There are a great many things that sales managers are called upon to handle in the course of business. Along the way, there are a couple of serious traps that lie in wait for the sales manager who lets his or her ego distort sound business judgment. This will result in sales teams being torn apart.
The first trap I refer to as the 'take power by humiliation' trap. I know that you have seen it at some point in either your working or shopping experience. It's where a manager actually berates an employee in public, in front of other employees and in many cases in front of clients or potential customers.
The employee may have done something that deserved disciplinary action or even dismissal. But, at no time does anyone deserve the humiliation of that type of behavior. Furthermore, customers that see this type of behavior will walk away, never to return.
I've seen weak managers use this action to try and motivate with fear. It may work for a short time with some people, but it will almost always drive away the best of the best who either witness the tirades or experience them.
The second trap is to 'demean the salesperson who asks for assistance'. Some sales managers find themselves in a situation where they have been called upon to assist a salesperson to close a sale. They then proceed to humiliate the salesperson by suggesting to him or her that they possess inferior skills when they seek guidance. This should be a great opportunity for the sales manager to applaud the salesperson who demonstrates the wisdom to ask for help when there is uncertainty and the job needs to be completed.
A great manager who operates at mastery knows that he or she has a responsibility to coach the sales team to help them attain higher skill levels and to build up their confidence. Managers who feel that their own egos need the attention are, in my opinion, not ready to assume the role of sales managers and probably won't be there for long.
One thing is certain. If they need to feed their own ego at the expense of others they will never build an effective, sustainable and happy sales team.
