By Frank Costantino, Managing Partner
Ever take a step back and wonder why, as a Sales Leader, everything is going well? Your team is running on all cylinders; you’re making your numbers; you’re participating in terrific client calls; you’re just winning the game. Life is good!
Let me answer the question for you. You are simply doing your job! Quick story: In 1981, I was twenty-nine years old and was promoted to a Sales Manager. I didn’t know it at the time, but I found out that I was the youngest person to achieve this position, in the history of the company. A couple of weeks in, my boss approached me and clearly articulated what he expected from me. I thought that this would be quite a detailed one-way conversation about numbers, performance, strategy, you’ve got thirty days, and … etc. Instead, I was coached to understand that my sole responsibility was to HIRE, TRAIN and DEVELOP people. “That’s it”, I confidently asked. “That’s it, he said, “and one more thing; good luck!”
Fast forwarding, I realized that I learned a lot that day, perhaps best said by Jack Welch, from his book, Winning:
“Nothing matters more in winning than getting the right people on the field. All the clever strategies and advanced technologies in the world are nowhere near as effective without great people to put them to work.”
Surrounding yourself with talent, I mean, real smart, quality, don’t need much from you talent, is the true meaning of why life is good.
Best described by Ronald Brown, From Selling to Managing, effective sales leadership begins with understanding good management:
Good management is the capacity to get people of ordinary ability to perform in an extraordinary manner.
A good manager is one who can get more work and better performance out of those reporting to him/her, willingly.
A manager is one who gets things done through others or with others.
None of this happens without truly believing that your success is all about the three basics:
HIRE
Develop a Position Profile for the position(s) being filled
Develop hiring standards for the open position
Be committed to the standards you establish
Prepare for and schedule the proper time for each interview, including social media
Complete hiring process, references, etc.
Articulate your expectations and establish sales goals, measurements and initiate sales planning process
TRAIN
Formally welcome your new hire to your company demonstrating your commitment to provide skills, knowledge, behaviors, and resources to be proficient, comfortable, and successful in the new hires position
Introduce your new hire to your Sales On-boarding Program
Review your company’s blended approach to training (e-learning, instructor-led training, role playing and simulations, and continual coaching, feedback, and testing
Gain your new hires commitment to meeting your training objectives
Review training plan and schedule for the first ninety days
DEVELOP
Invest in your sales person and sales team
Maintain your continuous improvement approach share knowledge, processes, skills and tools necessary to be ever more effective and efficient
Establish the “Monday Morning meeting”
Continue to provide leadership for on-going motivation and a continued “learning” culture
At Butler Street, we understand what it takes to develop winning strategies to attract and maintain top talent. We have a clearly defined Talent Development approach to acquiring, retaining and developing your organizations number asset – your people. We have designed our program to include: Recruitment and Selection Process; Associate Engagement Surveys, Analytics and Implementation; Leveraging Knowledge Teams to Drive Change; Aligning Metrics, Rewards & Recognition.
Each engagement begins with our Talent Development Diagnostic Survey resulting in a fact-based finding report serving as the foundation for a true talent development delivery system for your company. To begin a dialogue, just click on CONTACT and let's start the conversation.
