You’ve just been promoted to Sales Manager. What do you do? Where do you find resources to help you manage people? How will you make the transition smooth? In a moment I’ll answer these questions but first here is a short word from our sponsor:

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Stuart from Edmonton, Canada wrote us with this question, “I've just been promoted to sales manager and am looking for some recommended resources. I'm green as grass and willing to try anything. Where would you suggest I start?”

Stuart, I'm going to make the wild assumption that prior to being knighted "Sales Manager," you were out on the street selling. You probably did a great job as a Sales Professional and because of that, (or because of your persistent begging), your company handed you some business cards with “Sales Manager” printed on them and some sage advice like, "Go forth and prosper." or "Just don't screw anything up." Then, with cards in hand, you walked out into the brave new world of Sales Management.

Unfortunately this is how most new sales managers get their start and why so many of them fail. Companies assume, just because you have business cards that say “Sales Manager,” somehow you are magically equipped with the tools you need to actually manage people. What I admire about you though is your willingness to admit that you don't know everything and to ask for help.

My good friend Jeff Lehman, author of The Sales Manager's Mentor, says that sales managers should be mentors not a tormentors. This is an important concept to come to grips with. Another way of saying this is that your success is dictated by the success of your people. If your actions inhibit them from performing you'll find yourself of the street looking for a job.

This is an especially important concept for high performing salespeople who find themselves suddenly promoted. As individual contributors top Sales Professionals have the luxury of only thinking about themselves. They can selfishly protect their own interests, act as lone wolves, and win at the expense of others. But as Sales Managers the words “I” and “me” no longer work. To win, it has to be about “we.” That means that the needs of the sales team and salespeople come before the needs of the sales manager. If you are unable to put your salespeople first, you will be unable to lead a high-performance team.

Paradoxically, though, the Sales Manager is the most important member of the team. The performance of sales teams rise and fall based on the talent, skill, and ability of the men and women who lead them. In fact, studies have shown that poor sales managers reduce the income potential of their salespeople by 30 to 40 percent, while salespeople working for great sales managers earn significantly more. It is not unlike sports where the best coaches attract the most talented players, turn around underperforming teams, and attain consistent winning records.

This is why it is critical that sales managers quickly get over the notion of being the boss, and get down to work as the Coach. Coaches recruit and hire talented people. Coaches develop and hone the skills of their players. Coaches know how to leverage talent by getting their players in the right positions. Coaches are laser focused on helping their players reach their individual goals while at the same time building and fostering a team culture. Coaches are also aware that they are always being watched by their players and that every action, or inaction, can and will impact the performance of the team.

As a new sales manager this will not be easy. You will have to learn a new set of skills and habits. You can no longer be one of the gang. You will find yourself working longer hours and in many cases earning less than your top performers. You will also have great responsibility because your actions will have a lasting impact on the lives of your salespeople and their families. Of course the greatest reward of all is watching your people succeed and helping them achieve their goals, because that is what coaching and leadership is all about.

Here are the Sales Guy’s Quick and Dirty Tips for New Sales Managers:

Find Out What Your Salespeople Want: The most powerful thing you can do as a new sales manager is to sit down with each of your salespeople individually and learn about their goals and dreams. You will gain instant respect for caring enough to ask, and you will learn what motivates them. This is powerful because when you help your people get what they want, they will help you get what you want. An excellent resource is the Goalsheeting process in my book PowerPrinciples.

Study the Art and Science of Managing Salespeople: There are hundreds of books available on managing sales teams and leadership in general. Make it a habit to read a minimum of 15 minutes every day. Learning from the success and mistakes of others will help you become a better leader. Some of the books I recommend are: How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, Coaching Salespeople Into Sales Champions by Keith Rosen, The Sales Manager’s Mentor by Jeff Lehman, Coaching For Improved Work Performance by Ferdinand Fournies, and How Full Is Your Bucket by Tom Rath.

Get a Coach: Being a sales manager is difficult and sometimes it will seem impossible. The problem is, while your salespeople turn to you as a coach, you may have nowhere to go. I believe it is critical for managers to have a coach. Throughout my career coaches have made a huge impact on my performance as a leader. Find someone you can talk to, bounce ideas off of, and who will help you work through the inevitable road blocks. If you can’t find someone inside your organization hire a coach or convince your company to hire someone for you. If you need help finding coaching resources just send a note to salesguy@quickanddirtytips.com.

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This is Jeb Blount, the Sales Guy. You will find the complete transcript of this podcast on the quick and dirty tips website. If you have a sales question please send your question to salesguy@quickanddirtytips.com. For more sales tip from today’s top sales authors and experts go to SalesGravy.com for your free subscription to Sales Gravy Magazine. Please take a moment to connect with me on Facebook, SalesGravy.com, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Speaking of Twitter check out The Digital Marketers new Podcast, Six Ways to Use Twitter for Your Business, right here on QuickandDirtyTips.com