Mike Weinberg Simplifies Sales Management – Episode 45

One of the most important roles in any sales oriented organization is that of the sales manager. So much depends on that individual being effective at motivating and training salespeople as well as being a personal coach to them to help them up their sales game. This episode is a conversation with Mike Weinberg about his new book, “Sales Management Simplified.” Mike’s got tons of insight into the sales world, the sales process, and the team dynamics that go on inside of companies that are detrimental to sales and company growth. If you are in a management role over salespeople, you can’t miss this episode.

I get nervous when the sales leader is not focused on driving sales & leading ~ Mike WeinbergClick To Tweet

Sales Managers need to avoid putting on the “Fire Chief Helmet.”

Any business is going to go through seasons of difficulty, problems, and crises. Leaders are typically the ones who grab the fire hose and start to put out the fires because they are the ones who have the insight and drive to handle things. But sales managers cannot do that. Ever. Why? Because their job is the lifeblood of the organization: sales. If sales are not coming in, the organization cannot thrive. The sales manager who jumps out of his role as sales manager and into the role of fire douser will unintentionally strangle the organization.

Why you should NEVER mix administrative and sales roles.

It happens too often that companies large and small expect their managers to wear multiple hats. That’s OK where it’s possible, but one role that can never be coupled with an operational or administrative role is that of salesperson or sales manager. Why? Because the operational tasks and crises will ALWAYS be around and never totally fixed. The operational issues tend to feel more urgent, so they will naturally suck up the energy of the manager, leaving sales to languish in the dust. That’s where a company gets into trouble. Today’s episode features Mike Weinberg’s great insights into how to avoid the sales pitfalls most companies make, so be sure you take the time to listen and learn.

Our job is not to worry about operations, our job is to bury the bastards ~ Mike Weinberg’s mentorClick To Tweet

Many sales organizations die because of lack of hands-on sales coaching.

“My sales team sucks. I think I’m going to fire them all and start over.” That’s a statement that Anthony once heard from an upper manager in a sales organization. His response pointed out the problem… “What are you going to do with the 3rd set of salespeople?” His point was that another sales crew would result in the same problems, as would another one after that. Why? Because the sales team was not the real issue, the management was. Only the managers have the power to make changes, and much of what is needed is effective, hands-on coaching to make salespeople successful in their roles. Mike Weinberg drops a bomb of great information on this episode about simplifying the sales management role.

How the big ego “sales expert” in the company often does more harm than good.

Mike Weinberg has seen lots of companies where the big name, big ego sales leaders have literally destroyed the company. How did they do it? By pontificating and micromanaging. They stand around and tell everyone what the company’s numbers should look like but don’t offer much in the way of training or resources. They care more about activity reports than sales results and inadvertently communicate that they don’t trust their sales team or their sales managers. As he outlines the biggest mistakes sales organizations make, Mike shares the solutions through the concept of simplifying sales management to stay focused on what matters: sales.

If you serve your people first, the sales come & the organization thrives ~ Anthony IannarinoClick To Tweet