4 Common Sales Management Obstacles

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4 Common Sales Management Obstacles

Sales management is a key area in a business, as managing the sales operations and the team of sales personnel plays a major role in the success of the business. 

Sales managers have a great responsibility, wherein they are responsible for bringing in revenue for the business and for acquiring new customers. They thus have a very challenging job. But, in the sales management process, every manager faces many obstacles. These obstacles if not cleared can hamper sales work and seriously affect the sales performance.

Let us discuss four of the common sales management obstacles encountered by managers and look at how they can be handled effectively.

Obstacle 1: Lack of information

It is said that information is power. A sales manager needs all the information possible about various leads and sales personnel so that work allotment can be easier. The sales manager also needs information on the strengths and weaknesses of salespersons, so it helps to decide which lead to allot to which salesperson. Further on, the sales manager needs information on work done by team members and needs to know important information like time to convert leads, conversion rates, etc.

If the information is not available, it acts as a serious handicap for the sales manager. Making use of CRM tool is a good way to ensure ready availability of information. The software would have all information pertaining to leads, the stage of the sales process in progress and most importantly, the performance of sales team members can be tracked. The Sales CRM would let the manager know metrics like sales conversion, a number of orders in the pipeline, expected revenue, etc. Thus, making use of CRM is a good way to tackle this obstacle.

Obstacle 2: Lack of proper responsibility

In some organizations, the sales manager’s responsibilities are not very clearly defined. Ideally, the sales manager’s responsibility is to lead the sales team and achieve targets. But in some cases, the sales manager gets saddled with a lot of administrative work, which could have been done by the HR or administration departments. In this process, the work productivity gets affected.

A sales manager needs to spend time monitoring his team and motivating them to achieve targets. Spending time on paperwork is not the right way. To tackle this obstacle, the sales manager should clearly take it up with the management and let them know the importance of having a defined set of responsibilities so that more time can be spent for productive work. In case, there is no one else to do such paperwork, an assistant could be hired exclusively for such routine tasks. Use of best CRM software can be helpful to manage such paperwork

Obstacle 3: Lack of authority

Responsibility is all about knowing what is to be done and taking the onus for the work. The sales manager indeed has a great responsibility, as he is the one accountable to the management for bringing in revenue. But to be able to do so, the sales manager needs authority or power, so that he could get work done effectively. Unfortunately, there are many organizations where there is no freedom to make decisions and implement them. Lack of authority degrades accountability. A sales manager cannot perform if he does not have the power to take sales-related decisions and be able to manage his team.

The sales manager should discuss with the management and other related departments and make sure that he is given the freedom to make decisions and act in the best interest of sales. The manager must make the management understand the importance of authority in ensuring proper discharge of responsibility. In many cases, there would need of approvals required from other departments before a decision can be taken. The sales manager should coordinate to ensure that the approvals are obtained on time so that work can progress smoothly.

Obstacle 4: Lack of training

One of the most important requirements for any work is proper training to be able to do the work. Sales is a high profile and high-pressure job. Everyone looks up to the sales persons to be able to bring in revenue for the organization. There are a lot of expectations from the sales team. But for them to be able to perform, they need training, firstly on the products and

service and most importantly on the sales process and selling techniques. Even an experienced sales person needs training for the product he is expected to sell. When training is not provided, it is a major obstacle to effective sales management.

Not only the sales personnel, but even the sales managers need training. The sales manager must take this issue up with the management and ensure that regular training is provided for the sales team on the product and on selling strategies and processes. This training will ensure sales team members are equipped with the skills they need to do their work effectively. 

The four obstacles to sales management include lack of authority and responsibility, lack of information and lack of training. Ensuring that sales managers are given specific responsibilities and the authority to make decisions will empower them. Using a Sales CRM helps to ensure complete access to information and regular training ensures sales team have all the skills needed to do their work effectively.

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