At many of the organizations we work with, the size of the average sales team has increased over the past decade. Given that there are a limited number of working hours, and given that sales leaders now find themselves responsible for supervising, training, mentoring, and coaching larger teams, what best practices should they embrace when it comes to time management? Here are three to consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Build and defend a \u201cguardrail\u201d working culture. <\/strong>If you were managing a team of just three or four people, you might be able to get away with swooping in like Superman every time a salesperson needed your \u201cadvice\u201d on closing a deal, soothing a ruffled prospect, resolving a problem with other teams within your organization, or planning a major presentation. But you\u2019re not managing three or four people. So the question is: Does it really make sense for all the team\u2019s problem-solving roads to lead through you? <\/em>Here\u2019s a hint: No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s be frank. The \u201cadvice\u201d your team members request from you, usually with the best of intentions, is often a disguised attempt to get you <\/em>to do their job \u2013 and that\u2019s neither scalable or sustainable. What you\u2019re after is a working culture in which people act as if they own the company \u2026 within narrowly defined areas. They must have the autonomy and support they need from you to make the best independent <\/em>decisions possible, while \u201cdriving within the guardrails\u201d you identify for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So here\u2019s the deal you want to strike: If the salesperson stays within the guardrails you define, he or she gets to act independently \u2013 and, yes, mess up from time to time, tell you exactly what happened, and learn from the mistake. That way of doing business may take some getting used to on both sides, but really, what\u2019s the alternative? A team driven by learned helplessness that puts all the pressure on you \u2013 and squanders everyone\u2019s precious time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schedule and hold brief <\/em>individual meetings with each salesperson each week. <\/strong>If, say, twenty people report to you, it\u2019s simply not realistic for you to hold twenty hour-long meetings a week. But you can (and should) schedule shorter <\/em>private weekly check-ins with everyone on staff. Give yourself a five-to-ten-minute catch-up session with each and every direct report. This condensed meeting allows you to quickly <\/em>review the high points of the week just passed, the lessons learned, and the major priorities for the week ahead. Do this with everyone <\/em>on staff. Remember: It\u2019s just as important to have these meetings with established performers as it is to have them with new hires and people who are struggling. You may choose to schedule longer coaching sessions with some of the people who report to you, and that\u2019s fine. But committing to tightly scheduled catch-up sessions with each and every <\/em>salesperson will keep everyone on track, improve communication, and minimize the number of fires you have to put out. That saves time, and you see continuous movement going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n