Black Sales Journal

It is a great job, and someone has got to do it!  Sales management is one of the best and most important jobs in any organization.  How do you land this important position?  What tools is your employer looking for?  What do you have to do to stand out?

This job, which is the logical ‘next step’ is sought after by those that realize that there is more to a career than money, although the job pays well.  This job is an important ‘gateway’ to the management ranks in your organization.  Knowing the customer as well as you do gives a leg up to sales managers when other jobs open up in an organization if they perform well.

Originally discussed in 2011 take a look at the path and the tools that could land you that management job this spring/summer, and always be prepared.

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The role of sales manager was one of the most rewarding positions I ever worked.  To be able to bring fresh new sales talent into an organization was always exciting.  To make the moves to mold an existing sales unit into a conglomeration of individuals who reached and exceed sales goals with regularity was exciting as well.

The patience and determination that job required was amazing, while at the same time, it required one to quickly see thought the mud while pressing for accountability from sales the professionals.

It is a fact that sales managers, if they are solid in all aspects of management, make good managers in total.  They understand the customer better that others as well as the process of business development.

Even more important is the reality that the Black sales professional, even when moderately successful in sales, should consider a pitch for that important sales management job.  We will touch on that in this post.

Being prepared, and having the tools is important.  Let’s discuss some of the ways that you can be prepared for the opportunity.

The Most Important Tools for Sales Management

There are requisite skills for every job out there, and that is true for the job of sales manager as well.  Most sales managers are given a first assignment in a field unit, then increasing responsibility as District Sales Managers, Regional Sales Managers, and Vice Presidents of Sales.

Someone with responsibility for an operation, such as a General Manager, will want in their employ someone who does not resort to excuses or finger pointing at other units.  They need someone who understands the sales process.  I listed some of the skills and attributes that individuals responsible for operations look for when they seek a leader for a sales unit:

• Leadership
• Coach and Trainer
• Visionary
• Team Builder
• Motivator

Now, couple these with the fact that you also want these attributes in the leader of your sales unit:

• Intelligence
• Responsibility and Integrity
• Mental Toughness
• Accountability

If you can get these items, in various amounts, even with need for improvement, you can be an effective manager.

Do you have these skills?  If you have them, have you been able to demonstrate them? These are important questions as this is where you can make a difference.

Let’s Take A Closer Look

Leadership - This most important attribute can be demonstrated by your accepting responsibility in meetings, projects, breakout groups, and other assignments.  Don’t be in the “everyone else took a step back” situation.  Step to the front and claim the role as a leader.

Coach and Trainer – This is an important role for a sales manager, so to the degree that you can demonstrate it, you will show initiative and skill.  Best suggestion; mentor other sales professionals in your organization.  Nothing works better than another professional saying that you helped with his or her career.  You also learn in the process.

Visionary – This is an attribute more than a skill, yet totally necessary in the sales management realm.  I speak of it in Black Sales Journal, March 7, 2010, Be The Consummate Professional. It is what happens when you know what you are doing well as a professional, and knowing your organization, and are able to determine ways processes or products can be done better.  It is foreseeing the change before it is necessary.

Team Builder – This one you can do, and are probably doing already.  Now, remember why it is important … Sales professionals are used to being mavericks.  They are used to a “zero sum” game, “I win, or you win, we both don’t win.”  The ranks of sales is not stocked with team builders, you can stand out from those that are faking it.

Motivator – It might be hard to prove your level of skill on this one.  You can show energy, enthusiasm, as well as drive in interacting with your manager and others.  They must see you as being able to provide an atmosphere of motivation that will benefit others.

Intelligence – This one is one that cannot be faked.  You need to have the basic intelligence to run the business of distributing the company’s product.  They will not give you an aptitude test, yet they will look at everything you have done lately, and how you handled it.  Do you understand business functions, and can you think “on the fly?”

Responsibility and Integrity – I put these two together for a reason. These, as is intelligence, are reasons that professionals don’t get into sales management.  If you are whiney, and complaining, even when you are correct, you will not get there.  If you “fudge” on expense reports, and the only reason that actions are not taken are that they cannot prove you did, you will not get there.  Show responsibility and always exude integrity, and you will be looked on favorably.

Mental Toughness and Balance – You cannot be a sales manager if you don’t exude mental toughness.  You cannot be down one day and up the next.  It does not work that way when you are responsible for others.  Know that the “sun will come up tomorrow” in everything you do.  Know the law of large numbers and be able to teach it to others.

