Create Your Self-Managing Sales Team

A self-managing sales team? Come on. You gotta be kidding me.

Do those really exist? Is it possible for my team to become self-managing?

Yes and yes!

Think about it. What would be the benefits of creating a self-managing sales team (SMST, for short)?

  • SMSTs perform better because they take more personal ownership in the business.
  • SMSTs create better buying experiences for your customers when you give them the authority to make decisions as things come up and do what’s right for the customer.
  • SMSTs help determine who your leaders are – the best rise to the top!
  • SMSTs make your job as a sales leader much easier.

So how do you do it?

Adopt a self-managing team vision.

First, check your beliefs. Do you believe this is achievable? Do you believe that you can trust salespeople with decision-making authority?

How clear is your vision of the sales team you really want? If it is not clear in your own mind, you will build a team by trial and error.

Second, check your commitment. If you want your salespeople to self-manage, you have to let them self-manage. That means allowing for mistakes.

Action Item: Find a quiet coffee shop and schedule time to design your SMST. Establish a clear vision first before you take any other action.

Hire Self Managers

Not everyone is well suited for self-management. You want to look for certain characteristics and behaviors:

  • Confidence
  • Organizational skills
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Achievement drive
  • Stress resistant
  • Problem-solving skills

Action Item: When hiring a new salesperson, consider giving them an assignment before offering them a position. Maybe have them evaluate your product and provide a one-page summary on how the product or selling process could be improved.

Or maybe you have them shop your competition and come back with a one-page summary of recommendations on how they would/could outsell them. From this assignment, you want to see speed, intelligence/insight, and how much they actually care about earning the position.

Provide education and training beyond just the basic selling skills

Don’t just assume your salespeople know how to effectively self-manage. You will need to train them towards the right behaviors: business skills, entrepreneurial skills, time management skills, decision-making skills, confidence-building activities, etc.

If you want your salespeople to act like small business owners, teach them to think and operate as small business owners.

Creating a self-managing sales team is not only about giving you more time to focus on areas where you can make a bigger operational difference in the company or giving you some of your personal life back. It’s also about safeguarding your future.

The workforce is changing. We are in what people call “the participation age”. Top talent isn’t interested in being told what to do and how to do it.

Top talent wants to self-manage to some degree, and they actually demand certain levels of authority and autonomy. Create a self-managing environment and be the team everyone wants to join.


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About the Author: Amy O'Connor

As one of the most in-demand sales training consultants in North America today, Amy O’Connor brings a decade’s worth of industry experience and knowledge, along with a fresh female perspective on leadership, to her impactful and enlightening seminars.