To Salvage or Not to Salvage - That is the Question: Part 2 - The Sales Manager

Last month I began a three-part series on the pitfalls of making decisions about poor performance. This month will cover one of most often overlooked reasons for a salesperson’s outward display of lackluster activity.

You, as a sales manager play a vital role in your sales team’s success—namely how you create the right environment for them.

Many sales managers see poor performance as being the salesperson’s fault exclusively. But that’s not always true.

Every salesperson is different, so you as a sales manager must evaluate each the player on your team individually.

Again, don’t be fooled. Poor sales performance can many times be a function of the sales manager – not the salesperson.

You might be too hands-off, leaving a salesperson floundering without the proper support and lack of direction about his or her role.

A salesperson who thrives on team effort and frequent interaction with you will seem unmotivated when they’re expected to do much of their job without an obvious connection to the company. Remember, YOU are the company to them.

On the flip side, the sales manager can be too involved. A salesperson who performs best with little supervision will struggle with what is perceived as a micromanager.

A very independent salesperson will feel stifled by constant attention. He will attempt to distance himself from you in an effort to work in his comfort zone. Or he may just lose his drive.

The more you push to be involved, the more the salesperson will get discouraged and show signs of apathy and low motivation.

Another reason sales managers may be the source of poor performance is a lack of understanding of the hiring process.

You may be sabotaging yourself from the very beginning by using the wrong criteria. Let me explain...

There are some common ways this happens. First, sales managers hire based solely on instincts and gut reactions.

Don’t get too cocky thinking you can read people that well. A good hiring process that will validate your feelings and/or contradict your feelings can be a valuable asset. Either way, make sure you infuse as much objectivity into the process.

Second, you have an image of what the ideal candidate looks like in your mind and then you look for the outward expression of that ideal in interviews – Type A personality, driven, smooth-talker, industry experience, etc.

Just because someone looks good does not mean that they will perform to your expectations consistently. You must measure more and be prepared to make decisions on the most objective information possible.

A flawed hiring process puts you at a disadvantage before you ever get started.

I’ve discovered that when a sales manager only knows the symptoms of poor performance, such as low sales or lack of motivation, he will attempt to fix the salesperson with solutions that won’t work.

Looking closely at yourself, your management style, the make-up of your salespeople and your hiring process gives you a much better chance of developing a team of sales champions.

If you think a part of your salespeople’s poor performance might be related to the sales manager, contact us at 336.665.0506 to find out.