I recently had a call with legendary sales trainer Jack Daly regarding sales management. Even though I have spoken with Jack many times and we produced an event with him, I still got tons of useful stuff from him. Here are some highlights:
- Jack is a huge believer in sales contests. They are fun and create excitement. They also can be self-funded, both short-term and long-term. He told me about an annual contest where each sales person gets a number of tickets based on their individual results (think raffle). So while the top dog has the best chance of winning, everyone has reason to do as best as they can since everyone has a shot. (I begged him to write a book on sales contests).
- He is very "tough" on salespeople when it comes to results. So if someone isn't producing or delivering on their agreed upon minimum standards of activity, he has a short leash and they are gone. But he balances this with an amazing company culture and a fun environment that rewards winners (see contests above).
- Jack said, "Think about all of the people who made resolutions to hit the gym in 2010. Many made it to the gym by Jan 2nd. Now, take a look at how many of those people are continuing to go to the gym by the end of the month: most have trainers to give that extra push and boost in confidence. The sales manager's role is to be like the sales trainer: helping the salesperson stick to their agreed upon plan (e.g., activities), as well as helping them improve their skills. Of course, the sales person needs to be willing and eager to be managed and prodded.
For more tips from Jack see http://www.nyreport.com/dalywebinar.
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