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Sam Reese

Over the course of my career, I’ve had the privilege of personally working with many great sales managers. I’ve seen countless examples of effective sales management in our client organizations. I’ve also seen how quickly a corporate strategy can fall apart without this vital leadership.Sales directly influence the success of an organization. This role is closest to two critical corporate assets: customers and the sales team. The positive influence of an effective sales manager can be felt throughout an organization. Unfortunately, the same holds true for those whose attempts are not meeting expectations.Many top-performing salespeople are moved into sales management roles as part of a natural career progression. Unfortunately, sales managers are often not given tools to be successful in their new role. Don’t underestimate the significant shift in mindset it takes to move between these two roles. Salespeople are individuals; sales managers lead teams. Salespeople sell; sales managers coach others to sell. Salespeople report to one person; sales managers are accountable to many. Yet upon stepping into management roles, many salespeople are unaware of this shift. A company’s success is largely defined by its revenue growth. Sales managers hold a tremendous amount of responsibility for contributing to that success. The responsibilities of this role are to execute against a defined strategy and produce results that have been defined by executives who are often many levels above them. It is the sales manager who maintains the revenue engine that will determine if a company makes it to the finish line or falls short.Many sales managers achieve competency in their roles over time, even if they have a bumpy start, but imagine how different your results might be if you help them get there faster.Join me at ASTD 2013 for State of the Selling Landscape session, which will examine the trends that will enable sales teams to be successful in the current market conditions. This session will ensure your sales programs are aligned with the current needs of your sales team, and support you in serving as a strategic resource to your sales organization.

Sales Management Isn’t Second Nature

June 2012 - TD Magazine

Results from the Miller Heiman Sales Best Practices Study provide insight on how best to enrich the development of salespeople.

Turn Sales Leadership Strategies Into Training Actions

It's becoming more and more expensive to hire new talent, and you can't expect that to change any time soon. So instead of looking outside your company for high performers, you'll need to start building them from within.Sales coaching is an integral part of this process, but often managers don't know where to start. Learning to mentor someone isn't something you learn overnight. Being good at what you do doesn't always mean that coaching someone will come easy to you. To learn how to provide guidance, you might need a little assistance yourself. What are some of your coaching challenges?Coaching Others Begins With Coaching YourselfASTD has a certificate program to help you learn how to successfully coach for sales. The Sales Coaching for Business Impact Certificate is a two-day workshop that leverages the research from ASTD's World-Class Sales Competency Model©.Based on this research and the Coaching for Sales Results Area of Expertise, you'll participate in highly interactive exercises and sales team analysis while learning the foundation of effective sales coaching, proven coaching strategy and tactics, and take home tools you can use immediately in your organization.After this workshop, you will be able to:understand the area of expertise and foundational competencies effective sales coaches possess, based on ASTD's World-Class Sales Competency Modeldiagnose individual performance to drive business objectiveslearn four sales coaching styles and when to use themuse methods and strategies for observing, developmental feedback, and motivationcreate coaching and development plans.Become a better sales coach and inspire your team: learn how today!Related Content: Your Guide to Developing Sales ManagersBy Michelle Vazzana and Jason JordanASTD Member Price: $10This pattern of turning star salespeople into mediocre managers is one that is recognized by most companies with whom we work. But interestingly, the observation is commonly accompanied by a casual shrug of the shoulders and the defeated concession, "That's how it always happens. I guess that's just the way it is."Related Product:Turn Sales Leadership Strategies into Training ActionsBy Sam Reese and Joe GalvinASTD Member Price: $10Putting yourself in another person's shoes can be an eye-opening experience. For professionals in learning and development roles, one challenge is staying connected to the current needs of your internal customers to be able to identify and create the most meaningful development programs. Being well-aligned ultimately will achieve a higher level of success.

Sam Reese

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