We often coach sales managers on their true role. Sometimes they look puzzled when we say: "Your job is not really managing sales or even growing sales." The sales manager's highest value comes from developing salespeople.

See, if we can grow the skills, effort and activity of salespeople, then sales volume and gross naturally follow. Too often we fixate on the end goal. It's understandable. Targets are highly visible and we're all accountable to hit them. But the end goal is a result. By the time we get there and we find we either hit it or not - it's too late to change anything. We can only manage and impact skills, effort, and activity. Those are daily things not month-end.

Let's talk about effort and activity. We often coach sales managers to use the "power of why" to engage a salesperson and make the connection between what they want (an income goal, planned big purchase, trip etc...) and the effort and activity it will take to reach that goal. Breaking down the end goal into the little steps or activities it will take to hit it can be a powerful motivator. We call that "the power of why".

Now lots of you might say: "my sales manager has never talked to me about that - they just tell me to hit my target or else!" Well that may be true but what's stopping you from unlocking the power of why for yourself?

Think about and write down what your personal goals are. Make it stronger by being specific. Don't just leave it as certain dollar income this year. Figure out what you will spend the money on and why that something is important to you! Now you have a strong, tangible motivator to focus on. So break it down. What are the daily activities that will cause you to hit that goal?

Work it backwards. Need a certain volume? Based on your current ratios, how many write-ups would that take? How many demonstrations, presentations, and opportunities? How does that opportunity number compare to the natural traffic you receive? Not enough right? OK you need to supplement floor traffic with your own prospecting, marketing, networking, and outgoing phone effort. If you're like a lot of salespeople that "gap" in opportunities can be closed with 10 phone calls per day resulting in at least one confirmed appointment for the next day.

Are you still with us? Those outgoing prospecting, networking and follow-up calls are the one activity that many salespeople just don't get done. Use your own end goal. Use your own activity numbers and ratios. Prove to yourself what it will take in activity to achieve your goal.

Now do it and unlock your own power of why.