Our Management Training Classes

By introducing our Management Training classes to your staff we help ease the negative effect of change on both managerial and supervisory personnel. The change in job responsibilities, the change in personnel, job duties, and the rising challenge of developing subordinates are specific goals of our learning systems classes. We are highly successful at helping Managers and Supervisors learn and adapt to the necessary skills and proper behaviors to be successful at work as well as in their personal lives.

For more information on our management training classes please contact us.

As a part of our management training classes, Managers and Supervisors will learn how to:

• Minimize the chance of miscommunication by understanding what people are really saying, and why
• Deal with difficult people, manage tense situations, and resolve conflict
• Make use of proven active listening skills to improve your ability to gain helpful information
• Be able to facilitate, guide, and close discussions in one-on-one or group settings
• Improve understanding and communication by giving and receiving good feedback
• Use ideas submitted by a member of the team without causing other members to be defensive
• Develop a comprehensive team building strategy that improves productivity of the whole team
• Emphasize the value of working toward common goals without devaluing individual accomplishment
• Define and set up a method to track staff activities
• Be able to manage time and work assignments effectively
• Conduct team meetings that capture and hold the audience’s attention
• Interview and hire the right person for the right job
• Save time and work more effectively through the use of a clear time management plan
• Understand and comply with proper hiring and managing requirements
• Communicate effectively with both superiors, peers and subordinates
• Become effective coaches for their work team
• Conduct accurate and difficult performance appraisals

 

Management Training Tips:
Getting From Short-term to Long-term Thinking

The success of sales management is ultimately determined by creativity and teamwork at all levels of the organization and how they react to the environment. None of this is possible for the long term unless there is clarity of purpose or mission and a real commitment to achievement and necessary change.

With this in mind, it all begins with the vision of the leadership of the organization for where the organization should proceed. That vision must be shared by all employees and transformed in strategic initiatives based on that vision. Success requires a Strategy

What is a Strategy?

A sales management strategy is a declaration of intent, defining where you want to be in the long-term. Strategy was once as "the art of planning and directing large military movements and the operations of war." In business, a strategy maps out the future setting out which products and services you will take to which markets - and how.

Why Have a Strategy?

Having a sales management strategy enables you to ensure that day-to-day decisions fit in with the long-term interests of the organization. Without a strategy, decisions made today could have a negative impact on future results. A strategy encourages everyone to work together to achieve common aims Most organizations have a strategic plan at the highest level, but some do not communicate it all the way down.

Looking To The Future

Today's business environment puts pressure on people to complete urgent tasks, meet day-to-day objectives, and overcome short-term problems. This is called short-term or operational planning, and it too often takes precedence over planning for the future. Strategy concerns itself with what is ahead, looking at where you are going, and how you will get there. Even if you already know which products and services you are taking to which markets, you still need a strategy to make it happen.

Involving The Team

To get the best from your sales management people, it is important to work within a clear framework that details how they will be expected to help you develop and implement a strategic plan. Think of the framework methods and processes as a map that the team can follow to achieve success. This framework process should help you to encourage the team to pull together and work to a common Objective. It also should help you promote their personal development by teaching them to think strategically.

What Do You Need To Do

There are three distinct phases to developing a new sales management strategy:

• Analysis
• Planning
• Implementation.

It is vital to devote time and effort to the first two stages, but also to maintain momentum throughout the implementation to ensure ultimate success.

Analyzing Thoroughly

During the analysis phase, you will collect as much background information as you can to help you make informed decisions. This stage is crucial because the facts you have at hand will influence the direction you decide to take. You will analyze what is happening inside your organization, looking carefully at aspects of your own and other parts of the company that may influence the plan. Your aim is to draw a clear statement of the strengths and weaknesses of your position as well as a list of opportunities for the future.

Planning Strategy

Once you have gathered all of the necessary facts, the nest step is to make strategic sales management decisions that will bring you closer to your overall aim. You will need to take into account where you have advantages over the competition and establish the boundaries within which you will operate.

The decisions you reach will help you to establish your future financial position and work out a realistic budget.

Implementing Strategy

During the final phase of developing a sales management strategy you will determine, on the basis of your analysis, what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. It may be possible to achieve your aims with little change to the way your team works. On the other hand, you may find that success depends on making far-reaching changes and learning new skills. Do not make the mistake of working so hard on the analysis phase that planning and implementation receive less overall effort -this will result in less than effective strategies and incomplete implementation.

Thinking Long-term vs. Short-term

The ability to differentiate between short-term and long-term thinking and strike a balance between the two is an integral part of strategy. Understand the importance of both in strategic planning and you will find it easier to achieve the right combination of the two.

Knowing The Pitfalls

Short-term planning deals with the here and now or a few weeks hence, while long-term thinking takes you far into the future. If you focus entirely on short-term success, you risk long-term failure.

Achieving Balance

Striking the right balance between short-term and long-term sales management thinking takes effort and discipline. If you cancel a strategy meeting, it will have no short-term impact. It becomes clear that unless a team is determined to give time to strategic issues, short-term operational tasks will always take priority.

Working Strategically

Sales management strategy is a continuous process; even when your plan becomes operational, you cannot neglect future planning. Set aside one day each month to discuss maintaining and developing the plan with the team. The most successful manager allow at least a half day per week to implement the strategic part of their jobs.

Preparing For Strategic Success

An effective sales management strategic plan has accurate information, strong ideas, and committed people at its core. Involve the right people from the outset, and then encourage them to research facts, and brainstorm for ideas to achieve the best possible plan.

Involving Key People

An effective sales management team is essential for a successful strategy. Involve the whole team early on in the planning process so that they feel part of the process. Managers sometimes avoid team planning at this stage because they are not sure that all the people involved will play a significant role in the implementation of the strategy at a later date. Team planning is always useful; it allows you to assess team members as well as giving them the chance to decide if they are happy to work within the new strategy as it develops, or whether they feel they could make a greater contribution in another environment.

Involving Others

People with an interest in or influence on the new strategy are known as "stakeholders." Foster good relations with them, since they often provide experience or information, or can help with the analysis and decision making. Strategic planning often requires people form different areas of the organization to formulate a plan together. This spirit of cooperation produces the best results.

Gaining Commitment

Once you have developed your sales management strategy, it is vital that the team does not start to lose interest during implementation. It is your role as manager to ensure that everyone understands the importance of the long-term strategy and is dedicated to making it happen. First, everyone should agree that a new strategy is needed. Second, everyone involved in the strategic process must feel confident that, guided by their manager, they have developed the right plan. Third, everyone must feel personally committed to making the strategy happen. Make the team aware that operational pressures are not an excuse for missing target dates involved in implementing the strategy.

Getting The Right Facts

The importance of basing your strategy on the right information cannot be stressed enough. Poor data may lead to crises when the correct facts come to light, meaning the whole plan may need to be changed. The same goes for using out-of-date facts or failing to collect all the information. Bear in minds that a poor strategic plan can lead to long-term failure and disappointing short-term results.

Avoiding Guesswork

Successful sales management strategies must have strong factual foundations. Relying on guess work or estimates could lead to a strategy collapsing, so avoid these at all costs, no matter how convincing they appear. Get all relevant information before reaching a conclusion. The STOP process will help you do this.

Brainstorming Ideas

Coming up with ideas is paramount in strategic planning, whether it is thinking of key trends to be monitored, pinpointing possible choices that could be made, or suggesting new an innovative ways to gain a competitive advantage. Throughout the strategic process, you and your team should meet regularly to brainstorm ideas.

Source: http://goalera.wordpress.com/

Sales Management

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