Defining accountability
Being accountable as a manager will in turn lead to increased accountability from your producers. But what is the best way to go about this? By breaking this down into steps, it is possible to become an effective manager without losing sight of your own selling goals.
Your selling story
Outlining the anatomy of the sales process specific to your agency and explaining this to your producers is the first step toward being an effective manager. “The more your producers understand about what they’re selling, the better they will be at it,” said Eric Bluhm, inside sales manager at Zywave. While that’s a no-brainer, clearly defining these parameters can be a difficult task if you’re not used to breaking down your agency’s specific selling story. And a key component of this selling story is the mission statement. “Your producers must fully-understand the mission statement of the sales team in order to adhere to it,” said Dave O’Brien, chief marketing officer at Zywave.
Weekly meetings
While providing guidance in regard to promoting an understanding of the selling story and mission statement, start positioning yourself as an available point of contact for your producers. By holding weekly meetings, you are creating an atmosphere of collaboration as well as reinforcing your management techniques.
Use these weekly meetings as a way to recognize success. Since your producers are highly driven by competition, the incentive of being recognized in front of your team is definitely worthwhile. Keep in mind that these meetings can serve as your main point of contact with your producers – this will allow you to manage them from a distance while still meeting your sales goals. “Micro-managing your producers can frustrate your team, and leaves little time for your own call time,” said Eric.
One-on-one meetings
Because of this, one-on-one meetings with your producers aren’t necessarily needed. “Being able to manage your producers from a distance allows them to manage their time – but don’t lose sight of their progress,” said Eric. But what can you do if a problem arises? Then it’s time to move toward a more hands-on management approach. But be careful not to accuse. You want your producers to feel like they can come to you the next time they have a problem. “It’s best to go about it in a way that frames the question as ‘what can I do to help you?’ You don’t want to come off as accusing them – that’s not going to help anyone,” he added. A great manager knows how to be helpful without being over-authoritative. If something is out of the ordinary with your producer, or something doesn’t seem quite right, the best way to address this is head-on, and on an individual basis.
This is part four in a five-part series on building a successful inside sales team.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
© Copyright 2009 Zywave, Inc.