Creating a fire or burning wholesale?

Sales Manager, are you driving numbers or excellence?

What is your message to your team-members?

–          I need you to get me those numbers somehow.

–          Let’s work on a plan for you to reach your numbers.

Yes, you have Business Objectives and Sales Targets and your review at the end of the quarter or year would be based on the results you achieve. Many Managers believe that it’s important to achieve objectives at any cost, because there are no points for being nice.

There is no single way to get there – but for sure there are some robust methods and some really hard-nosed ones; both would get you there but think about the consequences: Are your methods inclusive and long-term or short-term and bloody?

Yes, you probably can provide me a number of examples of extremely tough Managers who are known to produce results, and some mild-mannered ones who fall short. The real answers would appear when you look beyond the numbers – is the Manager able to produce such results on all parameters? Is he or she able to retain a team for long-term? Are his team-members motivated and eager to perform?

The critical questions to ask are these:

–          Does the Manager convey his expectations in clear terms?

It is important that the targets are agreed upon mutually and the necessary inputs provided on a timely basis. It is not enough that the Manager just conveys a number and sends the team scurrying to achieve them – he needs to be with them all the way.

 

–          How much time does the Manager spend in developing the team member?

Here are two ways the Manager can be with the team – he can help them in the planning process by providing insights from his own past experience and better skills. And when the team visits the customer he can go along to observe and then encourage or provide coaching inputs.

 

–          Is the focus always on performance?

The manager should be seen to be fair, balanced and performance oriented; the yardstick should same for all members of the team. He should never be blind to performance by one or shut eyes to unacceptable behaviour by a favored person.

 

–          Does the Manager drive Process Adherence?

The Manager should be the owner of all processes and every team-member should adhere to them. All new members should be trained on them and the senior members should not be permitted to bye-pass them. Processes are sacrosanct and ensure that the Customers and the Organisation get the fairest deal. If any process is seems to be skewed the necessary correction should be recommended to make it fair for all concerned.

 

–          Do the Managers talk about the risks involved in their plans and methods?

Non-adherence to process, change in market conditions or uncertainties in the customers’ buying process can queer the pitch for the organisation – plans can be upset and results can have huge variances. An order that was assured is delayed at the 11^th hour or someone missed a step in the process and caused a major non-compliance; a manager can ensure no or low incidence of such events by warning the team members in advance and by auditing processes and practices regularly.

A Manager should have three focus areas – Customer, Organisation and Team. If these priorities are uppermost in his or her mind there is little room for concern.

Tough Managers whose anger is directed at things that matter are much better than the pleasant ones who are defocused from business realities and just want to be the nice guy.

A competent Manager creates a raging fire in his team that results in performance and results!