09/02/2022
Here's a tip to help with your Sales Department:
It doesn't seem reasonable that you would hire a Logistics Coordinator and then add on Sales as part of their Job Responsibilities. You probably wouldn't hire a Bookkeeper/Accountant and then also expect them to Prospect. I dare say you wouldn't expect your Warehouse Manager or Shipping/Receiving Manager to also spend time in the field servicing clients. So why is it that so many companies want to add ancillary responsibilities to their sales representatives that have little or nothing to do with the job they were hired for, which is to produce sales and increase company revenue?
I submit there are a few reasons.
1) Sales is not viewed with the same perspective that other specialized fields such as Logistics, Accounting, and Inventory Control are viewed so it seems a small ask to add other duties in to the process.
2) Sales is not viewed with the same perspective as the other aforementioned areas, so it seems the compensation is not in keeping with the labor requirements so there needs to added duties to justify the expense.
3) Sales people have a different psychological make up from the rest of the employees which often goes unnoticed by management, therefore the thought becomes, "We can always find somebody else to do that job. There's nothing special about it".
Your sales department is at the heart of your business. As it has often been said, "nothing moves until somebody sells something." Yes, your sales people have a different mind-set than the rest of the employees, but that's why they can do what the others cannot. But conversely, that is also why they cannot do what the others do.
If you want a strong productive sales team, don't load them down with all manner of paperwork and inventory control that has nothing to do with the actual job of prospecting, presenting, and closing. Let them do their job and don't create distractions that only frustrate and delay them. When sales people are free to sell without the incumberances of administration, they are happy, and when they are happy they are more productive. When they are more productive then they create more revenue which allows everyone else to do the jobs they were hired to do, which do not include sales. And for the most part, all of those other workers are happy they don't have to do sales.
Sales people are not normal. And you should be thankful for that, because again, "NOTHING, happens until somebody sells something".
