Managing a sales team is one of the most important and challenging positions in a company, and it requires a unique set of skills. Unfortunately, many sales managers spend much of their day putting out fires, and moving from problem to problem. Their days consist of an overwhelming number of activities including respond to urgent request from their bosses, resolving customer issues and complaints, and dealing with disgruntled employees. In addition, they find themselves sitting in meetings that run way too long, and submitting countless sales forecasts to satisfy upper management. As a result, sales managers get caught up in a daily grind and end their work week exhausted and feeling like they have little control over their destiny. In The High-Impact Sales Manager, you’ll learn how to transcend the daily grind and unlock the full potential of your sales team. This includes learning to: • Hire the best people and hold them accountable • Manage sales performance by focusing on the underlying behaviors that drive performance • Consistently produce accurate sales forecasts • Provide personalized sales coaching that results in better skills and higher win rates • Motivate and inspire your team to greatness Most importantly, The High-Impact Sales Manager will leave you feeling confident and enthusiastic in your ability to lead and empower your team to achieve unparalleled success.
This invaluable resource helps you understand what it takes to be a great sales manager, allowing you to avoid many of the common first-time sales management mistakes, and be successful right out of the gate. Making the leap into sales management means meeting a whole new set of challenges. As a manager, you’re going to have to quickly develop the skills that allow you to build and supervise a sales team, communicate effectively, set goals, be a mentor, and much, much more. Now that you’ve been handed these unfamiliar responsibilities, you’re going to have to think on your feet -- or face the possibility of not living up to expectations. Dispensing with dry theory, Fundamentals of Sales Management for the Newly Appointed Sales Manager helps you understand your new role in the organization, and how to thrive simultaneously as both a member of the management team and as a team leader. You’ll learn how to: Make a smooth transition into management Build a superior, high-functioning sales team Set objectives and plan performance Delegate responsibilities Recruit new employees Improve productivity and effectiveness This book supplies you with indispensable, need-to-know information on communicating with your team, your bosses, your peers, and your customers; developing a sales plan and understanding the relationship between corporate, department, and individual plans; applying crucial time management skills to your new role; managing a sales territory; interviewing and hiring the right people; building a motivational environment; compensating your people; and understanding the difference between training, coaching, and counseling?and knowing how to excel at each.
There are hundreds of books out there on sales, but 7 Secrets to Successful Sales Management is one of the few aimed directly at the most critical person in the sales organization: the sales manager. A practical, hands-on guide, the book presents an integrated approach to sales management and combines the author's experience with innovative strategies for motivating your sales force, recruiting quality sales people, and training new employees. Written by a grizzled veteran, the book reflects his success and allows you to learn from his mistakes. As Jack Wilner is fond of saying, "Nothing in this book is theoretical. It's all based on one thing and one thing only-what works!"
Boost sales results by zeroing in on the metrics that matter most “Sales may be an art, but sales management is a science. Cracking the Sales Management Code reveals that science and gives practical steps to identify the metrics you must measure to manage toward success.” —Arthur Dorfman, National Vice President, SAP “Cracking the Sales Management Code is a must-read for anyone who wants to bring his or her sales management team into the 21st century.” —Mike Nathe, Senior Vice President, Essilor Laboratories of America “The authors correctly assert that the proliferation of management reporting has created a false sense of control for sales executives. Real control is derived from clear direction to the field—and this book tells how do to that in an easy-to-understand, actionable manner.” —Michael R. Jenkins, Signature Client Vice President, AT&T Global Enterprise Solutions “There are things that can be managed in a sales force, and there are things that cannot. Too often sales management doesn’t see the difference. This book is invaluable because it reveals the manageable activities that actually drive sales results.” —John Davis, Vice President, St. Jude Medical “Cracking the Sales Management Code is one of the most important resources available on effective sales management. . . . It should be required reading for every sales leader.” —Bob Kelly, Chairman, The Sales Management Association “A must-read for managers who want to have a greater impact on sales force performance.” —James Lattin, Robert A. Magowan Professor of Marketing, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University “This book offers a solution to close the gap between sales processes and business results. It shows a new way to think critically about the strategies and tactics necessary to move a sales team from good to great!” —Anita Abjornson, Sales Management Effectiveness, Abbott Laboratories About the Book: There are literally thousands of books on selling, coaching, and leadership, but what about the particulars of managing a sales force? Where are the frameworks, metrics, and best practices to help you succeed? Based on extensive research into how world-class companies measure and manage their sales forces, Cracking the Sales Management Code is the first operating manual for sales management. In it you will discover: The five critical processes that drive sales performance How to choose the right processes for your own team The three levels of sales metrics you must collect Which metrics you can “manage” and which ones you can’t How to prioritize conflicting sales objectives How to align seller activities with business results How to use CRM to improve the impact of coaching As Neil Rackham writes in the foreword: “There’s an acute shortage of good books on the specifics of sales management. Cracking the Sales Management Code is about the practical specifics of sales management in the new era, and it fills a void.” Cracking the Sales Management Code fills that void by providing foundational knowledge about how the sales force works. It reveals the gears and levers that actually control sales results. It adds clarity to things that you intuitively know and provides insight into things that you don’t. It will change the way you manage your sellers from day to day, as well as the results you get from year to year.
