COACHING: REACHING GOALS WITH MULTI-CHANNEL SALESPEOPLE (part one)
Faster than the Speed of Light

The challenges of Multi-Channel selling make the managing role, an already daunting position, formidable indeed. Sales managers today have job descriptions about as long as Tolstoy’s War and Peace They probably have your own territories. And, even when they’re managing an excellent sales force, there is still a long list of essential responsibilities that they must juggle to keep sales growth moving in the right direction.

Basically, sales managers are Strategists, Communicators, Evaluators and Coaches. But they are also recruiters, researchers, interviewers, inventors, authors, program designers, motivators, change agents, barrier removers, supervisors, friends, encouragers, planners, salespeople, diplomats, firefighters, persuaders, challengers, counselors, psychologists, sociologists, listeners, judges, advocates, police, reviewers, disciplinarians, administrators, schedulers, mentors, trainers, professors, trend-setters, leaders, modelers, terminators, jugglers, priority-setters, time managers, actors, stand-ins… the list goes on and on.

And in most cases, sales managers are expected to keep everything running smoothly while sandwiched precariously between executive management, clients, and the sales staff; each with their own set of different and often conflicting goals. The human being that can perform all of these necessary functions in this environment with ease, grace and excellent results is greatly needed in business, but probably does not exist. And things have gotten even more complex within the Multi-Channel world we now inhabit.

The sales manager is a Strategist. He or she:

Outlines or receives the organization’s goals from management.
Determines which offerings in Print, Internet and Events are appropriate for customers' markets, and which of these are realistic to add to sales packages.
Aligns the sales team’s goals with organizational goals.
Gathers and organizes industry information.
Analyzes market conditions.
Creates a Vision that defines the strategy for approaching the market.
Plans the team’s progress toward the strategy goals.

The sales manager must be an excellent Communicator by:

Acting as the information link between sales, web developers, event planners, print production and corporate management and customers.
Living out the Vision that supports all of the company’s efforts.
Clearly directing the sales development plans of each team member.
Giving honest feedback and assistance on individuals’ sales results.
Bringing legitimate concerns of the sales team to management.

The sales manager must also be a thorough and fair-minded Evaluator by:

Assessing the needs and expectations of prospects and customers.
Helping to decide how these needs get fulfilled in the company's Multi-Channel offerings.
Judging the skill levels and training needs of the sales staff.
Monitoring the weekly results of the sales team’s plan implementation.
Determining the appropriate motivational, reinforcement and/or disciplinary actions to be taken to direct or redirect sales efforts.

And the sales manager must be an approachable and understanding Coach. One that is continuously:

Modeling the selling expertise and actions that produce satisfied customers and sales.
Showing how to handle the crazy pace of Multi-Channel selling
Committing to the success of the company and the members of the sales team.
Looking for ways to help the sales team improve their skills.
Clarifying expectations for the sales team.
Being ready to hire, promote, move or terminate salespeople based on company need and individual performance.

Next month - Coaching: Reaching Goals with Multi-Channel Salespeople, Part 2

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