Field Sales Management Course

Field Sales Management

As selling becomes more complex and demanding, sales managers have to be able to mobilise and motivate their teams to perform well above the acceptable level. A field sales manager can only be successful if they first recognise that their role is primarily that of a coach, not a sales person in order to lead and motivate a sales team to achieve outstanding results.

This three day programme offers each participant the opportunity to clearly understand what the two key ingredients of being a high performing sales manager are. Firstly, to train, coach and develop the sales team whose skills must not be allowed only to be ‘shaped’ by events, behaviours and attitudes; and secondly to lead and support the team upon whom a company is dependent for its profit, its success, its growth, its future and its survival in today’s competitive world.

The programme uses self analysis and simulations including extensive opportunities for each participant to 'have a go' at managing typical sales management problems and opportunities. There are many practical and proven ideas to help develop the skills required to manage and build a successful sales team.

Who Should Attend

Field sales managers, area or regional sales managers, and all other executives whose ability to motivate and manage salespeople is of paramount importance. The programme is ideal for those at the first level of line management, many of whom will have the dual responsibility of managing and selling.

Programme Objectives

After attending this programme, participants will have the ability to:

Identify the key differences between selling and managing
Adopt the style of sales leadership most likely to get the best results in different situations (and the style of selling most appropriate to the/your marketplace)
Become pro-active in behaviour; including forward thinking and planning
Become a dynamic team builder, motivating people at a distance, stimulating team thinking and group performance
Learn how to organise and run effective, motivational and results oriented sales team meetings
Apply the skills of salesforce motivation, and recognise (and resolve by taking early corrective action) the damaging effect of de-motivation upon an individual and team
Recognise the importance of teamwork and individual accountability in planning, setting and achieving targets (including accurate sales forecasting), linking the past with the present and future needs of the organisation
Use effective financial and non-financial incentives to motivate
Recruit people who can sell; from defining the job specification and person profile, advertising, the interviewing process, through to final selection
Understand how technology, particularly the Internet, can be used by the manager and team to increase sales effectiveness
Manage the team’s performance, including ongoing training and coaching, undertaking of counselling and disciplinary interviews and dealing with dismissal cases
Increase personal effectiveness through their self-management skills, task prioritisation and effective delegation and the effective handling of paperwork, E-mail and voice mail
Introduce and develop a genuine team relationship between manager, salesperson and sales team.

Programme Overview

Crossing The Bridge From Selling To Managing
Why the way we sell needs to reflect a changing market place
Understanding the sales management process
Determining the key assessment areas
Working for turnover, profit and growth

Effective Sales Team Leadership
Establishing preferred and effective leadership styles
How to analyse your leadership style and its effect on your team
Matching style to situation, industry and marketplace
The interaction of selling and buying styles

Developing An Empowered Sales Team
Understanding group behaviours and the stages of team growth and development
Team building ideas using formal and informal groups
Managing and communicating with team members at a distance
Using E-mail effectively – determining the protocol(s)
How the Internet can be used to improve decision making and communications
How to plan, control and run effective and motivational sales meetings
Using group decision-making to build commitment

High Performance Motivation
The theory and practice of effective motivation
Using financial and non-financial incentives to motivate
Using the 40-point motivation check list
How to recognise and rectify de-motivation
Building a happy and successful team

Constructing An Effective Performance Management Framework
How to generate accurate annual, quarterly and monthly forecasts
Agreeing sales objectives, target setting and key performance indicators
Monitoring field sales activity and results within each business unit
Using stretch targets and BHAGS

Selecting People Who Can Sell
Learn how to structure and develop a quality recruitment process
How to pick the winners and avoid the losers
Writing and using job specifications to determine the person profile
Designing the advert or agency brief and the search process
Interviewing techniques - first, second and short listing(s)
Designing an induction training plan

Training And Personal Development
Consistent on-the-job coaching, in-field training and on going development
How to conduct regular field assessments
How to identify individual problems and training needs
Understanding the collective responsibility for training, development and coaching

Time Management And Delegation
Improving your personal effectiveness and self management
Organising and managing yourself first, then organising others
The art of successful delegation
Creating a framework for the manager's own development
Using IT to maximum advantage

Structured Solution Selling, or S3™, is a process developed by Structured Training to help sales people deal professionally with more complex or sophisticated sales in today's ever-changing sales environment. It defines a methodology to guide people through the steps of a successful sale. All Structured Training's sales programmes are underpinned with the S3™ process.

Claudine McClean
Customer Business Manager
tel: +44 (0)1789 734300
email: claudinem@structuredtraining.com

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