It is not unusual for a consistently high performing salesperson to have his or her efforts acknowledged with a promotion to sales management. However, in many cases, an outstanding salesperson cannot manage and lead his or her team to the same success.
This scenario is not untypical. It happens far too often amongst sales teams. Being a top performing salesperson does not make the individual an automatic success in sales management. Effective sales management training programs ensure that the new manager does not take on his or her new role without proper preparation.
A sales management role requires a very different set of skills from those used by a salesperson. A sales manager must drive the performance of the team. As such, they must be equipped with the specific knowledge and skills needed by sales leaders. Sales managers need training to:
Understand and Set Goals
Companies have goals; the best sales managers understand these goals and are capable of establishing the goals of his or her team to compliment the overall business objectives. Every employee must have an understanding of the company’s goals. Certain key personnel, sales managers amongst them, must receive additional training about the implications of each goal. Without this knowledge, the sales manager will not have the insight needed to set specific measurable, and attainable, goals that directly affect the company’s profitability.
Task Delegation
Once a new sales manager fully understands the implications of the company goals and his or her part of them, they need to set expectations and delegate responsibilities to those in the field. It does not take long for a new sales manager to understand that they cannot do everything. Sales management training programs help them to develop the skills needed to effectively communicate sales expectations and delegate tasks to ensure team productivity.
There is far more to creating a successful sales manager than promoting the top performer. Sales management training programs focus on planning, coaching, and communicating. These are the skills needed by a sales manager to become proficient and to face new challenges.
