If you go through the Sales reps’ online communities where they usually hang out and chat about sales topics you are going to find a question that is being asked over and over “Is it ok for my Sales managers to be involved in my deals?”.
This question is usually open discussion and has never been a yes or no question. Most sales reps see the reason for this is that their managers are over controlling or do not trust them to close deals.
Sales managers on the other side see this as a way of providing support to their reps and being involved enables them to give better tips and solve problems faster. But is it really effective, Does it help close more deals, what is the impact on the revenue and How much should a sales manager be involved in their Reps’ Cycles?
Let’s explore the pros, cons, and best practices of managers’ involvement in Sales processes.
When Sales Managers Should Get Involved
High-Value or Strategic Deals
If a deal has the potential to significantly impact the company’s revenue or involves high-level decision-makers, a sales manager’s presence can add credibility, assist in negotiations, and strengthen executive relationships.
Complex Objections or Stalled Deals
Some objections require more authority or experience to navigate, such as legal concerns, procurement hurdles, or advanced pricing negotiations. A manager’s guidance can help move things forward without sidelining the rep.
Team or Cross Department Coordination Issues
Deals that require input from multiple teams like finance, legal, or product can become bottlenecked. A sales manager can facilitate these conversations, ensuring smoother coordination and faster approvals.
Customer Relationship Risks
If a key decision-maker is dissatisfied or considering alternative vendors, a manager’s intervention can help rebuild trust and keep the deal on track.
Coaching and Learning Opportunities
Every deal presents a learning moment. Sales managers should occasionally join calls as observers and use post-call debriefs to coach reps on improvements.
When Sales Managers Should Avoid Getting Involved
Taking Over the Sales Process
The worst thing a manager can do is take control of a deal too early, making the rep feel like a spectator. Instead of stepping in, provide strategic guidance and let the rep take ownership.
Handling Every Objection
Sales reps need to develop their ability to handle objections. If managers constantly step in, reps won’t build the resilience and skills needed to close deals on their own.
Micromanaging the Rep’s Approach
Sales professionals perform best when they have autonomy. Managers should coach their team to make the right decisions rather than dictating every move.
Overshadowing the Rep in Meetings
A sales manager should enhance the conversation, not dominate it. If present in a meeting, let the rep take the lead and step in only when necessary.
How does the involvement of Sales managers in the Sales processes affect Win Rates?
Gong -an AI Revenue Platform- published a post on LinkedIn a few hours ago that is sharing a piece of statistics that can help us answer this question. The post states that The win rates are Highest when Managers are not overly involved in the Sales cycle.
This Graph shows us the relation between Involvement and Win rates at the enterprise and SMB levels.
We can see that win rates are at their peak when the Sales managers are now involved in the sales cycle. The reason for this in my opinion is that Sales managers are focusing on mentoring and support, rather than taking actions and doing the work themselves.
Win rates at the high involvement percentage are high too, although they are still lower than the win rates with the low involvement percentage. But what are the reasons for the high percentage?
From my point of view, I see that managers at high involvement percentages are giving orders and doing work themselves. Which ensures that everything is done right because of their high experience. However, this could be exhausting for the managers and might not the Reps a chance to have the “trial and error” learning method which will affect the amount of experience they gain.
The Right Balance
By now we can see that the involvement of Sales managers in their Reps’ Sales processes can be effective and can drive good value if done right. But for this, a balance must exist. To achieve this balance I suggest the following:
- Set Clear Expectations: Define when and how you will assist in the sales cycle so reps know when to seek your input.
- Act as a Coach, Not a Closer: Help reps refine their strategies instead of executing deals for them.
- Use Deal Reviews to Provide Guidance: Instead of stepping into every deal, hold regular deal strategy sessions to offer feedback and insights.
- Encourage Problem-Solving: Before stepping in, ask your rep how they plan to tackle the issue. This encourages independent thinking and skill development.
Conclusion
The short answer to the question we asked in the title is that managers’ low involvement in Sales processes is having a positive effect on Win rates, which affect revenue at the Enterprise and SMB levels.
Although high involvement results in high win rates too, low involvement can get you the most winning rates and positive attitudes from the reps.
To effectively be involved in the Sales cycle Sales managers need to set clear expectations on when and how they get involved, Help reps execute and refine their strategies instead of executing themselves, Provide insights to the teams to help them better understand how to sell effectively and encourage reps to think and try to find solutions for the problems they face independently.
Read more about How AI and Predictive Analytics Help SMBs in Sales.