| As a sales manager, what do you consider to be | | | | difficult time getting anything more than average |
| your most important tasks and responsibilities? | | | | results. |
| When I ask this question in seminars and | | | | On the other hand, if you have been actively |
| workshops, most of the answers I receive | | | | recruiting, finding candidates one at a time as you |
| revolve around "making sure my sales team hits | | | | meet them, then you can slowly but gradually |
| their numbers." That's not a bad answer, and one | | | | "stack the deck" with nothing but superstar sales |
| that will probably make your owner or executive | | | | producers. Imagine how much easier it would be |
| management pretty happy. After all, so long as | | | | to manage a team like that - through the day to |
| your staff is moving products and opening | | | | day of quotas, product knowledge, etc. - than it |
| accounts, everything is going along just as it | | | | would be to try to motivate men and women |
| should be, right? | | | | who aren't up to the task. |
| That's mostly true, but it doesn't tell the whole | | | | You've probably had the same thoughts before. |
| story... | | | | So why don't you already have the best |
| I mention this now because, as I have worked | | | | salespeople possible working for you? First, |
| with dozens of companies across North America, | | | | because you probably aren't sure how to find |
| I've noticed an interesting trend - that a lot of | | | | them, or how to distinguish them from the |
| sales managers have trouble seeing the big | | | | average producers that look like superstars when |
| picture. That is, they are doing parts of their job | | | | they interview. And secondly, because you have |
| very well, but often aren't taking a long-term | | | | so many other things on your plate that you |
| view. | | | | never find the time to launch a full-scale recruiting |
| Now, before you rush off to tell me how | | | | effort. |
| impossible it is to think of the long-term when | | | | Here's my suggestion to you: try to take 15 |
| there are new products to master, new | | | | minutes a day and focus on being able to find and |
| competitors springing up all the time, and the | | | | evaluate top sales talent. Learn how to spot the |
| constant pressure of finding business, let me | | | | attributes of superstar performers, the right |
| assure you I understand. I'm not saying that | | | | questions to ask to uncover them, and the best |
| getting past these concerns is ever easy; what I | | | | ways to use personality assessments and other |
| am saying is that if you can keep an eye towards | | | | tools to predict success. Over the next few |
| the future, that future is going to get a lot easier. | | | | months, you'll become an expert on finding high |
| Let me explain: I consider sales managers to have | | | | achieving salespeople. |
| two important jobs. The first is the short-term, | | | | Once that happens, the rest will take care of |
| day to day responsibilities that probably sprang to | | | | itself. That's because you won't have to spend so |
| mind at the opening of this article. Those include | | | | much time looking for the salespeople you want |
| educating the sales staff, instilling product | | | | anymore - you'll be able to spot them in other |
| knowledge, keeping the team motivated, setting | | | | companies, in interviews, and even working jobs in |
| quotas, hiring sales trainers, and so on. Failure to | | | | other industries. Pretty soon, you'll have a |
| do any of these will almost certainly mean being | | | | database full of these people that you can turn to |
| replaced - or going out of business altogether - | | | | when you need to fill a position. |
| pretty quickly. | | | | Recruiting and developing top sales people is an |
| But in a larger sense, managers can make their | | | | important part of being a sales manager - possibly |
| lives easier by maintaining a consistent recruiting | | | | the most important - but it's a part that's easy to |
| effort and developing their best salespeople. It's | | | | lose track of as busy days and weeks roll by. Set |
| not always easy to worry about these when | | | | aside a little time each morning to work on your |
| there are dozens of other actionable items staring | | | | talent evaluation. It might not be as urgent as |
| you in the face, but consider this: if, five years | | | | some other things on your list, but it's a habit that |
| from now, you have a team filled with average | | | | will pay for itself many times over in the long run. |
| producers, then you're going to have a very | | | | |