How much easier would your selling be if you could partner with another great sales professional and sell? In sales, two heads are better than one. That second head just might be your sales manager. If you want to tap into another great selling resource, put your sales manager to work.
Make sales calls.
Are you always making sales calls by yourself? Now is the time to reconsider that strategy. Make sales calls with your manager to both prospects and existing customers. Your existing customers will see that you want to keep their business. Prospects see that more people from your company are attentive to their needs and that could translate into new interest in your company. Just make sure you have a plan for the sales call.
Whose job is it to plan the sales call?
It’s your account so you’re the one setting the strategy. Here, your boss works for you. Define the objective you want to achieve in the sales call. It could be to have your boss ask a question that’s difficult for you to ask. Maybe it’s to provide support for a tough management decision that impacts that customer. Maybe you want to make some concessions to a customer. Be clear about what you will be asking for before the meeting so you don’t put your sales manager on the spot. Your planning should try to eliminate any surprises for your manager in the sales call.
Work the phone.
Not all sales calls have to be done face-to-face. Your boss can make telephone calls to your largest customers. One quick task would be for your manager to simply call key customers and thank them for their business. While they are on the phone, have your manager do a little market research by asking if there’s anything he could do to support you in the field. Your manager’s job is not to take over the sales process. A sales manager’s job is to remove obstacles. By talking to customers, your sales manager can accomplish that. Your manager may hear some concerns from customers that you might have missed.
Cut back on the work.
Some managers are sieves. Every piece of paper and information gets sent to the field. Some of it wastes a lot of salespeople’s time. Other managers are far more effective filters and only send information that salespeople need to run an effective business. If you work for a sieve, tell your manager what information you are currently getting that you no longer need to see. Have your manager act as your information filter.
If you have a sales manager who never makes sales calls either face-to-face or on the phone, then you have a sales manager who isn’t working for you. That’s not acceptable in today’s selling environment. You can’t fire your boss. Instead, put ۥem to work for you.
Best wishes for your sales success!
