Accounting & Finance, Operations, IT, Marketing, Inside sales, Customer Service, Outside Sales, Purchasing, Human Resources, Quality, Executive Leadership, Strategy etc. These are just the internal relationships that you need to build, externally we need to build collaboration with Vendors, Prospects and Customers.
Sales Management is a cross functional leadership role that requires the skill and desire to build relationships and collaboration across the internal and external organization. For example, if you are working on a new compensation structure you will need Accounting, Finance and Human Resources to understand margin and impact on the bottom-line, as well as, the potential impact on morale. Implementing a CRM or other form of technology? It is a good idea to have a positive relationship with your IT Manager. Considering new products or services? Vendors and Customers will likely have a voice. This is on top of building rapport with your team and keeping them laser focused on their goals. You get the point.
So how can a Sales Manager be effective?
Modern sales managers need to develop cross functional awareness. They do not need to be expert in al areas but, they do need to understand what resources and individual skills are need and when. To better understand the cross-functional skill set needed to effectively manage sales go here.
