Sales management: a complex and multi-layered task

How successful a company is depends on its sales management, i.e. strongly on how professionally its sales department acts. This in turn determines turnover and earnings and thus also how much time, money and energy the company can invest in the future - for example in the development of new products or the development of new markets and customer groups. Accordingly, the sales department should be managed professionally.

Sales leadership is an "ejector seat"

How sensitive the topic of sales leadership is for companies can be seen in how nervous their top management gets when sales figures and results deteriorate. Very quickly, the people who are responsible for sales management are at the disposal of the company. Accordingly, the average length of stay of the sales or sales managers in the companies, who are usually responsible for sales management in larger companies, is short. It is much shorter than, for example, the average length of stay of production managers.

One reason for this is that the term "sales management" often covers all the activities that are undertaken in a company to ensure that the sales targets are achieved in day-to-day sales. Depending on the size and structure of the company, this often includes strategic tasks such as formulating the sales strategy and tactics, as well as organizational tasks such as designing the processes, structures and procedures in sales.

Sales management requires many skills

Since the tasks associated with sales management are complex and multi-layered, the people who perform this function in companies should be qualified for this - otherwise they are quickly overwhelmed. This applies in particular to the management of sales staff in day-to-day sales, as this requires not only a high level of sales know-how and a good knowledge of the market, but also a high level of competence in terms of employee and people management as well as self and employee motivation.

Therefore, here are some tips for successful sales and employee management in everyday operations

• Tip 1: Identify need for action.

Analyze (with your employees) which (sales) actions are necessary to achieve the agreed or specified sales goals - for example, "achieve 20 percent more sales" or "win 30 new customers for product x with potential y". To do this, divide the sales process into verifiable (sub-)steps. For example: call customers, arrange presentations with them, etc.

• Tip 2: Agree on a package of measures.

Also agree with your employees what measures they should take to achieve the agreed goals. For example: filter out 50 promising (not-yet) customers from the address pool, call them by the "..." deadline, arrange a visit with ten of them.

• Tip 3: Arrange "control appointments".

Also, set up interim appointments with your staff to check that they have taken the actions needed to succeed, as well as appointments to agree with them on additional activities if it is foreseeable that a salesperson will not achieve the planned goal.

• Tip 4: Coach employees in everyday sales.

Coach your employees in their day-to-day work - for example, by accompanying them on customer visits and then jointly analysing their progress and the behaviour of the sales staff in customer contact.

• Tip 5: Give employees regular feedback.

Give your employees regular feedback on their actions and behaviour. Evaluate and reward not only the (end) results of their actions, but also the quality and quantity of the measures they have taken to achieve them.

• Sales management Tip 6: Motivate employees in a targeted manner.

Don't be afraid to use money as a motivational tool when necessary - even if many management gurus proclaim the opposite. Sales practice shows: It works (at least in the short term).

• Tip 7: Learn together from experience.

Before agreeing new (sales) targets with your employees, analyse with them how sales successes came about in the past. Then they will recognize which measures are necessary for success and can optimize their approach so that your salespeople gradually become top salespeople.

And another tip for you personally: As a sales manager, never forget that your performance is ultimately always measured by your "bosses" in terms of the performance of your employees. Accordingly, you should spend a lot of time and energy on leading, promoting and motivating your employees, and you should pay a correspondingly high level of attention to their actions.

Christian Herlan works as a senior consultant for the management consultancy Dr. Kraus & Partner, Bruchsal (e-mail: info@kraus-und-partner.de; Internet: www.kraus-und-partner.de