Eyes On The Prize Thinking about making your top salesperson a department manager? You'd better look beyond the obvious.
By Bill Kelley
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Selecting a sales manager may be the second most importantdecision an entrepreneur will ever make, right after deciding to goit alone. Sound like an easy undertaking? It's not, because ofone common misconception: The most obvious candidate--your topsalesperson--isn't necessarily the right one.
Why? First, great salespeople don't necessarily make greatteachers. They're often better at selling than explaining theprocess. "They're like baseball players who can hit butcouldn't tell anyone else how to do it," says Jeffrey Foxof Fox & Co., an Avon, Connecticut, sales and marketingconsulting firm.
Second, salespeople often have big egos. They love to getorders--the tougher, the better--and receive all the credit.Working behind the scenes, mentoring and explaining the processgets in the way of selling. "It's not that they'rejerks," says Fox. "They just prefer to go out and sell.That's what they love to do and it's what they dobest."
Bill Kelley is an Arcadia, California, business writer andformer editor of Sales and Marketing Managementmagazine.
Best Of The Best
Instead of focusing on your best salesperson, you should lookfor "a student of selling," Fox says. For example, keepan eye out for a good, solid salesperson who comes to meetingsprepared, is interested in sales strategies and asks questions."You want someone who isn't afraid to ask how to overcomea specific objection or what to do in a certain situation,"Fox says. "You want someone who likes learning aboutsales."
In addition, find someone who has an interest in long-term salesplans and strategies; look for an individual who wants to see howsales fits into the company's marketing program and its overallgrowth strategy. He or she should be concerned with more than justhis or her territory or how an ad campaign might affect his or hersales.
Other key qualities to look for in a sales manager include:
- A deep, sincere interest in the company. "[The best]individuals look beyond their immediate responsibilities [to theneeds of the business]," says Fox.
- The ability to work well with people on and off the salesforce. He or she should be among the first to volunteer to help newsalespeople and should show an interest in mentoring and leading,says Fox. "A strong sales manager will remind you of a reallygood teacher you had," he says. Keep in mind, top salespeopleare often uncomfortable with tasks other than selling; a salesmanager must be able to be at ease with all departments.
- Good organizational skills. As a manager, he or she will havemore meetings, appointments and paperwork than ever.
- The ability to work without a lot of praise. Instead of beingstroked, he or she will do the stroking. The job requires him orher to make sure others perform to the best of their ability--andto be certain others get the credit.
- Accountability. Conversely, a sales manager should be able totake the hit when something goes wrong. "If you have a salesmanager who takes responsibility for the staff'smistakes," says Fox, "the sales force will crawl throughglass for him or her."
- The ability to perform well under pressure. No other departmenthead will be under the gun so constantly to produce results.
Outside In
The same criteria apply if the manager is coming from outsideyour company. If you go outside in your search, get sales numbersfrom candidates, and, if possible, speak to some of the people theymanaged. Also talk to each prospective manager's formeremployer and customers. And, as with any position you're tryingto fill, find out the reason for the job switch.
Finally, don't rule out your top salesperson. If thatindividual has enough of these qualities, he or she can succeed. Infact, says Fox, there are many successful sales managers who weretheir company's top seller. However, he says, there is sometruth to the old sales saying, "If you want to lose your bestsalesperson and gain a lousy manager in the process, make him orher your sales manager."
Next Step
Selling and Sales Management by Robert D. Hisrich, Ph.D.,and Ralph W. Jackson, Ph.D., (Barron's Business Library)contains an explanation of what goes into being a salesmanager.
Contact Source
Fox & Co., 34 Dale Rd., Avon, CT 06001, (860)677-4318
