Hanging on my wall in my office was a sign that said “DBMPBMS.”

This alone has saved me countless hours.

We teach people how to treat us by what we allow them to do. When we allow a direct report to show up late to a meeting with no reprimand, we teach them tardiness is ok.When we allow our kids to disobey our house rules, they think it’s ok so they continue to break the rules.If we allow our direct reports to ask us to solve their problems, and we consistently do it, then we’ll become firefighters and they’ll become dependent upon us to fight their battles and solve their problems.This is a horrendous time suck, and I see so many new sales managers who fall into this habit.DBMPBMS is a mantra that I adopted from a mentor.This one mantra alone has saved me countless hours.And it has helped me to develop countless leaders.DBMPBMS = Don’t Bring Me Problems, Bring Me Solutions.The concept is simple, but implementing it takes dedication.  As leaders, we are problem solvers.  But sometimes we tend to feel obligated to solve our people’s problems, even when they could have solved it themselves.Example:Sales Person:  “KT, I have a customer who wants to change their exterior color scheme. They’ve seen the one they selected, and they decided they like another scheme a lot better.  I’m not sure what to tell them. We’ve done it before, what should I do?”As the manager, I could ask a few pertinent questions, find out they are beyond the change period and just say no. And coach them with how to communicate this to the customer. This is perfectly acceptable. Or, I could take this on…ask a myriad of pertinent questions to find out when they wrote their contract, are they within the change order period? If not, has the house been started? If so, what stage is it in?  What don’t they like about the color scheme? Could we just change the shutters? If so, what would the cost be, would it delay the home?  Or, could they just change the shutter color after they close?  I could help them think through the situation and problem solve it.  And if it was a fairly new sales person, that’s probably what I would do.BUT,if I’m talking to a sales person who I’ve taught the DBMPBMS mantra, I would say….KT:  “Tracy, you tell me, what do you think is the an appropriate solution?”  And let them give me all the pertinent facts, and propose a solution.  Sales people encounter numerous problems every day, and are perfectly capable of solving lots of them on their own.  The key is to teach them your thought process, and then empower them to follow a similar process and render good judgement.There will still be some problems they need to elevate to you and you might need to make the final decision, as in the example above. But when they do, they should be equipped with the pertinent facts so together you can make an easier and quicker decision.   When you teach your team that:

You trust them and empower them to be solution orientedYou expect them to elevate certain issues, but when they do, you expect them to have the facts and provide a reasonable solution.

Then, you will have developed a team who is more empowered, more engaged, and thinks more broadly. A team who is more self sufficient and more successful. And you my friend, will have more time!Isn’t it time to set new expectations for your team for 2021?

In our 1:1 coaching and in our signature Leadership Development Program, 9 Steps to Leading a Rock Star Sales Team, we share a myriad of strategies to empower your team and build a self-managed sales team, thereby saving your countless hours.    If you or someone you know would like to learn more,  visit: https://www.kathytuckercoaching.com

PS.   If you know a sales leader who would benefit from this, please share.

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Kathy Tucker Coaching & Consulting is a boutique sales and leadership training company specializing in helping builders and real estate companies develop top producing sales teams and brilliant sales leaders who foster a healthy, high-performance sales culture.

Kathy offers:

 Virtual Sales Training Workshops, 1:1 Coaching for Sales Professionals and Sales Leaders, and her Signature Leadership Development Program: 9 Steps to Leading a Rock Star Sales Team.

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