Mar 6, 2025 | Sales Management, Team Building
By far, the most common sales managers are those who used to be sales reps. Let’s discuss why this is.
Company Motivation
First, it’s an “easy button” for upper management and HR. Who better understands salespeople than other salespeople? This allows the company to show that it promotes from within. It also indicates that strong-performing individuals have a career path up.
Second, when a sales manager position opens up, who are the likely people to know and apply for the position? And how likely will HR or upper management know where to recruit from this position outside the organization? Like salespeople, companies usually don’t know where or how to source sales management talent.
Next, the mostly flawed logic that a top-performing rep will replicate themselves. Spoiler alert they won’t. No Type 1 sales manager or sports player/coach has ever been able to replicate themselves. Think of Magic Johnson coaching the Lakers…total disaster. Managers who try to replicate themselves are automatically set up to fail. The other reps are not like them, or they would already be top-performing. Make sure you set expectations and then perform a behavioral interview around this strategy, or disaster awaits.
Last, who thinks they understand what the sales manager does every day better than sales reps who have worked side by side with the manager throughout their tenure with the organization? This last one is dangerous for the sales rep applying for the position and for HR or upper management to agree with this logic.
Applicant Motivation
What drives a well-performing rep to apply for the sales manager position?
First, the ability to get out of the rat race. Many salespeople I see apply for this position are just tired. They are exhausted and anxiety-ridden about carrying a quota every month/quarter. For many, this leads to burnout. Without a good sales manager to help them through this, the open sales manager position looks like a way out. The sales rep must understand, that moving to sales manager leads to a bigger quota, not no quota. Is this a trade they want to make?
Next, despite being side-by-side with the sales manager for however long the rep has been with the organization, they don’t have a good handle on what the sales manager does. By observation, they think they understand what the sales manager has been doing and believe they can do this job. When appointments are over, the rep follows up, prepares for the next steps, continues prospecting, etc. The sales manager has never-ending administrative tasks, other reps to check on, meetings to prepare for, and any proactive tasks they can fit into their schedule to try and get ahead. This is why I see so many sales managers who feel stuck behind a desk replying to emails and not finding ways to interact and help their reps.
Another motivation is the promise of more money. This is a misunderstanding by not having all the information. The best compensation plans I have seen within companies will pay a top-performing rep better than a top-performing sales manager. For the record, I 100% agree that is how it should be. If a sales manager wants more money, find more top-performing reps. This becomes a new challenge if the rep has the correct motivation.
Lastly, the better motivation. The rep wanting to promote has aspirations to lead and make those around them better. They understand they are taking a pay cut. They don’t care. Developing people becomes the primary driver of what they want to do. These are the sales managers that last. These are the sales managers who perform the longest at the highest levels.
Success
Companies looking for new sales managers can succeed by promoting from within. The first step is for HR and upper management to avoid the path of least resistance. Second, don’t fall victim to the idea of top performers “replicating” themselves. If the company is committed to the process, recruitment of the next sales manager begins before you need that role. What are you doing today to give development chances to top-performing sales reps to see if they want this role should it come open? Giving reps the insight ahead of time helps them see what happens day-to-day.
For the salespeople applying, what is their motivation? If we cannot trust them to self-assess (which is normal for all people), then you have to protect the company, the sales team, and this rep with a solid behavioral interview to get to the honest answer of what is driving them to apply for this role. If you are certain, it is peer development, they have passed the first gate and you are likely on the road to a better-performing sales manager.
Outcomes
In my experience, Type 1 sales managers outnumber Type 2 sales managers by 5:1 or more. Despite this weighted difference, I have seen similar success percentages of both types. Better behavioral interviewing and better candidate pool selection will improve the company’s odds of a good sales manager with a long tenure regardless of sales manager Type.
Mar 4, 2025 | Sales Management, Team Building
Every sales manager is looking for better team motivation. The immature managers will give the ever-familiar “more” strategy. Offering no assistance, no insight, just a demand for “more”. The mature sales manager will seek incentives or offer insights and assistance in working as a team toward a winning goal. The issue here is the sales manager is siloed to their team. “We are all in this together” and “it’s us against the world” are where this normally leaves these managers when they want to find a way to gain greater progress. This is why Self-determination Theory is a better motivation strategy for sales managers.
