It's NOT your sales team's fault!

Do you ever ask yourself, 'Why is my sales team missing the mark?'

Is it possible that you are unknowingly undermining your company’s sales effort?

I know that sounds like a ridiculous and possibly insulting question, but the reality is, it happens to business owners more often than you think.

When working with clients, I’ll hear complaints about how they are disappointed with the performance of their sales teams, such as . . .

• Sales are decent, but we’ve really struggled to open new accounts.

• John is behind this quarter; I don’t think he is going to make his number again!

• Our compensation plan is not motivating anyone.

Issues like these are more about how the sales team is being led than the team itself.

My personal experience in sales was during the period in my career when I was a General Manager for a product line at a Fortune 500 company. As the GM, I was ‘The Closer’, the ‘salesperson’ that the regional sales team called in to ‘close the deal’ they had identified and nurtured.

That personal experience led to a little bit of a hero complex but gave me a first-hand understanding of how a business owner could see themselves as the rainmaker and the ‘only one that can do it right’—which is actually one of the ways business owners can undermine their salespeople.

These and other common complaints and issues are explained and solved in a great book entitled, Sales Management Simplified: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team, by Mike Weinberg.

I was introduced to Mike’s book by several top sales leaders and consultants I know. To a person, they said the book was spot-on and a powerful resource. I have used it with my clients – it’s awesome.

The book is divided into two parts.

Part One

• Sixteen reasons why so many sales organizations fail to produce the desired results.

• Chapters are short and filled with actual, real-life scenarios of how leaders fail themselves and their teams.

• Be forewarned, if you manage salespeople, he may piss you off.

Here are just three of the chapter titles:

• The Trouble with One-Size-Fits-All Sales Talent Deployment is That One Size Does Not Fit All

• Turning a Blind Eye to the Perennial Underperformer Does More Damage than You Realize

• COMPensation and COMPlacency Start with the Same Four Letters

Part Two

• Provides practical help and a simple framework to help you get exceptional results.

• The framework is easy to understand and apply.

Here are just three of the nine practical steps he recommends:

• Hold regular, results-focused, 1:1 meetings with your salespeople.

• Use strategic targeting to point your team in the right direction.

• Manage your talent—get people in the right roles or get them out.

I have helped my clients implement these steps and they have seen results.

I am sure I can help you figure out if your sales team could benefit from this book’s framework in a 15-minute conversation. Click here and let’s book a no-fee call.

Do you know someone that could benefit from this tip? Forward this post to them; if they if they reach out to me with a question—I will answer them personally.

Be encouraged. Be strong. Be courageous.