Vital to Your Success: The Roles of the Inside Sales Manager

The role of the Inside Sales Manager is a critical function. Unlike many other jobs with the term "manager", an inside sales manager is dependent on others to achieve their goals. They accomplish their goals through others. They are several roles an Inside Sales Manager must play. Among them are:

Developer
A great Inside Sales Manager knows the value of developing their staff. Keeping people at the same level of performance and responsibility is boring for many and ultimately dissatisfying for most. Developers make a point to cultivate the skills and potential of their staff. They take the time to help their staff both individually and collectively obtain the skills they will need to be successful at their jobs. 

Inside Sales Manager knows the value of developing their staff. Keeping people at the same level of performance and responsibility is boring for many and ultimately dissatisfying for most. Develops make a point to develop the skills and potential of their staff. They take the time to help their staff both individually and collectively develop the skills they will need to be successful at their jobs.  A great developer provides formal and informal opportunities for learning and development. They give greater responsibilities were appropriate ty & possibilities for growth

 A great developer provides formal and informal opportunities for learning and development. They give greater responsibilities where appropriate and activity look for possibilities for growth.

Coach
A coach makes sure that each person on their team is working to their potential. Coaching is generally done on a one on one basis. Spends time helping to hone skills then reaps rewards of increased sales just as an athletic coach wins more games.

Coaches take the time to discover what works and doesn't for each individual reporting to him. This is an individualized approach. It requires paying attention to what the rep says on the phone and  what they do not. Observing work habits and not being afraid to say something.

Yes, I've used the work "afraid" Many managers fail at coaching because they are afraid. Perhaps they've not been trained for it. Perhaps they dislike confrontation. There are many reasons manager fall down on the job when it comes to coaching.  Think of it as a sales situation. Map out your goal and the best way to achieve it. Just like each of your prospects and customers are different, so are your sales reps.

Get the best out of them by spending time with each and modifying - individualizing - your approach. 

Managing to be the BEST

Today you're a salesperson, tomorrow you may be asked to lead a team, supervise a group or manage a department. Whenever you find yourself in a position of needing/using others to help you accomplish goals, you'll want to be able to manage or motiviate others to their peak performance. 

Whether you're a manager of a traditional sales or service department, a distributor with a downline, or a team leader for a sales account, the way to improve productivity is not just through training but by providing regular reinforcement. People perform best when they know what's expected of them. The best way to do this is by actively reinforcing behaviors. Here are some tips.


Give positive feedback promptly
This reinforces positive behavior.
TIP The sooner the positive feedback is given after the actual performance of the activity, the greater it's influence. The longer the time period between the action and the reinforcement, the less influence the feedback has. So don't wait for a meeting: DO IT NOW!


Give specific positive feedback.
Be as specific as possible.
TIP Give examples by repeating the words or the techniques used.


Reinforce small achievements
TIP Even if skill mastery is not complete, let people know you are aware of their improvements.


Give negative feedback privately
This enables employee to receive appropriate feedback along with suggestions for improvement without loss of face.
TIP Public shaming (i.e. calling someone out during a meeting) will not increase performance. Rather it breeds resentment and turnover. After all, who wants to work in that type of environment? Keep it private and keep comments focused on behavior related to speicfic job performance.


Everyone learns and masters skills at a different pace. If an employee or team member is not showing improvement, ask these questions:

• Do they know what is expected?
• Have they been given appropriate training?
• Have they been given a specific time frame for mastering the skill?
• What are the consequences for non-performance?
• What are the rewards for performance?

People want to succeed. Increase your success by helping them do so.

Who Will Make the Best Telephone Sales Rep?

What makes a great telephone sale representative? Is it personality or skill, luck of the territory or the ability to keep grinding out those dials? The answer lies in a careful analysis of what the sales assignment requires. It is not uncommon for a telephone sales person who has been very successful in one position to be mediocre or even fail in another.


Creating a great telephone or inside sales rep starts before the hiring process begins. Management must have a clear sense of what the position will entail. This is accomplished by considering the objective of the position and what behaviors are needed to achieve this. Ask yourselves what the person will need to do to in order to achieve their goals.


