Nothing works better than on-the-job coaching
Managing sales involves using five key resources – Product, pricing, promotion, distribution network and people. Of these, the biggest differentiator could be the salesforce. While the remaining resources are generally constant in the short run, salespeople can be inspired to maximize sales out of the potential opportunity in a territory if they are coached well and challenged by SMART Objectives.
Changes in the marketplace constantly keep raising the bar on Sales people’s competence. The sales manager therefore should simultaneously use the available resources to achieve results for today, and develop these resources to achieve results for the medium to long term. This is a question of continuously assessing levels of knowledge, skills and attitudes of individuals in a sales team, rather than the team as a whole, and then develop people before the output is expected. Not after. And, the Sales Manager is the best equipped person to coach his or her people. No one understands what drives them and what challenges them better than their Sales Manager can. Hands-on learning from their Manager is the priceless takeaway that senior salespeople always remember with gratitude. Such ‘Manage by Support’ approach lays the foundation for sustainable sales excellence.
To translate this into practice, a powerful Mercuri concept called The RAC Framework (Results-Activity-Competence) or the Plumbing Model can be very useful for a Sales Manager.
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To receive information on coaching, the RAC Framework or our next Sales Leadership in the Field training course please get in touch.
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Sales Evaluator – Evaluating competence
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Sales Leadership in the Field
