Sales Management. Simplified. Quotes

“The successful individual sales producer wins by being as selfish as possible with her time. The more often the salesperson stays away from team members and distractions, puts her phone on Do Not Disturb (DND), closes her door, or chooses to work for a few hours from the local Panera Bread café, the more productive she’ll likely be. In general, top producers in sales tend to exhibit a characteristic I’ve come to describe as being selfishly productive. The seller who best blocks out the rest of the world, who maintains obsessive control of her calendar, who masters focusing solely on her own highest-value revenue-producing activities, who isn’t known for being a “team player,” and who is not interested in playing good corporate citizen or helping everyone around her, is typically a highly effective seller who ends up on top of the sales rankings. Contrary to popular opinion, being selfish is not bad at all. In fact, for an individual contributor salesperson, it is a highly desirable trait and a survival skill, particularly in today’s crazed corporate environment where everyone is looking to put meetings on your calendar and take you away from your primary responsibilities! Now let’s switch gears and look at the sales manager’s role and responsibilities. How well would it work to have a sales manager who kept her office phone on DND and declined almost every incoming call to her mobile phone? Do we want a sales manager who closes her office door, is concerned only about herself, and is for the most part inaccessible? No, of course not. The successful sales manager doesn’t win on her own; she wins through her people by helping them succeed. Think about other key sales management responsibilities: Leading team meetings. Developing talent. Encouraging hearts. Removing obstacles. Coaching others. Challenging data, false assumptions, wrong attitudes, and complacency. Pushing for more. Putting the needs of your team members ahead of your own. Hmmm. Just reading that list again reminds me why it is often so difficult to transition from being a top producer in sales into a sales management role. Aside from the word sales, there is truly almost nothing similar about the positions. And that doesn’t even begin to touch on corporate responsibilities like participating on the executive committee, dealing with human resources compliance issues, expense management, recruiting, and all the other burdens placed on the sales manager. Again,”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“You want the truth? Whether you’re the senior executive or the sales manager or play both roles, hear me clearly as if I was shouting this while turning red with veins bulging from my neck: When you’re blasted with over 200 emails per day; trapped in meetings that keep you from your primary job; constantly handed (or grabbing for) the fire hose to deal with crises; buried either writing, reading, or scrambling for reports; and have almost zero control of your calendar, you are not leading anyone anywhere. Furthermore, you have exactly the sales culture you deserve—the one you’ve created, whether by design or neglect.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“When salespeople lead with their product or service, it is impossible to be perceived as consultants or trusted advisors. It makes it as clear as day that the salesperson believes the relationship and sale are centered on his offering, not the customer and its needs. It’s as if the salesperson is begging the customer to put his offering’s features and price on a spreadsheet to be compared against every competitors’ features and price.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“Before moving on, let me ask: Are the goals of your sales team and each member of it clear? Do all members of your sales team understand what is expected of them and how they’ll be evaluated? What processes are in place to monitor progress against specific goals? How are you creating a results-focused culture in your organization?”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“Recruiting for the manager is much like prospecting for the salesperson. It’s very important but typically not perceived as urgent. Recruiting, like prospecting, doesn’t call you; you need to call it. We don’t default to recruiting mode. There’s always something easier, more attractive, or more urgent vying for our attention.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“1. Right People in the Right Roles 2. Retain Top Producers 3. Remediate or Replace Underperformers (Coach up or coach out) 4. Recruit”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“Right People in the Right Roles 2. Retain Top Producers 3. Remediate or Replace Underperformers (coach up or coach out) 4. Recruit”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“two critical questions to get a very fast snapshot of how effective this particular salesperson is: 1. Can you name for me the new opportunities that are in your pipeline today that were not here when we met last month? In other words, can you tell me what fresh opportunities you have identified or created in the past month? 2. Can you name for me the existing opportunities that you moved forward in the sales process since we reviewed your pipeline together last month?”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“Proceso de ventas”
― Mike Weinberg, Gerencia de ventas. Simplificada.: La verdad acerca de cómo conseguir resultados excepcionales de tu equipo de ventas

“Cuando el vendedor se deja dirigir por su producto o servicio es imposible que sea percibido como un consultor o un consejero de confianza.”
― Mike Weinberg, Gerencia de ventas. Simplificada.: La verdad acerca de cómo conseguir resultados excepcionales de tu equipo de ventas

