Sales Rep 101 – Chapter 22

What Managers Want

This is a little bit of a tricky topic but I think it is an important one. I touched on this in the Micro Manager topic but I want to discuss it in a broader way now. If you are new to sales then this won’t apply to you right away, but after a few months you will understand what I am meaning and it will make more sense. Every sales person has their strengths and weaknesses. Some sales people are excellent closers but maybe lack the discipline and organization to truly reach their potential. On the other hand some are very disciplined and organized but just struggle with the close. And then there is everything in between. As a sales person you always want to improve on areas that you struggle in but always to remember to focus on your strengths. Managers sometimes want things done in a certain way even though their way doesn’t really align with your strengths. I’ve never understood way managers don’t take the time to understand each reps skills…but I digress. Some managers just don’t. And that can be really frustrating for more veteran sales people. If you been doing well but your manager is always calling you out for not doing something the “right” way it can really wear on you. So my advice is this. Continue to focus on your strengths while trying to improve your weaknesses. When your manager is involved in a sales call maybe focus more on what they are looking for even though you might struggle with it a little. That way at least they see that you are doing it their way. Here is a good example. When I am doing a presentation I usually will word it in a way that is more conversational and that way I can get the client more involved. I have had managers in the past that want the presentation by the book no matter what. Every bullet point covered. So I would make sure that I could do the presentation that way when he rode with me. And when I was on my own I would do my presentation the way that was more comfortable for me. There is fine line between doing it the right way and your way. If you are having success then by all means continue what you are doing. If you are struggling then there may be a reason for that and you should be open to trying things that your manager wants. When you are new to sales you are more of a deer in the headlights so you won’t want to stray much anyway. But remember this advice as you get more experienced. It will make your sales calls more relaxed and lead to more sales!