How to stop fighting fires as a manager and build a ‘Cookbook for Success’

At Sandler Training by Wilcox & Associates, LLC, in Northeast Indiana, one tenet of our teachings for small businesses is to create a “Cookbook for Success” for your sales team. And like any cookbook, this one is filled with “recipes.”

In my blog last week, we went over how to create recipes for success that are tailored to your sales team as a way to increase their productivity. This involves your team owning and performing a series of behaviors on a regular basis that ultimately leads the company to (predictable) success. 

Examples may include:

• Making calls                                        (Daily)
• Gaining referrals                                 (Daily)
• Attending Networking Events             (Weekly)
• Tradeshows                                        (Quarterly)
• Walk-in calls                                        (Weekly)
• Etc…

Since every company is unique, we work with sales teams to define their specific “recipes,” execute on them, and then report to their managers on the results, creating a “Cookbook for Success.”

But the question remains: What about the sales managers themselves? Shouldn’t they have a “Cookbook for Success,” as well? Absolutely.

I speak with many managers in businesses of all sizes, and one of the main challenges that I hear is that they are “busy” being pulled in various directions in the organization. While this is likely true, one thing we find that often suffers in this scenario is the ability of the manager to witness their people in action.

Doing a ride-along with your sales team (virtually or physically), for example, is fundamental to managing them, and it is one of the first things to go out the window when a manager gets too “busy” doing other emergent tasks.   

So let’s take this time, as we reassess work and life during the COVID-19 pandemic, to build a management “Cookbook for Success.” When we look at sales managers, there is a set of behaviors managers should be doing on a regular basis to ensure that they are developing their team. (Isn’t that the main purpose of the management role?)

A sales management “Cookbook for Success” should include (but is not limited to):

• Weekly Individual Meetings (WIM’s)              (Weekly)
• Coaching                                                       (Weekly-Biweekly)
• Role Play                                                       (Weekly-Monthly)
• Ride alongs (Physical or Virtual)                   (Monthly-Quarterly)
• Client Interactions                                         (Monthly-Quarterly)
• Self-Development Activities                          (Weekly-Monthly)

If you are a business owner, do your managers have a “Cookbook for Success”? Do they report in regularly to share with you their predictors of success in the development of their team(s), or are they stuck in firefighting mode? 

You can build a cookbook out today, or if you need some guidance, reach out to us at Sandler Training by Wilcox & Associates, as we are always happy to help!   

Jim Wilcox is the founder of Sandler Training by Wilcox & Associates, LLC, in Northeast Indiana. He is one of Input Fort Wayne's small business bloggers, sharing his experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.