Autonomy
It begins with Autonomy. First, how much control do you give the reps over their decisions? When people feel in charge of what decisions they can make, this feels empowering to them. They feel more in control of what power they have to influence what happens in their life. People want the freedom to make decisions. Imagine how you feel when your decision capability is limited. Second, how much control do you give them over their calendar? I know some meetings have to happen. Do you keep this consistent and allow your team to make decisions around how they spend the rest of their time? If you don’t trust your reps to make these decisions, you either have the wrong team members, or you haven’t learned to trust and empower. Either way, this is a great learning moment for you as a sales manager. People want options and empowerment of their time. If you need to coach time efficiency with your people, do it immediately, so you can allow them the Autonomy they need to run their day.
Competence
After we all first learn a skill, our progress in this skill (like sales) becomes incremental. Think of something you have been doing for a long time, like driving. You are probably getting better at driving every day. But it is difficult for you to see any improvement you might be making because what has changed is slight. The same thing is happening to your sales reps. To show Competence to an adult, you have to find things (KPIs) that you can objectively measure. Then you have to track this information and then you have to share it with your rep. This will show them that not only have they improved in an area, but that you see the improvement. What better feedback can you give to someone? Imagine if your rep believes they have been crushing objections from prospects in the last year. But they have nothing to base it on. Then you walk up and hand them a document showing they have improved on objection handling because of tracking KPI. They will feel seen. Both of you KNOWING where improvements have come, allows for more trusted coaching conversations.
Relatedness
So far, the two items I have covered in Self-determination Theory are about individuals on your team. Now, we need to think bigger when we talk about “team”. The best examples I can give are around sports teams. Think of a basketball team. Typically, no bigger than 12 players, usually dominated by 5 starters for playing time. Then you have coaches, equipment managers, and trainers. By comparison, this should equate to your “team”. Sales reps, managers, sales support, etc. But now is the critical part of Self-determination Theory, making your team bigger. When you think of that basketball team I described, they don’t play alone. They have parents, fans, the band, teachers, school administrators, cheerleaders, etc. It goes on and on. When a coach can create a bigger following, the team will almost always perform better. As a sales manager, you aren’t trying to get people to come to the game. You are trying to create a goal/strategy that applies to more than just your team. And then make the word “team” apply to more people in and outside your organization. This can include finance, operations, accounting, customer service, project management, upper management, and even corporate headquarters. Even if your goal/strategy is more geographic, can you get these others involved to cheer your team on? Everyone wants to be a part of a winning team. Getting a bigger “fan” base can increase your team’s motivation. I have seen reps who were labeled as “selfish” do the most unselfish things because they want to help the “team” win. Relatedness is the most powerful part of Self-determination Theory. Spend time on your goals/strategy to find ways to grow your “team”.
Based on what you know about Self-determination Theory, what changes can you make starting today to help your team be more successful?
Mar 3, 2025 | Sales Management, Team Building
For college football fans reading this, have you ever wondered why some coaches seem to always win or be at the top of the polls or their conference, year after year? You can take a naïve view and say it’s all money and boosters (which might be partly true), but the real unseen reason is these coaches understand that TALENT WINS. You probably understand and believe that too. But where is the talent? Aw, the real question. The coaches I refer to above travel around the country all year long, scouting, meeting, and assessing high school talent. Trying to figure out who will best fit their program. When they get it right, they win (at least in that player’s position). When they get it wrong, they must go out and recruit a new/better player for next year. But these coaches create their luck by finding the top talent in the most positions and recruiting them to their program. As a Sales Manager, this is your primary job.
The good news is most of you can stay local to meet your potential talent. But you need to meet with salespeople every week. The more reps you meet, the better your understanding of the overall talent in your area. Assessing their abilities now, before you need them. Determining the most talented (as you see them), assessing their timing for a change (the biggest hurdle), and selling them on you as the leader they would rather follow than the one they are following today. The coaches above compete with other coaches for the most talented players they meet. And these coaches must tell a better story about where their program is heading to sign that athlete. So must you. So how are you convincing the most talented salespeople to come work for you? Potentially a better salary or better comp plan might be available to you. But even that is limited if a rep has to start over by moving to your company. So, what can you offer?
