The 3 Steps to Managing Your First Sales Team

Like anything in life managing a new sales team is easy when you know how. To make life simple. The list below gives you a start that will work now and in years to come. Because these steps look so simple don't underestimate their power.

These specific activities form the process all successful sales managers employ to enable them to manage their new sales team quickly.

Review Each Resume

This is so easy to do and a mistake many sales managers make. Some simple questions and research is all it takes and will build amazing on going rapport because you know what you are talking about. So what do you need to know?

Have any of your new sales team worked outside the current industry you are both now in. If so what skill set did it require? Can it add to this role now or take away. Do they come from an industry you are now selling to? Let's say they worked in the I.T industry. Could they help in planning and organising sales data?

How long have they been in the current industry? Did they work for a competitor firm who excelled at something e.g. prospecting, organising meetings. Could this be used to your teams advantage.

How long have they worked for you current company. What have been the highs? Have they worked in any other department?

Outside interests and hobbies. I know it seems strange. Keep your mind open. Imagine you have someone who is very creative. They could be the ideal person to help you develop a new campaign.

Identify Star and Poor Performers

Every team has them. Its how the game of sales and life works. If you really want to manage a sales team well it is best to identify who falls into which camp first. Is it a skill or will issue each is handled in a different way. When you do you can turnaround performance quickly and easily.

Analyse the Teams Performance on all levels

This can be done in two ways sitting at your desk and looking at the data and spending time with your sales team and customers. I suggest both. When you are new to a role or team it is far too easy to make assumptions based on very little facts.

Look at the sales trends from your team and also your competitors. What is customer activity like? What about repeat business. You know the drill. So what are your sales team actually like with customers? What is the skill level how about relationships. When you have done this you are in a really strong position to make changes for the good.