I want to shed some light on a number of aspects that are crucial or expected from a sales manager, directly from the territory. One of the reasons he’s an important piece of the puzzle of business-to-business sales: knowledge (product/market/trends/innovation), outlook – factual and visionary. A trusted source of information, not only a messenger but with a broader view of the market, as he has access to background information not available to his customers.
If you’re in your early steps or if you didn’t yet start your sales career, don’t be overwhelmed by the fact that you’re not familiar with your market (or even which market you should be familiar with). You’ll have time and occasions to learn. Learn from existing colleagues, from reports, from internal departments. Don’t pretend you know something you don’t. Be honest and open. Read. Source information. Nowadays information is widely available, you just need to find out the best references so as not to lose your time with useless stuff. Market indexes, pricing indexes, industry associations – all are good sources of information and your own work in the field and experience will fill in what’s missing. You’ll build up that knowledge and overview along the way.
Things to have in mind embracing a sales career- Know your market:
- Your products and portfolio range, application, main features and handicaps
- Market landscape (demand, share, main players, trendsetters)
- Competition (Presence, share evolution, competitive advantages, route to market, strategy, long term position)
- Newcomers (established or expected, growth strategy, strengths/weaknesses)
- Market outlook
- Legislation changes
- Shifts and trends in the industry
- Global or wider view (broader than your single market or region)
This is an excerpt of my book “sales is my passion”, available here: http://amzn.to/2DY7nVy