Accountability – Be accountable, and be able to expect it from others.  Avoid excuses, and always know your role, your goals, and everyone else’s.  Accountability is the rule in management, and even more in sales management.

How You Can Get Prepared?

If you are Black, you recognize that Blacks are underrepresented in sales.   It suffices to say that they are well underrepresented in sales management.  We, frankly have woeful numbers in the sales management ranks.

The way to have more Black sales managers is to perform well and formulate and implement strategies that make you successful.  Black Sales Journal can help you in that regard.   Perform well as sales professional, and strategize as to the best time to make the move to management.  The positions come up when managers retire, get promotions, or are terminated.

That means you need to draw up ‘your own’ succession plan for your organization.  How long does your managers, or his or her peers have to work before promotion, retirement, or termination?  Who is your competition, and what do they have as their attributes as compared you?  Show your motivation, always increase your knowledge, and above all, do everything you do with integrity.

You will get your chance to show your  preparation and you qualifications.  Don’t waste it.  Always be prepared!

We welcome your comments.

I once finished an important sales call at an important client with my manager.  I thought the sales call went well, but after the call, on the way back to the office, my manager said to me, “How do you think it went?”.  I quickly responded, “I thought it went well.  How do you think it went?”

My manager looked at me and said, “I thought you did a good job.  We will know what the customer thinks soon.”

He was right, we would know soon, but by then, the sales call might only be a memory.  We needed to do our sales post mortem (BSJ 9/22,The ‘Successful’ Post Mortem) then as an individual, you need to evaluate your performance as you look for ways to continuously improve (BSJ 4/19 Continuous Improvement – Get Better or Lose You Job).

I thought about it for a while, and envisioned a report card to use after major sales calls.  I just thought about it, and did nothing other than that.  I told a coworker about it, and he actually used the elements that I thought about and constructed something that I eventually re-developed and will show you.

The most important thing is to keep it as simple as possible.

To the Point

This is as simple as it gets.  A word document that scores some major categories and gives a letter grade of A, B, C, or D.  This simple scoring allows a numerical grade to be levied in this fashion:

A = 4

B = 3

C = 2

D = 1

What are you measuring?  Well we will define the categories shortly, but the important thing is that you self-grade based on your opinion of your performance in the following areas:

• Preparation & Organization
• Presentation
• Relationship Development
• Close
• Follow-up

Preparation and Organization– Did you do your homework, gather your information, and research the client, as you need to do?  Were you organized by having all of the information at your fingertips?

Presentation – Did you do a good job presenting to the prospect including the presentation documents, including sales collateral that you left behind.  Did you support your claims and offer proof statements, references, and testimonials as was necessary?

Relationship Development – Every touch to the prospect should enhance the relationship!  Did you enhance the relationship today?  Did you find out any more about your customer’s business than you knew before? Did you make yourself even more memorable?

Close – The close is obviously an important portion of the sales process.  Your technique, timing, and effectiveness are all important.  How did you technically do on the close?

Follow-Up – Did you close this out with a letter, card, or perhaps an email?  Did you complete any takeaways from the meeting quickly and responsively?  The job is not over until the takeaways are done.

Being Objective

So now that you have a system, you need to be objective.  You have 5 categories, but you can add more.  Remember, you need to keep it simple.  Grading 4 – 1 for each category and totaling your points cumulatively, and you will show a total score fore each self-evaluation.

Here is an example:

Preparation & Organization    4 points

Presentation                               3 points

Relationship Development      2 points

Close                                            3 points

Follow-up                                    2 points

Total                                            14 points/out of 20 Points

Clearly, your self-evaluation shows that you have some work to do, and you know it.  If you are willing to lie to yourself, you will never improve.  If you will remember the BSJ post on continuous improvement (Black Sales Journal 4/19 – Continuous Improvement – Get Better or Lose Your Job!), here are the weak points that you can focus on.

You may think this is overly simplistic, and will not work; yet I will disagree.  Any time you can focus on getting better, you are changing something!

Black sales professionals have significant challenges, and have much to do.  So why should you add to that?  Yes, it is the continuous effort to be the best.  Being the best comes from continuous improvement.   How do you know if you are improving?  You measure it.

If you are able to get consistent self-scoring of 18-20, you are maximizing your situations. Knowing that you are improving in the ways that will increase your future sales is important.  Yes, the ultimate measure is whether you make your sales goals.  This is meant to help you evaluate your weaknesses so you can consistently reach that goal.

I know several people who are using this or a similar grading system, and they like it.

Evaluate yourself and ‘keep score’.

Your comments are welcome.