by their staff as they can, they do not prioritize. And often are overworked with issues that brings no value neither to business nor to themselves, and for sure the same issues are appearing everyday.
  The key question to determine if you suffer from reactive management style is this: are this issues I face today similar to the issues I faced last month, last year? A reactive manager???s solution of today???s problems, which can be easily, solved by other staff, return as yet more problems tomorrow.
  I have seen sales managers who go in to all day to day issues, while they miss time, opportunity, of making a hit that will bring value to company as well as to them.
  
  There is a rule .: when you respond to a fire your goal is either to ensure that it doesn???t fire up again or if it does, ensure that next time your staff is more capable of extinguishing it before it ever gets to you. It may take you a little more time in the short run, but the long term benefits are well worth it.
  Ask members of your staff the following two questions to begin developing their ability to solve issues without bringing them to you:
  ??? What you have done about it so far?
  ??? What do you think ought to be done
  These two questions will train your people to understand that when they bring fire, they must also bring a possible solution. Listen to them because most probably they will find the same solution you are thinking or maybe even better. Soon they???ll get the idea that they can resolve many of these issues themselves without your input.
  
  I remember this good example, that was given:
  Several years ago while being regional sales director, he took a vacation. He left a voice mail announcement that said: ???I???ll be overseas for two weeks and unable to respond to voice-mail or e-mail. If this is important, speak to my assistant?????? When he returned from vacation he discovered 93 voicemails one of the first messages from ???Joe??? came in two days after he left on vacation:
  ???Hey this is Joe, we???ve got an URGENT crisis here, I need to speak to you right now! Here is my phone #; this is my cell phone #, pager #, home #, wife???s cell #. Call me right now!???
  A few messages later Joe left another ???urgent??? message. The following day Joe called third time: ???Hey we are making some progress here but I???d still like to talk to you???
  The following day, the fourth message came from Joe ???Ahhh Mark I think we???ve got it under control, call me when you get back. Have a nice vacation.
  The point is that many problems can be resolved without your involvement. Another point is that if Mark had gotten involved in Joe???s crisis he would have invested a lot of time, energy, etc, But Joe would have never learned how to take crisis under control by himself.
  
  It is all matter of priorities. When a sales manager sets coaching as N1 priority, he should allocate time use in accordance with priorities. And if sales manager is out working with sales people and less available to others that???s a good thing.
  (Thats what i have experienced a lot being as a sales manager )

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  sinistralinid10/24/08 Report as spam
  13

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Making the compensation plan incomprehensible and then make the Rep fight for every dime. Or, changing the compensation plan after hire to drastically to reduce the compensation paid.
  
  Have a sales rep build up business in an area then declare them 'house accounts' or non commissionable.

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  ajthrush10/24/08 Report as spam
  14

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Change the demographic of target prospects every two weeks, discarding any progress made towards closing an actual sale.
  
  
  Oh, and ignoring a potential consistent customer-base in favor of higher-ticket, more difficult to close prospects.

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  kdd1010110/24/08 Report as spam
  15

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  First, a comment about proofreading: The name of the
  article is "Nine Dumb Things..." And, indeed, there are
  nine points made. But, read the second sentence in
  the intro paragraph: it says "Here are ten things that
  sales managers do..." What drives me batty are silly
  inaccuracies like that!
  
  Second, I must agree with "fobm" in comment #9.
  Terms of a contract and intellectual property rights are
  not just polite requests. They are governed by law.
  Ignore them and you may pay a hefty price!

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine10/24/08 Report as spam
  16

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  QUOTE: Here are ten things
  
  Fixed. Thanks.
  
  
  
  QUOTE: I must agree with "fobm" in comment #9. Terms of a contract and intellectual property rights are not just polite requests.
  
  Sales people are relationship builders. They keep in touch with customers years after they've left the various companies where they've worked.
  
  
  
  Every sales rep -- and I mean EVERY -- who is operating under a "the company owns the contact info" is keeping his or her own personal contact data, in addition to whatever CRM system is being used to enforce corporate ownership.
  
  
  
  By not allowing them to leave with that data, you force them to spend the time keeping two contact lists. That's a productivity drain and a waste of time. It's much better to have a non-compete agreement so that, if they leave, they can't bring the data to a direct competitor.
  
  
  
  As for the idea that contact data is "intellectual property"... that's just weasel words.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine10/24/08 Report as spam
  17

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Email from a reader:
  
  
  
  Geoffrey,
  Excellent list, here's a few more.
  Schedule joint calls and cancell for more important business.
  Create product lines that aren't reasonably debugged or field worthy.
  Promise to support a new product and then produce zero case histories and sales tools.
  Fail to provide competitive analysis.
  Demand sales increases and then fail to compete on bids after the rep got your product specified.
  Not know as much as the rep does about the products.
  Fail to provide good training.
  Demand sales forecasts in the face of all of the above.
  
