4 Sales Management Styles You Must Know
A big challenge for sales managers is understanding and employing the right management styles to elicit the desired behavior from employees. Employing the right management style at the right time can reap rewards – and help your team reach their quotas.
Getting the best out of a sales team revolves around two pegs: motivation and style of management. It is no secret that successful managers classify and tackle situations using various methods. After all, there is no one-style-fits-all approach to management. The underlying objective behind these methods is influence.
Only by influencing the team positively can the ideal sales manager meet various business goals – meeting the targets, aligning with the organization’s overall vision, and driving the team forward. Managers who lack the right approach to handle the myriad situations that arise on the floor fail to connect with their team’s thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Therefore, the biggest challenge for sales managers is to understand and employ the right management styles to influence and direct activities in the desired direction.
You can manage your sales force by implementing one of these four distinct management styles. It is important to know which style to use for the situation at hand depending on the aims and outcomes desired.
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The autocratic manager
Sometimes, a sales manager needs to become an autocrat. People often view people with absolute power negatively, but in some instances, employees must recognize your authority and apply your methods in specific situations. Make sure you know what you are saying, and make it specific. Use this one-way communication approach when dealing with a new team, to provide policy decisions, or when a situation has reached a stonewall stage where someone needs to take a call.
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The ‘selling’ sales manager
Selling is a generic concept that works in myriad situations. You must first convince your team if you are changing the strategic direction, implementing new ideas or sales techniques, or trying to push the team to overachieve targets. The sales manager thus needs to become his own internal salesman. The upside of this is that the team also gets to provide their views and feedback.
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The participating manager
The manager need not always occupy the high chair of authority. Some situations call for them to occupy the next chair and listen. Use this approach when taking feedback, suggesting improvements during appraisals, mentoring, and brainstorming. This two-way style boosts morale and shows that you value everyone’s contribution.
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The delegating manager
You can use delegation successfully in a sales force to build a culture of freedom. It allows salespeople to work independently and enhances their sense of self-worth. Use this approach to empower and develop successful salespeople. If you feel it is risky, allow yourself to monitor and track the team members without being supervised.
No style, however, is isolated. David Jacoby explains: “Although each sales management style is separate and distinct from the others, you will find that many situations require more than one style.” As an illustration, he cites how a new idea can be introduced with the selling style, followed by the participatory method to seek feedback. The key therefore is to remain as flexible as you can while leading a team.
