- No matter what your job may be,
there are always challenges that are specific
to just that position.
This is true with being a field sales manager, too.
You'll encounter challenges that all salespeople
and all managers face, however you're in a unique position
as a field sales manager and you'll quickly find out
that you're facing a good number of situations
that are approached differently in this job.
For me, when I was a field sales manager
there were a number of things that I faced
that I couldn't seek advice from other colleagues
who were in different jobs.
They just didn't understand or had no real experience
dealing with it.
Here are some examples of challenges that you can expect.
New environment.
I think the adjustment of being a sales representative
and moving into a management role takes more time
than more people expect.
You're going from basically managing your own business
remotely and having regular but most likely not daily
contact with your colleagues.
Now as a manager, you're in a much more structured setting
with daily contact with the staff that reports to you
and the management above you.
Training.
There are lots of management classes you can take.
However, before you found this class
did you spot many on how to be a field sales manager?
Probably not.
And that's because a lot of it learning
the idiosyncrasies of the job which often comes
from on the job training.
This is why it's so important to share notes
with others who are sales managers
and learn some of their techniques
that they've developed from experience.
Communication.
You're managing people in a corporate office.
Your staff is probably right down the hallway.
However, as a field manager, your team
is all working remotely.
Your communication is not as frequent
because it's done by email, by telephone,
videoconference, on when you're on account visits together.
Communication is a unique challenge
and takes time to get good at it.
Visibility.
Along with communication, as important is visibility.
The field sales manager is the face
of the sales organization.
Marketing, product development, business development,
are just a few of the departments
that will be coming to you for answers.
Since revenue is what drives all of our businesses
you can expect to get a call or an email
from senior management every so often
when they want to hear from you firsthand.
Coaching.
I think an important aspect of the job
that is often overlooked is that instead of being
the person on the receiving end of being coached,
motivated, and trained, you're now the one
being tasked with that responsibility
to deliver it for others.
Have you been trained on how to be a coach?
To me, that's a critical skill
that all managers need to have.
I'm sure you can add a half dozen or more common challenges
that might include time management considerations,
the pressure to hire the right staff,
letting go staff that's not meeting expectations,
new financial requirements tied to sales targets
and compensation.
These challenges are bigger than you probably anticipated.
That's why it's so important to seek advice from others.
Learn from other sales managers
and continue with ongoing training
to improve your management skills.
By doing that you'll speed up the learning curve
dramatically and be able to face the challenges
that come your way.