The qualities that make a person fantastic at selling – such as
passion, perseverance and confidence – are often the same qualities that can
make them difficult to manage. It can be difficult to find an approach that is
suitable for a mix of strong-willed people. However, there are a few general
approaches that tend to make the process run more smoothly.
1. Avoid setting
rules
Salespeople want the freedom to do the job in the best way they
can. If you set rules that they think are holding them back, they will find
ways around them, or ignore them entirely. Rather than making them spend time
coming up with ways to undermine you, embrace their creativity and allow them
the freedom to do what works.
2. Help them find
their own solutions
Salespeople are often confident enough in their own abilities that
they will not listen to advice. Rather than try to force this upon them, help
them to identify the problem and work through the cause and the solution. If
you guide them in the right direction in this way, they are more likely to make
the necessary change.
3. Ask for their
feedback
Your salespeople spend all day speaking to current and future
clients. They know the issues that frequently come up and they probably have
some thoughts on how these can be addressed. While they might not be able to
see the bigger picture, they will definitely have valuable insight – and they
will appreciate being asked.
4. Give them
positive feedback
Many salespeople are motivated by recognition as much as – or
possibly more than – money. Ensure that their successes are recognised and
rewarded. A public “well done” will always be well-received and will motivate
salespeople to continue achieving great results.
5. Remember they are
individuals
While the advice above will work for the majority of people most
of the time, it is not set in stone. Salespeople are individuals and there will
never be one approach that works perfectly. Take the time to get to know your
sales team individually and find out what works best with each of them.
Hays Sales UK are experts in all areas of sales recruitment. To find out more about how our expert consultants can support you, please visit our website.
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this. Once again, I find myself agreeing with your views. I espcially believe in your guidance on points one and five. Sales people battle unbelieveable pressure every day. They need to develop their own methods to perform at their best.
If not, they run the risk of burning out, from the structure, as opposed to the issues that should be challenging them.
The trouble is when Salespeople are promoted to managerial positions, they perhaps do not recieve the training they need to adapt their skill set adequately. Hopefully, this article will become a resource used by many.
Jamie Panter
City Therapy Partners