Just because you're the executive, doesn't mean you're in the know. A perception gap between you and your sales team could be causing a loss in sales.

By: STACY STRACZYNSKI

If you've gotten your sales team to leverage best practices and align their efforts with Marketing, then it looks like you're on the right track to success. But don't start thinking you're in the clear just yet. If you aren't careful, you may be the reason your team will never reach its full potential.

Winning Strategies Divulged

Reno, Nev.-based Miller Heiman, a sales performance and research company, recently released the results of its "2008 Sales Best Practices Study." In the annual survey, which is the largest sales performance study to date, 4,500 participants reveal the best practices of their Winning Sales Organization (WSO) employers—those sales organizations with 20% growth in revenue, new customers and average transactions—and how they continue to drive success in complex sales environments.

It helps highlight "the big ah-has," says Miller Heiman President and CEO Sam Reese. The research pinpoints exactly what these successful organizations are doing differently. "We take that information and give it to our customers to benchmark."

And while the report goes into detail on various ways WSO's approach sales differently—including leveraging best practices from top performers, focusing on customer objectives and understanding that sales is a team-driven effort—the section on "Executive Involvement" is of particular note to managers and higher-ups: It uncovers a critical perception gap between management and front-line reps.

Staring Down the Gap

When survey-takers were asked if executive leadership was actively engaged in the sales process, "68% of C-suite respondents agreed, while only 39% of sales representative respondents agreed," reads the report. That's a disparity of almost 30%.

In the study, Damon Jones, President and Managing Director of International for Miller Heiman, states that this perception gap is due to a lack of clearly defined roles, and that "actively involved" needs to be better defined across the board. Similarly, Reese attributes the gap to a lack of clear definitions, but he also lends culpability to what he calls the "white-collar mentality"—an approach wherein managers only become actively involved when reps encounter issues with a client.

And there is more room for this error in highly successful organizations. "WSO's are 68% more likely to have a leadership team that is 'actively' engaged in the sales process. Executives have to understand what they are doing and not just swoop in during a time of need—usually to close a deal—and save the day," Reese says.

According to Reese, many are trying to "play the savior" these days due to the faltering economy. "Executives are realizing their greatest assets are their existing customers, and a lot are trying to go out on sales calls now," he says. "If you're going to go out on a sales call, do it in conjunction with the sales team so you don't upset the apple cart."

Sales managers tend to become too involved in the field, he notes. They either takeover the sales process entirely and "steal" the deal away from the rep. Or, at the other end of the spectrum, managers also tend to become passive. They sit back and evaluate their rep's performance, acting more as a "big brother" overseer than a contributing strategic collaborator.

Reese recalls one client who asked him the best way to evaluate her sales reps on sales calls. "A lot of executives go wrong when they ask to evaluate a sales rep on a call," explains Reese. "When on a call with reps, they are in charge of you. You are there to support them."

Don't Tread on Me

So, how can you be more proactive without toppling the delicate balance of your sales team? Here, Sam Reese gives his tips for going on sales calls:

1. Pre-Game Huddle
Reese says, "It all starts with having a game plan." Work with your reps to determine points of discussion and which areas he or she feels it would be beneficial for you to contribute. Throw away the reactive notion of sitting in on sales calls when you want to be involved. Become a major strategic partner.

2. Commit to Cooperation
By going on a sales call, you are in the sales rep's territory. "Commit and agree to be a part of the sales process, but don’t disrupt it," says Reese. Pressuring reps by evaluating their performance on-the-job makes deals harder to manage. You are there to help secure clients, not collect material for your next employee review session.

3. Establish Roles
Make sure everyone is comfortable and understands why you are joining in on the sales call. "Executives need to be clear about their role," says Reese. "They are not the dealmaker here." You wouldn't expect your sales rep to takeover the next department meeting when all you asked him to do was present a particular chart. So why take over your rep's job on a sales call? You hired your salesperson to sell—let him do what he does best.

And, if you're still wondering whether a perception gap exists between you and your team, take a cue from the front line: As a general rule, salespeople want their managers to be more involved, Reese says. "If reps aren't asking you to go on sales calls, you're doing something wrong."