Sales Management. Simplified: The Straight Truth About Getting Exceptional Results from Your Sales Team

I have a problem. I buy all the latest sales books. I read them, make a few notes and move on to the next. I have a sales library any sales pro would be proud of but the challenge is actually acting on the wise words written by these sales experts. (I am the same with cook books but that is another story!)This year I took action. I decided I would only read 2 sales books and put their words into action. Mike Weinberg's Sales Management Simplified is one of the books I settled on.I have been in sales for over 20 years and managing sales teams for over 10. Mike's book was a wake up call, I had been coasting! My numbers were okay but I knew I could deliver more. I read Sales Management Simplified and it was the kick up the backside I needed. I had got sloppy with regular 1:1's, was going through the motions with my team meetings. Not any more.I read Mr Weinberg's book every month, I even have it on Audible, his words inspired me to re-evaluate the way I was operating as a Sales Manager. No more coasting.Now our 1:1s happen every week, with talking points submitted by the sales person a few days before. Same with team meetings, they are interactive, fun and we learn together. I am in the field more and our 'ride-alongs' are much more structured and have become real occasions for development and learning.I manage remote sales teams so I need to be on the top of my sales game if I expect my team to deliver. I need to work smarter to inspire my sales force as they all sell from home offices and not on a bustling sales floor.I have no connection with Mike so believe me when I say that his book has helped me a) exceed tough team targets, b) develop my sales people c) given me fire in my belly and be proud to be a Sales Manager again.Let's be honest being a sales manager can be a lonely job, managing sales people and our superiors can be a tough job. Do yourself a favor, buy this book, read it, re-read it and act on it. Having Mike Weinberg in your corner will seriously improve your team results and get you passionate about the craft of sales management.

First my summary, then a few comments about the book:1. Build a high-performance culture with: a. Strong sense of purpose b. Accountability for results relative to goals c. Variable compensation that is truly earned d. Energy/Celebration e. Peer pressure and direct feedback2. Manage your talent (4Rs) a. Right people in the right roles: Specialize your team into dedicated hunters, farmers (account managers), and sales managers b. Retain top producers: training, tools, and recognition c. Remediate or replace underperformers d. Recruit by spending dedicated time on referrals and asking for specific during interviews, including: (i) details of a successful past deal & (ii) how they plan to approach the job3. Lead productive sales team meetings covering: a. Sales results & outstanding individual/team performance b. Success stories c. Best practices d. Deal strategy brainstorming e. Training (esp. with role play) f. Business plan reviews covering: goals, strategies, proposed actions, expected obstacles, and professional development g. At the conclusion, have people share their biggest take-away4. Coach and mentor salespeople by: a. Conducting regular, results focused 1:1 meetings by examining (IN ORDER!) i. Results relative to quota ii. Pipeline (movement of existing opportunities; new opportunities added) iii. Activity b. Removing real obstacles (though beware of excuses) c. Spending time in the field (or in side-by-sides for inside sales) covering: i. Pre-call planning (names, personalities, & meeting expectations of prospects; call flow; expected challenges; primary meeting goal) ii. Post-call review, letting the salesperson share her take first iii. Generally getting to know salespeople’s motivations5. Set the standard for effective sales calls. For example: a. Share the agenda and get buy-in b. Add value every time as a customer-issue-focused problem-solver c. Probe and listen (instead of leading with talking about the product) to determine if prospects are qualified and to write better proposals d. Hold a conversation rather than give a presentation e. Crisply articulate the “sales story” in a way that is succinct, compelling, and customer-issue focused f. Lead the customer rather than letting the customer lead you6. Additional recommendations: a. Regularly assess territory strategy to ensure salespeople are targeting the accounts the highest-potential accounts. They should have enough accounts to work, but not too many to adequately work. b. Avoid negativity c. Be selfishly productive, proactivity calendaring all priority activities and saying no to reactive, non-results-oriented tasks & meetings d. Be careful not to avoid your high performers or focus too much on underperformers e. Demand (from finance/operations) accurate, timely, usable reports to monitor sales results and pipelineReview comment: While the book has great content, it takes work to extract it since (a) the entire first half of the book is a long rant (b) the rant continues at times in the second half (c) there is a decent amount of repetition (d) the author is, at times, overly self-promotional (e) the organizing structure (culture, talent management, and process) is somewhat loose and intertwined with a second framework (1:1s, team meetings, and field work).

Mr. Weinberg,I just finished reading “Sales Management Simplified”. I am the General Manager of a service center that is a part of a larger organization and I was brought in a year ago to help turn this failing facility around. As a career operations person, that is where I started in, fixing the operational issues, with the thought that our current largest barrier to sales was dissatisfied customers. In other words, even though the sellers were bringing it in, operations was letting them down. Once I had a handle on that, and installed the right people to run operations, I turned my attention to sales. Since our facility is too small (currently, I plan to change that) to warrant and/or afford a dedicated Sales Manager, it fell to me to fulfill that role.In short, I was confronted with the question “how does one make the leap from operations management to sales management”. To hopefully answer that question, I started reading, and reading, and reading. Finally one of my peers suggested this book. It was perfect, and written in a way that kept me engaged. It reinforced things that I suspected (you can’t be an operations manager and a sales manager at the same time) and revealed several “truths” that were heretofore unbeknownst to me.This is the first time in my 58 years of being an avid reader that I have felt compelled to reach out and thank an author!Thank you for your help!P.S. We are having a record quarter.

Simply put, this book is an essential tool for both long standing and soon to be sales managers. Getting straight to the point, in real speak and in bite size chapters, the content will help you reflect, refine and consistently execute a winning sales leadership strategy. Equal parts eye opening and hilarious. Never leave home without it!

Simple and honest in its approach, it’s a great read for anyone that knows that getting the basics right, and getting back to them, is the key to a successful sales career. A great present for those managers that believe they do a great job by hitting 60 hour a weeks without engaging with their team or their customers!

I have been in sales management for 25 years. I bought this book as a bit of a refresher and to re-connect with my mojo.It’s a super book written succinctly, clearly and also with some disarming humour. It was just what I needed. A real shot in the arm and (going forward) I will be reviewing someOf my current working practices.Highly really recommend

Decent book and in particular makes great point about player manager roles. They don't work!

Mike speaks clearly and with wit and authority. This book is fun to read and I will clear the way you think.