Supervising and harassing does not do it. It's done by selling well, by teaching by example, by showing that tough accounts can be closed and impossible goals met. For high performance sales teams, led by top-flight sales management, training is not something that happens sporadically at scheduled offsites. It's a daily occurrence as sales people of every level interact with the sales manager to hone their professional skills and sell and service more and more tricky accounts and prospects. Coaching and motivating also derives from clearly setting expectations and metrics, so that every sales person knows just what is expected and how to get support in achieving it.
Every employee needs clear conditions of success, and that generally means more than a quota.
Great sales management gives sales people a clear understanding of what is expected, above and beyond simple quota levels. Showing the sales team that those seemingly unachievable goals can be hit, and are being reached, by the sales managers. So, to all the nay-sayers from last week's column, I apologize. I did not make myself clear if you were able to take away the impression that sales management doesn't need to sell. To my way of thinking, great sales managers never stop selling.