The success of any team depends on strong top-down communication and coordination. As the Managing Director, responsibility for making sure that salespeople have the information, knowledge and skills to perform at their best falls on your shoulders. It’s up to you to ensure that they hear and see everything they need to know, and that they use it to the best of their abilities.
The Funnel: What They Need, As They Can Handle It
A funnel is an ingenious tool. One side opens wide to catch as much as possible, while the other streamlines what it’s given into a manageable amount for the recipient. Here’s why Managing Directors should think of their roles analogously:
Salespeople need to be on the same page when it comes to USP. They should know the products or services inside and out, and be able to communicate the benefits in a clear and persuasive manner. They also need to know the other available products and services on the market, and how theirs compares.
That’s a lot of information.
The best Managing Directors are sensitive to how they present information. They find ways to break that down into smaller, more manageable lessons so they can communicate it clearly to salespeople without overwhelming them.
Here are some questions to find the dividing lines:
What are the top priority insights that salespeople need to know right away?
Will some of this information take longer to absorb? For example, will they need time to consider and reflect upon how this product makes life easier, whereas the product specs are easily memorised?
Does understanding some of the information depend on knowing something else first? For example, they should thoroughly understand their own product before trying to compare it to competitors’ offerings.
Once you’ve determined the ideal rate of information-sharing, get that knowledge in the hands of your salespeople as soon as possible. This applies equally to the sales onboarding process as it does to when introducing new products and services. Break down the information, and get it out there.
The Honing Steel: Get Them to Repeat and Refine
Unlike the funnel, though, it’s also up to you, as Managing Director, to make sure your salespeople are using what you give them. That’s where the honing steel comes in. Just as a honing steel corrects a knife’s blade by refining and realigning the edge, the best Managing Directors repeatedly apply just the right amount of pressure on their salespeople so they improve and maintain their edge.
The best ways to hone your team’s abilities?
Practise, practise, practise – Good sales organizations spend a lot of time training. Maybe you’ve already gone over the product 17 times, but you’re going to do it 18, 19, 20 more times until it becomes automatic. There’s no person in the world who doesn’t benefit from more practise. People at the top of their game stay there by continually honing their skills.
Focus on Basic Skills – The more advanced we get, the more we can benefit from being reminded of basic and core skills that may have been forgotten along the way.
The Glass: Transparency and Clarity
Finally, a successful and effective Managing Director needs to treat people with honesty and respect, instill trust, and earn trust back. Respectful, honest communication is key to get salespeople to work like a team to reach your business goals.
How? Lead by example. Respect your salespeople’s time and energy. Encourage loyalty by having their backs when they need you. Be upfront and honest when you need something from your team. Having a tough quarter? Tell the troops it’s time to call in favours. You can’t push them like this every time, but if you’ve established a culture of respect and collaboration, they’ll rally when you need them.
It takes practise and experience to find the best ways to lead effective coaching sessions and make sure the lessons are sinking in. But without the right strategies, repetition won’t yield progress. That’s why it’s crucial to focus on developing these three tools – the funnel, the honing steel, and the glass – if you want to ensure clarity, accountability and success across your organisation.