Times are changing, and expectations are growing. Yet, many sales teams struggle to meet these ambitious goals. Forbes states “The sales teams are the most crucial part of the business.The sales team is directly responsible for generating the revenue that sustains a company and fosters its growth”. Harvard Business Review states “Sales managers must manage” while organizations like Salesforce, Brainshark, and SPI regularly publish vital reports packed with trends, predictions, and statistics that will help you hit your targets by offering information on the changing state of B2B sales. Even top motivational spealers like Jeff Bloomfield, Mark Cuban, Tony Robbins, Mike Weinberg, not only mention ‘accountability’ but all sound off on and can agree that by using the sales management checklist, sales managers can ensure that their sales teams are prioritizing their efforts effectively, optimizing sales opportunities, and delivering value to customers. Let’s make some money!
The Sales Management Checklist
Your Team
◻ a general periodic discussion/ review
◻ goals/ expectations understood
◻ sales skill training
◻ motivation
◻ product/ service/ industry knowledge training
◻ recruiting
◻ promotions/ new roles/ new positions
◻ performance reviews
◻ recognition
Operational Issues
◻ activity numbers
◻ sales numbers (units/ revenue/ margin)
◻ sales process reviewed.
◻ sales communication reviewed/ distributed
◻ before and after the sale reviewed (processes)
◻ lead generation
◻ barriers to remove from sales efforts
External relationships
◻ top customers contacted
◻ top competitors reviewed
◻ top partners contacted
Self-development
◻ management skills
◻ additional contribution
Leading a sales team is a complex pursuit witn a single objective – to meet and exceed the sales objectives for the area you’re managing. The variables that can impact your success as a leader are tremendous.
Below is vour sales management checklist. Its purpose is to help you stay on top of the primary issues that should have your attention on a regular basis and to avoid letting the important success factors slup throuoh the cracks. Your particular sales world will likely involve a few more points or slight changes that are specific to you and your team/ company/ industry.
Consistently addressed, these are the sales management fundamentals that will put you and your team far in front of the pack… and keep you there.
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in regard to your team…
☑ general periodic discussion/ review
Everyone on your team should be met with on a regular basis. This allows you to stay current in terms of territory knowledge as well as with new challenges that are facing your team (and ultimately you and your company). Additionally, a regularly scheduled discussion minimizes the stress associated with a sudden or unexpected manager/ rep discussion.
considerations:
What’s going on in the territory?
Competitive landscape?
New challenges?
☑ goals/ expectations understood
Goals and performance expectations of team members should be specifically illustrated and
confirmation of understanding of these goals received. Additionally, expectations should be regularly communicated.
considerations:
Does my team know the specific production/ activity goal?
When will the goal change and what plan for communicating the goal is in place?
☑ Sales skill training
Helping your team become better in the sales process. hevond product knowledge. can be a tremendous benefit. Add ressing a different part of the sales process and developing a skil around that part can put your team on a much better level than the competition. People enjoy buying from true sales professionals. Creating a regularty scheduled development meeting is a must to exceeding expectations in terms of sales results.
considerations:
When did we last work to develop a specific skill within the sales process??
When can we next work on developing a specific skill within the sales procesS?
☑ Mmotivation
Parat o your role as a manager is being a leader This means vou need to be sure to help your team stay motivated throughout the sales week and be sure not to let it fall to the wayside. No professional field has more of a daily challenge to overcome reiection and adversity than that of the sales professional.
considerations:
What did I last do to help my team stay motivated?
What and when do I plan on doing something next?
☑ Product service/ industry knowledge training
A periodic communication of new product and industry knowledge should be sent to your team to help keep them sharp competitively as well as for the benefit of their prospects and customers. An assessment of your team’s industry and product understanding should also become a regularly scheduled event. An added bonus of this activity will be your continued product/ service/ industry
knowledge education.
considerations:
What’s new in terms of product/ servicel and/ or the industry?
Is my team up to speed?
If not, with what can I supply them to get them in the know? How can I involve my feam in the process of educating themselves and the team on necessary product/ service/ industry knowledge?
☑ Recruiting
People may be leaving soon and/ or you may see a likely dismissal on the horizon. You may be
expanding soon.
considerations:
Who might I need to replace soon?
When will l next need to hire several people?
☑ Promotions/ new roles/ new positions
Some members of your team hope to reach the next level. Some hope to move into other areas and roles. Staying in front of the professional development goals of your team assists you in staff retention.
considerations:
Who on my team should I begin thinking about supporting in an effort to move into management?
Who on my team has expressed an interest in moving on to a different role?
What plans do | have in place for them?
☑ Performance reviews
Periodic formal performance reviews help your team understand their individual value to the
organization and the areas in which they may need to improve.
considerations:
When did I last conduct a formal performance review with those on my team?
At what time intervals should I conduct performance reviews?
In what areas should I focus the formal review?
☑ Recognition
Recognition can be a positive motivator. When goals are exceeded or outstanding contributions are made, results should be recognized for both the person as an individual and as an inspiration for the team. Key dates such as birthdays and employment anniversaries should also be recognized when appropriate.
considerations:
Over the last month/ quarter/ year, what outstanding sales results or contributions have been achieved that should be recognized?
What should I do to recognize the effort and when should I do it?
