3 Priorities for Your Brand New Sales Managers
Like most people, I was thrown into the sales management fire. I was a success in sales and someone saw leadership potential. Next thing I knew I was sitting there with new business cards that said “Sales Manager.” (Training complete.)
Sound like your journey? It is a very common path.
The problem: there is a never-ending string of crises that will keep a sales manager busy for an eternity. One can arrive at the office at 7:30 with nothing on her desk, no e-mails, and no voice mails (this is highly theoretical, of course). By 7:45 she will be busy, and it won’t stop even after she heads home for the day.
Crises have a way of chasing down sales managers. And that in itself is a huge problem.
I have observed sales managers in action for the better part of 30 years. The number one issue: a reactive approach.
Most sales managers are firefighters. They react to the environment around them. They move from crisis to crisis.
Sales managers who are not trained to proactive priorities will quickly define themselves in reactive activities.
A effective sales manager should have a priority list as follows:
- Lead Conversion
- Skill Development
- Recruiting Great Talent
Does that look like your list? Or are you too busy with the fire hose to get to those things.
The time to do this is when a manager first takes the reins, or even before that. That is why I developed our Sales Leadership Academy.
My Sales Leadership Academy is a 12-week immersive learning experience that accelerates the performance curve for new sales managers so that they deliver profitable results faster while making an immediate and lasting organizational impact. For more information click here.