The performance difference between the top salespeople in the world and the rest is smaller than you may think. Learn where you can elevate your game today and reach unprecedented new heights. Did you know that the 80/20 rule applies to the world of sales too? Eighty percent of all sales are made by only twenty percent of salespeople. How are they raking in so much money though, and how can others join them? Sales trainer extraordinaire Brian Tracy has spent years studying the world’s best salespeople and their methods to discover that the difference between the top 20 and the bottom 80 boils down to only a handful of critical areas in which the top professionals perform better than their peers. In this compact and convenient guide, Tracy shares 21 tried-and-true techniques that can help any salesperson gain that winning edge. In Sales Success, you will learn how to: Set and achieve clear goals Develop a sense of urgency and make every minute count Know your products inside and out Analyze your competition Find and quickly qualify prospects Understand the three keys to persuasion Overcome the six major objections, and much more! Packed with proven strategies and priceless insights, Sales Success will get you planted firmly on the path to success, making more money than you thought possible and greater career satisfaction than you ever believed you would find.
What exactly is sales force automation? The idea is simple - using technology to maximize sale productivity, minimize cost and enhance customer service. This "ultimate competitive weapon" can streamline the sales process, target the right customers and dramatically eliminate downtime and waste. High-Impact Sales Force Automation is a hands-on guide to implementing the latest computer technology in sales and marketing departments. The author's unique background in both business and science provides a practical, yet in-depth perspective on sales force automation. And all with a sharp focus on the backbone of any business: the customer. This book is an excellent reference for corporate managers, sales professionals, organizational planners, marketing consultants and anyone interested in improving sales, customer service and quality control. Real-life business models and concrete examples make applying these concepts to any organization as simple as clicking on a mouse.
2018 Axiom Business Book Award Winner, Silver Medal Straightforward advice for taking your sales team to the next level! If your sales team isn’t producing the results expected, the pressure is on you to fix the situation fast. One option is to replace salespeople. A better option is for you to optimize your performance as a sales leader. In The Sales Manager’s Guide to Greatness, sales management consultant Kevin F. Davis offers 10 proven and distinctly practical strategies, skills, and tools for overcoming the most challenging obstacles sales managers face and moving your team ahead of the pack. This book will help you: Learn the 6 sales rep instincts that can cripple your management effectiveness, and replace these instincts with a more powerful leadership mindset – true sales leadership begins with improving the leader within Stop getting bogged down by distractions, become more proactive, and find more time to coach, lead, and inspire your salespeople Get every salesperson on your team to be more accountable and driven to achieve breakthrough sales results Master the 7 keys to hiring great salespeople Create a more customer-driven sales team by blending the buyer’s journey into your sales process Speed up the improvement of your team by mastering the 7 keys to achieving better coaching outcomes Excel at the most challenging coaching conversation you face – how to solve a sales performance problem that is caused by a rep’s lousy attitude Attain higher win-rates by intervening as a coach at the most critical stages of a buying cycle, quickly identify opportunities at risk, and coach more deals to the close Discover why so many salespeople fail at sales forecasting and how to impress your company’s upper management by submitting more accurate forecasts And much more… You can apply the strategies outlined in this book immediately to take control of your time and priorities as a sales manager, become more strategic, deliver high-performance coaching that grows revenues, and ultimately drive your team to greatness.
What's the secret to sales success? If you're like most business leaders, you'd say it's fundamentally about relationships-and you'd be wrong. The best salespeople don't just build relationships with customers. They challenge them. The need to understand what top-performing reps are doing that their average performing colleagues are not drove Matthew Dixon, Brent Adamson, and their colleagues at Corporate Executive Board to investigate the skills, behaviors, knowledge, and attitudes that matter most for high performance. And what they discovered may be the biggest shock to conventional sales wisdom in decades. Based on an exhaustive study of thousands of sales reps across multiple industries and geographies, The Challenger Sale argues that classic relationship building is a losing approach, especially when it comes to selling complex, large-scale business-to-business solutions. The authors' study found that every sales rep in the world falls into one of five distinct profiles, and while all of these types of reps can deliver average sales performance, only one-the Challenger- delivers consistently high performance. Instead of bludgeoning customers with endless facts and features about their company and products, Challengers approach customers with unique insights about how they can save or make money. They tailor their sales message to the customer's specific needs and objectives. Rather than acquiescing to the customer's every demand or objection, they are assertive, pushing back when necessary and taking control of the sale. The things that make Challengers unique are replicable and teachable to the average sales rep. Once you understand how to identify the Challengers in your organization, you can model their approach and embed it throughout your sales force. The authors explain how almost any average-performing rep, once equipped with the right tools, can successfully reframe customers' expectations and deliver a distinctive purchase experience that drives higher levels of customer loyalty and, ultimately, greater growth.
"Overworked and under-supported front line sales managers are desperately looking for resources to improve their performance. This book was written for sales managers who understand the need to develop themselves. They have figured out that they must take charge of their own success."--P. [4] of Cover.
