Here are some excerpts from OOH Sales expert Kevin Gephart’s conversation with Chris Lytle who has trained sales professionals for 44 years. Last week Kevin and Chris explained what’s wrong with a sales manager carrying a book of business. Today Kevin and Chris discuss the sales management trap.
Chris Lytle. This graphic shows the sales management trap. It’s the foundation of my book “The Accidental Salesperson.”
“The idea is they (general managers) say “well you have to keep your job as a top biller.” So that’s stage one. You’ve got your own account list. You’ve got regional accounts. You’re handling national accounts. And then stage two, you’re doing some sales support, account list management, monitoring sales, conducting sales meetings, firefighting. This is where you spend your time because you haven’t developed people. You can’t spend as much time in the staffing/training/coaching/developing salespeople, motivating them and mentoring them. Remember when the sales manager used to go on calls with reps? I’ll bet that hasn’t happened four times in a year in most companies. If you don’t know what your salespeople are doing or how they’re acting or what they’re saying or how they’re prepping, you can’t really assist them. Today’s younger sellers say they want a coach not a boss. They want to know. is this a place to grow, not just a place to work. “I want some training.” “I want some development.” “I want to get better.” “But I don’t see this as a place to get better because I don’t get any attention from my manager.”
Kevin Gephart. Industrial psychologists I’ve worked with have explained, if you make a salesperson a sales manager, during that novice, untrained period they feel very insecure. So, under stress, they’re going to revert back to what they know best, which is selling. They’re going to go back to that column one activity because they feel secure. If they’re having a bad day as a sales manager, that afternoon they’re going to go out and call on some clients. They feel they have expertise and command of that situation. Then when sales start to fall off and the owner comes to them and says, “hey what’s going on with sales, you’re supposed to be the sales manager?” Then the new sales manager will plead, “What do you want me to do I’m working as hard as I can! I’m working 9-10 hours a day!” Absolutely they are working hard, on the wrong things
Chris Lytle. You gravitate back to that job because that’s the thing you’re good at and you’re floundering with the other things because you haven’t had any training. You’re the forgotten rookie.
Next week: the importance of sales manager courtesy calls.
If 2024 is your year to sell more OOH faster, I may be able to help, contact me at KevinJGephart@gmail.com
About Chris Lytle: Chris inspired and educated countless media advertising sales professionals for 44 years. He is the author of the media sales bestsellers, The Accidental Salesperson and The Accidental Sales Manager. His company, Instant Sales Training, continues to deliver sales training in easily digestible knowledge bites. Contact him at InstantSalesTraining.com
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