5 Common Mistakes when hiring a Sales Manager – Introduction

Puzzle Pieces

Sales Leaders take note:

At a recent economic summit, global economist-turned-strategist, Roger Martin-Fagg, author of the book, ‘Making sense of the economy’ made these conclusions:

Companies that lack a clear value proposition WILL fail in the coming economic malaise.
Companies with a clear value proposition but without strong finances WILL also fail.

However, he also made this conclusion about those who will succeed:

Companies that WILL SUCCEED do not only have a strong value proposition and strong financial health, but they will also place great emphasis on selecting and growing talent, their greatest competitive resource.

Roger’s comments helped me realize once again the importance of making the right selection for the position of sales manager. Why is this so important? Because your sales manager is responsible for growing your sales talent – a critical competitive resource.

Studies show that hiring the right sales manager can be a key growth strategy and some even indicate that a sales manager can increase the sales performance of a team by at least 26%. My experience is that the right sales manager, who is committed to building a high performance sales culture, can produce even greater results.

However, this is a high stakes venture because the opposite is also true—the wrong sales manager can sap valuable resources, being a restrictive factor that sabotages growth. These are five tell-tale signs that you don’t have the right sales manager:

–Weak Performance Management

–Lack of Motivation

–Ineffective Coaching

–Misguided Recruiting

–Poor Mentoring

In assisting companies with their sales growth efforts, I’ve noticed that the hiring of the right Sales Manager is often an area where business owners struggle. So, for the next 5 postings, we’ll examine the five common mistakes that companies make in hiring a sales manager and what you can do to avoid those mistakes.

Sales Growth Question: What can you do to ensure that you avoid the cost of a bad hire for your Sales Manager Position?

Sales Growth Lesson: Hiring the right Sales Manager for your unique circumstances can form the foundation for your sales team’s future success.

NOTE: To listen to the entire EcSELL Institute webinar, go to http://bit.ly/uwFu6t

PPT Slides can be viewed at http://bit.ly/tTux5g