“Everyone’s working with reduced resources,” says Hooker. She points out that one of the most critical areas managers need to coach on is the idea that reps must be working on the right deals and explore the full potential of the opportunity. Is the team both well-equipped to qualify opportunities and assess the full breadth of possible solutions?
Says Hepburn, “Business is out there, but it’s profitable business you need.” Two significant coaching opportunities exist for optimizing qualification and deal scope:
1. Coaching for Qualification: Sales managers need to learn to be alright with the notion of losing deals fast, and relay the same notion to their teams. “You’ve got to feel comfortable walking away from opportunities that aren’t a fit for the organization, or those that aren’t likely to close,” says Hooker. This type of judgment call is difficult for salespeople to make, but also difficult for the manager to advocate, as quotas hang above both parties’ heads.
2. Coaching for Deal Profitability: It’s tempting for reps to quickly size up a customer’s need and determine the solution that will be a good fit. But is it comprehensive? Managers need to coach salespeople to fight the urge to figuratively ring a customer up before taking time to explore their whole concept. Reps who look at all the client’s challenges and goals can offer a more robust solution that provides better results to the customer and contributes more to the top-line.
Hepburn notes that setting time aside to coach salespeople, constructively, instead of reporting numbers on a weekly conference call, contributes to better development of these capabilities. “Sales managers need to direct salespeople’s] focus. Sit down with them and be their success planner. Show them how they’re going to make the money. If you’re not helping them manage their plan, they could get lost.”
While it’s unrealistic for managers to guide reps through every sale and every activity, too much distance is detrimental. As Hepburn notes, salespeople might choose the easier path and cut corners when managers play too little of a role. It’s a balance the new sales manager has to achieve quickly, but there are several things managers can leverage:
• The Sales Funnel. The sales funnel has more than one function. It provides clarity into revenue predictability for executives and clarity on where managers can begin one-on-one discussions. “From looking at the funnel, sales managers can identify where there might be problems in achieving results,” says Hooker. They can identify what areas of the funnel could be atrophied and what areas might be clogged to hone in on what is causing those issues.
• Top Performers. “Who are you investing your time with?” asks Hooker, mentioning that managers often get caught up in coaching bottom performers and miss the opportunity to better leverage top performers. Focusing coaching time on this group and securing resources for them enables them to have a greater effect on sales growth. In addition, top performers can lift the burden off managers by leading other sales reps by example, percolating best practices throughout the sales team.
• Deal Reviews. Managers can use opportunity reviews to proactively nip negative or non-relevant activities in the bud. Hooker recommends looking at a salesperson’s most critical opportunity (another way to prioritize where to spend effort) to learn details such as the rep’s strategy, and what proof they have from customers that the sale is progressing.
• Loss Reviews. Today’s companies can’t seem to move away from lost sales fast enough, but even though revenue wasn’t won, there is still value in the opportunity. “Uncovering where salespeople are and are not being successful helps identify where they are struggling,” says Hooker. It highlights patterns in performance managers can specifically coach their reps on.
The New Sales Manager’s Mantra
This new breed of sales managers must focus on ensuring they’re engaging in coaching that makes a direct impact on results.
They must ditch the idea that they’re just an extension of their team. As Hooker says, it’s important to recognize that the qualities and capabilities that make a successful salesperson are not the same as those that make a successful sales manager. While the salespeople need to be the feet on the street, managers need to be their team’s financial planner, pacer, and mentor.
“The managers have to want it.” Hooker says, referring to the desire they should have to propel their team to a win. Managers that will thrive and survive today are the ones that get a level of satisfaction from mentoring instead of riding in to save the sale at the last second. Says Hooker: “Their new mantra needs to be: ‘I want to help salespeople do better.”
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