Navigating the Player-Manager role in sales - managing the team and selling personally at the same time

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In this episode of the Luxury of Choice podcast, host Steve Vaughan, along with fellow sales trainer Jonathan Cooper and Debbie Airey, delve into the complexities of the "player manager" role in sales. In other words, both managing a sales team, whilst maintaining personal sales responsibility such as a territory, key account, product line, etc.

 They discuss the challenges and benefits of balancing sales responsibilities with management duties, emphasizing the importance of time management, clear expectations, and effective coaching. The conversation highlights the need for strong customer relationships and the potential pitfalls of neglecting team dynamics. The episode concludes with practical advice for new sales managers and the significance of being attentive to both numbers and team needs.

• Being a player manager can be a great learning experience.
• Understanding the expectations from both management and the team is crucial.
• Time management is essential when balancing dual roles.
• Coaching is a key skill for any sales manager.
• Clear communication with customers is vital during field visits.
• It's important to listen more than you speak as a manager.
• Handling underperformance requires difficult conversations early on.
• Not every great salesperson is suited for management roles.
• Building trust within the team is essential for success.
• Asking for help should be encouraged in management.

Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche and Jayne Green are Sales Trainers from george james ltd. You can email the show at: [email protected]

The trainers on LinkedIn:

Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/
Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/
Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/
Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/
Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/
Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/


george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/