Anyone who is in inside or outside sales has to meet sales quotas/sales goals of a certain type. The role of a Sales Manager is to hire, mentor, train and motivate the Sales Team. A Sales Manager is also accountable for setting the sales goals of their team and making sure that these goals are meet and exceeded. Sales Managers are provided with salary and an override of the teams total sales. Each Sales Reps goals make up a piece of this total sales goal. A Sales Manager’s duties will vary by the size of the organization and it’s structure.
Now you are asking ” How could I be my own Manager of Sales? Why would I want to be? The first step to being your own Sales Manager is to track your own sales numbers. Every Sales Rep worth their salt should know exactly how much product they sold and how close they are to hitting and exceeding their goals. Sales Reps also need to be aware of their own sales process.
Sales process consists of knowing how to prospect, convert leads to sales and know your closing ratio. Closing ratio is calculated by taking the number of sales you make per day, dividing them by the number of sales calls you have made and setting it equal to x/100. Next set each of the proportions equal to each other, cross multiply and solve for X. For example, if I made 3 sales per day and made 30 calls per day; my closing ratio would be 10 percent. 3/30 = X/100 = 10%. Try this with your own sales numbers. Knowing how many exposures it takes before you make a sale is also helpful.
The next step to being your own Sales Manager is to stay on top of your territory. Some Sales reps are called Territory Managers. Territory Management consists of the following:
1 developing and keeping good customer relationships
2 knowing how to meet and exceed customers wants, needs and expectations
3 Using a consultative selling approach to successfully do number two
4 providing great customer service where customers feel taken care of
5 making sure all receivables are paid in a timely manager by doing number four
Next any good Sales rep needs to train and motivate themselves because their Sales Manager has limited time to go out with reps as they have their own selling responsibilities. Sales Reps need to be motivated to stand tall in the face of rejection. Live training is a great way to go, but if you are looking for a more affordable option you can by books, watch videos and role play with other reps. I recommend the following Sales trainers materials and programs Jeffrey Gitomer, Jim Cathcart,Tom Hopkins, Tony Alessandra and Brian Tracy. They have motivated and inspired me to be a better Sales Rep. Earl Nightingale’s program Lead the Field and The Strangest Secret has also helped me develop and cultivate a positive attitude.
It is essential that you own your role as a Sales Rep. As a Sales Rep you are in your own business without all of the expenses. If you treat the territory like you would a small business; you will do very well.
If you master all of the steps I mentioned; you may indeed be promoted to Sales Manager or be able to start and run your own business one day!
