Why Many Salespeople Struggle as Managers and How they can be Helped to Succeed
“Super Salesperson Syndrome”
Why do many talented salespeople struggle when promoted as managers?
Frank V Cespedes, Senior Lecturer of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, offers an explantion
“It’s because even after they put on their manager hats, they continue to suffer from the “super salesperson syndrome,” unable to disconnect from the thrill of selling. They hover over their salespeople and micromanage every deal to make sure it closes” says Cespedes
Analysing the issue for HBS Working Knowledge Research and Ideas, Cespedes lists the differences between a Top Salesperson and an Ideal Sales Manager
Top Salesperson – (i) Closes a sale and moves to the next opportunity (ii) Manages every detail of a pitch (iii) is a showman on stage
Ideal Sales Manager – (i) Manages resources to expand market share (ii) Nurtures sale talent and turns them loose (iii) Is a behind the scenes influencer
The bottomline being that strong sales skills don’t always prepare a salesperson to manage others
The solution, according to Cespedes, is not in concluding that top salespeople can only be independent contributors and are not manager material. The effort should be to help the high performers who demonstrate flair and interest to successfully transition into sales manager roles. This will require 4 steps
4 Steps to Help Sales Managers Succeed in their Roles
- Managers must assume a new professional identity
“A micromanager’s growth is bounded by what they can personally get involved in. Managing (on the other hand) is about leveraging not only what you do, but how you get other people to do things. If you persist in your behavior as an individual contributor, you’re not managing.”
- Managers must learn how to hire and nurture talent
Highly successful independent contributors frequently fall into the trap of expecting their team members to be like them. While interviewing they may be given to asking themselves what made them successful as salespeople, and then looking to clone who they were some years ago. But to manage successfully, they must get comfortable working with dissimilars, and with doing coaching and performance reviews
- Managers must know their numbers
Data orientation is another key requisite for sales managers. With the incredible amount of data available for analytics, sales management has become a more complex job. It now calls for a level of analytical and business acumen that wasn’t needed earlier. Sales managers who can’t distinguish between return on investment and accounting profit margins, for example, should work towards developing data affinity
- Aspiring sales managers must be sure they want to be managers
Sales manager’s role entails responsibilities involving administrative tasks, like filling out employee rating forms and building budget estimates. This is work that can feel boring for a star salesperson who has revelled in the competitive excitement of meeting Customers, closing deals and growing business. But that is something sales managers must learn embrace cheerfully as part of their roles
HBS Working Knowledge Research and Ideas aritcle can be accessed here
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
– Epictetus –
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The India Journal of Mercuri International - SEP 2022
