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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Essential People Management Skills for Sales Leaders

Essential People Management Skills for Sales Leaders

Sales leadership is not just about driving numbers and closing deals; it's fundamentally about people management.

The success of any sales team hinges on the ability of its leader to manage, motivate, and mentor their team effectively. Although many things contribute to your team’s overall success, there are five essential people management skills every sales leader must master to build a successful and motivated sales team.

Topics: leadership sales management

The 20% Dilemma: Managing Underperformance in Sales

Managing Underperformance in Sales

New data from the Media Sales Report shows that 46% of managers believe less than 20% of their sales teams are underperforming. 

It’s a terrible position to be in. It sucks your energy, time, and takes your focus from where you can be making a positive impact. It’s hard on leaders and underperformers. Underperformers usually fall into two categories:

1. The one that you hired, and they just can’t get it together. They consistently underdeliver on expectations. You hired them because you were confident they could do the job, they were maybe even going to be your next superstar, or so you hoped, but they haven’t met a budget and are underperforming.

2. The one that has performed well and is now consistently underperforming against their goals. What happened to them? They were great, but now….

Topics: sales management sales leadership

The Best Way to Sell Change to Management

 selling_an_idea_to_management

In business, change is necessary to adapt and grow to meet the needs of prospects and clients. Many companies and business executives tend to resist change - because change is hard and uncomfortable.

As a salesperson, you probably have some good ideas to help your company achieve its goals. Maybe you want to implement inbound marketing or add webinars or videos to your marketing mix. But how can you sell your ideas to management?

Proposing your change can be a daunting task, and rightfully so—only 54% of change initiatives succeed. To increase the chances of your idea for change to be successful, use an organized change management system.

Topics: sales management

Mastering the Art of Sales Management: Balancing the Pending vs Pipeline

Mastering the Art of Sales Management Balancing the Pending vs Pipeline

Sales management is an art that requires a delicate balance between the present and the future.

The key to success lies in mastering the art of balancing the pending vs pipeline. This means managing your current deals while also prospecting for new ones. As a sales manager, you must be able to prioritize your time and resources effectively to ensure that you are not only closing deals today but also building a strong pipeline for tomorrow.

In this highly competitive market, mastering this art is essential for any business that wants to stay ahead of the curve. In this article, we’ll explore the key strategies that will help you strike the perfect balance between the pending and pipeline, and take your sales management skills to the next level.

Whether you are a seasoned sales professional or a newbie in the game, read on to learn how to master the art of sales management.

Topics: sales management sales pipeline

Which is More Important in a Sales Manager: Empathy or Accountability?

Which is More Important in a Sales Manager Empathy or Accountability

Imagine you’re at the grocery store with your three-year-old son. He’s promised you he’ll behave, and you’re planning to surprise him with a treat at the checkout counter.

You’re roughly halfway through your grocery list when he starts to get antsy. He wants out of the cart and promptly begins pulling things off the shelves, so you put him back in the cart, and he begins throwing a temper tantrum. You look at your watch – it’s getting close to lunchtime, which is closely followed by naptime. It’s becoming apparent that you have a decision to make.

Do you choose to use empathy by giving him a big hug, telling him you love him, and letting him know you understand it can be tough to be patient—or do you choose to hold him accountable to his promise of good behavior? And which one is the right thing to do?

Topics: leadership sales management

5 Proven Strategies for Boosting Your Team's Sales and Unlocking Their Full Potential

5 Proven Strategies for Boosting Your Teams Sales and Unlocking Their Full Potential

As a sales manager, you play a crucial role in driving results and maximizing the potential of your team. But managing a team is no easy task - it requires a balance of setting clear goals, providing ongoing training and support, and effectively communicating with your team.

If you're looking to up your game and take your team to the next level, here are five proven strategies to help you succeed.

Topics: sales management sales leadership

3 Unique Ways Sales Managers are Leading Hybrid Sales Teams

5 Unique Ways Sales Managers are Leading Hybrid Sales Teams

If you are like me, the idea of your sales team working remotely was beyond your imagination. Every once in a while, you might hear a rumor about a salesperson that worked from home a couple of days of the week, but they were more like myths than reality. Oh, sure, they are "working from home," and I saw "Big Foot" run across my backyard.

However, with the pandemic, the world changed seemingly overnight.  

You went from a team that worked 100% in the office to a team that worked 100% remotely, and now that COVID is "over," you have a team that works in a hybrid model. 

Have you changed your management style to match the new reality of a hybrid sales team?

Topics: leadership sales management hybrid work

10 Delivery-Related Issues Affecting Sales Managers

10 Delivery-Related Issues Affecting Sales Managers

Sales managers are responsible for overseeing the success of a company’s sales department. However, unless sales managers can cooperate with the production/service delivery teams, it will be difficult for sales to back up their promises and/or fulfill the customer’s needs.

Most sales teams know that a successful delivery strategy is essential in the modern era, even if accomplishing this goal is easier said than done. But, by leveraging our tips, your own customer research, and back-and-forth team communication, several delivery-related issues are solvable.

Topics: sales management

Top Articles of 2021: Sales Leadership

Best-2021_Sales Leadership-1

As we get closer to the New Year, we're taking some time to reflect on 2021 and the success we've seen our clients achieve. While many are enjoying this special holiday with family and friends, we're bringing you a recap of the most popular posts we've published in 2021. 

Providing quality content that helps our clients and visitors improve their sales performance is a goal of ours, and we hope this blog has brought you insight, education, and tips to get you on the path to success.

We've searched for the most popular blogs of 2021, and we've curated these lists that will publish each day this week to bring you some of the most informative content from the year. Check out these top blogs on sales leadership from 2021.

Topics: sales performance sales management

Micromanagement — The Pros and Cons That Every Manager Should Know

Micromanagement — The Pros and Cons That Every Manager Should Know

Every manager or business leader has their own style of managing their teams. While some managers believe in empowering their subordinates with autonomy, others like to keep the discretion to themselves.

However, the smartest of managers are those who keep modifying their management styles with the latest workplace trends. Speaking of workplace trends, you already know that a lot about workplaces are changing at a swift pace. Now when remote working and hybrid offices are the new working dimensions, a lot is bound to get overhauled.

Are the positive effects of micromanagement enough to outweigh the downsides, or is it the other way around? Every manager should mull over this when they consider the significance or the relevance of micromanagement.

Topics: sales management sales leadership