In this era of lean sales organizations, managers are often challenged to find ways to oversee all of the activities in the field. They worry that reps are not focusing all of their work-time energies on pursuing and closing deals, or that they are not following the prescribed sales process to move deals through the pipeline. Sales managers feel that there are accountability issues with managing a remote field force, and they are right. What they may not realize is that accountability is a two way street when it comes to field sales.
It is true that good field sales reps hold themselves accountable for remaining focused and always working the sales plan to the fullest, but regardless of how devoted they are, they are part of a team and can only be successful if all parts of the team are functioning; sales managers need to be accountable as well!
The best field sales managers work hard to remove obstacles from their team's ability to perform. They communicate frequently to understand what issues the team is facing, coach their reps through difficult situations and prepare them with the information and tools they need in order to succeed. Managers that only ask for sales reports and reprimand reps for missing numbers are not contributing to success or developing a winning team. Managers need to be held as accountable for their role in the sales effort as the reps that are executing in the field. Some of the key aspects of a manager's role include:
So if you are a sales manager lamenting your ability to hold remote reps accountable for staying focused and executing flawlessly, take a hard look at how accountable you hold yourself to giving them the oversight, coaching and support they need in order to make their number… and yours!
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