Sometimes the people that are promoted to positions where managing a group is the focus are not always the right fit - especially a group of sales people.Notoriously the most difficult group, segment or department of any organization to manage. Dave Kurlan talks about the tendency to promote your best sales person to the position of management - what a disaster that can be! I have seen it time and time again , superstar sales people often end up being too spontaneous and reactionary - I once saw a female "superstar sales manager" start throwing items across the room at her sales reps in anger - needless to say she didn't last.
I conversely was not the greatest sales person - She consistently finished top 3 in the country and I was a top 25 finisher ( still out of 2000 sales people nationwide not bad) but in retrospect and being quite honest I am probably the best sales manager I have ever known.( not that there are not any better managers - I just haven't met one) I blew the doors off when it came to getting a team of 8 reps to perform at the top of their game and all of a sudden our place in the national standings reversed.
Why - the role of a manager has more in common with a Director of a Play or Performance than many might imagine - get the most out each person, help them to perform better and better, consistently acknowledge their greatness, keep them enthusiastic about being there and loving their job, keep the head in the show and treat them like a fellow "artist". Of course there is still an obligation on their part to know their lines, show up for the rehearsals and listen to your coaching. My counterpart modeled her management style after Joseph Stalin and people responded accordingly - no self respect, no pride, no confidence, no motivation and by the way no numbers, no new business and spending their valuable prospecting time looking for another position.
When William Shakespeare founded the Globe theater in London he knew the value of having the right performers on the stage to bring his characters to life. Often he would tirelessly search for the right tonality or physical build so that nothing hindered his performance. You hear things like that about Directors today - Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard - "they just brought the best out in me"
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4 comments:
Frank: so you make a good point, a great salesperson does NOT necessarily make a great sales manager. How can you pick out the sales folks who will be great mangers? I believe that this requires observation - how do they interact with the other sales teams and how do they interact with customers. You bring up one key "marker" - they probably aren't the best sales people because they spend too much time developing long term relationships. Hmm, something to think about...
- Dr. Jim Anderson
The Accidental Negotiator Blog
"Learn The Secrets of Side-By-Side Negotiating To Get The Most Value Out Of Every Negotiation"
thanks for the tips Frank!
Like you say, relationships, interactions and motivation are very important. But most transplanted salespeople fail at sales management because they are TOO friendly with those who report to them and fail at the coaching and accountability aspects.
hmmm, Dr. Anderson, "TOO Much time spent developing relationships" is the reason some are not effective sales people? I wonder how the person being sold to would feel about that. Think about the last time you were sold something.....
I guess it depends what your being sold. How important is it to you. The more important it is the more the relationship maters. Its human nature.
Accountability means nothing without the coaching and relationship.
Anonymous brings up a good point that I probably didn't do a good job of clarifying (although Dave pretty much got it). It really depends on the product that you are selling as to how much time you can afford to put into the relationship with the customer.
An inexpensive product that a customer will only need one of for the rest of their life means that a deep relationship is a waste. Expensive products bought repeatedly require more time and a deeper relationship.
- Dr. Jim Anderson
The Accidental Negotiator Blog
"Learn The Secrets of Side-By-Side Negotiating To Get The Most Value Out Of Every Negotiation"
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