book

ProActive Sales Management: How to Lead, Motivate, and Stay ahead of the Game

by William Skip Miller

November 2000

Beginner to intermediate

245 pages

5h 8m

English

AMACOM

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Why There Is a Burning Need for Managers to ChangeQUIZ: How Reactive Are You?
The Reversal EffectWhat Is the Real Role of the Sales Manager?What Makes a Successful Salesperson?What Makes a Successful Sales Manager?What Are the Similarities between the Two Skills?What Are the Daily Tasks of a Sales Manager?What Expectations Are Placed on the Sales Manager?Manage the Process, Not Just the PeopleThe First Tool—Think Three to Six Months into the FutureThe Second Tool—Be ProActiveReactive ScenarioThe Third Tool—Develop Objectives—M2O/tsThe Fourth Tool—Call for HelpS.O.S. ExerciseThe Fifth Tool—Have Your People Effectively Manage ThemselvesHow Do I Know Whether I Am an Effective Leader?Grenade WallsTwo Rules of LeadershipCreating a Sales Culture Is Job #1
The Pygmalion EffectThinking ProActively—Thinking in the FutureCurrent Sales CultureCurrent Company CultureSales Team Culture Nine to Twelve Months OutCreating a Culture Nine to Twelve Months OutCreating the Culture ProActively and Implementing It#1. Be the Future#2. Think Culture before Tactics#3. Go Backward#4. Create and Communicate Your M2O/ts#5. The Value Pyramids—Advanced FutureVision WorkshopThe Lower PyramidTop PyramidYou Can't Ride the Bus
Managing TimeMaximize and InvestThe Sales Manager 80/20 RuleManaging the A PlayersFuneral ManagingTeach Them to FishSpeed of Sales CulturesShow Me the Money—An Insurance PolicyShow Me the Money—Really Do!Planning—Focus on Tomorrow; Today Is OverPowerHourMeasure It—Setting Measurable Objectives That WorkRevenue Numbers Are ReactiveRevenue Numbers Measure the Wrong ThingSubjective and Objective MeasurementsThe Skip Miller Sales Management Success FormulaFrequencyCompetenciesMiller 17
How to Interview and Hire the Right Salesperson the First TimeThe Law and the InterviewQuestions You Cannot AskThe Hiring ProcessThe Three PerspectivesInitial HomeworkView Your Current Organization and CultureCompany AssessmentCompanies ChangeObjective Sales Team Culture AssessmentWhere to Find the Good OnesThe Law of the A PerformerChannels of Distribution for CandidatesInternal DistributionExternal DistributionRecruitingContingent FirmsRetained FirmsContainer FirmsIn-HouseFeesRelationship with the Recruiting FirmInterview Recruiting FirmsAdvertisingPrepare for the InterviewObjective and Subjective MeasurementsThe Job DescriptionHow to Read ResumesProfile of a Successful PerformerThe Interview ProcessThe A-B-C Interview ProcessRound ARound BRound CSummaryThe Twenty-Minute Interview ProcessA Simple But Effective Interview Process: Connect-Draw-Give-Close1. Connect2. Draw3. Give4. CloseInterview = Sales CallTreat the Interview Like a Sales CallTools for the Sales InterviewSelling Skills AttributesWho Closes WhomCharacteristics of a Great SalespersonNatural CuriosityComplex to SimpleQuiet CompetenceAbility to FlipAll Three PerspectivesThe Golden Rule of HiringProActive Reference ChecksThe Offer That WorksThe CounterofferWhen Not to OfferThe Subjective Interview: The Final AssessmentCelebrate Success: Closing the Deal
Reasons to Start a Corrective Action ProcessThe Corrective Action ProcessCounselingWritten WarningUse of MetricsFinal Written WarningTerminationTermination GuidelinesIt's Not Your ResponsibilityCoaching and Counseling through the Process
Coaching and Counseling—How to Be a Master Communicator in Any OrganizationDefinitions of Coaching and CounselingThe Coaching/Counseling WheelThe Coaching Sales CallThe Coaching CallThe Joint Sales CallThe Unexpected Sales CallFocus on the AsCoaching and Counseling Your Boss EffectivelyMotivation—Know Why People Do What They Do and Be One Step AheadPraiseReward and RecognitionLearn-and-Grow ChallengesMotivational Direction
Track the MaybesKeep the InsuranceManage to One Sheet of Paper:The 30-60-90 Report30-60-90 RulesThe 30-60-90 ReportEffective Reports in Ten Minutes a WeekGetting Reports in on TimeWhat Kind of a Manager Are You?Expense Management

Strategically Deploying the Sales TeamGeographic AssignmentsAccount AssignmentsProduct AssignmentsThe ProActive Sales MatrixDead ZoneMaintain ZoneRed ZoneCompensationStrategic vs. Tactical CompensationProActive Compensation GuidelinesThe Law of Compensation Plan TimingThe Revenue CurveStack RankingsSales Training: The Five Sales CompetenciesThe Sales-Training BicycleCreate Leverage—Rewards and PraiseStay Focused or Pay Free Money
When and How to Have Successful Sales MeetingsAgenda PlanningTime PlanningContent PlanningOptional Meetings
The Coaching Wall of PrinciplesSetting Goals and Making Them WorkShort-Term vs. Long-Term GoalsMeasurable GoalsCommunicationGo and Make a DifferenceThe A-B-C Bell Curve Applies to Managers as WellThe Support Structure Back at the OfficeDiscipline and the Will to Change

Overview

All sales managers work like crazy, but few are true managers. That's because they tend to fall back on the skills that made them great at sales...instead of adopting the new skills that will make them great managers.

This essential book, which speaks their language, will turn them into management pros. It teaches a proven method for managing the sales process as well as the salespeople. Packed with specific, field-tested techniques, ProActive Sales Management shows sales managers how to:

Regain control of their time

Create a proactive sales culture

Motivate a sales team

Manage to simple yet powerful metrics

Weed out failures quickly

Effectively coach and counsel up and down the sales organization

Measure not to revenue, but to the things that create revenue

Reduce reports to one sheet of paper and 10 minutes a week

Forecast more confidently

Manage the sales organization the way it should be managed.