  Let me know if you need more. Most companies are woefully deficient in supporting reps. I had 100 and I learned the hard way.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine10/24/08 Report as spam
  18

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Email from a reader:
  
  
  
  
  Well, you've made me smile this afternoon and that's just about impossible these days. I was fired from a job recently as a Development Director for a nonprofit where everything I suggested was nixed from the "get go" and I was given marching instructions not totally dissimilar from your list. Of course, shortly after I was hired, I was told "You can't tell ME anything I don't already know. I've been doing this for 24 years." Say what???? Well, why in the hell go to the expense and bother of hiring someone? Talk about a relationship-stopper.
  
  Again, thanks so much! Keep up the good work!
  

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine10/24/08 Report as spam
  19

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Email from a reader:
  
  
  
  
  10)be a buddy not a boss
  the list can go on and on. but that is one that need to be address. to many time have i seen peers be-friend staff and lose control over the staff because they went out drinking with them when production was low. a manager can have a drink after hours with staff but it should be one drink. it should be after a strong end of the month or week. used as a tool to bring the staff/team up. make them feel lucky to see you after work as a person. however, keep the event to a short and 50% or more business.

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  Kingarthur110/24/08 Report as spam
  20

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Many times, managers were very good sales reps, and do to their achievements, got promoted. The problem is that they still behave as the super - salesperson, and dedicate more time chasing customers than to preparing the team. Some times,even worst, when they want to close all sales, and push the rep aside in the end - so this affects the sale ,as the customer to be trusted the other person, and demotivates the rep.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine10/24/08 Report as spam
  21

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Email from a reader:
  
  
  
  
  Great article - thanks!
  
  
  
  Here's one I experienced. Raised our quota every month at least 10% - so we never achieved a commission check. And when I did bring in a large account. The company wanted to cap commissions.
  
  
  
  Here's another, that I just experienced: Brought into a sales territory shared with another rep who had started just three months ahead of me. She however was allowed to cherry pick accounts within my area as her own. Despite my objections and the Sales Manager ignored the concern and then praised her for great sales results.
  
  
  
  
  Good ones!

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  alexsarabia10/24/08 Report as spam
  22

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  The ones I have experienced:
  
  Your sales manager rises the price everytime he or she feels the company is in bad shape. Without any previous market study.
  
  Your sales manager gives you green light on low price sales, then when a sale is about to be closed, he falls back and wants you to sell expensive. even though you already gave the costumer a low price.
  
  Good article. Regards.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine10/24/08 Report as spam
  23

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Closing out the open italics. (Bug in the blogging software).
  
  There.

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  spettis10/25/08 Report as spam
  24

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  I have no problem with backorders. As long as there is a product stream available in the beginnning. All too often a client waits to see who else is ordering product then jumps on the bandwagon. Our job is to help move product, not "wait and see" what's going to happen before we ask for the sale.
  
  Backorder on product is SHADY if it was never available in the first place....

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  K10Norton10/25/08 Report as spam
  25

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  - Overload your sales staff with administrative reporting and trackers!! When are we suppose to have time to sell anything?
  
  - Keep dumping more and more responsibilities on the same size sales force, with no additional support, and expecting sales to go up.
  
  Our company website states in bold red letters," If your position is everywhere, your momentum is zero." Listed below that are no less than 12 new initiatives that all need to be done NOW on top of our regular job responsibilities.

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  tltodd10/27/08 Report as spam
  26

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  The list is very accurate. In sales, communication at all levels is paramount. With that said, come on people, get professional and work on your spelling and grammar. The poor sentence structure and typing mistakes make some of your comments hard to read. Don't let anything...anything go to a customer that hasn't been spell-checked and proof read. A sales manager who doesn't insist on this type of quality is truly dumb. So, unless you are selling seats on the short bus, wise-up and look smart when you represent your company. Sorry to nag, but it has to be said.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine10/27/08 Report as spam
  27

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  QUOTE form tltodd: come on people, get professional and work on your spelling and grammar
  
  Sorry, but in my view everyone can safely ignore this concept. We're all professionals here and we're all trying to learn something. This isn't a customer-focused blog and these aren't sales letters. I'd rather hear more of what you guys have to say than have you waste time worrying about perfect grammar and spelling. Save it for your sales letters.

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  fpotter@...10/27/08 Report as spam
  28

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Response #25 is dead on! Isn't that what sales automation tools were designed to do?
  
  Many managers focus on the micro level details and too often forget how to strategize with their sales team, even if they pretend otherwise.

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  Romanisin10/29/08 Report as spam
  29

  RE: Nine Dumb Things Sales Managers Do

  Not supplying the correct tools - like a laptop or a palmpilot - to the rep so that they can compete with the sales teams in their markets