The Move To Sales Management - Assessing The Fit

Two different disciplines

Most successful sales managers have a solid support structure provided by high-level executive management. They are empowered to make things happen and trained to know where to find the necessary resources. Successful sales managers know how to take stock of their team, identify best practices and replicate them across the organisation. To help individual members reach their goals, they provide coaching as well.

Not every star salesperson wants to be a sales manager. Some want to make the transition, but find themselves unhappy once in the new role because no one articulated what to expect. No one taught them the skills and methodologies they would need as sales managers. Others may not be suited to the role of sales manager. This is why an honest self-evaluation and a thorough assessment should be prerequisites to the transition.

First, perform an informal self evaluation. To do that, you'll need to gather some information from current sales managers and - if possible - from sales executives. Seek out these individuals either at your own organisation or at other companies. Arrange a time to sit down and talk with them (preferably in person, but the telephone is okay if distance or time is a problem).

Ask questions and take notes. Among the things to ask these seasoned professionals:

• What does a sales manager do day-to-day?
  
  
• What are the risks of a sales manager?
  
  
• What are some real best and worst case examples of sales managers?
  
  
• How do the activities of a sales manager align with the organisation's overall strategies?
  
  
• Where can the job lead - to the C-suite?
  
  
• What are the steps between sales management and executive management - how long might it take to arrive in the C-suite?
  
  
• What criteria will be used to assess performance in the new role?
  
  
• What resources will be made available and what must sales managers come up with on their own?
  
  
• What kind of training is available to help transition into the new role and what training is available for your team?
  
  

Once you have a clear sense of the job requirements, the expectations senior management will have of you, how you will be rewarded, and the resources you will have at your disposal, ask yourself a simple question: "Do I actually want this?".

A simple question, yes, but many factors must be considered when determining your answer. Are you an individual contributor or a team contributor? Do you get excited by the idea of the organisation as a whole achieving its goals, or do you care about making your own numbers, exceeding your goals and achieving success on your own terms?

While your personal traits and characteristics are not written in stone, change can be hard. Plus, you may not want to change.

Knowing what you know so far about sales management, do you feel you fit the profile? Is it the right job for you, or should you remain a star salesperson? Visualise yourself in the role - performing the functions of a sales manager day in and day out. Would you be happy? Or would you prefer to remain in sales? Is it going to help you get where you need to be long term? There is no right or wrong answer. Only you know what's best for you, given your background, your inclinations and the organisation where you work.

Now that you have taken stock of what strengths you can bring to the role and what areas challenge you most, you may want to consider whether there is training available to help you get up-to-speed in areas where you need improvement. For example, great salespeople may never have had to coach other salespeople - especially ones with more experience. Great salespeople may never have had to give a performance review, set sales goals for others, motivate poor performers, help a team devise a prospecting plan, know when it's time to bring an executive into the sales process or know how to align sales and marketing activities.

You could be a great salesperson, able to communicate to customers the value of your products and services. But can you communicate with fellow salespeople to help them understand why customers buy from you, who the decision-makers are at your target companies and how to appeal to each decision-maker's unique needs? These skills can all be learned. But does your employer offer such training? Some sales managers must learn these and other critical, proven methodologies on their own.

As you proceed, keep in mind that the most successful sales managers identify internal and external coaches. Even before your promotion, it's not too early to find yourself a good coach or two. Of the sales executives and sales managers with whom you spoke, which ones gave the best advice?

As described, some organisations offer very little training to up-and-coming sales managers. Once you're in your new role, it may be up to you to locate the resources your team will need. Identifying coaches who can help you navigate the twists and turns of sales management is a good idea.

If you're a sales manager or sales executive, and you're thinking about promoting one of your outstanding salespeople to a sales management role, we recommend asking that person to conduct their own discovery and self assessment. There are tools available on the market that make following-up with assessments an easier process and highlight the benefit of the practice. Rather than the assessment being viewed as a pass-or-fail test to determine whether the candidate is "management material", think of the assessment as one part of a process that involves self evaluation, formal assessment and appropriate training.

Many organisations fail to provide sales managers with clear objectives, tools or processes to do their jobs effectively. This can be disastrous for sales managers who get stuck between a C-suite that doesn't communicate well, or neglects to align strategies with rewards, and a sales team that lacks clear direction.

Based on what you've learned so far about your organisation, your team and yourself, it is time to develop a plan of attack. If your organisation's executives haven't done so, you should begin to think about the clear objectives you will set for your team and how those objectives align with the organisation's key strategies and goals.

Like any other discipline, sales management requires proper behaviours and interactions that build rapport, keep the lines of communication open and apply proven methodologies to the job. And like any other discipline, sales management has its own challenges and rewards.

Before considering or accepting a promotion from sales representative to sales manager, conduct your 3-step process to ensure you are headed in a direction that aligns well with your personal goals:

1. Learn what sales management is about and what it takes to be successful in the role. Sales managers impact an organisation in ways that salespeople do not.
   
   
2. Perform an honest self assessment to determine whether you really want the promotion and if it's right for you.
   
   
3. Identify coaches, mentors, processes and tools you'll need as a sales manager.
   
   

Because the skills required in the roles of salesperson and sales management are so different, the transition is not one to be considered lightly. Never assume it will work itself out on its own. It won't. Rather, preparation, planning, and support are critical to making this career path a successful one.

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