The Solution Selling Challenge for a New Sales Manager

Here you are…now charged with leading the troops when just a few days ago you were part of the team selling solutions to clients. 

This will require a whole new perspective and a total shift in the attitude you bring to work every day. You are no longer in charge of just your own sales accounts; you are in charge of leading the sales team to sell solutions to target customers, to maximize sales performance and reach team goals. In other words, it is not your individual sales achievement that matters here…you are charged with first and foremost empowering your team to achieve a common sales team goal.

Think back to your solution selling training and consider this new sales leadership challenge as a problem to be solved by you (the salesperson) for your customers (your team). There are a lot of parallels…

1. Take a close look at your sales team. Learn who they are and what makes them tick. Where are their strengths and where are their weaknesses. What do they need from you to support their sales success? How can you best help them succeed? This will be a partnership…reach out to them as you would your customer to learn how you can best work together.
   
2. Build the relationship. Every good and lasting partnership is based on trust. Set the stage for direct and honest communication…listen well to any issues raised and answer all questions in a straightforward manner.
   
3. Take stock of what you have to offer. Certainly in your earlier sales role you proved yourself as a competent salesperson. But now you will be measured as a sales manager and by the success of your sales team. Do you have the sales leadership skills necessary to attract, develop, engage, guide, manage and retain a high performing sales team? If not, see that you get the sales leadership and solution selling training to fill the gaps or find a coach who can help you learn what you need to succeed.
   
4. Work together to agree upon sales goals, expectations, roles, and next steps. Just as you would design a go-forward plan with your customer, do the same with the help of your sales team. The more they participate in the plan for their future, the more they will be committed to implementing it.

Learn more at http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/