Prospecting and customer sales positions have very different emphasis. Although certain traits are shared, it can be very difficult for a customer sales person, who regularly handles repeat business, to emotionally deal with the frustrations of the prospecting process, particularly if it is a long closing cycle. Customer reps like the positive affirmations that come regularly with their job. These affirmations come from either customers who purchase with relative frequency or from the satisfaction of keeping a customer happy with their attention and service. At the same time, a rep who has spent a lot of time prospecting, may find it difficult to maintain the service orientated relationship that customer sales entails. They may look for a quick result and move on.


In addition to a higher tolerance for rejection, a prospecting project will require an emphasis on a high amount of dials. The more one is shot down, the more calls one must make.

However, it is important to note that a customer sales assignment may still require a high amount of dials. In order to increase productivity, often the easiest way to do so is to increase the number of dials each day. This means that the customer sales rep must be able to stay focused enough to achieve their sales goals. It is easy for customer sales reps to make "busy work" and hand holding fill their days while convincing themselves they are being productive. This can lull management into a false sense of security. Without sales results, however, the customer sales rep is not being effective. Remember, whether a customer sales rep or prospecting sales rep, in the end they must be accountable for measurable results.


Take stock of the selling techniques that your inside sales assignment requires. Tangibles are different from intangibles. For some, it will be simpler to sell a physical product, like a pen or a machine or a car. Although purchasing over the telephone, buyers in many cases can sample the product: see, touch, use their own senses to compliment what the sales person has been saying. In selling a service, the inside rep must be able to create the experience solely with their words over the telephone. Again, these are two different skill sets.


Another difference between prospecting and customer sales can often be found in the compensation structure. Sales management must be vigilant that they are rewarding correct behaviors.
High producing sales reps are motivated by money. They will carry out activities on the job that directly affect their income. If they don't see a process or procedure as contributing to that, a manager will inevitably have problems with sales reps complying. Many customer sales reps are less motivated by money per se, but will want to see rewards and recognition for their work.


If you are a small company, don't fall in love with the idea of hiring from large "name" companies. Often, these reps have been used to a level of support that you will be unable to provide. During the interview process make sure the candidate sales rep understands what working for your organization will be like. Although someone from a larger concern can bring with them ideas and a different viewpoint, if they are not willing to make changes to their office lifestyle, you may just find yourself with a disgruntled rep who will look for the first opportunity to get back to a larger firm.


A careful analysis of all these factors will help management create a profile of the experiences and traits a telephone sales person will need to succeed in your organization. So, will make the best telephone sales representative? The one who is best for your company.

Is Your Sales Process Costing You Sales?

We spend a lot of time talking about selling skills - the interpersonal skills needed to successfully close sales and generate business. However, sometimes the fault for poor or less than expected sales results lies not in the people skills of the sales rep but rather the sales process itself that has been set up. Our processes can trip us up and make it harder for people to say "yes" to us. For instance:


Recently I received a call for a phone company, asking me to change my service. Now I'm always in favor of saving money so I definitely gave a listen. I gave my fax number and promised to look over the information. I had a hard time listening to the rep as she appeared to be calling from a very noisy call center.

About an hour later I got a call (again from the noisy call center) from the original rep's supervisor asking for my business. I politely told her I prefer to think about this type of decision first. She offered to call me back in 3 days. The next day, I received her follow up call. No reference to the fact she wasn't supposed to call me for two days. She asked for my order again. Now, at this point, I had realized that this offer wouldn't be a good fit for me. I didn't like the length of the contact. She immediately offered a contract of a much shorter duration. I declined the offer.

Here's why:

• Why can't the first person conduct the entire sales process? Unless you have a brand new person or a very complicated product, there's really no reason for a second person to get involved. It smacks of poor training.
• Why is a "supervisor" calling back? Wasn't born yesterday... I've worked in industries where all the sales reps had business cards that said "vice president". Come on, we know you're the closer. There are smoother ways to handle that.
• Was inconsistent. If you're going to call back sooner, reference that to me. For instance "I know I'm supposed to call you back in 2 days, but I wanted to make sure you were aware of ....."
• Offered concessions to fast. If you come down in price too fast, or make any concessions too quickly, it makes people feel uneasy. "What else will they compromise on? Would I have been taken advantage of if I hadn't brought that up?"

