I was having a conversation with my colleague Tim Hagan this morning about the tendency for sales management to react (and sometimes overreact) too quickly. The consequences can be devastating to the sales team’s motivation and the overall morale of the company. All the research shows that customers first make decisions on an emotional level and then rationalize their decision intellectually. So the last thing you want is a demoralized sales force with a bad outlook.
As we talked about a few specific coaching situations we’re both in, I gave the example of playing racquetball. One of the mistakes beginning racquetball players make is playing too aggressively – they dart back and forth and try to smash the ball as hard as they can as soon as they can. More experienced players have learned the value of waiting for the ball to bounce. They don’t have to run as far, they conserve energy, they change the pace of play, and when they pause to let the ball bounce off the back wall they have more time to plan where they want to place their next shot.
Your Vice President of Sales and Sales Managers have shots flying at them all day. They run from one crisis to the next trying to swat away problems, save deals, coach sales people to be better, and motivate the team. What would happen if they slowed down – just a little bit – to let the ball bounce before reacting to something? Would they be more effective? Could they avoid overreacting and demoralizing the team? What would happen to your sales productivity if your Sales Leaders took the time to thoughtfully plan their next shot instead of smashing it with all their might and then darting to their next meeting?