You Have to Tell a Better Story to Land Talent
Just like with athletics, salespeople want to win. Are you a winning team? Are you building a winning team? Part of your recruitment must be sharing your current team goals and your vision of the future. Understanding the rep, you are recruiting by understanding their goals is helpful to you in building a vision for them of how they would fit in your vision of the future. Just like top coaches, top sales managers can communicate these visions passionately so that top talent will follow them to achieve these goals that are being set out there. Everyone likes to win. By showing these prospective reps that you have a vision of winning and that they could be instrumental in helping the team win, can win out over a few percentages of money and comp plan differences. Remember, both sides are taking a risk here. The rep is leaving a known. A known salary, compensation plan, company, management, etc. You are asking them to take a leap of faith for the same unknowns. Knowing you, your company’s outside reputation, and documentation on salary and compensation plan are helpful, but being part of something bigger than they are today, is what is likely to move a great rep from a comfortable position.
So, how good is your story? How big are your teams’ goals?
Feb 28, 2025 | Sales Management, Team Building
Where is your next salesperson coming from? This is always an interesting question in a forum. Many do not know. Some think they will appear from hope or wish. Many don’t begin the search until a need arises. If you are a Sales Manager or higher in the Sales org chart, this should be a big concern at all times. Good salespeople are hard to find. Great salespeople are even harder to find and sometimes feel mythological.
Meeting When There Is No Position Open
Weeding out good and bad sales fits should not be a reactive thing you do when a vacancy appears on the team. A proactive candidate pool is hard work. But it will more than pay off when it comes time to fill a spot on the team. If you lose a salesperson and do not have a pool of candidates, it can take 60-90 days to build the pool before you even run interviews. This leaves you and your team short-handed for over a quarter of the year. This can lead to rushed or impatient hiring, and if that hire is bad, it can haunt you for years. Having this pool of candidates ready to go reduces hiring time by up to 60 days. And you will start from a place of strength by having only solid candidates to pick from.
I encourage Sales Management to meet salespeople from 3 specific groups.
Competitor Reps
Group 1, your competition. This allows you to assess the people closest to what you sell. This should be the easiest group to consider, and you get the side benefit of really knowing your competition. From each competitor, who are their strongest salespeople? Not just on paper. Is this rep capable of doing better at your company and under your direction? This group should also allow for the fastest onboarding and ramp production, as these reps do not have to learn the industry, just the company systems. One word of caution, make sure they think through their non-compete (really non-solicitation). Can they generate business without existing clients?
Adjacent Industry Reps
Group 2 is adjacent industries. These are salespeople who sell something similar but do not quite compete with your offering. This still allows for easy assessment, but you must evaluate the learning curve this salesperson would go through if they transitioned to your product or service. I encourage asking them to explain back to you how they relate what they sell today with what you sell. If they can make this connection, it will improve their onboarding.
Reps Far Removed from Your Industry
Group 3 consists of salespeople completely outside of your industry. They will be harder to evaluate, and they may need to score higher on aptitude to make sure they can learn your company’s products or services quickly enough, while learning the admin/systems side during onboarding. For any hires from this group, you must temper your expectations for production to be a bit slower as they have more to learn. When you find a good candidate from this group, you will find they bring fresh ideas and unique takes on prospects.
I am a strong proponent of meeting with potential salespeople 2-3 times per week, even when you are not hiring. If you are afraid of what salespeople you may be missing out on in the world, this will be the best way to allay your fears. Meeting this many reps allows you to see how many reps outside your organization you would evaluate as not being able to succeed in your organization, which should be a high percentage. I find the fear of missing out drives high anxiety among Sales Managers and their upper management. Every company’s profile of a great salesperson is different. This is good that you will not have as much competition for the salesperson that is the right fit for you and your company. This is bad, in that you will have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a person to add to your talent pool.
How to Leave this Meeting
A word of advice. If you uncover a diamond of a rep in this meeting and you have no current open positions, communicate your interest and let them know they are in your candidate pool. Timing will be everything in this relationship. I would let rep prospects know, “I want you to interview in any of my upcoming interviews”. Then I would own the fact that timing is everything. I would always let them know, that every time a position comes open, I am going to reach out to you. I will ask if now is the time. If it isn’t, I will put you back in the pool and check with you again the next time. They won’t come out of the pool unless they ask. Even then, I would still call when a position was open. Check-in with your pool candidates every six months to see how they are doing. Remember, this is still a courting process. Just because you were interested once, doesn’t mean they don’t need to hear you are still interested.
While building a proactive candidate pool is hard work, the other option is anxiety about what to do when a rep leaves…and a rep will eventually leave.
