Take It to the Top

Yet budgets are still tight, and CEOs remain nervous. What to do? Start with the sales managers.

Because of their daily interaction with the sales force and the market, sales managers have the levers to ratchet up sales performance in the entire team.

While most people intuitively understand the link between effective sales management and improved sales results, research in the last few years has confirmed it. For example, a study by Wilson Learning Worldwide, Inc. concluded sales teams under the oversight of a highly skilled sales manager produced "29 percent higher revenue, 47 percent higher employee satisfaction, and 16 percent higher customer satisfaction."