The role of the sales manager is wide and varies depending on the size of the sales team, the industry and the goods and services being sold.

In addition to the sales manager having a complete understanding of the selling process, the extra dimension to the position requires that they have effective leadership qualities.

It does not follow that the best sales person – achieving good results – will be able to lift the performance of a sales team, and all organisations need to keep in mind the importance of selecting the right person to fill this important role.

However with well designed targeted training sales people can learn to become effective sales managers and be able to achieve the results required.

Training programs will fall into two areas, ones designed for the team as a whole and others specifically designed and tailored for each member of the team to ensure their needs are addressed.

Setting group training priorities will enable the sales manager to decide what areas of training will need to be concentrated on first, resulting in quicker results and avoid investing in training that is not immediately required.

The development of strategies, plans and an overall program covering area management, prospecting, servicing, data base and other sales activities form an important part of the sales manager’s role.

All sales managers need to have a program for developing new talent and bringing new sales people into their team as this is vital for an organisation’s growth as stretched sales teams will drop their performance and customers and clients will look at others suppliers.

The exercises in 4 Qualities of the Successful Sales Professional provide the tools for sales managers to evaluate their overall team training requirements but also the specific areas the organisation needs to consider when planning their sales training program.

For more advanced & personalised sales training (for both teams and individuals), take a look at my Dynamic Sales Mentoring program.