LOVE YOUR TEAM

In this guide, a longtime manager proposes empathetic conversations as a prescription for sales team success.

With a background in the tech industry, Fanucci is particularly familiar with the intricacies of enterprise sales, which, by their very nature, demand a team of highly skilled sellers. Managing these individuals, writes the author, is “built on three principles: Trust…Transparency…Caring.” She believes these principles underlie “five categories of conversations” that “an enterprise sales manager must master to manage, retain, and support their team.” While the brutal world of sales may not seem like the logical place for preaching love, seasoned executive Fanucci believes that compassion is just what a sales team needs to flourish, especially in a hybrid work environment. Her philosophy, “that the bedrock of commitment, performance, and retention is human, not transactional,” resonates loud and clear throughout the book’s three well-conceived segments. Part 1 introduces the notion of having specific kinds of conversations with sellers; Part 2 shows how to implement each type of dialogue; and Part 3 offers a look at the skills generally needed to be an effective communicator. For each of the 17 conversation types in the five categories, Fanucci clearly and methodically lays out the purpose, intended outcomes, steps for implementation, and how to assess effectiveness. For every conversation, the author starts by helpfully contrasting the actions of the “Traditional Sales Manager” against the “Love Your Team Sales Manager.” She provides detailed counsel, using many examples from her own experience to illustrate the conversations. Some exchanges, such as “Getting To Know Your Team,” may seem obvious but can easily be overlooked by a business-focused sales manager. Others, particularly “Managing Underperformers,” will be among the most difficult to have. Fanucci’s advice is uniformly on target and especially poignant when she admits her own vulnerabilities. For example, the author observes that she has sometimes missed underperformance while, at other times, incorrectly assuming a team member was not performing at a high enough level to warrant a promotion. Whether conversations concern connection, performance, strategy, customer engagement, or internal alignment, Fanucci has worthwhile, battle-tested insights to share.

An enlightened, valuable, and humanistic view of sales management.