How To Become A Better Sales Manager

YIPPEE! Kendra won, or should I say, "She was hired," by the "Donald." It was no surprise to me. It was all about people and management skills. You either have them or you don't! Kendra had them and Tana, sad to say, didn't.

The shenanigans you watched during the "Apprentice" show are perfect examples of what not to do if you want to become an effective and respected sales manager.

Enough about that . . .

Today, being a sales manager, is a tough job - and it can also be extremely rewarding. Here's what I find bizarre. There are too many undertrained sales managers trying to coach and develop their undertrained salespeople. It's not a pretty picture.

What do you think happens when that happens? Right - nothing much happens.

Last week I went to Chicago to conduct a one half-day sales training program. After completing the program in Chicago I was off to Las Vegas to do a two-day sales training program.

I'm sitting in an aisle seat (9D) on American Airlines flight #1417. Once I settled in I exchanged hellos with the guy sitting next to me.

I asked, "What kind of work do you do?"

He says, "I'm a sales manager" and proceeds to tell me about his company, his responsibilities, and some of his problems.

After a while he asks me, "What about you - what kind of work do you do?"

I gave him my prepared elevator speech, "I coach and train salespeople and sales managers on how to increase sales, earn more money, have more fun, and how to do it all in less time."

He says, "You coach sales managers, man could I ever use a coach!"

I said, "What do you mean?" He said, "One day I'm a very successful sales representative and the next day I'm a sales manager."

He continues and says "Hey, I wanted this job - it was a dream come true for me." Along with the promotion I got the standard "Hit the road Jack kind of attitude from my company."

"It wasn't mean-spirited, just a go figure-it-out for yourself kind of an attitude."

I asked him one of my favorite questions - a question that uncovers specific problems. I said, "Keith, as a sales manager, what are some of the biggest challenges you're dealing with now?"

He said, "You got an hour to hear them all?" I took some notes while he was talking and here's a list of what he said he needed help with:

Recruiting Interviewing Planning Time management Coaching Motivation Planning a dynamite sales meeting Strategic account plans Measuring performance Sitting goals that get results Leadership Self confidence

I said, "That's quite a list."

He says, "My wife thinks I'm nuts for taking the sales management position."

She says, "You're working longer hours, you're always stressed out, and you're always thinking about work."

Well, I'm not going to bore you with any more of the details of that conversation - but Keith seems to be the perfect candidate for my just released Sales Management Coaching Program.

After I explained the program and all of its benefits to Keith he perked up and said, "Sign me up!"

You can use this link to see the complete Sales Management Coaching package - it will take only 118 seconds to read. http://www.meisenheimer.com/sales_coaching/individual.shtml

If you're a sales representative please forward this to every sales manager you know, who wants to become the best they can be in their role as sales manager.

If you're a sales manager, take a close look in the mirror and ask yourself, "How am I doing as a sales manager?" If you want to achieve superior results as a sales manager you'll have to have superior sales management skills at your fingertips.

Years ago, some of the best advice I never took was "You can't succeed alone." It took me a long time to buy into this very simple concept. Today I belong to a Mastermind group that meets every three months. We've been doing this for five years now.

During the same five years I have hired three different coaches to help me grow different parts of my business. Personally, I have always found an immediate payback with the coaches I've hired.

For me, the results have been truly amazing and incredibly rewarding.

Here's the link again to see the complete package. http://www.meisenheimer.com/sales_coaching/individual.shtml

Enough about sales management . . .

It's time to start thinking about the second-half of 2005.

Here are a few practical selling tips:

1. Prepare a list of what worked for you during the first half of 2005.

2. Prepare a list of what didn't work for you during the first half of 2005.

3. Prepare a written list of goals (Make them specific) that you want to achieve during the second half of 2005 - professional and personal.

4. For each written goal prepare a list of strategies that describes in considerable detail how you are planning to achieve each goal.

5. Identify the one thing that's holding you back from achieving phenomenal success. Be honest with yourself! Then, immerse yourself in a self-development program to convert this weakness into a personal strength.

This is not an exercise in futility. Actually, it's an exercise designed to help you achieve the personal growth and development you need to take your business to the next level.

If dealing with time management is an issue for you, my Audio Book "57 Ways To Take Control Of Your Time And Your Life" includes 57 creative ideas on how you can, once again, take control of your time and more importantly your life. Use this link for more information about the audio book and to see the extra stuff I'm including: http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=143021

Now go out and outsell and outsmart your competition . . .

Jim Meisenheimer is the No-Brainer Sales Training Guru. His sales techniques and selling skills focus on practical ideas that get immediate results. You can discover all his secrets by contacting him at (800) 266-1268 or e-mail: jim@meisenheimer.com

Use this link to sign-up for Jim's FREE No-Brainer Selling Tips Newsletter and to get your copy of my Special Report titled, "The 12 Dumbest Things Salespeople Do." http://www.meisenheimer.com

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