Introduction It took a true genius, Albert Einstein, to discover E=MC². Einstein’s theory is very complex and complicated and many people will never understand his relationship of energy to matter. In the world of sales, E=MC² is simple, but it takes a quality manager to implement the new meaning of E=MC², not genius. I have read many books and theories about management styles and skills. I’ve listened to lectures to find out what it takes to be a great leader of people. I personally believe it takes a few simple skills that really make a difference with my top managers. I constantly talk about 4 key principles, which if practiced daily, will not only allow you to succeed as a manager but will definitely help your team succeed as sales professionals and with life. 4 Key Principles for Success Those 4 key elements are: E = Educate M = Motivate C = Communicate C = Care So many attributes go into being a quality sales manager, however, the skill that makes the most difference is how they interact with their team. For me, I want my managers to focus on these 4 key principles; Educate, Motivate, Communicate, and Care. Education of a sales team starts with the manager. Having a clear and concise message that you can easily and effectively translate to your team will ultimately impact their performance. Education is not just about products or services, it’s about selling skills, finding the pain, understanding the process, and implementing solutions. I have built hundreds of sales teams and have managed thousands of salespeople across the globe, in every imaginable industry and no matter what field or product you are selling it always comes down to the same key elements. If you can educate your team on what is needed to become successful, their ability to succeed will increase immensely. Motivation is a key skill set for every manager. Motivating people to perform at their highest level is essential if you want to build a team of winners. I am a huge sports fan and have coached teams for 25 years both boys and girls, at the highest levels of competition. The greatest tool I can give to my players is encouragement through motivation. Players, teams, and salespeople must believe in themselves, they must believe in the company and the product they represent. Motivation takes effort, it takes focus, but the results can be tremendous. Communication at every level is essential in management. In sales, it becomes a daily requirement between many different departments and people. The successful manager communicates constantly up and down the chain, constantly keeping his sales team informed on activities, successes, and issues. Communication is not just a requirement it’s the lifeline to teamwork. Many salespeople are very independent individuals, they thrive on being able to change and adapt, but without communication from management, they may not know the direction of change and become disconnected. Without focus and direction, they will not succeed. Care, truly caring about the people who work for you is a skill I don’t see often enough in managers. Taking a genuine interest in the people who work for them is a skill that needs to be monitored daily. Many sales managers forget about the people behind the business card, they forget about the struggles involved in selling and living in a tough economy. They focus only on corporate goals and forget about the individuals that can make them successful. Great leaders have an interest in the people around them, they care about personal goals. They work not only to help salespeople achieve quota, but they work to help their salespeople achieve personal growth and success. Conclusion These four key principles seem so simple because they are so simple. If you break it down into simple tasks and take full ownership of your role as a manager, and find the time to Educate, Motivate, Communicate, and really Care about your team, your team will reward you with achievement and personal growth as well. Being a leader is not easy and it’s not for everyone. Being a leader takes patience and it takes a proper understanding of people as individuals, caring about what they want in life and how they view success. To be a good leader you need to know what your salespeople see as success and what they want to achieve. You may be surprised that your views and goals are not aligned. You can only find out if you sit down and communicate on a business and personal level. I constantly preach about personal accountability and believe that if a sales manager truly takes accountability for his position and his team, the rewards are endless. You will grow as a manager, as a leader, and as a person. I have had the opportunity to mentor many managers and salespeople and the common denominator for Success is E=MC². You don’t have to be a genius to make this equation work. You just have to follow this simple formula and success will follow. About Sales Focus Inc.: Sales Focus Inc. Pioneered the Sales Outsourcing Industry and has the most effective and proven process S.O.L.D.™ in the industry. Our process has been implemented in many Fortune 500 companies along with small and mid-sized organizations in all industries. Building Intelligent Sales Solutions has been our only focus since we pioneered the Sales Outsourcing industry in 1998. Sales Focus Inc., (SFI) has generated well over $10B in revenue for our clients, utilizing our repeatable S.O.L.D.™ process, which allows you and us to build dedicated sales teams focused on growing small & large companies alike. Intelligent Sales Solutions Focusing on client acquisition, and building and launching dedicated sales teams on a national level, all while reducing the cost of sales is what makes Sales Focus Inc. (SFI) unique. We create repeatable and sustainable business processes designed to bring sales results in a short period of time. SFI is able to provide a dedicated sales team across the country or across the globe to meet the needs of each individual client. Our sales representatives are thoroughly trained using our Sales Master Training Program for both tactical and strategic solution-based selling. Sales Focus Inc. is committed to providing our clients with constant sales intelligence in the form of daily, weekly, and monthly reports, allowing our clients to own the customers. Whether our outsourced sales teams are feet on the street or inside sales, Sales Focus Inc. is committed to driving down the cost of sales, generating immediate revenue, and building “Intelligent Sales Outsourcing Solutions”.
