University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Selling is Everyone's Business
Book

Selling is Everyone's Business

What It Takes To Create A Great Salesperson

Steve Johnson and Adam Shaivitz
Wiley, 2006
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

A huge difference separates being a great salesperson and creating one. And being a good salesperson doesn’t necessarily mean that you have the skills or knowledge to coach or create another good salesperson. This book helps you defy the Peter Principle by teaching you how to coach a sales team to greatness. Sales training consultants Steve Johnson and Adam Shaivitz created this easy-to-follow handbook. They cover all the basics, including developing sales goals and a plan to meet them, teaching and reinforcing essential sales skills, training in the field, running effective sales meetings and providing constructive feedback. The authors stick to what they know best and, although the result isn’t particularly original, it does provide a step-by-step template for managing a sales team and pumping up their performance. getAbstract recommends this book to anyone who wants to make the transition from salesperson to sales department manager.

Summary

“Coaching versus Managing”

Managers and coaches have different roles. Traditionally, a manager tells subordinates what to do. A coach, however, “demonstrates skill, habits and attitudes in a way that positively impacts the results of the salespeople and/or sales team.” Successful sales coaches guide salespeople and help them reach the top of their game.

Coaching a sales team to high performance includes:

  • “Planning.”
  • “Conducting one-on-one goal-setting meetings.”
  • “Leading teaching and training sessions.”
  • “Following up.”
  • “Doing the job with the team members (coaching in the crunch).”
  • “Leading team meetings.”
  • “Giving advice.”
  • “Providing recognition.”

You Need a Plan

Developing a written business plan gives sales coaches and salespeople many advantages. A plan allows you to use your time wisely, stay focused on established goals, reduce stress, and create standards for comparing your daily, weekly and monthly progress. A sales coach uses a plan to build the coaching relationship, establish agreed-upon performance expectations, and measure progress for training and feedback.

As ...

About the Authors

Steve Johnson and Adam Shaivitz are partners in a sales training company. Johnson is the co-author of the book If You’re Not Out Selling, You’re Being Outsold.

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