Managing The First Three Months In A Sales Mangers Role

Some managers are lucky, they are prepared by their organizations for their new role with appropriate management training. Others are simply promoted into their new position without much additional support. Even with support, the first few months in any new management position can be daunting. For those entering a career as a Sales Manager what they do in the first few months in their new job is also critical to their future success. This is because how you manage during these early days will affect how you as the Sales Manager will cope later on with your new sales force, colleagues and superiors.

You should not fall into the trap of assuming that everyone will welcome you with open arms. Indeed, many people may initially observe you in a critical light. You may also have to deal with employee anxieties, envy from colleagues who attended the same management training as you but who have not been promoted as well as resentment from colleagues in other areas. Everything you do and every decision you make will be subject to scrutiny. Rumors will be rife. The following advice will help you make the transition more easily.

Whilst you need to gain an overview of the sales situation as quickly as possible it is also important that you do not rush into anything. You should move forward instead in a systematic way. To do this we suggest you divide your first three months into an "orientation", a "concept" and a "profiling" phase. What to focus on in these phases is described below.

The first phase in your new job should be considered as an orientation phase. It will probably last about four weeks. Aim to spend much of these first four weeks as possible away from your office and not in the company building. Arrange to accompany your new team on client visits for half days or longer. Have a personal chat with each of your sales people to get to know them.

In this first phase you should set the following goal for yourself: to listen, take on board the problems encountered by your salespeople and gain impressions of the market and your clients. It is vitally important for your credibility that you do not give your point of view on, for example, any decisions your predecessor may have made. If such matters are raised you should appear interested, but remain reserved. During your first few months, avoid making any decisions that go beyond your day-to-day responsibilities. Defer making far-reaching decisions.

The next month in the job should be considered as the concept phase. You should spend most of this second month at your desk drawing up a list outlining the problems you noticed during your first four weeks. Start by drafting a rough concept for your future sales strategy and sales policy. This would include, for example, the competitive situation, sales routes, condition policy, offer programme, area structure, management of the external sales department and sales promotion.

To round off your information, have discussions with representative customers, large-scale buyers and colleagues - such as the Head of Marketing, the Production Manager, the Head of Logistics, etc. Limit your contact with the sales force during this phase to telephone conversations. Remember to constantly discuss your thoughts and ideas with the company management.

Your third month in the job should be considered as the Profiling phase. Now is the time for you to show your "profile" and discuss the concept phase in detail with company management so you can explain your goals. It is important that you jointly identify priorities and so secure moral support. Inform your colleagues in the department of your plans and intentions. Agree the "ground rules" for future co-operation. Assure your department colleagues of your willingness to co-operate.

You should also arrange a team meeting with your sales team. You will need to inform your salespeople of your conclusions from observations made during client visits and tell the sales force about the goals you have set and the expectations you have of them. Make sure you spend time answering any questions they might have. Also, let them know about any pending decisions or any decisions you have already made.

Following the above three month action plan will set you up for success. If, however, you feel you need more support - as many new sales managers do - you can always attend a specialist sales force management training course which will help you build the specialist skills needed to do one of the toughest management jobs around - managing a sales force.