Page 99 - The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million - PDFDrive.com

trouble one quarter, it was not a problem. They would simply increase their own
activity and get back on track.

As these salespeople transition to management, they lose that direct control.
They must achieve their goals through the salespeople on their teams. This new
paradigm can be a frustrating and difficult transition for folks who used to
control their own destinies.

So what do they do? They start doing the important calls for their salespeople.
“Just set me up with your next demo. I'll run it for you. I'll get the deal done.”

This dynamic is dangerous, as the manager ends up smothering and spoiling her
salespeople. Because they are no longer closing deals themselves, the
salespeople start to lose confidence in their own abilities. They also grow
apathetic. “Hey, if I can just bring my manager on every call, she'll get me to
quota or fail. Either way, it's not my fault.”

“Avoid the common pitfalls of new managers: exhibiting weak time
management around coaching, acting as a glorified salesperson, and giving
up on new hires too early.”

This approach simply does not scale. Managers need to be patient with their
salespeople. As a manager, it is painful to hear a salesperson mishandle an
objection and not speak up, but it's essential to that salesperson's development.
He needs to skin his knees. The coaching will come afterwards. Managers need
to teach salespeople how to get themselves out of trouble and stay productive
without too much hand-holding. They need to be efficient coaches. They need to
diagnose skill deficiencies, devise custom coaching strategies, and coach
effectively.

Giving Up on a Salesperson Too Early

It is such an amazing feeling when one of your new hires comes out of training
crushing the phones, exceeding quota after quota, and maintaining a great
attitude. All it took was a few simple nudges by you as her manager.

Unfortunately, not all hires work out that way. More often than not, I would
receive reports from managers stating that their new sales hire “just wasn't
working out.” The more inexperienced the sales manager, the sooner I would
receive the news.