Imagine this: you’ve finally landed the promotion you’ve been working toward for years. All those late nights of cold calling, prospecting, and negotiating—it all paid off. Or did it? Many new sales managers find themselves overwhelmed by the challenges of their new role, to the point where they might even wish they were back in sales. What they often don’t realize, however, is that they’re more prepared for this position than they think.
Consider this story:
Four weeks ago, Art would have known exactly what to say. Man, he thought to himself, looking down from his office window at Diane, his first new hire, walking towards the building. When I accepted the promotion to sales manager, it never occurred to me that I’d finally have some sympathy for my predecessor.
“George,” he said out loud, looking back at the empty chair behind the desk, “I see you finally found a way to get even with me for all the crap I put you through . . . when you offered me the position, I should have told you to go to . . .” Just at that moment the phone started buzzing intermittently. That’s another thing, thought Art, I’ve got to find someone who can change George’s buzzer back to a ring. There are three thousand things I need to do. Man, what I’d give to be back in sales. It was so much simpler.
He picked up the phone and found that one of his best customers was on the line. Janice was a sales manager herself and had been one of Art’s best accounts for the past two years.
“A belated congratulations,” said Janice. “I would have called sooner, but I was off on vacation.”
“Thanks,” responded Art, who paused for a second and then saw himself slide right back into his salesperson personality, “Is this a good time for us to speak?”
Janice laughed. “You never give up, do you?”
“Well,” laughed Art in return, “I guess it will take awhile for me to figure out what I’m doing now.”
“You want some advice, one manager to another?”
“Sure.”
“Do what you did as a salesperson; only now your customers are your salespeople. Do that and you’ll be fine.”
“That sounds interesting . . . can you give me an example?” responded Art.
Janice laughed again. “You just did it. You took my statement and turned it into a question.”
He smiled to himself. “Well, I’m a little confused about what you just shared with me; could you say it again in another way?”
“That’s good,” responded Janice, “I’ll have to try that one out myself.”
The RESULT:
Art thought he was new at sales management. Turns out he was further along than he thought.
DISCUSSION:
It’s rare for a new sales manager to be promoted from outside the sales team. The logic is straightforward: "We need someone who understands sales, knows how salespeople operate, and can drive them to close more deals. Who among our salespeople can step into that role?"
The focus often lands on the top-performing salesperson. But this creates a dilemma: promoting the best salesperson to manager means losing their individual contributions to revenue. Can the rest of the team step up quickly enough to fill the gap?
The more important question to ask is this: can the top salesperson transition from being a high performer to someone who can teach and inspire others to perform at the same level? Put differently, can the new sales manager treat salespeople like their customers?
Ideally, this concept of treating salespeople as customers is a positive one. It’s about viewing the team as "buyers" of the manager’s guidance, coaching, and leadership—and then turning them into "repeat buyers" through consistent support and encouragement.
APPROACH:
We all have role models. Many salespeople have had the privilege of being mentored by a seasoned, more experienced colleague. A great mentor passes down "selling wisdom" through example—showing how to succeed by saying, "Follow my lead, put your whole self into it, and you’ll achieve success like I have." It might sound clichéd, but it’s highly effective.
A sales manager can take on a similar mentoring role, using their own sales skills to "sell" the idea of improvement to their team members. While you can’t control how many deals a salesperson will close or what they’ll do once they leave your presence, you can control your own behavior during your interactions with them.
Just as a salesperson creates a buying environment for a prospect, a sales manager should create an environment that encourages their team to grow and improve. To inspire a change in behavior, you need to help a salesperson recognize and understand their current approach. If the goal is to "sell" them on changing a behavior, think about the steps you would take to "close" the deal. After all, coaching is just another form of selling.
THOUGHT:
The way you treat salespeople is exactly the way they will treat their prospects and customers. If you want to have your salespeople treat their prospects and customers differently, then what do you have to do?
Summertime is traditionally a difficult time for salespeople. Vacation time can make it challenging to get in touch with decision-makers, for one thing. Shape-shifting, out-of-school family schedules and the distractions of warm-weather activities are others. (Golf, anyone?) This year, resolve not to fall into the summer slump with these 12 tips for staying motivated, creating your own opportunities and keeping the income flowing.
Download now to take charge of your next conversation by asking the right questions at the right time.
