Bits about Books

Bizcast: Bits about books – In Conversation with Gretchen Gordon, Author, “The Happy Sales Manager”

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Gretchen Gordon, a self-proclaimed sales nerd, is far from your ordinary sales expert. After a disastrous Girl Scout cookie-selling experience and a P&G sales gig that left her questioning her career choice in sales, Gretchen decided to face her fears head-on. With a lot of grit and determination, she transformed herself into an award-winning salesperson and was soon promoted to sales manager.  Initially proud, she quickly became frustrated and overwhelmed as she felt ill-equipped to perform as a manager.  Fortunately, she channeled her inner sales need to learn the secrets to successful sales management.

Now, after nearly 40 years in and around sales, having studied the science associated with success, and after helping hundreds of sales managers grow out of their frustration and stress, Gretchen is determined to create an army of happy sales managers. She wrote “The Happy Sales Manager” to make it easier for the many people who find themselves leading a sales team but feel overwhelmed and underqualified as she once did.

Gretchen leads a team of sales experts at her company, Braveheart Sales, with a mission to cultivate sales organizations so sellers can sell, and leaders can lead. A sought-after keynote speaker, she focuses on the skillset and mindset of sales and sales leadership. When she’s not changing the sales world, Gretchen is an avid competitive golfer, wife, proud mother of grown children, and fur-mom to two Shih Tzus.

Gretchen Gordon
The Happy Sales Manager
  • Sales Managers, once promoted from their roles in frontline sales, often find themselves ill-equipped for their new tasks. Crucially, they often don’t even realize what their core task is. This book talks about key areas that sales managers must focus on, the key competencies to master, and tactical elements that make for great sales leadership.
  • Once a salesperson is pushed up to the designation of a manager, they should no longer have a quota, and should not continue to be the rain-maker. Selling and managing are entirely different skills, and you can be focused on only one. Frequently, the sales manager fails because they cannot change their mindset from selling to managing. A key difference in the management mindset is that of a team focus. Since sales are often about individual skills, salespeople often do not have the DNA to make that jump from an individual player to a team player.
  • The author dives into details such as coaching as an integral competency to master for the managing function, as well as tactical processes such as conducting meetings. Sales meetings should not, according to her, delve into targets, as these are best spoken about individually with stakeholders.

    • Run time – 50.57 mins.

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    Bits about BooksBy Subhanjan Sarkar
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