Do you want to know how to be a great sales manager? What are some strategies you can use?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenger selling<\/a> system can help you learn how to be a great sales manager. But in order for you to implement challenger selling, and ensure your reps have support, there are a few things to keep in mind. In order to learn how to be a great sales manager, you need to know how to be a good leader<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Challenger skills drive sales success<\/a> because they dovetail with what research has shown customers want most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CEB research<\/a> shows that the most important thing to customers is the sales experience<\/strong>\u2014not the product, service, or price. Customers want to learn<\/em> something in the sales interaction more than they want to buy<\/em> something. They want insight into how to cut costs, make more money<\/a>, and reduce risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, customers value reps most who:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Customers are saying to reps, \u201cTell me something new about my business\u201d\u2014which essentially defines the Challenger\u2019s sales approach. Learning how to be a great sales manager can help you capitalize on your challenger sellers’ success, and hep them reach their goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some key lessons for sales leaders, marketing professionals, and senior leaders based on the experiences of companies that implemented the Challenger Sales Model<\/a>. With these lessons, you can also learn how to become a good sales manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every high performer isn\u2019t a Challenger<\/strong>. Knowing this is an important part of understanding how to be a great sales manager. Part of the rationale behind the Challenger Selling Model is to replicate what Challengers do naturally across the rest of the sales force. But not all high-performers are Challengers. It’s important to avoid mistakenly using high-performing Relationship Builders and Lone Wolves as teaching examples, since you\u2019ll teach non-Challenger behaviors and tactics. Appendix B provides an assessment tool for identifying the high-performing Challengers you want everyone to emulate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t emulate the Lone Wolf: <\/strong>While Lone Wolves can be highly successful (25% of them are high performers), a sales force consisting entirely of Lone Wolves would be dysfunctional. Each does their own thing, so you can\u2019t replicate their behavior across the organization and you couldn\u2019t manage a sales force like this. Creating collaborative solutions for customers requires teamwork\u2014however, Lone Wolves behave independently of rules and sales processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start recruiting Challengers<\/strong>: While you can develop Challengers through training and coaching, it also saves time to recruit them when you have openings or new positions. Recruiting is another element of learning how to be a great sales manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This requires a different interview process. You need to target different competencies, ask different questions, and apply different evaluation standards. Appendix C provides a Challenger Hiring Guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Develop rep skills and organizational capability at the same time: <\/strong>To get the full benefit from the Challenger Selling Model, companies need to improve both individual skills and organizational capabilities. Developing both at the same time speeds up<\/a> the overall transition, since the capabilities are complementary, and can help you learn how to be a good sales manager. For instance, reps need presentation materials developed by marketing professionals, and marketing people need feedback and information from reps to create great materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take steps to make training stick: <\/strong>Research shows that 87% of sales training content is forgotten by reps within a month. <\/strong>Coaching is a key way to boost retention. Other studies show that you can improve retention by what you do before and after training. Successful companies do three things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Boost rep demand for change and generate buzz before training is rolled out<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) Create \u201csafe practice\u201d opportunities based on real accounts<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3) Create ongoing behavioral certification programs to reinforce learning over time<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stop trying to be customer-centric<\/strong>. Knowing how to be a great sales manager requires you to know other skills. Being customer-centric can hurt your business in two ways: 1) it leads to offering discounts and other favorable terms that undermine profitability for little long-term gain and 2) it focuses reps on taking customer orders rather than longer-term goals. Instead, be an insight-centric organization that teaches customers to think differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Know your company\u2019s unique benefits: <\/strong>You have to know your unique capabilities so you can teach your customers insights that link back to those capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t use buzzwords in your pitch: <\/strong>If you use the terminology everyone else does, you\u2019re telling customers that you\u2019re just like everyone else. The top overused buzzwords are: leader, leading, best, top, unique, great, solution, largest, innovative\/innovator. To truly differentiate your company:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Don’t describe your differences; make customers value<\/em> them<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) Build your conversation around an unexpected insight<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3) Don\u2019t lead with<\/em> your solution, lead to<\/em> it<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow these leadership ideas, and you’ll learn how to be a good sales manager and leader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Learning how to become a good sales manager is necessary at all levels of leadership. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Accept limited resistance: <\/strong>Aim for 80% adoption of the new model and let the rest climb on board at their own pace as long as they\u2019re meeting their goals and not getting in the way of change. Knowing how to be a good sales manager doesn’t mean forcing everything to get on board with your plan right away. But if performance slips, they need to adopt the new approach or leave. Also, as more reps and companies adopt Challenger selling, it will become a requirement in order to compete, not an option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Expect casualties: <\/strong>Some reps won\u2019t be able to change, so consider shifting them to another role like customer service or product specialist. Meanwhile, remember that most reps (70-80%) can<\/em> become Challengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider piloting the program: <\/strong>Most companies test-run new tools to learn what adjustments should be made. However, Grainger, the equipment supply company, went further by piloting the Challenger program to understand adopter behavior and to respond effectively to adoption plateaus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reps cluster into four groups\u2014early adopters, majority, laggards, and naysayers\u2014who get on board in that order. You have to win over one segment before you can push the next segment for adoption. For instance, the majority waits to see early success, while laggards want to see success from a peer close to their segment before they’ll adopt. Targeting the right group at the right time is the key to driving adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Terminology is important: <\/strong>Some people find the term Challenger off-putting. Companies worry that it will encourage reps to be aggressive or to decide relationships don\u2019t matter. But it’s important not to water down the message. The term underscores the need for big change by contrasting the new with old. People are more likely to see it as different. Your message is engaging people when they disagree or debate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beware of the trap, \u201cIt won\u2019t work here\u201d: <\/strong>One question that comes up is whether the model is appropriate for Asia-Pacific markets, where challenging and teaching can be seen as aggressive or arrogant by customers. But research has shown that all customers want insight regardless of region. That said, in Asian markets, you may want to revise the terms without watering down the message\u2014for instance, instead of \u201cteaching,\u201d you could refer to \u201csharing and delivering insights.\u201d Also, it may help to add the word \u201crespectfully\u201d as a modifier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start now: <\/strong>You have to start now if you want to change the way your reps interact with customers before your competitors do, and discover how to become a good sales manager. There\u2019s no doubt about what customers want<\/a>. As Challengers, your reps will get more time with the customer, more invitations to come back, and more promises of action. In contrast, your customers will tell competing reps, \u201cWe’ll get back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nLearn How to Be a Great Sales Manager With Challenger Skills <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Implementation Lessons <\/strong>for Learning How to be a Great Sales Manager<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Lessons for Sales Leaders<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Lessons for Marketing Leaders<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Lessons for Senior Leaders<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n