Sales Manager Survey

Thank you for taking the time to complete this brief survey. Your input will provide essential insight into current sales management practices. The findings from the survey will be used to direct future investments to improve the overall effectiveness of the sales organization.

All information is anonymous and all responses will be destroyed after the project is complete.

Thank you for your contribution to this effort.

In which area do you work?

  1. Eastern US
  2. Western US
  3. Central US

Which Business Unit do you support?

Outside Sales

Inside Sales

More than 1 Business Unit

if Other, please specify ______

Please indicate the type of sales organization you manage:

Inside Sales only

Outside Sales only

Both Inside and Outside Sales

Other

if Other, please specify ______

What is your current Span of Control (Number of direct reports)?

  • None
  • 1 to 3
  • 4 to 6
  • 7 to 9
  • 10 to 15
  • More than 15

How does your Span of Control (Number of Direct Reports) influence the amount of time you have to coach your sales people?

  • No Influence
  • Somewhat Influences
  • Influences
  • Strongly Influences

Managing Your Workload and Time

How often do you typically meet with your reps for formal (i.e. documented) performance reviews?

  • Monthly
  • Quarterly
  • Two times per year
  • Annually
  • No scheduled cadence

How often do you typically meet with your reps for informal “touch point” performance evaluations?

  • Weekly
  • Monthly
  • Quarterly
  • Two times per year
  • Annually
  • No regular cadence

On average, how many meetings do you currently attend each week with the Decision Maker of a Customer/Prospect?

  • None
  • 1 to 2
  • 3 to 4
  • 5 to 6
  • More than 6

What is the ideal number of meetings you should attend each week with the Decision Maker of a Customer/Prospect?

  • None
  • 1 to 2
  • 3 to 4
  • 5 to 6
  • More than 6

On average, how many one-to-one coaching hours (informal + formal) do you provide per month to each sales rep?

  • None
  • 1 to 2 hours
  • 3 to 4 hours
  • 5 to 6 hours
  • More than 6 hours
  • Optional comment

Priorities and Coaching

On the scale below, please rate how important each of the following is to helping you succeed as a sales manager.

  • Highest importance
  • Lowest importance
  • Time Management Planning (identifying how/where to spend your time and how your reps should do the same)
  • 1-on-1 Coaching (includes field travel to customers, on-the-jobtraining with reps, formal and informal)
  • Skills Training (running effective sales process training meetings)
  • Weekly Sales Meetings (sales meetings to discuss sales campaigns, strategic account planning, forecasting deals)
  • Data Management (analyzing data and using it to drive better performance)
  • Mentoring (personal support of one or more mentees, inside our outside of your team)
  • Onboarding (Managing, onboardingand training of new hires)
  • Formal Performance Reviews (conducting review, creating development plans, tracking progress)
  • Territory Planning (assessing territory potential, assigning accounts, account planning)
  • Sales Calls with reps (in person)
  • Assisting reps with sales campaigns (proposals, important emails,presentation development and practice, ideas onnext steps, call planning, RFP responses)
  • Career development and planning discussion with employee
  • New Employee Selection & Hiring (reviewing resumes, interviewing, recruiting talent)

For the areas below, please rate your personal proficiency.

See the definitions of each category provided in question #1 above.

Highest proficiency

Lowest proficiency

  • Time Management Planning
  • 1-on-1Coaching
  • Skills Training
  • Weekly Sales Meetings
  • Data Management
  • Mentoring
  • Onboarding
  • Formal Performance Reviews
  • Territory Planning
  • Sales Calls with reps
  • Assisting reps with sales campaigns
  • Career development
  • New Employee Selection & Hiring

Please rate the importance that YOU place on the coaching activities you provide to your sales reps.

High importance

Low importance

  • Assigning action items or tasks
  • Helping with time management
  • Identifying areas for improvement in sales process
  • Providing creative ideas for sales campaigns
  • Conducting live side-by-side customer calls
  • Reviewing personal performance metrics
  • Reviewing pipeline and providing suggestions
  • Auditing work product (i.e. proposals, emails, customer presentations, etc.)
  • Sharing best practices from other areas
  • Personal mentoring
  • Career guidance (inside and outside HP)

Please rate the importance of the following aspects of your job as a coach to your reps.

Very important

Not important

  • Developing others
  • Achieving goals as a team
  • Successful results
  • My own personal growth
  • Sharing my skills and knowledge with others
  • Articulating and driving strategic direction
  • Additional important aspects ______

Please indicate your personal development priorities to improve youreffectiveness as a coach and sales manager.

High Priority

Moderate Priority

Low Priority

  • Innovation
  • Strategic planning
  • Analysis & problem solving
  • Financial acumen
  • Business acumen
  • Team leadership
  • Motivating & inspiringothers
  • Managing change
  • Confident communicator
  • Dealing with pressure
  • Managing conflict
  • Building relationships
  • Organizing and execution
  • Tenacity and driving results
  • Listening & receptiveness
  • Executive presence &impact

On average, what percentage of your time do you spend each month performing the following activities?

Time Management Planning

1-on-1 Coaching

Skills Training

Weekly Sales Meetings

Data Management

Mentoring

Onboarding

Formal Performance Reviews

Territory Planning

Sales Calls with reps

Assisting reps with sales campaigns

Order Processing

Career development

New Employee Selection & Hiring

Challenges

On a scale from 1 to 12, please rank the importance of the following things seniormanagement must address to enable you to improve performance as a sales manager.

Mostimportant

Leastimportant

Does not apply

  • Reduce organizational complexity
  • More effective sales management tools
  • Improve sales skills of my reps
  • Additional salessupport
  • Reduce reporting requirements (including forecast updates)
  • Achievable and realistic quotas
  • Improved compensation
  • Increased local pricing empowerment
  • HR empowerment tohire and structure my team
  • Streamline internal processes; reduce administrative tasks
  • Internal Communications and Business Strategy
  • Increase employee engagement
  • Improve quality of new sales rep hires
  • Other (please specify) ______

Thank You!

Your input will help direct investments in improving the sales organization. Thank you!

Please provide any additional comments about improving the effectiveness of salesmanagement.

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