Poor sales performance - Is management at fault?

Mikey

As I drove home from the office today I was thinking about the role sales management plays in poor sales performance and it dawned on me that sales management practices might be THE biggest reason for poor sales performance.

What do think? Am I out to lunch?

__________________
"You're only as good as what you did yesterday, not a month ago, not a year ago."

Houston

How so? In what way Mikey?

benjamin-benjamin

Yes you are out to lunch. I have worked underneath some of the worst managers ever. My company promotes whatever people haven't quit or got fired, so it doesn't matter how bad they suck. With that being said, (in zig ziglar's words) you are responsible for you. If your company won't buy you what you need then buy it yourself. If your company won't train you then go out and train yourself.
You may have more obstacles to overcome, but you can do it. Every single person i work with that sells less is because of the "situation" they are in.

It may be a harder road to travel, but you could put me beneath any manager and i believe i will be successful. on the flip side you could put some people under the best managers ever and they would fail.....

Mikey

Salespeople, especially newbies, are going to ask their sales managers about training. The sales managers beliefs about training decides what solutions are offered.

Worse case scenario the sales manager says, "You don't need training. There's your desk, there's the phone, now hit the streets." Best case scenario the sales manager suggests formal training.

In practice the most common response is probably on-the-job training by another staff member. If the staff member helping with training knows what to do and knows how to train others then this is a viable solution. I doubt that is often the case.

benjamin-benjamin

that is your oppurtunity to train yourself. I went out and bought magazines that were geared in my industry to help my product knowledge. I spent countless hours on the internet researching my products. I have read a ton of books and listened to cd's on motivation and selling..... i can honestly say the training that i have put myself through has helped me more then any formal training. i have had 18 people in my office in the last 2 years either quit or get transferred. I was in the same situation they were in...... so that proves that management is not the greatest factor in a salesperson success (i am not saying they are not a factor at all, because they are)....

Mikey

Newbies are impressionable. They pick up attitudes, beliefs and habits from others especially co-workers and authority figures. When the work environment, which is the managers responsibility, does not support training this can signal to the salesperson that training isn't necessary. After all, if training was necessary someone would have said something.

The salesperson leaves one sales job for another and sees the same environment. Before long it becomes cemented in the salespersons mind that training isn't necessary.

benjamin-benjamin

that would still leave the responsibility on the salesperson, right??

Mikey

Yes. Every person is responsible for their own actions.

Houston

I don't think you're out to lunch. I agree, leaders have a responsibility to those that look up to them for guidance.

EmmaC

I agree with your comment