The sales team is one of the most difficult teams to manage in any organization, which is why many companies are now turning to a fractional sales manager to provide the necessary structure and expertise. There are way too many moving parts, and as a top sales training company, we know it is subject to elements beyond your control. Not to mention the fact that more often than not, unless you are managing an inside sales force, your team rarely performs in your presence. How can anyone become a good, let alone a great sales manager under these conditions? Sometimes the title of ‘Sales Manager’ becomes the cruel fate to a once top-performing salesperson who was promoted based on their results and not management abilities and the one time darling of the company now finds herself struggling in a field that she had once mastered.
One of the first mistakes a sales manager will make is thinking they must manage the people. Most people do not like to be managed; they prefer part-time sales management that focuses on systems rather than micromanagement. We often see leaders frustrated when trying to manage a team like a sandcastle too close to the water. If you want to protect what you are building, you need serious fortification. These 5 techniques used by every successful fractional sales manager will put you in the league of greatness.
- Manage the goals – This is a common mistake among sales managers as well as salespeople. There are either no goals in place, they are poorly communicated, they are rarely discussed, they are poorly conceived, or they are just not being tracked. You cannot manage any team if you are not constantly working together toward a goal.
- Manage the process – Nowhere do we mention managing people. Manage your process and let your process manage the people. Whether you are a full-time leader or a fractional sales manager, your process is everything. If each person does whatever they feel is best, you have no means of managing the team.
- Manage the KPIs – Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are not and cannot be your sales. Sales are the result of something you did in the past and there is nothing you can do to change it. KPIs are how you capture and measure the sales expectation and activities of your salespeople. Salespeople with good KPIs know how to manage themselves. This can be activities such as phone calls, meetings, visits, quotes, etc.
- Manage the structure – Not all salespeople respond to structure the same way, but without it, they tend to get lost in their own ideas. Structures can take on simple forms such as scheduled meetings with defined agendas, reporting requirements, clear lines of supervision, and documentation. You cannot let any of these items up to chance with salespeople.
- Manage the communication -To succeed, you must have the right conversation with the right person. This is a core competency for any fractional sales manager. You must listen, share feedback, and help your team grow through regular, intentional dialogue—ideally no less than monthly. The right conversation means talking with each person on your team about what is, and is not, working (that’s a two-way street). The right way means that you have to be willing to listen and share feedback. You have to help your team grow, and the more often you have these kinds of conversations (we recommend no less than monthly) the better you and they will be.
