Effective Sales Management Through Great Leadership

Congratulations! You got it. You got the sales manager position. All those interviews and sit-ins are over, and now it is time to get to work. You are now in charge of 60 dedicated sales associates. Can you handle it? Take a look at our numbers from last year. As you can see, your predecessor did not live up to our expectations; nevertheless, he is gone and you are here now. Your office is down the hall to the right, but before you head there you might want to introduce yourself to everyone around the workplace. Quotas should be on your desk already. Life is a little hectic around here, but you will get the hang of it. That is what all those weeks of training were for right? Well, that is about it. Do you have any questions? I hope you are ready.

Are you ready? You just got out of school, and you are excited because of all the opportunities you learned about in "Sales Management" class. But are you ready to be a manager? Are you ready to be a leader? What does it take to be an effective sales manager? A great sales manager? A great leader? All of these questions and more will be answered throughout this paper. We will find out first hand from a great coach what it takes to be a leader. We will reference successful and unsuccessful management attempts as well as research management tips and techniques from top minds to find out the ins and outs of effective management. The goal is to mix these outside sources with my own opinions and ideas. At the end of this paper we will form a plan. With this plan, hopefully we will be prepared to manage those 60 dedicated associates and lead our company forward.

"Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own potential." - Warren Bennis, pioneer and consultant in the contemporary field of leadership studies

A simple definition of leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. Put even more simply, the leader is the inspiration and director of the action. His or her vision must drive the project. He or she is the person in the group that possesses the personality and skill that makes others want to follow along with the proposed idea. In business, leadership is an important asset. It could possibly be the most significant characteristic to being an effective sales manager. However in business, success is too often welded to performance. Effective leaders are those who increase their company's bottom lines.

Effective leaders keep stakeholders happy with the results expected and sales associates happy with the respect they deserve. While there are people who seem to be naturally endowed with more leadership abilities than others, most believe that people can learn to become leaders by concentrating on improving particular skills. Legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi, believes the latter. Known as one of the best motivators and leaders in sports history, Lombardi won five NFL championships during his nine year tenure in Green Bay. In his book, "What it takes to be number one: Vince Lombardi on leadership", he lays out seven steps to help you become a good leader and keep your team (or office) motivated. Since being a good leader is the first step to being a good sales manager, let us take a look at what Lombardi suggests and decipher exactly what he means while translating it to a business perspective.

Step 1) You must have clear coaching and clear leadership;

Step 2) You must commit to excellence or your team won't be committed;

Step 3) Always have open communications (open door policy);

Step 4) Don't change people, develop them;

Step 5) Selective player assignment (right people in right places);

Step 6) Always have a strategy, always plan ahead;

Step 7) Excel in the basics.

You must have clear coaching and clear leadership. The first step in being a leader is obvious; you must make it clear when you are the manager that you are in charge. You are the leader. Everyone's input is welcome, but you make all the final decisions because it is your job that is on the line. Establish who the boss is and make friends later.

You must commit to excellence or your team will not be committed. If you want your team to perform like winners then you must act and perform like a winner. If you want your employees to show up on time and ready to work then you need to set the example. You must be the first one to work in the morning, dressed, prepared and ready to go. Excellence is contagious and it starts from the top. If you are working hard for them then they will work hard for you. If your sales associates notice that you are not ready to lead them, unfortunately they will not be ready to sell for you.

Always have open communications (open door policy). You are in charge and you make the decisions; however, you do not need to act like you know everything. Who knows what is going on in an office more than the sales associates? Listen to every worker and take their opinions seriously. Respect your team members. Without them, you are nothing. So you need to keep them happy.

Don't change people, develop them. The last thing your team wants to hear about is how they sell everything wrong. Do not try to change someone's sales habits right away. Teach new strategies and alternatives to help develop their selling abilities. No one way of selling is right or wrong, as long as the products are being sold.

Selective player assignment. This one truly sounds like a football term. Basically, it means put the right people in the right places. You do not want to have your best sales associate running to get breakfast for the team in the morning. Put your best players (or sellers) in places where they can make the most plays (or sales). Realize the potential of your best workers and put them with key clients. Remember 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers. Put the best sellers in those key accounts.

Always have a strategy or plan. What is that old saying? If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail. Planning should be the most important part of succeeding as a good leader and manager. When you are the leader you must pick out potential problems and solve them before they even occur. Good leaders analyze and plan ahead of time for all situations. When these troubles do arise, managers can then adapt their plans to the new conditions. Always stay one step ahead. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!

Be excellent in the basics. New business trends and fads come and go. Look into all options