“¿Puedes ver por qué llegar tarde a la oportunidad a menudo relega a tu vendedor a la posición de comerciante?”
― Mike Weinberg, Gerencia de ventas. Simplificada.: La verdad acerca de cómo conseguir resultados excepcionales de tu equipo de ventas

“one of the main causes of underperformance is that the very people charged with selling new pieces of business and acquiring new clients spend a surprisingly low percentage of their time selling new business.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“In sales, results are everything, and they do not lie.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“Contrary to what many weak salespeople believe, customers are not looking for subservient order takers; they are seeking help and value. And it’s just about impossible to come across as a value creator when you’re late to an opportunity, leading with product, pitching instead of probing, and presenting and proposing prematurely.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“There is an interesting phenomenon that contributes to anti-sales cultures in many organizations. People tend to be more jealous or unappreciative of those in sales than in any other role in a business.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“truly transform the results and health of an entire sales team, the leader and the culture must be transformed.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“But when did it become acceptable to manage people who manage people and relationships via email?”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“Congratulations, Michael. You now understand that the frontline sales management role is one of the absolute toughest jobs on the planet. Everyone wants a piece of you, just like you described. There’s no way to win without a solid grounding in your absolute priorities and a laser focus on what’s absolutely critical to drive the business. None of those people placing demands on you and putting work on your desk understands your job. And if you let them dictate how to spend your time, you’ll not only be miserable like you are now, but you’ll also fail.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“The successful sales manager doesn’t win on her own; she wins through her people by helping them succeed. Think about other key sales management responsibilities: Leading team meetings. Developing talent. Encouraging hearts. Removing obstacles. Coaching others. Challenging data, false assumptions, wrong attitudes, and complacency. Pushing for more. Putting the needs of your team members ahead of your own.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“The harsh truth is that those in sales and sales leadership who understand and master the basics thrive, and those who ignore them perpetually struggle.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“Leadership and Culture” may seem like a vague or general catch-all phrase. Let me offer some questions to guide you down the path and to set the stage for upcoming chapters on this important first piece of the framework. What does it feel like to be part of your company’s sales team? Is it a high-performance culture? Why do you feel that way? Are team members laser-focused on goals and results? What’s the vibe in the sales department (whether it is local or based remotely)? What does accountability look like on this team? How often, how big, and how loud are victories celebrated? Is the manager leading the team or just reacting to circumstances? Are sales team meetings valuable? Do salespeople leave those meetings better equipped, envisioned, and energized, or drained and discouraged? Do members of the sales team feel supported, valued, and appreciated? Does the existing compensation plan make sense and does it drive the desired behaviors and results? In what ways is the manager putting his or her fingerprints on the team? How much of the sales leader’s time is devoted to non-sales activities and executive and administrative burdens? What’s the level of intensity, passion, and heart-engagement of team members? I don’t believe that anyone would doubt that we can create significant lift in a sales organization by improving the answers to these questions.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“I’ve never witnessed a buzzword take an entire profession hostage like social selling has.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“When you live by the product then you die by the product. Salespeople who lead with their offering are admitting that they bring zero value to the equation, and they’re essentially telling customers to commoditize the purchase decision.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“service, it is impossible to be perceived as consultants or trusted advisors. It makes it as clear as day that the salesperson believes the relationship and sale are centered on his offering, not the customer and its needs. It’s as if the salesperson is begging the customer to put his offering’s features and price on a spreadsheet to be compared against every competitors’ features and price.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“The job of the sales force is to execute the company’s strategy to perfection, not to create it on the fly.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“The very best sales managers are Multipliers. They subdue their own egos for the sake of their people. They understand that their mission is to win through their salespeople. They don’t micromanage every detail. When necessary, they ask insightful questions that challenge the status quo and a salesperson’s approach. Instead of jumping in and taking over at every chance, they look for coaching opportunities. Great sales managers deflect the credit; they don’t steal it. And they often jump in front of the bus to protect their people rather than throwing them under it so they look good themselves.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“when did it become acceptable to manage people who manage people and relationships via email? Please reread that last question slowly to truly ponder what I am asking here.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

“Salespeople regularly fall short of delivering their numbers because Little Effort = Little Results. It’s not that they’re not working. They’re just working on the wrong things.”
― Mike Weinberg, Sales Management. Simplified.: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team