Being a sales manager is a demanding and complex job where your duties are constantly shifting. You need to oversee and maintain a team and you’re responsible for a variety of make-it-or-break-it decisions.
If you find yourself in this position, it can be overwhelming to handle the day-to-day. Where do you start? What are the right ways to balance conflicting demands? Fortunately, David Brock has written the Sales Manager Survival Guide, distilling decades of experience into a “sales manager’s bible,” tackling the following issues:
- Understanding your job – being a successful sales rep doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be doing the same things as a manager.
- Not moving so fast – taking the time to understand your employees and their environment before making changes.
- Knowing your employees – taking the time to get to know them, learning about their strengths, weaknesses and challenges.
- Knowing your organization – figuring out what is working and how to utilize change.
Of course, there’s much, much more. One review states, “The detail is so extensive that I didn’t just read the book, I studied it; and as I studied, I kept thinking to myself: if I’d had this book when I was in business, it would have made me a fortune, to say nothing of all the mistakes it would have saved me from making. I could weep over that.”
If that isn’t an endorsement on how essential this book can be, I don’t know what is.
Here is the summary on Amazon:
“Finally! The definitive guide to the toughest, most challenging, and most rewarding job in sales. Front Line Sales Managers have to do it all – often without anyone showing them the ropes. In addition to making your numbers your job calls upon you for:
- Constant coaching, training, and team building
- Call, pipeline, deal, territory, one-on-ones, and other reviews that drive business performance
- Recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding top talent
- Responding to shifts in the marketplace – and in your company
- Dealing with, turning around, or terminating problem employees
- Analyzing and acting upon metrics to correct performance
- Managing the business and executive expectations
- Leveraging sales systems, tools, and processes
- Conducting performance reviews and setting expectations
- And more
“All this and making the numbers! Sales Manager Survival Guide addresses each of these issues, and many others, clearly, honestly, and in-depth. Drawing upon decades of experience in sales, sales management, and sales executive positions from small companies to giant corporations, David Brock gives you invaluable insight, wisdom, and above all practical guidance in how to handle the wide array of challenges and responsibilities you’ll face as a Front Line Sales Manager. If you’re a sales manager, or want to become one, this book shows you how to survive—and thrive. And if you want to be a great sales manager, this book shares the secrets, tools, and best practices to help you climb to the top—and beyond.”
