CloserQ readers, last week I had the privilege of being a guest blogger on Sales Bloggers Union regarding being a sales manager. I did a post on when to support (hug) and when to challenge (punch) your team as a manager. Below is my post and I will pick back up answering business and sales questions next week. Have a fantastic week. Shaun
Management: Hug or Punch?
There are many characteristics to a successful sales manager: integrity, product knowledge, industry knowledge, people skills, strong communicator, closer, listens, smart, develops p
eople, and many others. As a current VP of Sales, what I want to focus this post on is when to hug (support) your sales executives and when to punch (challenge) them. As a sales manager, I understand that selling is very hard, however, I also understand that negative thoughts become self-fulfilling.
I believe new managers often make the mistake of hugging too much, which over the long run your team will take advantage of you. Or punching too much, where your team will resent you, not sustain productivity, and you will have high turnover. I believe successful managers find the appropriate balance. For your direct reports, I strongly recommend getting to know your team. There will be certain members that will need more hugs and others will need more punches. Your job is to understand and motivate them so both you and them can succeed over the long haul. You need to find the right balance of support, motivation, and challenges to develop them.
I am a big believer in the ‘Stockdale Paradox’ of balance. To learn more, click the link below to read the story from Jim Collins book, ‘Good to Great’, on Admiral Jim Stockdale’s experience as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War: http://www.jimcollins.com/lib/goodToGreat/ch4_p83.html
As a sales manager, do a self evaluation to determine if you are more of a hugger or puncher. Ask your trusted advisers both internally and externally to get their feedback on your management skills. Then push your personal comfort zones. If you are in your face person, work on your listening and compassion skills. If you are nice guy, work on making both you and your sales executives feel uncomfortable when doing your next deal or forecast review.
As sales managers, we are in the people business. At my company, we are a software company but in reality we are a human resources company. It takes people to sell, develop, install, and support the software. Being a sales manager is very rewarding, exciting, and challenging position.
About the Guest Blogger:
Shaun Priest is Vice President of Sales for an eHealth Vendor. Shaun has over 15 years of sales and sales management experience. His business blog, http://www.closerq.com/, is where readers submit sales and business oriented questions. If you have a business question or feedback to an existing post, please email Shaun at closerq@gmail.com. Shaun recently published, Decisions, a novel about a sales person with personal demons www.shaunpriest.com.
SBU Link: http://www.salesbloggers.com/2009/05/sales-management-hug-or-punch/
Management: Hug or Punch?
There are many characteristics to a successful sales manager: integrity, product knowledge, industry knowledge, people skills, strong communicator, closer, listens, smart, develops p
eople, and many others. As a current VP of Sales, what I want to focus this post on is when to hug (support) your sales executives and when to punch (challenge) them. As a sales manager, I understand that selling is very hard, however, I also understand that negative thoughts become self-fulfilling.I believe new managers often make the mistake of hugging too much, which over the long run your team will take advantage of you. Or punching too much, where your team will resent you, not sustain productivity, and you will have high turnover. I believe successful managers find the appropriate balance. For your direct reports, I strongly recommend getting to know your team. There will be certain members that will need more hugs and others will need more punches. Your job is to understand and motivate them so both you and them can succeed over the long haul. You need to find the right balance of support, motivation, and challenges to develop them.
I am a big believer in the ‘Stockdale Paradox’ of balance. To learn more, click the link below to read the story from Jim Collins book, ‘Good to Great’, on Admiral Jim Stockdale’s experience as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War: http://www.jimcollins.com/lib/goodToGreat/ch4_p83.html
As a sales manager, do a self evaluation to determine if you are more of a hugger or puncher. Ask your trusted advisers both internally and externally to get their feedback on your management skills. Then push your personal comfort zones. If you are in your face person, work on your listening and compassion skills. If you are nice guy, work on making both you and your sales executives feel uncomfortable when doing your next deal or forecast review.
As sales managers, we are in the people business. At my company, we are a software company but in reality we are a human resources company. It takes people to sell, develop, install, and support the software. Being a sales manager is very rewarding, exciting, and challenging position.
About the Guest Blogger:
Shaun Priest is Vice President of Sales for an eHealth Vendor. Shaun has over 15 years of sales and sales management experience. His business blog, http://www.closerq.com/, is where readers submit sales and business oriented questions. If you have a business question or feedback to an existing post, please email Shaun at closerq@gmail.com. Shaun recently published, Decisions, a novel about a sales person with personal demons www.shaunpriest.com.
SBU Link: http://www.salesbloggers.com/2009/05/sales-management-hug-or-punch/
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