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October 25, 2013
How to Rescue Your Sales Leader
By:
You hired a good guy. He works hard. Your team likes him. Your customers like him. But, it feels like he’s a bit lost.
As you plan for next year, you have two options:
While many CEO’s may select option 1, today’s post focuses on option #2.
Download the Sales Leader Execution Kit.
How did this happen?
When you hired your sales leader, perhaps you made some mistakes. You focused on things like:
While these are important characteristics, they don’t predict results. As your sales leader has settled in, it has become apparent he is “green.” Strategic planning is a foreign concept. Day-to-Day execution and cadence are erratic. You need to course correct heading into next year.
Why Rescue Your Current Sales Leader?
Q4 is not prime hiring season for sales leaders. ‘A’ players are waiting to collect big year-end bonus checks. Pulling them away from their current gig will be very difficult.
Q4 is prime firing season. The market will be flooded with ‘C’ players. You could end up spinning your wheels with re-treads.
You feel like the current guy can get it done. You just need to close the gaps. To avoid this again next year, you need ways to rescue your sales leader. Here are a few ideas for you on how you can help.
Strategic Planning
Many sales leaders struggle with strategic planning. Perhaps yours struggles with prioritizing his initiatives. Rather than focus on 2 or 3 core initiatives, everything is a priority. Your sales force has become fatigued by this.
To fix this, you have a few options:
Field Execution
In other cases, your sales manager may struggle to implement a defined strategy. When it’s time to roll up his sleeves, he’s not sure what to do. This results in nothing getting done.
Here are a couple ideas for you on this:
If blocking and tackling prevents you from missing next year’s number, these will help. It may sound simple, but often sales leaders just need basic tools for improvement.
Call to Action
Rescue your sales leader from making the same mistakes again next year.
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