The Sales Manager's Success Manual

Fülszöveg

If you're a sales manager, you've likely come up through the ranks as a field rep, phone sales professional, or other front-line seller. You've got great selling chops, to be sure, but as a manager, you need to understand not only your product and the selling process but also the nature of business: how markets come and go, how companies grow and change, and how customers are constantly rethinking strategies and priorities. You also need to be able to decode, manage, and leverage the many different relationships right within your own company.
The Sales Manager's Success Manual is equal parts management tool and personal coach, filled with both the nitty gritty of planning, forecasting, and administration, and the sound, frank advice you need on how to bridge that large, tricky gap between the reps you manage and the executives you report to.
Among the challenges you face is the reality that you must do more with less. You've got far fewer reps in the field, and they are selling... Tovább

Fülszöveg

If you're a sales manager, you've likely come up through the ranks as a field rep, phone sales professional, or other front-line seller. You've got great selling chops, to be sure, but as a manager, you need to understand not only your product and the selling process but also the nature of business: how markets come and go, how companies grow and change, and how customers are constantly rethinking strategies and priorities. You also need to be able to decode, manage, and leverage the many different relationships right within your own company.
The Sales Manager's Success Manual is equal parts management tool and personal coach, filled with both the nitty gritty of planning, forecasting, and administration, and the sound, frank advice you need on how to bridge that large, tricky gap between the reps you manage and the executives you report to.
Among the challenges you face is the reality that you must do more with less. You've got far fewer reps in the field, and they are selling not to hundreds of small businesses but to a handful of much larger companies. Every deal, and therefore every move, carries enormous implications — and tremendous risks.
The Sales Manager's Success Manual is written to help you anticipate and negotiate changes in the business landscape while giving you the most effective tools for maximizing results from your sales force. This all-inclusive book offers definitive examinations of the issues surrounding:
People. Learn how to assess your team members, manage them accordingly, and reward them effectively.
Competition. Learn what your rivals are doing, and use technology, history, and your own experience to stay on top.
Customers. Understand why it's harder than ever to win not just the sale but the loyalty that translates to the holy grail of sales — repeat business.
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Upper management. Put yourself in the minds of your CEO, your CFO, and your boss to understand what they need; learn how to translate those needs into clear directives for your staff, and learn the elusive art of "managing up" — knowing how to get the information, resources, and support you need from the higher-ups.
Numbers. Understand the real meaning of statistics; learn where forecasts can go wrong, and why the best forecasts are intuitive.
Sales strategy. Find the market that matches your product perfectly; optimally size your sales channels; strike a balance between savvy investment and prudent cost-cutting.
This book tells you how to get the most from your team and from yourself. And the invaluable "FAQ" chapter gives frank and practical answers to your most pressing questions.
Filled with eye-opening examples, fresh perspectives, and sage advice, all delivered with engaging humor, The Sales Manager's Success Manual is more than just a guide to better sales management. It's a powerful business resource that will help you keep your team's hard work aligned with your company's larger goals and constantly evolving strategy.
WAYNE M. THOMAS is the CEO of Thomas and Company, Inc., a sales management consulting firm whose clients include AT&T, Sprint, Nortel, and Novell. He is a previous winner of IBM's Golden Circle Award, the company's highest recognition for sales professionals. Dr. Thomas is also an adjunct professor of management at Bentley College. He lives in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and can be reached at Wayne@ThomasAndCompany.com or through www.ThomasAndCompany.com. Vissza