By Garret Norris, the Sales Performance Specialist from KONA Group

I have worked with many organisations in my career and recently I have found that more and more, sales managers are not standing up and leading their teams.

Is it a question of “oh no I don’t want to upset the team” or “I don’t want the hassle”? Either way it’s not good!!

In one organisation, when asked about the team KPI’s I was met with “they don’t like that as they think we are micro managing them”.

I could not believe my ears….. Micro manage…. Really….. How do we measure and manage the business if we don’t measure activity?

The rhythm of a business is so important, regular meetings, holding sales people accountable are essential.

If you are a sales manager ask yourself, am I holding the team accountable on a regular basis? Am I holding regular sales meetings? How often have sales meeting been moved, cancelled or certain members of your team have made excuse after excuse as to why they can’t attend?

If the answer is more than you would like or often then I would challenge you on who is driving the business and why are you there?

“A fish rots from its head”

We know that turning around a sales team starts with turning around the sales manager. Sales managers should be in a positioned to influence and drive sales reps to greater levels of success. I have seen the word “empower” used time and time again when it comes to leading teams, what does that even mean????

So the great leaders of the world empowered solders to get results and to win wars. In sporting events the coach “empowers” the players to play where ever they want and hope they win!!!!!  Absolutely NOT because HOPE is NOT a SALES Strategy and empowerment is NOT Leading…..

Maybe it’s because sales managers sometimes become so busy and distracted that they neglect their own development and their duty of leading the team as they get caught up trying to survive the latest fire drill or writing another report?

It only takes a little insight into key areas to dramatically increase the positive impact the sales manager can make on the whole sales team.

My colleague is oversees at the moment restructuring sales teams and running Sales Pipeline Training  programs and the issue is not limited to Australia, it seems to be a worldwide epidemic.

We are discovering that highly effective sales managers have a set of skills and characteristics in common that set them above all the rest, which enable them to help their teams to achieve results that are also way above average.

They lead and manage trough directing measuring action and holding the team accountable. At the end of the day, numbers don’t lie……

Going forward:

If you are looking to increase the performance of your sales team contact Garret Norris, KONA Group’s Sales Performance Specialist or learn more about how KONA’s Sales Training, Call Centre Training and Sales Management training in Sydney and Melbourne Australia can grow your results telephone Garret on 1300 611 288 or email info@KONA.com.au