DO < BETR FOR SALES MANAGERS
Sales management may well be the hardest job in any company. Sales managers are the linchpin between senior leadership and the front-line sales team, juggling a near-impossible set of expectations. They are asked to lead, manage, coach, and don’t forget sell—all while dealing with immense pressure to execute.
Compounding the challenge, many sales managers are promoted from the ranks of top-performing salespeople with little preparation for the multifaceted demands of their new role. The result? Overwhelmed managers, unclear priorities, and a tug-of-war between strategic goals and operational realities.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Do < BETR offers a path forward, helping sales managers cut through the noise, balance their roles, and focus on what truly drives performance.
The Problem: The Impossible Balancing Act
Sales managers live at the intersection of competing demands. They must lead their teams while inspiring and motivating salespeople to perform at their best. Sales managers must:
● Manage operations. Forecasting revenue, maintaining CRM discipline, and reporting data to senior leadership.
● Coach individuals. Developing team members’ skills to close more deals, be better at their craft and grow into future leaders.
● Sell strategically. Staying engaged with key accounts or stepping in to close high-priority deals.
With these demands pulling them in every direction, it’s no wonder many sales managers feel stretched thin. What’s worse, senior management often piles on additional expectations:
● Requests for endless data and reports.
● Pushes for strict process compliance.
● Initiatives that focus on the latest trend instead of immediate needs.
The result? Sales managers become reactive rather than strategic, struggling to find time for high-value activities like coaching and team development.
Ideas: Prioritize and Negotiate to Do < BETR
To thrive in this role, sales managers must embrace Do < BETR—the principle of doing fewer things but doing them exceptionally well. This requires two key shifts: prioritizing high-impact activities and negotiating effectively with senior management.
Here’s how:
1. Clarify the Roles and Priorities
Not all tasks carry equal weight. Sales managers need to focus on the activities that truly drive performance. Here’s a breakdown of the key roles and their priorities:
● Leader: Create a clear vision for the team and foster a high-performance culture. Prioritize communication, setting goals, and celebrating wins.
● Manager: Focus on accurate forecasting and operational efficiency. Delegate or automate low-value reporting tasks where possible.
● Coach: Spend time with team members in helping them run their business, deal reviews, role-playing, and skill development. This is where long-term growth happens.
● Seller: Engage only in strategic sales activities that require your unique expertise, such as key account negotiations or escalations.
By clarifying these roles and aligning your time with the most impactful activities, you can break free from the reactive cycle.
2. Negotiate Internally with Senior Management
Sales managers often feel trapped between the expectations of their team and senior leadership. To succeed, they must proactively manage upwards:
● Communicate the Impact of Overload. Help senior leaders understand that excessive demands for data or compliance take time away from revenue-generating activities like coaching and selling.
● Propose Alternatives. Suggest streamlined reporting processes or dashboards that meet leadership’s needs without burdening your team.
● Set Boundaries. Push back respectfully but firmly against low-priority requests. Frame the conversation around the company’s strategic goals: “If I spend less time on X, I can dedicate more time to Y, which will directly impact our revenue and margin.”
3. Focus on High-Leverage Activities
With limited time, focus on activities that deliver exponential impact:
● Develop Your Team. A well-coached salesperson can drive far more revenue than any single deal you close yourself. Coaching is the ultimate high-leverage activity.
● Focus on the Top 10 deals that will move the needle. That does not just mean size, it could be about a new product, new logo, new market or what aligns to key Objectives.
● Align Team Goals. Make sure every team member understands the company’s strategic priorities and how their activities contribute to them.
4. Build a Cadence for Success
Sales managers thrive when they establish predictable rhythms. Develop a weekly cadence that balances your roles, as an example:
● Monday: Review the weekly forecast and set priorities for the week.
● Midweek: Dedicate time to coaching sessions, deal strategies or team training.
● Friday: Wrap up with a team meeting to reflect on wins and set the stage for the following week.
Communicate up, down and across the organization. This cadence helps you stay proactive and ensures high-impact activities don’t fall by the wayside.
The Payoff: Balance and Impact
When sales managers embrace Do < BETR, they can transform their performance and their team’s results:
● More Time for Coaching. By streamlining operational tasks and negotiating with leadership, managers can invest more time in their people.
● Improved Team Performance. Focused leadership and coaching drive higher win rates and better morale.
● Stronger Relationships with Senior Management. Clear communication and boundary-setting earn respect and trust from leadership.
● Sustainable Success. With a balanced approach, managers can avoid burnout and maintain consistent performance.
Your Challenge: Do < BETR in Sales Management
As a sales manager, your role is vital to the success of your organization. But you don’t have to do everything to be effective. Here’s how to get started:
● Audit Your Activities. Identify low-value tasks and look for opportunities to delegate, automate, or eliminate them.
● Clarify Your Priorities. Decide which role—leader, manager, coach, or seller—needs the most focus in your current environment. You will naturally do 1-2 of these skills better than others, and thus you may default to them. Quick clue, most sales leaders are really managers and not coaches. They “tell” their people what to do versus “asking” questions to test for understanding and allowing team members to think through solutions and approaches. How could you manage less and coach more?
● Have Tough Conversations. Start negotiating with senior leadership to streamline processes and focus on what truly drives results.
The hardest job in the company can also be the most rewarding. By focusing on fewer, higher-impact activities, you can lead your team to greater success while reclaiming control of your time and energy.
Next in the Series: Stay tuned for Part 3, where we’ll explore how Do < BETR applies to Sales Professionals.