Sales Management. Simplified - Book Review Essay Example

This is a book by Mike Weinberg on how sales managers can improve their organizations. This is because they are one of the most important people in a company, but they supervise personnel who are hardest to manage. A salesperson and a sales manager work in the same department (marketing department) but they have different roles. The first difference is that a salesperson sells products directly to the customers, but sales manager works in an office setting. Sales managers are responsible for the activities carried out by all salespersons. He has to be sure where each salesperson will be working, and his productivity.

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The second role difference between a salesperson and a sales manager is that a sales manager is responsible for setting goals while salespersons are supposed to follow these goals (Weinberg, 2015). A sales manager has to come up with a target for salespeople and monitor their working towards the target. This is explained by Mike Weinberg where he explains that sales managers have to be monitoring the productivity of salespeople regularly to ensure that they are pro-active, and if the sales of a sales member produce a decreasing sequence then the sales manager has to act.

According to Mike Weinberg, successful sales managers have specific characteristics. First, successful sales managers have good leadership skills (Weinberg, 2015). A sales manager has to be a person who understands people and knows what has to be done for people to be productive. This is applicable to sales managers understanding that they become successful when the team is successful. Mike Weinberg explained that there have been many excellent sales managers who were poor salespeople. This shows that to be a successful sales manager is not determined by your sales proficiency but your success in leading people. A sales manager has to understand that he has to learn how to motivate salespeople, and lay down his ego for the success of the company.

A successful sales manager has to understand how to set goals (Weinberg, 2015). This is important in sales because people understand their target, and this works as a motivation because they will be working to achieve this objective. Salespersons have to understand their target sales in a specific time and rewards that they should get. However, this does not mean that the best performer in sales should be given a managerial role because he may be good at sales but not a good sales leader.

The other trait that makes a successful sales manager is self-confidence. The position of a sales manager is tough because many people will be criticizing your productivity. This can wear down a sales manager who is not meant for the position. However, a successful sales manager takes this criticizing and assures himself that he is doing the right thing that will ensure the growth of sales and the company (Weinberg, 2015). If a sales manager decides to listen to the opinion of others he may go off "track" because these opinions will also be conflicting. Therefore, it is important for a sales manager to understand that he has to believe in his working. A successful sales manager has to be confident in his team. This is because he has to trust whatever they do outside the office, and believe that they will deliver the intended results. A manager has to trust his team and motivate them to improve their products which will lead to his success. This is because when the salespersons improve their sales the administration will command his input because he is the one who is in charge of the sales.

There are various roles that a sales manager plays to help salespersons achieve their results. First, a sales manager coaches his salespeople. According to Mike Weinberg, coaching is different from training. Training makes sales persons acquire knowledge on how to improve sales, but coaching makes sales persons excellent in sales (Weinberg, 2015). Coaching goes hand in hand with mentorship. This is important because salespeople will understand how they are supposed to carry out their duties to become successful in sales.

The other role played by played by the sales manager to help salespeople achieve their results is instilling confidence in them (Weinberg, 2015). This is important because at times salespeople lose their motivation due to decline in their sales. A good sales manager understands that he has to motivate his subordinates so that they can maintain and improve their motivation. A sales manager has to understand that he should not be telling his salespeople to be like him. This is because people have different attributes, and he should be motivating the traits that can be used in sales rather than making them copy how he works and tell them to follow his actions.

The primary learning from this book was that a successful sales manager has to have great leadership skills. This is because a great leader understands that he has to involve his subordinates when introducing new policies in the department. This is a way of ensuring that they feel appreciated, and this improves their motivation. A great leader also understands that he has to motivate his employees, and not concentrate on his ego. This is because salespersons are the ones who are directly connected to customers, meaning that satisfied employees will provide consumer satisfaction. This will also lead to an increase in sales, and this will show an achievement of the manager.

This reading has provided knowledge that a successful sales manager has to know when to set goals, how to examine them, and how to ensure sales persons execute them. This should be done without brewing a manager-employee conflict. A sales manager also has to know when to turn a blind eye and when to confront an employee. This is because there are sales managers who ignore confronting salespersons who have been perennial losers in the company. This can lead to failure of the company in the long run because there will be a concurrent decline in sales.

I see myself a successful sales manager in one of the largest companies in the country in future due to the knowledge acquired from this learning. This is because this lesson has made me understand what a person has to do to become a great sales manager. For example, I have learned that I should be a "team player" if I want to be a great sales manager. Suppressing my ego has never been a problem, and this makes me confident in my vision. My dream has always been becoming a prominent sales manager, and this lesson has provided me with the vital knowledge required.

Reference

Weinberg, M. (2015). Sales Management. Simplified. New York: Amacom.