In today’s fast-paced sales environment, sales managers often find themselves buried in strategy meetings, executive planning sessions, and an endless array of tasks. While these activities are essential for tracking progress and achieving business goals, they can sometimes overshadow what truly drives a sales team’s success—managing people and understanding their core values.
Metrics such as activity levels, quotas, and task completion are undoubtedly critical. They provide measurable insights into performance and are necessary for achieving key business objectives. However, when sales management becomes overly fixated on these numbers, it can lead to a neglect of the human element, which is equally, if not more, important for long-term success.
Personal Reflections on Sales Management
As I reflect on my sales career, I often recall the weekly team meetings with management. Typically limited to just one interaction per week, these meetings were, in some cases, the only direct contact I had with my manager. Occasionally, there would be an additional call to review activities.
Ironically, regardless of the company, the structure of these team meetings was almost always the same. The primary focus was on reviewing the pipeline, updating key opportunities, and discussing the activities of each team member. While I acknowledge that these processes are important, they tend to be heavily task-oriented, focusing on metrics rather than on the people behind those metrics.
This leads to an important question: Isn’t this exactly why we have a CRM system? A CRM is designed to track and manage these activities, yet the emphasis in meetings remains on these same metrics and tasks, rather than on personal development, coaching and understanding individual team members’ core values.
In my experience, this approach often results in a disconnect between management and the sales team. Managers miss out on the opportunity to understand their team’s motivations, challenges, and individual aspirations. The lack of personal connection can lead to disengagement, lower morale, reduced performance and ultimately team members jumping ship.
Shifting to a People-Centric Approach
To build, strengthen, train, and retain a thriving sales team, managers must understand that focusing heavily on developing and assisting the individual leads to high performance. By prioritizing the personal growth and core values of team members, sales managers can foster a motivated, engaged, and high-performing team.
Supporting Insights from Thought Leaders
Keith Rosen’s book “Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions: A Tactical Playbook for Managers and Executives,” is a must read if you’re looking to develop your coaching skills and improve the performance of your sales team. Keith emphasizes the difference between managing and coaching. He argues that effective sales leaders should focus more on coaching their salespeople rather than just managing tasks and activities.
In her book “Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity,” Kim Scott emphasizes the value of caring personally while challenging directly. The core idea is that great bosses need to care personally about their team members while also challenging them directly. This approach fosters a culture where team members feel valued and understood, leading to greater engagement and performance.
Simon Sinek, in his book “Leaders Eat Last,” argues that great leaders prioritize the well-being of their team members, creating an environment of trust and cooperation. This people-centric approach is essential for building a resilient and thriving sales team.
Evolving Strategies: From Taboo to Mainstream
In the past, strategies that focused on personal development and core values were often considered secondary to task completion and metrics. However, today’s evolving workplace culture recognizes the importance of these approaches.
For instance, emotional intelligence (EI) was once a relatively obscure concept in the business world. Today, it is widely acknowledged that high EI in managers leads to better team performance and higher employee satisfaction.
Similarly, methodologies such as coaching and mentoring have gained traction. According to a study by the International Coaching Federation, organizations that implement coaching programs report improved performance, higher employee engagement, and better retention rates.
Actionable Advice
To implement a people-centric approach in sales management, consider integrating the GAPS framework—Goals, Assets, Profiles, and Systems—into your strategy. This framework is designed to resonate across both personal and professional landscapes, promoting an integrated approach to success and satisfaction.
Goals: Set the direction and purpose, acting as the driving force behind your actions. Define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. Whether it’s achieving personal milestones or business targets, aligning goals with Metric Driven Outcomes (MDO) ensures focus and trackability.
Assets: Optimize personal skills, technology apps, podcasts, or professional resources to amplify your team’s ability to thrive. Understanding and nurturing these assets are your tools for achieving your goals.
Profiles: Tailor strategies to individuals needs, whether understanding personal tendencies or customer behaviors. This deep insight ensures actions are both effective and meaningful, aligning closely with the defined objectives.
Systems: Establish clear systems to turn vision into reality. By setting up efficient processes both personally and professionally, you streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and foster growth that is both consistent and measurable.
Conclusion
To truly thrive, sales teams need more than just a focus on metrics and task completion. By prioritizing personal development and understanding the core values of team members, managers can build stronger, more motivated teams. This people-centric approach not only enhances team morale but also drives higher performance and long-term success.
As sales managers, it’s time to shift our focus from merely doing things right to doing the right things. By investing in our people, we can unlock their full potential and achieve extraordinary results.
Call to Action
Start today by reevaluating your sales management approach. Shift your focus from metrics to people, and watch your team thrive. For more on how to integrate the GAPS framework into your strategy, visit ThriveTheory.org.
Thrive On Knowledge Seekers,
Thrive Theory 
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