Once upon a time…a long long time ago there was a successful sales person. She loved her role, loved sales and loved her customers. She was so happy and her results showed it.
Her boss loved her successful approach and promoted her to Sales Manager. She was so happy to be recognised for her talents and thrilled to be promoted. She had such high expectations for herself and her team…they were going to smash every target and win every award as she had done as a sales person!
Things didn’t quite go the way she planned and within a short space of time, she realised this was going to be a much tougher challenge. Not only that…she felt a total failure!
That new Sales Manager was ME!
What a frustrating time that was in my career…I can still remember the pain, the longing and the determination to make it all work at any cost.
I learned so much in those early sales leadership days…and they shaped the way my career would unfold going forward.
Here is what I learned…
- Generating sales and leading sales people require 2 completely different skill sets
- The biggest impact for successful sales is mindset
- It doesn’t matter how good the sales process is…if the sales person doesn’t believe it they won’t do it
- It’s pointless trying to save under performing sales people…they have to want to save themselves
- Telling sales people what to do (even if it would really help them) doesn’t work
- Closing sales for your team demotivates them and makes them feel even more inadequate
- If you don’t ask for help you can potentially sink into the hole with them
- Take responsibility for your own sales leadership development
How did things unfold?
I was so determined to succeed that I read and listened to everything on sales leadership that I could lay my hands on. The most significant thing I learned was that what goes on in a person’s head has the biggest impact on their success. It doesn’t matter how poor or amazing the leadership is, if they don’t believe in themselves it’s not going to happen.
This early realisation led to my fascination and obsession around mindset which resulted in me starting my own business in 1995 focusing entirely on changing how people think and feel about themselves so that they can achieve greater success as a sales professional.
What can you take from my story?
I know the numbers are important but focus on getting their thinking in the right place and magic happens.
Master skills like coaching, learn about psychology and mindset, get to know the individuals in your team…what lights them up and what turns them off. Spend time observing their behaviour…is it aligned with what they say? Behaviour is always your biggest clue on what’s really going on inside them.
If you want to chat about your sales team and how to support them to grow as a human being…and to be the best version of themselves, please do connect.
Together we can make a massive difference to the way sales is done in the corporate world!
Until next time,