And... oh yes, get a noise canceling headset...

Obviously, these techniques get sales, but how many sales are you losing? Sometimes, we forget there are human beings on the line with human reactions. We need to be able to walk the line between passive and aggressive in order to achieve our goals. Overly aggressive sales techniques increase the odds that buyers will cancel after the "aura" of the sales environment you're created goes away. For more sales and solid customer relationships, use assertive techniques that focus on your customer's needs.

"Secrets" of Customer Service

Once again I've received one of those emails. You know the kind, offering a book or seminar/webinar on the "secrets" of good service, or the "secrets" to successful selling. Except, there's one problem with these offers. There is no secret. Really.

There's no magic formula, no silver bullet needed to offer your customers great service. In fact, there's really only one Rule (and it's a pretty old one, at that): Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. See? Simple, as most good rules usually are.

The challenges for those of us who deal with people for a living is that we forget the Rule. Or, if we are supervisors, we forget to remind others of the Rule. Kindness begets kindness. Rudeness begets rudeness.

We must create policies and processes that enable to us to carry out the Rule. Instead of thinking about what's best for us, we need to think about what's best for our customers. The rewards are great... and that's no secret!

Your Inside Sales Supervisor is your best Retention Weapon

Some Random Thoughts on the Subject....

People don’t leave jobs. They don’t leave companies. They leave their bosses. This is particularly true for inside sales or telemarketing positions that are closely supervised. Inside Sales is a difficult job and generally requires much closer supervision than a field sales position. This means that reps will spend that much more time with their bosses. A boss’s influence on the success of the telephone sales effort can be tremendous; not just in terms of putting together lists, making sure calls are made and sales are closed, but in how the sales reps regard the experience of working for your organization.

An inside sales department, on paper, can appear to be a big, strong oak tree. Until the storm knocks it down and everyone sees the rot on the inside.

All too often, we spend our time focusing on the interpersonal skills of our sales reps but spend far too little time on the skill sets of the people supervising the sales group. Do your supervisors have excellent interpersonal skills? Do they know how to motivate, to make the workplace not just productive but a pleasant environment? Do they know how to help their subordinates defuse the stress and tension that comes with all those telephone calls?

Ask yourself these questions:

Do you hear raised voices coming from the unit on a regular basis?
Do people come in late regularly?
Is absenteeism a problem?
Does the “drama” level in the unit seem high?
Do you seem to have difficulty keeping your best sales reps?


If you can answer “yes” to these questions, your problems probably start with your supervisory staff. Often, when filling a supervisory position, particularly in a small company, the supervisor is promoted from within. It’s not unusual for a company to reward a high performer with a supervisor’s job. It’s also not unusual for management not to give this person the appropriate training to supervise.


A great supervisor is able to bring out the best in their subordinates. They are able to discover what motivates the people working for them and use that information to create a job environment that people want to succeed in. They understand at all people need to be treated with respect and dignity in the workplace. They don’t create onerous policies and procedures that make people feel as though they can’t be trusted. Remember, with a few exceptions, people want to work hard and be successful in their jobs.

Being a great sales person and being a great supervisor require different skill sets. A supervisor must be able to empathize with their staff yet still be able to hold people accountable for results. They need to be able to help their staff succeed and not just play "gotcha" when people fail.

Ask yourselves these questions:
Are people surprised by the information on their performance reviews?
Do terminations for “cause” surprise the people being terminated?
Can employees accurately tell where they stand with management in regards to their skills and worth to the organization?

It's important to avoid being that supervisor who may clock in but check out when it comes to being actively involved in motivating your staff, training for improved performance or outwardly caring about the success of the individual inside reps.

Want to see the cause of high turnover? Make sure you look in the mirror first.