YourSalesManagementGuru by Ken Thoreson, Acumen Management Group
			
			Blog archive
		 
        
 
    
    
	Inspire Sales Confidence
    
		During my  many years of sales management -- with the past 14 of being spent as a consultant to hundreds of  firms -- the hardest element I see executives and sales managers struggle with is inspiring sales confidence.
		What do I mean  by this? Obviously, "A" players have the knowledge, ego and mental  toughness to make sales happen. Unfortunately, most organizations never have  enough of this kind of salespeople. Therefore, sales leadership must  coach salespeople and build  systems to assist "B" and "C" salespeople to achieve  results.
		But many times, this is not enough to elevate performance to the  desired levels. Inspiring sales  confidence is the extra piece that also needs to be worked on.
		Sales  confidence is that "inner voice" that tells a person that they  are good, they are winners and they can succeed. This kind of confidence helps make a good first-call impression, and that leads to the prospect building the trust and confidence they  must have in the salesperson to transact a business opportunity. It also gives  the salesperson the swagger to think clearly, communicate precisely and close  effectively.
		In every conversation, sales  management must  learn to stoke the positives. Let the salesperson  know you are counting on them to make it happen. And when they offer strategy recommendations during a sales opportunity, you must tell them  that it was the right idea/tactic and that you appreciate their creativity, energy,  persistence, et cetera. Building  even the little reinforcements into your  daily conversations and e-mail correspondence can  go a long way toward working with your team on creating a culture of high  performance.
		During  the next two months, focus  on stoking the positives for each person on  your team, and you will be amazed at the body language and attitude of each  person on your team.
		What are your  tips on inspiring sales confidence?
 
	Posted by Ken Thoreson on June 24, 2013