What results or contributions can I forecast in the coming period that I can/ should prepare for now?
What birthdays and employment anniversaries are coming up in the next quarter?How should I recognize these events?
in regard to operational issues…
☑ Activity numbers
Activity leads to sales. Monitoring and measuring activity trends can ultimately help maintaln and mprove sales results when the information is accurate. A sales pipeline report, and a regular review of iit, can be extremely helpful in monitoring activity and forecasting results.
considerations:
What specific activity is necessary to our sales process?
How and at what intervals are we/ should we be measuring it?
What is the acceptable dollar/ unit range for an adequate pipeline at any given ime
☑ Sales numbers (units/ revenue/ margin)
The ultimate objective: sales. Reviewing sales numbers is rarely overlooked.. by anyone.
considerations:
How do the sales results compare to forecast/ plan/ quota?
☑ Sales process reviewed
At a set interval, the sales process should be proactively reviewed and altered when appropriate. Everything changes. Be sure that your resources are not allocated to activities that are no longer required or effective. The reason a part of a process is in place should never be, “Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.”
considerations:
Is our sales process documented?
When was it last reviewed?
What can be eliminated in the process without it having an effect on results?
How can we improve the process?
☑ Sales communication reviewed/ distributed
Your team is communicating with many different individuals. Your regularly communicated sales messages (e.g.. benefit statements, urgency statements, responses to top objections, emal responses to inbound inquiries, closing statements, etc.) should be prepared, practiced, delivered and reviewed on a regular basis if you want to assure a solid and professional sales approach to the market.
considerations:
What standard responses can be created and distributed?
Who can I involve in the process of creating the esponses?
When did I last review the sales messages we say and write?
☑ Before and after the sale reviewed (processes)
Different departments can impact your sales results. An inbound sales inquiry is usually handled by a receptionist. That inquiry is usually created by the marketing department. The product or service you deliver is sometimes handled by another group. Occasional and quick review of those areas can sometimes point out things that can be improved or eliminated that are currently slowing down your team’s sales numbers. Communicate challenges or positive results through appropriate channels or to those in charge of the specific areas.
considerations:
How is an inbound call handled?
What challenges do our customers experience in terms of delivery?
What benefits are touted in our marketing materials?
Is our customer service department aware of the new ad campaign?
☑ Lead generation
When business is challenging, lead generation is rarely overlooked. When business is good, however, creating leads for the sales team can sometimes slip through the cracks. Keeping a proactive eye to creating inbound interest in your product/ service regardless of the business environment is the best practice.
considerations:
Who is handling lead generation?
What lead generation efforts do we have going at the moment?
What lead generation plans do we have for the next month/ quarter?
☑ Barriers to remove from sales efforts
Sometimes internal company issues or external competitive challenges can create barriers to
increased sales. ldentifying these barriers comes primarily from discussions with team members. The important thing is to remember to eliminate or minimize them where possible.
considerations:
What challenges have been reported to me recently that I still need to take care of?
What challenges do I see on the horizon internally?
What challenges do I see on the horizon externally?
in regard to external relationships…
☑ Top customers contacted
EVen if the 80/20 rule doesn’t apply exactly in your world (80% of your business comnes from 20% of your customers), there’s likely a group of customers that are responsible for a larger part of your revenue than others. Be sure these people/ companies are regularly contacted by your company with something of value. It’s likely a great deal of effort went into bringing these people/ companies in… be sure you keep them.
considerations:
How often should we contact our top customers?
With what can we provide them that they will find valuable?
Who can/ should take responsibility for this effort?
How well do I personally know what’s going on with our top accounts?
☑ Top competitors reviewed
While it’s usually dificult to not be aware of your competitors, a formal review of what they’re doing can be a daunting task. A periodic informal review is your best bet as a sales manager. This is a review that goes a bit deeper but doesn’t require a huge investment of time. It allows you to be sure you’re in front of 80% of what your top competitors are doing and helps you assess whether or not you should have a competitive response – in the sales process or froma company standpoint.
considerations:
Have any of my top competitors launched an additional competitive offering to what we sell?
Are my top competitors hiring new salespeople? For what?
Have my top competitors positioned any of their competitive offerings in a different way?
What points are my top competitors using to differentiate against our offerings?
☑ Top partners contacted
Top partners should be contacted on a regular basis to see how you might improve your end of the
relationship and communicate anything new on the horizon that you’d like to share. Strong
relationships create strong business.
considerations:
At what intervals should we be sure to contact our top partners?
With what can we provide them that they will find valuable?
Who canl should take responsibility for this effort?
in regard to self-development…
☑ Management skills
he Same way you should help your team become better in the sales process to increase sales, you should be working on your management skills. Attending, or being involved with, a management development program will ultimately help your team, sales, your company and you.
considerations:
When did I last attend a management development training program?
At what intervals can I commit to working on my management skills?
What topics should I address over the next 12 months?
☑ Additional contribution
Much of your primary work as a manager will lead naturally to other contributions to the company that are not your responsibility. These additional contributions (e.g., product/ service ideas, process improvement suggestions and assistance, etc.) will help you advance the goals of the organization and also your career.
consideration:
What additional organizational contributions outside my primary responsibilities have I made recently?
What additional contributions could I begin working to create now?
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