Avoiding conflict is the key to good sales management. Or is it?

Like I said in an earlier sales training post, the top-performing sales manager spends the majority of his time encouraging his reps…unlike most sales managers who constantly break their reps down through criticism, criticism and more criticism.

This paints a nice, rosy picture…doesn’t it?

When it comes to an underperforming sales rep though – forget encouragement. The time for that has passed.

The sales manager now must become the confrontationalist. Sales performance stinks – and the sales manager needs to take action now!

Rule #2: Confrontation is Good. (more…)

A sales manager REALLY must understand one thing about underperformers: there are many different reasons why people perform below standards.

It seems kinda obvious, but here’s why.

The salesperson has little or no talent.

They stink…they’re never gonna make it no matter how hard you push.

Let’s face it: your sales force has more than just a few of these…and its not gonna get any better the longer you wait.

More on that subject in subsequent posts…

For today however, if your instincts tells you this person has something inside him or her that could make him or her an outstanding sales person, at least if it were under the right circumstances, then a sales manager needs to apply the first of three rules of underperformance.

The first rule: Set the Tone. (more…)