For sales, a good process will definitely lead to good results, highlighting the importance of process management. However, good results do not always come from good processes; for instance, some salespeople may achieve their sales targets by forcing inventory onto channels, showing that results and process are not always equivalent. This also illustrates the necessity and urgency of sales management.

Throughout years of sales management experience, I have come to understand the importance of process management in achieving sales goals, and I have concluded that a good sales result requires a series of management tools and methods. In summary, these can be categorized into three management tools and two management methods, which I will elaborate on below.

One Form: The Daily Sales Report This is the most basic and important form in sales process management (see attached table). It displays the following management content:

  1. Salesperson's work area: It shows the specific reporter, date, and weather conditions. Filling in the weather can prevent salespeople from using bad weather as an excuse for not working or shirking responsibilities.
  2. Serial number: The serial number reflects the number of customers visited daily, indicating whether the salesperson is performing quantitative work as required by the company.
  3. Visited customers: This lists the names of customers or individuals visited according to plan. Adding the customer's phone number in the "Other Records" column at the bottom makes it easier to verify the accuracy of the salesperson's work.
  4. Visit time: This refers to the specific time of customer interviews. Many companies classify customers into A, B, C categories, with different visit frequencies and interview times. Some companies require specific start and end times for visits to better monitor what the salesperson is doing during that period.
  5. Visit purpose: This is divided into ordering, collection, development, and service (e.g., new products, new policies), revealing the daily work focus and helping supervisors correct deviations.
  6. Discussion results: This shows the daily work performance of a salesperson, reflecting their skills and determining whether training is needed to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
  7. Customer category: Includes development, new, and existing customers, showing whether the customer structure is reasonable and whether sales growth is sustainable.
  8. Scheduled revisit time: Based on interview results, this is the specific time for a second communication with target customers. According to the four-visit rule, over 80% of customers are won after four or more visits, requiring salespeople to visit skillfully and frequently.
  9. Other records: This can include customer objections, pending issues, agreed matters, and memos.

One Phone Call As a sales manager, to effectively manage the sales process and ensure the team's performance is completed with quality and quantity, besides requiring salespeople to diligently fill out daily sales reports, you should also insist on making a phone call to each subordinate every day. This measure achieves the following purposes:

  1. Deter the lazy: By asking about the day's work status, especially key tasks, you can indirectly assess the thoroughness of the salesperson's work. In the call, asking about key details such as customer names, specific visit times, and participants can reveal whether the salesperson worked as required or is lying, thus preventing lazy individuals from shirking openly.
  2. Set positive and negative examples: During the daily call, as a sales manager, don't forget to inform the entire team about the regional sales situation, especially the best and worst performers, to motivate the advanced and spur on the backward, ultimately achieving a collective improvement.

However, when checking subordinates' work through calls, sales managers should note the following:

  1. Avoid regularity in call timing: Although a daily call is a good habit, the specific time of day should not be predictable. You can call in the morning to check if the salesperson has a plan, at noon to check if they are on duty, after work to see if they followed the plan and its results, and in the evening (not too late, preferably before 10 PM) to assess the day's performance and whether they have the will to achieve goals, which also helps identify exemplary individuals. This irregular pattern makes salespeople feel they are being watched, prompting them to work diligently without external pressure.
  2. Be prepared before calling: Sales managers should prepare what to ask, what to note, and techniques to "strike the mountain to shake the tiger" (i.e., use indirect warnings), especially for those who tend to be clever or lazy. If the manager has sales data or has learned about the salesperson's whereabouts from customers, it will be more convincing and make the salesperson accept feedback willingly. Of course, the call should focus on positive reinforcement—more praise, less criticism—to foster a positive and harmonious team culture.

One Text Message This message is simple: send the daily sales performance and cumulative sales leaderboard to every team member via text, allowing them to see their daily and cumulative rankings. This encourages the backward to "know shame and then act bravely," serving as a "provocation" method, while the advanced maintain their lead, sparking a wave of catching up. By tracking daily sales performance and progress, sales managers can arrange work flexibly; the cumulative ranking, made public, subtly motivates and spurs everyone on.

There are two key points for sending text messages:

  1. Maintain contact with headquarters sales support: This ensures daily sales status is promptly fed back to the sales manager for ranking and distribution.
  2. Choose appropriate times: Send messages in the morning or evening when salespeople are not working, allowing them to reflect on their work status and performance, decide whether to adjust plans, and catch up or achieve better results.

Two Management Methods In addition to the three tools above, sales managers should also employ two management methods:

Management by Walking Around McDonald's once experienced a decline in performance. They discovered that some managers were managing from their offices, making it difficult to solve problems quickly. So, they sawed off the backs of chairs in the office, forcing managers who preferred staying in the office to go to the field to manage. This quickly turned the situation around and improved performance.

In fact, for sales managers to better manage the sales process, walking management is essential. Why has Wahaha Group, a private enterprise, maintained growth for years without decline? It's because its chairman, Zong Qinghou, spends over 200 days a year on the market, familiar with the market, customers, and salespeople, thus reducing decision-making errors. Therefore, sales managers must engage in walking management, not just "office management" or "phone management," to grasp frontline market conditions and achieve more effective management.

On-site Management The purpose of walking management is on-site management, which is more attractive to subordinates and customers. Both salespeople and customers prefer managers who solve problems on the spot rather than those who direct from the office or over the phone. To establish authority and better support subordinates and customers, sales managers must go to the field.

  1. Solve market problems on-site: Many issues require the manager to investigate, gather evidence, cheer, and support on-site. For example, problems like channel conflict or price chaos cannot be resolved by listening to one side; you must go to the field to investigate and trace the root cause for fair handling.
  2. Train salespeople on-site: Through on-site management, sales managers can identify problems in salespeople's work, especially skill deficiencies, and provide hands-on training and immediate practice, facilitating timely correction and finding fundamental solutions or techniques to achieve goals.

In summary, to achieve the desired effect in sales process management, you need "thinking + methods + tools." Thinking refers to ensuring the sales strategy and plan are correct—this is about direction; methods are the "tactics"—whether the process management measures fit the market and team and can be persistently implemented; tools are the "instruments"—whether they are useful or just formalities. Additionally, it must be combined with team building and performance appraisal. Only then can sales process management be more effective, better facilitate goal achievement, and successfully complete sales tasks.

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