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Writer's pictureJennifer Krueger

Managing Your Boss: 4 Ways to Shine.




Every salesperson wants their sales manager to think they are AH-MAZING.


Consistent. Passionate. Accountable. Self-Managing. Likeable. Dependable.


I appreciated all the people on my team. They didn't always agree with me (which was good), and they were smart, motivated, and thought diversely.


But there were certain people who just made it...easier.


Here are 4 areas where you can boost your reputation, and SHINE as a Sales Professional at work.


1. Your Numbers.

Quelle surprise. I mean, we're in Sales. It's our job to bring money into our organizations.


I used to joke with my team that "if you're not in Sales, you're Overhead."


Rude. I know.

But we found it really funny. It was a subtle reminder that what we sold (or didn't sell) funded the rest of the organization.


The reality though (and this number scares everyone) is that only 55-65%* of outside sales reps are hitting their targets. 


There are a variety of reasons for this that we won't discuss in this blog but it's definitely a conversation to be continued.


Experienced sales leaders consistently correctly guess that about half to 1/3 of their sales reps won't hit all quotas.


So seasoned leaders may not forecast every individual to meet 100-110% of their targets each quarter and year.


However, your Sales Leader IS counting on the team to hit the overall quarterly and annual regional/channel targets.


So what your Sales Leader needs is...honesty.


They need accurate forecasting and sales calculations from you.


Sometimes we, as salespeople, pad our forecasted sales. We augment the Closing Probabilities of opportunities in our CRM's...and in our hopeful brains.

If you want to stand out in your company, know your true numbers every day, every week.


Start having more curious, open conversations about the probability of the sale with your customers, so that you can then bravely-hopefully proudly-share those realistic numbers with your sales leader.


They'll thank you for it.


2. Your Attitude.


OK- even if you're not making your numbers or you've hit President's Club Diamond Elite 5 years running: your attitude still matters.


More specifically: a positive, professional, coachable, team-like attitude matters.


When you're exceeding your numbers, will you get a little more leeway? Absolutely.

When you're missing targets will you get less leeway? For sure.


No matter your numbers, here's the thing:


When you show up on time on calls, professionally dressed (whatever that looks like in your company), with your expense or vacation/PTO forms correctly filled out, having read the latest internal notifications from HR....you just make it easier to employ you.


Your Sales Leader is managing many things and likely his/her/their brain is full.


If you sell nothing for 16 months, a fake positive attitude won't save you.


If you sell 140% of your target but act like Joffrey from Game of Thrones, you will be tolerated but talked about behind your back.


A consistently positive attitude opens internal doors to the strategic side of the business.


If you hustling in EVERY AREA of the job (not just the ones that pay you commission) and asking thoughtful questions about the business, you're more likely to get the help you need to grow your sales and to grow your career.


3. Your communication.


Your communication with your sales leader and your organization needs to be succinct and timely.


What does that mean?


Look at your emails. Think about your phone calls.


When you offer suggestions or ask your questions in Teams Meetings and in Slack channels, how focused are those thoughts?


Are you sharing suggestions or merely complaining?


Speak up. On sales teams, silence is scary. If Team meetings are already a chorus, try leaving voice memos in a text.


Most leaders prefer more information and to hear more often from their sales individuals.


Except in emails.


Short emails are key because every person on the team is probably writing your leader a minimum of 2-3 times per week.


If your email or text starts to be more than 2 paragraphs, pick up the phone.


In your sales day, you are likely managing 4-5 categories of relationships:

  • your boss,

  • your customers and clients

  • internal customer service

  • some technical SME's

  • maybe finance once in a while (depending on your industry.)

Your Sales Leader is managing all of the above relationships (and how all those relationships intersect) multiplied by each Team member. So it's a lot.


Just because they don't have time to chase you, doesn't mean they aren't wondering what's going on.


Keep your leader informed without bogging them down.


Succinct and regular communication keeps you top-of-mind as a dedicated and focused professional.


4. Your Internal Networking.


You know what makes your Sales Leader's life easier?

When their boss knows you and likes you.


It's easier to support and promote you when someone two levels above hears that "you're a good person" from the Directors of Accounts Receivable and Marketing.


Look for opportunities to meet people outside your team- both online and in real life.


Yes, this might mean that you have to come into the ACTUAL office.


You might have to drive to other offices, and stop in...even if you don't know anybody there.


Yes, this might mean that you join the company ski team or chess club or spend that weekend to do the Charity walk. (Do something that genuinely interests you.)


People need to know you to like you.


When you have multiple people across multiple areas of your company who know you, like you, and feel you're 'part of the team', you strengthen your ability to find out information that can guide your career.


If you want to stand out within your organization, strengthen these four areas:

  1. Sales Numbers

  2. Attitude

  3. Communication

  4. Internal networking

It's not rocket science, but you'd be surprised how many of you are missing one or more in these categories right now.


Get these right and you'll be able to shine even more in your organization, especially if you're thinking maybe you'd like to be a great Sales Leader one day.


It turns out that trust is in fact earned in the smallest of moments.” Brené Brown




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