7 Skills to Manage a Sales Team (From a Reps Perspective)
Managing a sales team might be one of the most daunting tasks in the business world. Not only are you responsible for a quota for all your sellers (frequently in the six figures each month) but you are also responsible for:
-Training and development
-Hiring
-Implementing strategic initiatives
-Handle customer complaints
-Motivate your reps
The list goes on and on. However, it doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Well organized, disciplined leaders not only thrive but build a foundational team for new sellers to build off of when coming on board.
I once realized when starting a new job in the mid market tech b2b sales space that out of 4 different managers spanning the west coast, one was always at the top of the leader boards while the other wasn’t. Certain skills and expectations were abundantly clear on one team and not the other. Let’s dive into those to help identify those expert tips for managing a successful sales team from a reps perspective:
1. Clear expectations
2. Accountability
3. Training and a growth mindset
4. Ability to deliver constructive criticism
5. Flexibility when dealing with different reps
6. Reward performance
7. Ear to the ground
-Training and development
-Hiring
-Implementing strategic initiatives
-Handle customer complaints
-Motivate your reps
The list goes on and on. However, it doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Well organized, disciplined leaders not only thrive but build a foundational team for new sellers to build off of when coming on board.
I once realized when starting a new job in the mid market tech b2b sales space that out of 4 different managers spanning the west coast, one was always at the top of the leader boards while the other wasn’t. Certain skills and expectations were abundantly clear on one team and not the other. Let’s dive into those to help identify those expert tips for managing a successful sales team from a reps perspective:
1. Clear expectations
2. Accountability
3. Training and a growth mindset
4. Ability to deliver constructive criticism
5. Flexibility when dealing with different reps
6. Reward performance
7. Ear to the ground
1. Expectations
Building a culture of success and longevity stems from keeping clear expectations from day one. Successful managers share specific KPIs and goals that they have for their teams. The elite ones use SMART goals to make them measurable and more achievable. I like to use the example of a bowling lane with the gutter guards up. Setting clear expectations sets up a framework for reps to feel that they are with staying with in the bounds of what the manager expects while still giving enough freedom to navigate the day to day as the rep sees fit. On top of that when performance starts going south the manager can bring the rep back to the initial expectations on daily, weekly, monthly basis.
2. Accountability
Everyone wants to feel like they can slack off and no one will notice. For a day or two. And then issues start to arise. Think low commission checks and high turnover. I have been on high performing and god awful teams and the main difference is how actively the manager holds their team accountable. Expectations and accountability go hand in hand when building a winning team. The lower performing team will start to become attached to their lackadaisical schedule and when the manager tries to intervene it is too little too late. Accountability is the follow through on the expectations that managers must be cognizant of.
3. Training
Naturally in sales the goal is to close more and more business. Even 20, 30 minutes spent on a service task used to cause stress being pulled away from the phones. However, that is a short term view. Reps can only learn so much by being actively involved in deals. They have to be brought back to the classroom and nail down the basics on the industry, products as well as the sales process they sell into. Keep these top of mind when planning the week with your team. A clever trick a manager of mine used to do was focus on one new topic of our product to master so that each week our knowledge was growing.
4. Critique
The tough sales manager I’ve ever had forced us to bring a Gong recording of our worst call each week to our 1 on 1. It was embarrassing and humiliating but guess what? It worked. Each rep needs to be given constructive criticism to learn from moments where they weren’t at their best. A manager who needs to be forced into giving feedback to their reps should be a big red flag.
5. Flexible
Similar to a coach on a basketball team a sales manager is balancing different egos, goals and personalities. A once size fits all approach just won’t cut it. Jay Graves had wrote a great piece on Phil Jackson being the best coach for the following reasons, “My reason for that was because he was the best in the business at handling player’s egos. One example was how he handled Rodman’s request to go to Las Vegas for two days in the middle of the season which was shown in episode 3. He didn’t tell him no and even negotiated with him on the time frame against Jordan’s wishes.”
Building a culture of success and longevity stems from keeping clear expectations from day one. Successful managers share specific KPIs and goals that they have for their teams. The elite ones use SMART goals to make them measurable and more achievable. I like to use the example of a bowling lane with the gutter guards up. Setting clear expectations sets up a framework for reps to feel that they are with staying with in the bounds of what the manager expects while still giving enough freedom to navigate the day to day as the rep sees fit. On top of that when performance starts going south the manager can bring the rep back to the initial expectations on daily, weekly, monthly basis.
2. Accountability
Everyone wants to feel like they can slack off and no one will notice. For a day or two. And then issues start to arise. Think low commission checks and high turnover. I have been on high performing and god awful teams and the main difference is how actively the manager holds their team accountable. Expectations and accountability go hand in hand when building a winning team. The lower performing team will start to become attached to their lackadaisical schedule and when the manager tries to intervene it is too little too late. Accountability is the follow through on the expectations that managers must be cognizant of.
3. Training
Naturally in sales the goal is to close more and more business. Even 20, 30 minutes spent on a service task used to cause stress being pulled away from the phones. However, that is a short term view. Reps can only learn so much by being actively involved in deals. They have to be brought back to the classroom and nail down the basics on the industry, products as well as the sales process they sell into. Keep these top of mind when planning the week with your team. A clever trick a manager of mine used to do was focus on one new topic of our product to master so that each week our knowledge was growing.
4. Critique
The tough sales manager I’ve ever had forced us to bring a Gong recording of our worst call each week to our 1 on 1. It was embarrassing and humiliating but guess what? It worked. Each rep needs to be given constructive criticism to learn from moments where they weren’t at their best. A manager who needs to be forced into giving feedback to their reps should be a big red flag.
5. Flexible
Similar to a coach on a basketball team a sales manager is balancing different egos, goals and personalities. A once size fits all approach just won’t cut it. Jay Graves had wrote a great piece on Phil Jackson being the best coach for the following reasons, “My reason for that was because he was the best in the business at handling player’s egos. One example was how he handled Rodman’s request to go to Las Vegas for two days in the middle of the season which was shown in episode 3. He didn’t tell him no and even negotiated with him on the time frame against Jordan’s wishes.”
You can't treat Jordan and Rodman the same. Different players, different needs. Same to your sales reps.
6. Reward Performance
Humans learn best through positive reinforcement. When a rep closes a deal or does something particularly well, the best managers are able to highlight it and use it motivate their team. A perfect example, one of my old teams had a slack channel that was synced up to Stripe so when a deal closed it was automatically populated giving the team some much needed praise and competition.
I also had a manager that would reward high activity with giving leads that came in through the open territory to them. Don’t be too rigid and keep things simple. It’s only sales.
7. Ear to the Ground
It is imperative that a manger has his ear to the ground and always has a pulse on his team. Know what’s working and what is frustrating reps. My worst manager was out to lunch and too many reps became frustrated with out him having a clue leading to mass turnover and poor months. Have open candid two way conversations. Actively seek out feedback.
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6. Reward Performance
Humans learn best through positive reinforcement. When a rep closes a deal or does something particularly well, the best managers are able to highlight it and use it motivate their team. A perfect example, one of my old teams had a slack channel that was synced up to Stripe so when a deal closed it was automatically populated giving the team some much needed praise and competition.
I also had a manager that would reward high activity with giving leads that came in through the open territory to them. Don’t be too rigid and keep things simple. It’s only sales.
7. Ear to the Ground
It is imperative that a manger has his ear to the ground and always has a pulse on his team. Know what’s working and what is frustrating reps. My worst manager was out to lunch and too many reps became frustrated with out him having a clue leading to mass turnover and poor months. Have open candid two way conversations. Actively seek out feedback.
Read More