The Sales Management Blog

Sales Managers: You Should Be Spending More Time With Your Top Reps.

Written by Steve Levitt | May 16, 2022 2:00:00 PM

The Pitch
The adage of spending more time with top sellers is well-known in sales management, but the execution of this advice is often where the real value lies. Observing and interacting with top sellers provides a wealth of learning opportunities. Key areas to focus on include:

  1. Habits: Understanding the daily routines and habits that contribute to their success can offer actionable insights for the rest of the team.
  2. Organization: How top sellers organize their work, manage their time, and prioritize tasks can be a blueprint for efficiency and effectiveness.
  3. Doing Differently/Better: Identifying what these sellers do differently or better can highlight innovative approaches or strategies that could be adopted more widely.
  4. Needs: Understanding their needs can help in providing the right support and resources, ensuring their continued success and satisfaction.
  5. Obstacles: Knowing the challenges they face allows for targeted problem-solving and can improve the overall sales environment.
  6. Mindset: The mindset of top sellers often sets them apart. Understanding their perspective and approach to challenges can be enlightening.

So What?
Spending time with top sellers is more than a routine management task; it's a strategic initiative that can drive team-wide improvements. By learning from their methods and mindset, managers can not only enhance the performance of the entire team but also refine their leadership approach. Additionally, this practice demonstrates to the team what behaviors and achievements are valued and recognized.

Next Steps
✅ Schedule regular 1:1s with top sellers to observe and discuss their methods.
✅ Have them share best practices with the rest of the team.
✅ Create a culture of learning and improvement based on these observations.
✅ Recognize and reward behaviors that lead to top performance.

Closed Won!
Understanding and leveraging the strengths of your top sellers can be a key strategy in elevating the performance of your entire team. What approaches do you take to learn from and support your top sellers? Share your experiences and insights on how focusing on your best performers has impacted your team's success.