Operational Sales Management

The modern sales manager has a range of roles, each important, each different and often competing, understanding those roles and balancing their demands is the key to success in the competitive world of selling.

This course addresses the range of competencies required by a field sales manager at the advanced level.  These give the manager a clear view of the responsibilities and requirements of a management role as well as a sound understanding of how their behaviour sets the tone and pace for their team.

Who Should Attend

Field sales managers, area or regional sales managers, and all other executives whose ability to motivate and manage salespeople is of paramount importance. The course is ideal for those at the first level of line management, many of whom will have the dual responsibility of managing and selling.

Course Objectives

After attending this course, participants will have the ability to:

• Identify the key differences between selling and managing
• Adopt the style of sales leadership most likely to get the best results in different situations (and the style of selling most appropriate to the/your marketplace)
• Become pro-active in behaviour; including forward thinking and planning
• Become a dynamic team builder, motivating people at a distance, stimulating team thinking and group performance
• Learn how to organise and run effective, motivational and results oriented sales team meetings
• Apply the skills of salesforce motivation, and recognise (and resolve by taking early corrective action) the damaging effect of de-motivation upon an individual and team
• Recognise the importance of teamwork and individual accountability in planning, setting and achieving targets (including accurate sales forecasting), linking the past with the present and future needs of the organisation
• Use effective financial and non-financial incentives to motivate
• Recruit people who can sell; from defining the job specification and person profile, advertising, the interviewing process, through to final selection
• Understand how technology, particularly the Internet, can be used by the manager and team to increase sales effectiveness
• Manage the team’s performance, including ongoing training and coaching, undertaking of counselling and disciplinary interviews and dealing with dismissal cases
• Increase personal effectiveness through their self-management skills, task prioritisation and effective delegation and the effective handling of paperwork, E-mail and voice mail
• Introduce and develop a genuine team relationship between manager, salesperson and sales team.

Course Programme

Crossing The Bridge From Selling To Managing
Making the transition to management
Understanding the sales management process
Working for turnover, profit and growth

Effective Sales Team Management
Establishing preferred and effective management styles
How to analyse your management style and its effect on your team
Matching your style to your market situation

Developing An Empowered Sales Team
Understanding group behaviours and the stages of team growth and development
Planning and running effective, motivational sales meetings
Managing and communicating with team members at a distance

High Performance Motivation
The theory and practice of effective sales motivation
Using financial and non-financial incentives to motivate
How to recognise and tackle de-motivation

Effective Sales Performance Management
Generating accurate annual, quarterly and monthly forecasts
Agreeing sales objectives, target setting and key performance indicators
Monitoring field sales activity and results within each business unit

Selecting People Who Can Sell
Developing and using an effective recruitment process
Writing and using job specifications to determine the person profile
Interviewing techniques that work for sales recruitment

Training And Personal Development
Designing an induction plan that accelerate performance
Consistent on-the-job coaching, in-field training and on going development
Using stretch targets and BHAGS

Time Management And Delegation
Improving your personal effectiveness and self management
Organising and managing yourself first, then organising others
The art of successful delegation

To talk through your requirements, including tailoring this course to suit your exact needs, please contact:

Faye Shipley
T: 01789 734300
E: fayes@structuredtraining.com