8 Sales Management Takeaways from the Past Year and 3 Focus Areas to Drive More New Sales in 2025
Dec 31, 2024
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Discover vital insights into the evolving role of sales managers and the challenges faced by new salespeople in a post-pandemic world. Learn how economic headwinds have exposed gaps in creating demand, emphasizing the need for effective prospecting. Mike discusses the importance of breaks for mental health and the value of coaching in the sales environment. Wrap up with a personal reflection on life’s blessings and the power of gratitude, set against the backdrop of beautiful hikes and transformative travels.
Sales managers are increasingly overlooked by C-suite executives, resulting in inefficiencies that hinder sales performance and management accountability.
The shift to remote work has negatively impacted the career development of new salespeople, limiting their exposure to seasoned professionals and crucial coaching opportunities.
To drive new sales in 2025, sales teams must focus on strategic targeting, effective messaging, and maximizing time spent on selling activities.
Deep dives
The Importance of Taking Breaks
Taking breaks is essential for maintaining mental and emotional health, particularly in high-pressure sales environments. The speaker shares personal experiences, highlighting how a significant sabbatical and a vacation in Portugal were rejuvenating and boosted productivity upon return. Leaders and salespeople often neglect the need for downtime, mistakenly believing they must always be available, as if their absence could cause major disruptions in their business. Emphasizing that a well-rested leader correlates with a more energized and effective sales team, the speaker encourages prioritizing time off to achieve long-term success.
The Downsides of Social Media
The speaker reflects on their mixed feelings towards LinkedIn, recognizing its potential value while also acknowledging the emotional challenges it creates. Experiences of frustration arise from the platform’s culture of boasting and the prevalence of inauthentic posts that can evoke feelings of inadequacy or FOMO. Despite gaining business through LinkedIn, the speaker has reduced time spent on it, questioning whether the emotional costs of engagement outweigh the benefits. Ultimately, a broader call to evaluate the impacts of social media use on one's personal and professional life is made, promoting a healthier engagement with these platforms.
The Crisis of Sales Management Understanding
Senior executives increasingly struggle to comprehend the fundamental responsibilities of sales managers, leading to inefficiency and missed revenue opportunities. The speaker emphasizes that critical functions like coaching and accountability often fall by the wayside as managers are bogged down with administrative tasks and irrelevant initiatives. Highlighting the disconnect between what executives expect and what managers can deliver, the speaker calls for greater clarity and support for sales managers to focus on their key roles. By understanding their true job, which involves leading and developing their teams, organizations can improve sales performance.
The Rise of Sales Enablement
Sales enablement has evolved from a questionable trend into a vital function within organizations, providing substantial support to sales teams. The speaker acknowledges the improvements in enablement, recognizing its role in equipping salespeople with valuable resources and training. However, there is a cautionary note regarding executives delegating too much to enablement leaders, potentially undermining the responsibility of senior sales management. The recommendation is for a balanced approach where enablement teams work in collaboration with sales leaders to enhance productivity, ensuring senior leaders are still involved in strategy and execution.
Navigating Economic Slowdowns
Economic downturns, particularly post-COVID, have exposed weaknesses in many sales teams, revealing a reliance on existing demand rather than proactive demand generation. The speaker illustrates this with industry examples where sales roles have become complacent due to abundant leads, resulting in a lack of essential prospecting skills. As the environment shifts, it becomes critical for salespeople to develop their abilities to create new opportunities rather than solely reacting to incoming inquiries. This period of reflection serves as a wake-up call for organizations to reassess their hiring practices and prioritize the cultivation of sales skills among their teams.
Radical Focus for Future Success
For a successful year ahead, the speaker emphasizes the need for radical focus on three key areas: strategic targeting, effective messaging, and maximizing selling time. Each sales team should commit to identifying target accounts and proactively pursuing them, ensuring every salesperson is engaged in meaningful outreach. Messaging must articulate clear customer value, addressing the specific needs and outcomes that resonate with prospects to stand out in competitive landscapes. Finally, prioritizing selling activities over administrative tasks will be crucial in driving sales results, challenging teams to maximize their potential and effectiveness in the upcoming year.
Episode 86 is packed with several of Mike’s biggest takeaways from his work in 2024. Buckle up as he unleashes blunt observations touching on various topics including…
C-Suite and corporate executives who’ve completely lost sight of the sales manager’s primary job
How the “slowdown” and having to sell into economic headwinds has exposed a significant number of salespeople (who thrived “fulfilling demand” when business was dropped in their laps) lack the propensity and ability to “create demand” and new opportunities in the pipeline
The unpopular reality that the past five years of working virtually has taken its toll on the career development of sellers – particularly new salespeople whose careers started during Covid and who’ve never benefitted from working alongside more experienced sales professionals
Mike then offers an exhortation for sales leaders to radically focus in three simple, specific areas to drive more NEW SALES in the year ahead.
Finally, Mike wraps up inviting listeners who are interested to stay for “the episode after the episode” where he shares his gratefulness and personal reflections on a record year.
