Common challenges faced by sales managers

1. Finding the right people

Probably one of the most difficult tasks a sales manager faces is to find skilled sales representatives,
offer them all the information they need, then oversee them ‘in action’.

The sales manager evaluates a candidate based on both the company’s products and services, trying to
identify those ideal features needed for the position.

2. Training and coaching reps

If you already have the right team in place, you need to make sure that they will deliver the results your
superiors expect. As a sales manager, it is your job to provide sales reps with training and coaching.

Considering that most of your day consists of setting goals and targets, analyzing data and reviewing
sales numbers, finding the time and resources to do this can be a tricky task.

3. Finding compensation solutions for employees

There are situations in which the employee retention rate is strongly related to the compensation they
receive. Therefore, it’s recommended to maintain satisfaction among employees, even though some
managers consider this a big challenge.

The solution for this is relatively simple, however: implementing a well-structured reward and
recognition program, making sure it remains unbiased and healthy.

4. Keeping your team motivated

The main problem here is that you can’t just take a collective approach when you feel that your sales
reps need some extra motivation. What motivates one rep and makes them happy doesn’t necessarily
work for everybody. Every rep is unique in this sense.
A sales manager needs to get to know the entire team on an individual level, by understanding what
motivates each representative, but also the team, as a whole, in order to help them perform.

Coaching sessions, both individually and in a group, can help you understand the team and how to
reward good performance.

5. Maintaining consistency

Sometimes, you will be tempted to treat some sales reps differently, based on how much you trust them
or how well you get along with them. Some top sellers may even get away with not following company-
established selling methods and relying on theirs instead.

This might not seem like a problem at first, but in time, other sales reps will notice. They might complain
that they are treated differently, and become frustrated. Avoid this by maintaining consistency in your
relationship with the entire team and don’t make any differences at all.

6. Aligning with your marketing department

We know this can be difficult for a sales team. Still, it is a crucial aspect for the success of your company.

A sales manager should schedule regular meetings with the marketing department and tackle selling
together. Each member of the team should have clear tasks, in order to improve their numbers. And
after all, a great relationship between sales and marketing can go a long way, resulting in a pipeline
consistently full of high-quality leads.