|
|
| www.1001TopWords.com |
|
|
Free to Succeed: Effective Sales Leadership Using A Coach Approach
About 2 years ago, I participated in a training program I'll never forget. The leader divided us into two teams. Each team's task was to fire a whack of darts into each number on a dartboard. The leader of Team A was given instructions that his team had to hit the numbers in a certain sequence. He then related the sequence, number by number, to his team. The leader of Team B was told that her team could hit the numbers in any sequence. Her task was to encourage and motivate us (I was on Team B) to achieve. We fired away. Team B won. Team A complained about their rules and that Team B won because we were free to hit any number in any order. They felt that the results didn't fairly reflect their ability. What did we learn? After the whining died down, we reflected on what we learned: · Both teams were given the same goal: to hit all the numbers CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS FOR SALES TEAMS Sales people are promoted into management because they are fabulous, effective and motivated. However, when they become sales managers they often turn into the Team A kind of leader, telling their sales people what to do and how to do it, insisting that if the sales team just did it 'my way' they would achieve results. With this kind of leadership, most of the team starts a fast track to mediocrity. News flash: No one likes being told what to do. Especially adults. HOW CAN YOU HELP? One of the most critical roles a sales manager (or any manager, for that matter) can play is that of coach. A coach is more than a cheerleader. A coach holds people to a higher standard than they would for themselves, and then helps them get there. A coach asks questions, rather than offers advice, so that people can arrive at their own conclusions of how they want to proceed. NOTICE...AND THEN NOTICE MORE As you go about your week, consider the following questions around your ability to develop and motivate others. Let them inform and shape the quality of your interactions. · What do I believe about the others on my team? (Capable? Incompetent? Can figure things out if given a chance?) · What is my intent in working with this person? (Check off my 'To Do' list? Have fun? Learn from them? Have them learn from me?) · What kind of relationship do I want with my team? · How are my negative beliefs about team members leading to self-fulfilling prophecies? · What does control mean to me? · What would happen if I let go of some of my control? · What does that look like in practice? (Asking more questions? Really listening? Allowing people to come up with, and implement, their own ideas?) · What do I need to do 'more of' or 'less of' in order to develop and motivate others? SUCCESS CHALLENGE: KEEP A JOURNAL Spend five minutes each day writing a daily journal. Try posing to yourself one of the above questions, and then jot down your answer. Writing in a journal can help you see some subtleties in your world you didn't notice before and can open up your mind to new ideas. This daily practice can keep you sharp, and on the path to success. This article may be reprinted in its entirety with express written permission from Nicki Weiss. The reprint must include the section "About the Author". About the Author Nicki Weiss is an internationally recognized Certified Professional Sales Management Coach, Master Trainer, and workshop leader. Since 1992, Nicki has trained, certified, and/or coached more than 6,000 business executives, sales managers and salespeople. Nicki guarantees increased sales performance when sales managers become better sales coaches. Sign up for her FREE monthly e-zine, Something for NothingTM, which has powerful tips and techniques for sales managers who are ready to make this transformation. Sign up at http://www.saleswise.ca You can email her at nicki@saleswise.ca or call 416-778-4145.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
10 Things to Help Your Business When Sales Are Slow During the Holidays Twiddling your thumbs and waiting for some business to come in? Why not use this downtime to set yourself up for greater success in the new year? Here are my 10 picks, but you don't have to do them all. Even doing just one will get you another rung higher on your business ladder. The Four ?D?s of Sales Management Recently I stumbled across some notes that I had kept from a project I had been involved in which involved looking at manager behaviours. The aim of this project was to identify "preferred behaviours" in sales managers when they were working closely with their sales representatives. The outputs were interesting and helped my colleagues identify four main types of sales managers and the differences between effective and ineffective behaviours. 8 Procedures to Take Control of Sales and Marketing The Cash to Cash CyclePart Three of Series Increasing Business Through Distributors You're a small company with a good product. You are confident that the product can sell, but you don't have the financial resources to hire a team of fifty salespeople to market and sell the product for you. You also don't have the staff resources to support those that purchase the product. How do you make your good idea and good product create success for you? Increase Retail Sales With Meetups I recently attended the monthly Italian language Meetup here in Little Rock. Meetups are informal social gatherings of people with similar interests in a particular topic. Topics for Meetups range from political to cultural to intellectual to fun. How to Maximize Account Penetration and Jump-Start Sales Maximizing account penetration is one of the most critical functions in sales. Why? The depth of account penetration has an enormous impact on revenues and profitability. How to Increase The Sales Of Promotional Products I have searched for a new way to increase the sales of my promotional products. A good way is to start an affiliate-program with a commision for every customer who buy an product and who came to your page from a webpage of one of your affiliate-partners. A Real CRM Strategy or Just Tracking Customers? Exactly what is CRM Increase Your Sales - Accept Credit Cards Many people today simply prefer the convenience of paying by credit card. If you want their business, you must be able to accept their credit-card payments. The ACCOUNTABILITY Challenge for Today?s Business Management In today's 24/7 driven business word, accountability is becoming a more critical issue for every business owner, manager, executive and salesperson. The challenge is to realize that accountability is just not a single issue, but an issue with many supporting elements. To maintain and thrive as an accountable individual first requires overcoming the fear to embrace these elements and then a plan of Action to ensure that YOU are an accountable individual. The Nine Warning Signs that You Need a Sales Video Corporate videos are an important sales tool that can often be overlooked in marketing budgets. Promoting Your Private Label at Industry Trade Shows So everyone thought you were crazy when you announced 6 months ago that you were quitting your "real job" in hopes of chasing starting your own Private Label Clothing Line. Your house is a disaster, blank shirts and line sheets everywhere, your living room has been transformed into a makeshift production lab. You've bled and sweat, investing every last of ounce of time, effort and inevitably?your life savings. At last, you're first sample line is complete and your line sheets are nothing short of spectacular. Congratulations! But wait?better take a deep breath as the real work has only begun. What next? Snuff Out the Competition Without Leaving a Mark! Does the competition drive you crazy? Are they relentless about taking your clients away? Are customer loyalties becoming a thing of the past? How Do I Manage Workplace Conflict? Workplace Conflict Finding A Sales Force That Pays For Itself The elements involved in building a sales force, especially one that pays for itself and also adds value to any business, are many and varied. The whole purpose and direction of a sales manager needs to be directed to creating a sales force that causes the employing company to expand through increasing sales. Snowflakes Improve Holiday Sales Snowflakes are beautiful! Is Your Forecast Too Sunny? How to Improve the Accuracy of Sales Forecasts As spring moves to summer, the forecast should be for warmer and sunnier weather. What is the forecast for your business? Is the outlook sunny or cloudy? Free to Succeed: Effective Sales Leadership Using A Coach Approach About 2 years ago, I participated in a training program I'll never forget. The leader divided us into two teams. Each team's task was to fire a whack of darts into each number on a dartboard. The leader of Team A was given instructions that his team had to hit the numbers in a certain sequence. He then related the sequence, number by number, to his team. Book of Lists Marketing for Pressure Washing Companies The American Business Journals produces a Book of Lists each year in their many markets, it is wise for pressure washing companies to use this book of lists to find new clientele. The book of lists, lists the top companies in size in all industry sectors. Since pressure washing companies clean almost anything, it behooves them to use the book to selectively target the top companies to do business with. SEZ WHO? Tips About Recommendations, Sales Cycles, and Trade Shows Here's the scene. You're at the trade show, having a discrete "Sales Call" conversation with a visitor. Things are going well until he says something like...
|
| © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |
