In the Sales and Management Blog, Paul McCord recently blogged about the importance of supporting your sales team. I agree that it is crucial for managers to not simply just “manage” but to also teach and serve their sales team. Sales reps are the backbone of the sales process, yet they are often underappreciated and used as scapegoats for the shortcomings of the firm; it is not often that sales managers are looked at as the problem but sometimes they are more at fault than anyone else for the simple reason that they are not assisting their reps to become better salesmen.
Sure, you can constantly replace members of your sales team if they are underperforming – but wouldn’t you rather foster a productive environment? An environment that promotes loyalty and shows appreciation to team members will motivate them, and encouraging them to work harder will ultimately make you more money.
Paul goes on to discuss how important it is for management to regularly give or send their reps to training sessions. In addition, proper coaching and support for the team is a necessary follow up for the training that they may receive; the training will teach them the concepts but coaching is necessary to show the reps how to apply those concepts.
In addition, managers need to make sure their sales team has the proper resources, such as the right prospecting tools. Without the right information, there’s no sale to be made. In terms of prospecting or selling tools, make sure your team is getting the most accurate, up-to-date information available. A sales enablement tool that incorporates social media, or triggers events is the most effective because you can keep on top of the mot current information and use that as a springboard to warm up your sales call.
