It’s difficult enough to navigate times of drastic change. Leading people through them? That’s a much bigger mountain to climb.
Much has been said and written about the ongoing transformation of sales, and how reps can adapt their approaches accordingly. But sales managers face their own unique set of challenges, tasked with setting strategies, guiding their teams, and making recommendations to company leadership in the midst of an uncertain future.
A recent writeup at Miller Heiman Group on Four Keys to Evolving Sales Management at Your Company highlights several emerging complexities now in play for sales leaders:
Increased managerial expectations and responsibilities
Access to more data and information (but this access does not always lead to more actionable insights)
Greater areas of responsibility, including customer experience and financial results, without greater resources
Demanding customers who engage sellers later in the buying journey
Constant sales transformation initiatives
The article delves into four key areas of focus — hiring process, sales manager enablement, leader-specific technology, and KPIs — and is well worth a read. But today I thought we’d touch on four of the broader topics broached in the list of challenges above, while blending insight from some of the latest and most popular content on the web.
Overcoming 4 Key Hurdles in Modern Sales Management
There are a number of critical areas of focus for sales leaders in 2020, but these stand out as worthy priorities.
The New Buying Journey
“Demanding customers who engage sellers later in the buying journey” was among the challenging trends cited by Miller Heiman Group. This new approach to the customer journey has its pros and cons. On the one hand, it means salespeople have less time to exert influence. On the other hand, it means buyers are generally better-informed, and closer to reaching their decision, by the time they engage a rep. That can lead to shorter deal cycles and less lift.
One thing that’s crucial for the new buying journey is making a good first impression. Turning away a qualified prospect who is deeper into the decision process can be extra painful. But the new buying journey also drives home the value of qualifying targets to begin with, and reaching out at opportune times.
Sales managers might consider elevating intent as a standard for prospecting and outreach. Matt Heinz wrote last week at Customer Think about the rise of intent in sales and marketing, and this is also a central topic for our own marketing partners at LinkedIn.
What kind of insights can be categorized as intent signals? “Heightened frequency and duration on content that speaks directly to a core problem that you solve,” Heinz posits. “Engagement with outside variables, parallel firms, new software or other leading indicators that your solution (or representative problem to solve) is next”
In other words, don’t just look for people who might be a fit for your solution. Look for indicators that they might actually have a concrete need, right now.
The Need for Alignment
As Heinz suggests, efforts to identify high-intent accounts are most effective when handled in tandem by both sales and marketing. It’s yet another reason why driving alignment and collaboration is such a pressing need for leaders on both sides, falling under the “increased managerial expectations and responsibilities” referenced by Miller Heiman Group.
A new post by Scott Vaughan at MarTech Today on fixing the B2B sales-marketing divide to hit pipeline and revenue targets may hold helpful guidance. He discusses numerous shifts we can make to empower this unified front, calling out considerations such as culture, compensation, common language, and integrated technology.
Tackling the Sales Technology Stack
Speaking of technology, the tech stack is a perpetual point of scrutiny for today’s sales managers. Do we need more tools? Do we really need all the ones we have now? Are there ways we could be better utilizing our current software?
In the transformation of sales, technology is a driving force. Increasing its positive impact is an essential differentiator for sales teams. A breakdown from George Brontén at the G2 Learning Hub on how to get the most out of your sales technology investment provides three points of caution: the Hydra of complexity, point pollution, and the siren song of AI and automation.
Making Sales Data Actionable
As Miller Heiman Group alluded, sales managers now have access to more information than ever before, but... that doesn’t necessarily mean the info is actionable or useful. Maximizing the value of sales data is a managerial mandate.
In another recent contribution for G2, Ashleigh Popera offers up three ways accurate sales data can unleash revenue potential. The key word here is “accurate;” this information will only improve your sales processes if it’s reliable. Popera approaches this subject from a manager’s perspective, exploring ways to gain more visibility, strengthen training initiatives, and embed higher performance standards.
As an added note, LinkedIn’s Data Validation can help your team verify and substantiate the data in your CRM.
Leading in the Era of Sales Transformation
Sales managers are staring down new challenges that demand fresh thinking and an open mind. Those who successfully adapt to the modified buying journey, spearhead organizational alignment, optimize the sales tech stack, and let accurate data guide strategies, will stay ahead of the curve.
For more guidance from peers, check out our video featuring sales leaders lending their advice on excelling in the future of sales management:
Topics: Sales management Sales trends
Related articles