Some practical advice for sales managers about Do's and Don'ts of running a sales meeting with their reps. The evidence is clear that effectively run sales 1:1 meetings have a big impact on reps productivity because the spirit of conversations in these meeting directly affect their morale and hence commitment. According to Inc. magazine US companies waste upto $238 Billion every year in lost productivity due to ineffectively run meetings (https://www.inc.com/john-white/ineffective-meetings-cost-companies-up-to-283-billion-a-year-streamline-collaboration-with-these-tips.html). However the affects of ineffective sales meetings is order of magnitude higher than that on a per meeting basis. Please visit https://www.mo-data.com/blog for more.

1. Things Sales Managers
Should Never Say to Their
Reps

2. What were you doing all
this while?
As a sales manager, don’t act like a dictator or a
school teacher who goes around keeping
account of every minute spent by sales rep
2Don’t say:

3. There are software and dashboards through which you
can get an insight into how sales reps are utilizing their
time, without being direct and unpleasant. More
information here
3
Be smarter

4. “
“If you want to lift yourself up. Lift up
someone else.”
- Booker T. Washington
4

5. That’s not my job!
Turning down the subordinate’s request to
solve the problem gives an impression to the
team that you are not familiar with your job
responsibilities.
5Don’t say:

6. “I’d Like to Help Out, But I Don’t Have the
Capacity Right Now.”
6
Try it differently

7. ““Leadership is not about a title or a designation.
It's about impact, influence and inspiration.
Impact involves getting results, influence is
about spreading the passion you have for your
work, and you have to inspire team-mates and
customers.”
-Robin S. Sharma
7

8. I can’t spoon-feed you
every time.
Sales manager’s foremost responsibility is to
coach the sales reps. While there is a difference
between mentoring and spoon-feeding, a good
sales manager is expected to be supportive in
every way
8Don’t say:

9. Please refer to this list to understand the importance of
different roles a sales manager plays and responsibilities
each of those roles entail.
9
Be familiar:

10. “
“Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will
happen.”
-Conan O'Brien
10

11. When I was a sales rep, I
was closing deals faster
than you.
That is not a motivating phrase! Because of your
position you are already a shining example and
a role model. There is no point in bragging
about how much you’ve done in the past.
11Don’t say:

12. Sales Meeting Ideas to Inspire and Motivate Your Sales
Team. You can find a comprehensive list of ideas you can
use to improve the communication with your team
members on our Blog. We have also summarized salient
points in the following sections.
12
Be familiar:

13. “
“Leaders must be close enough to relate to
others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.”
-John C. Maxwell
13

14. Don’t give me excuses!
They might not be complaining. They might be
presenting their side of the story. Their
perspective
14Don’t say:

15. As a sales leader, you are expected to be a good
listener, a person your sales reps can look up to.
Don’t be blunt. Listen, think and give a solution-
that’s what great sales managers do.
15
Instead:

16. “
“The ear of the leader must ring with the voices
of the people.”
— Woodrow Wilson
16

17. Marketing is a separate
entity.
How can marketing be a different department
when they share the same goal as you of driving
growth and revenue
17Don’t say:

18. As a sales manager, please be clear that you can
help your team reach the target if they work
unanimously with the marketing department.
18
Instead:

19. ““The new reality is that sales and marketing are
continuously and increasingly integrated.
Marketing needs to know more about sales, sales
needs to know more about marketing, and we all
need to know more about our customers.”
– Jill Rowley
19

20. Your job is to sell and not
to give ideas.
Your sales reps are the ones who are interacting
with the prospects on a regular basis and they
know the loopholes in your sales process. They
know why the deals are not moving.
20Don’t say:

21. You have to listen to them if you want to fix glitches
in your process. Just closing the door and having
complacency doesn’t help you and your
organization.
21
Instead:

22. ““Software innovation, like almost every other
kind of innovation, requires the ability to
collaborate and share ideas with other people,
and to sit down and talk with customers and get
their feedback and understand their needs.”
- Bill Gates
22

23. You need to learn a lot
from Miss/Mr. ABC.
No one likes to be compared to somebody else.
Remember, as a kid, how many times you were
asked “Why can’t you be more like [name]?” And
now, remember how you felt about it. Were you
motivated? Did you change your behaviour? My
guess to both is NO. So, don’t do that to your
salespeople.
23Don’t say:

24. Have a mentorship program in place if you think
that sales reps need to learn from seniors or
performers.
24
Instead:

25. “
“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and
a push in the right direction.”
- John Crosby
25

26. If you don’t show
improvement, I will have to
let you go.
Do not just criticize.
26Don’t say:

27. Always do your research and support your input with data. Give
reasons why you think the person in question is not improving.
Have one-on-one meetings, review and give a chance to the sales
rep to clarify. A successful sales leader must be sure he/she has
provided all needed, including trainings, tools and time, to their
underperforming reps before letting someone to go.
27
Instead:

28. “
"Talent wins games, but teamwork and
intelligence win championships."
-Michael Jordan
28