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I’ve observed something important over time about sales managers. I’ve seen that a sales manager is in a unique position to help us if we have a good relationship with them. The ways they can help us are frequently not readily apparent. Their position allows them to improve our sales skills and assist us in how to sell for our company.

“The ways they can help us are frequently not readily apparent.”

It doesn’t matter whether we think our sales manager is the best thing since cell phones or if we dislike them more than filling out call reports. They can provide real sales help if we’ve built a relationship with them. Here are some of the benefits this relationship provides:

• Territories are always being changed and/or being reassigned (once a year in many companies). The sales manager is the person who decides who gets assigned to specific territories. We all know that all territories are not created equal.

• Sales rep’s leave companies and frequently they’ll have some cherry accounts that need to be reassigned. Who do you think makes those assignments?

• They have the combination to the safe that holds the best sales leads. Do you think they give them out fairly? Of course not. They give them out to sales rep’s they like and think will best handle them.

• Who do you think is the primary influencer of budgets or quotas? There is nothing more loosey-goosey then setting sales budgets. They are very subjective. A good relationship with your sales manager will only help you here.

Sales managers are in a position to help us in many behind-the-scenes ways. The password to this sales help is relationship.

Related links: Sales Manager and Sales Representative, Working Together, Do you think your sales manager is competent?

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What follows is some sales advice about asking for special discounts from your sales manager for that prospect with lots of potential.

The not so effective request:

Salesperson to Sales Manager: “I have this great prospect who is going to yield us tons of future business if we can just get the first order. To be competitive they said we’ll have to discount our normal price by 38%.”
Sales Manager to Salesperson: “That’s below our cost! What do you know about them?”
Salesperson to Sales Manager: “All I know is that they need the stuff really badly and they promised us lots of future business. Oh, about our costs, they want 10,000 so we’ll cover the loss with volume. I know how to sell this prospect.”
Sales Manager to Salesperson: ???

The productive request:

Salesperson to Sales Manager: “The XYZ Company says they will buy from us if we can come off our price by 38%. Here is what I know about the decision makers, budget, competition and account potential [realistic and well prepared information provided here]. This is how I plan to demonstrate our added value in order to increase our odds of getting future higher margin business [more good information]. A realistic price quote would be 20% off our normal price. I need your approval for that discount.
Sales Manager to Salesperson: “Approved!”

When you go to your sales manager with reasonable and researched requests you’re much more likely to get a thumbs up. It will also allow you to show off your sales skills and a make for a happier sales manager. Your fellow sales pro’s are frequently going to your sales manager with a continuing chorus of “I need a big discount to get into this prospect that has tremendous future potential.” When asking for a big discount on a prospect, the sales manager needs to feel reasonably confident that the prospect will actually buy in the future and at higher margins. The key is information.

To receive this blog by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

I used to find that some salespeople would inexplicably go into a “blue funk” for an indefinite period and then snap out of it and be fine. During this period their sales would suffer and they seemed unhappy with their job and even their personal life. I looked for a long time to identify the cause of this “blue funk” and eventually figured it out.

Depression. Yes, the common cold of mental illness that afflicts 10% of the U.S. population each year. Once I learned more about depression I could see possible signs of it in some of the salespeople that I managed.

Most importantly, this knowledge helped me to get help for some of them in order to get them back on their feet. Job stress is one of the most common triggers of depression. Sales can be a very stressful job. Sadly, 80% of those that are depressed don’t seek help even though it’s commonly just a chemical imbalance that can be successfully treated with short term medication and counseling.

I know this is something we don’t like to talk about but I’ve seen it as a real issue in countless sales organizations. An issue, by the way, that can effectively be dealt with and once resolved can get the salesperson firing on all cylinders again. Win-win.

Sales management frequently misses this not-so-uncommon cause for sales performance issues. What are some of the common signs?

1. Loss of joy in one’s life and career
2. Weight gain or loss accompanied with a lowered level of energy
3. Trouble concentrating and lowered self esteem
4. Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
5. Irritability

As you can see, all of these common symptoms are going to hinder someone’s sales abilities.

A smart, experienced and knowledgeable sales manager knows to consider all possibilities when it comes to performance issues with a salesperson, including depression. If we feel one of our employees might be struggling with depression, then we need to get them help. Obviously we would want to confidentially work through our HR organization before approaching the salesperson.

If you feel you are personally struggling with depression, then get help for yourself.

We don’t have to live with this problem; it’s not permanent. Those wrestling with depression are not alone. We don’t need to let this get in the way of our, or anyone else’s, sales career.

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Summary: Let’s get real; salespeople really don’t like making customer calls with their sales manager. It doesn’t really have to be that way if both parties follow some guidelines.

Do you hate making customer calls with your sales manager? If you’re a sales manager, do you dread making account calls with your sales team members?

When I was selling I did what most other salespeople do when their sales manager works with them. I would set up my day so that I only called on my best customers and those prospects that were on the precipice of closing. I always had high volume sales days when I worked with my sales manager as a result.

This kind of not-so-productive strategy goes on everyday around the globe with salespeople and their managers. But it makes no sense. I’m going to suggest the following guidelines to sales managers and salespeople when working together:

Sales Managers

1. Focus on one or two things when working with a salesperson. You can’t effectively help them with 18 things at once.

2. Put your money where your mouth is. Actually demonstrate to the salesperson how to prospect, how to demonstrate products and how to handle customer service problems by taking the lead on those types of calls.

3. Tell the salesperson you’re working with that you specifically do not want to go to their best accounts. Let the salesperson know that you want to help them with their problem customers.

4. Let the salesperson know that you want them to be themselves, use their own personality and not try to mirror you.

5. Be open to learning some new things from the salesperson.

Salespeople

1. When you work with your sales manager be sure to be on time and be prepared. Don’t get in the car with your sales manager and say, “So, what do you want to do today?”

2. Don’t take your sales manager to your best customers. Take him or her to your problem customers. When they were a salesperson they had plenty of problem customers too and they understand.

3. When your sales manager makes a suggestion to you, be sure to immediately implement their idea. This shows the sales manager that you are listening and it also gives them a chance to provide you with feedback.

4. Be yourself. You will not do well if you are trying to be a clone of your sales manager. Your sales manager has his or her style and you have yours. Listen to and incorporate what they are teaching you, but do it with your own personality.

Both sales manager and salesperson can benefit by calling on customers together. If you are a salesperson, quit trying to set up the perfect day; let your sales manager help you with your problem customers. If you are a sales manager, see your role as a doctor. As a sales manager you are not there to observe healthy customers; you are there to help the salesperson with their sick ones.

If you’re not already a subscriber, click here (salesvitamins.com) to subscribe and automatically receive Sales Vitamins™ as new posts become available. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer