Daily sales management is about focusing sales reps everyday on selling to help potential and current customers focusing on their needs and problems. As a leader, you need to coach, train and promote everyday with every rep. Too many sales managers are pounding out reports from behind a computer and are not engaging their sales teams. Without your efforts most reps get locked into a ceiling of effectiveness-in other words they get comfortable. With your leadership you will keep them motivated to reach and exceed their sales goals. Sales Reps will also do a better job and get excited about making much more money. Here are the seven successful ingredients.

Sales Planning and Goal Setting

Meet one on one and establish clear sales goals and action steps with each member of your team. Put them in writing and clarify the goals. Identify what’s in it for the reps relating to their income, and the personal impact their success will have in their life. Schedule this but flex with the individual’s territory and needs. You need to have this conversation at least monthly to quarterly depending on each person’s performance. The more success and longevity, do it less frequently. The less success the person has had and the more they need to learn, do this more frequently. Always follow-up and tie in to your every day conversations.

Coaching One on ones

Every week have at least a brief discussion on the phone with each rep separated by distance or in the office for those close to home: How did it go this week? What did you sell? (Of course you have the reports but you want to hear the rep reply.) Who do you need to follow- up? How can I help? Good job on…, or nice work with…. Redirect them constructively as needed-you closed three sales, let’s get one more next week. How important is that personal goal we talked about? Let’s make more of an effort. What’s the plan this week? Always keep it as positive as possible!

Field Coaching

Make a plan and get in the field. Sales reps need your personal attention and with your help they will improve sales and service. Make sure you goal is to help, teach, support and sell. Don’t just do it to get out of the office, or to “rip” on the salesperson for poor performance or to make catch-up phone calls in the car. Your goal in the field is to help the rep be a better rep and increase sales. Also, do this with your best team members not just the least best performers. You can help them sell even more.

Marketing Plan

One of our customers achieves fantastic results. He is a master at using all the company marketing literature or programs. Teach your team to do the same. Too often companies invest big money in marketing resources and they aren’t used. Be the leader here and execute brilliantly. It will payoff for your team and you. It’s easy success if you do it. Lead by example in all communication with your reps.

Sales Training

Set up a schedule and train your team regularly. Don’t make the mistake almost everyone else does: doing only yearly sales training. This isn’t enough. Yes, have an annual event if you can but also do weekly, monthly or quarterly sessions in group meetings. Use WebEx if you are limited on budget and are separated by distance. While this is not a daily sales management technique, you can send reminders by text and email on a more regular basis. Always keep these positive and upbeat. Share good sales books with your team as well. Over one thousand new sales books come out every year. You can’t read them all but you can read more than your competition.

Sales Reports and Goal Board

Update your numbers daily or at least as often as you can. (In this day and age world-class performance requires “real-time” results.) Post the big picture results on a company or department dashboard. Show what is being sold by whom. This visibly shows and creates a sense of urgency.. It’s a visual and immediate recognition for your reps. It fans the flame of competition between reps and communicates openness about how we work together.

Promotions/Incentives/Contests

If you do all of the above strategies your team will do a better job. This strategy, then, can put the exclamation point at the end of the sentence. You do contests or incentives to excel not just to make the numbers. So whatever your budget, always have something going on and a goal to achieve as a challenge for your team. If you do a contest give every sales rep a chance to win. Otherwise the top performers win most of the time. Personalize some incentives, keep things interesting and have some fun! And, remember recognize progress and achievement as you go.

Finally, remember this, if you want your people to be better you have to be better as a leader. Engage these seven strategies to win big this year, and make them your own.