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Selling.2.YES

Don't Fire Your Sales Manager 

March 2017


Picture
They say the hardest job in baseball is the catcher position...he's gotta set the defense, catch the curveball, throw runners out, and block the plate. He gets nicked and dinged with 100mph baseballs; and bats sometimes bong against his melon!  Further, he does all this while crouching for incredibly long periods of time.

Today's digital sales manager is the "catcher" of our industry...minus the crouching. And this poor guy (gal) is getting absolutely abuuuused lately; clients, reps, senior executives are all banging hard on this guy like he's impenetrable. When your catcher gets beat-up, chaos ensues: everything's unsettled and everyone's uneasy.

Whether you're a sales executive, or work in a revenue-supporting role...or you're the one with achy knees behind the plate, there is a plan of action that you can take today.  (Or, chaos is your thing!)  

In a recent poll of (52) sales managers...only 11% had successfully "turned around" a rep who had been placed on a PIP (performance improvement plan).  Ouch! 
In a recent poll I conducted of (52) sales managers averaging up to ten years of sales management service, only 11% had successfully “turned around” a rep who had been placed on a PIP (performance improvement plan). I cringed when I saw the results of the survey and felt badly for all involved.  Heck, you’re probably witnessing one of these situations right now as there’s always someone in the sales ranks who is struggling. But that alarmingly low “reform rate” shouldn’t be viewed as a total indictment against the rep or the manager; I feel it’s representative of a wholesale breakdown within the business operation of our digital media/ad tech industry.
 
Senior leadership has an obligation to support sales management in their job of developing talent on the sales ranks. Gone are the days when executives can crack the whip on sales management yelling, “MORE, MORE, MORE”.  That just isn’t a working formula anymore given the immense complexities of our business.  But it’s not only on company executives to help, everyone must pitch in and understand that a finely run sales operation requires tons of collaboration, support and training.
 
This issue shouldn’t be viewed as a small needle in our industry’s haystack; it’s a very big problem because many sales operations are operating in a highly dysfunctional mode right now.  I know, I see it all the time.
 
There are a lot of complicit characters in this movie, but fortunately there is a fix…
  1. Sales managers: most likely you were thrust into your role without having core strength in knowing how to develop talent and teach skills.  The solution: approach your executive leadership and be honest with what you know, don’t know, and what you want to learn.  (They’ll probably call me ‘cuz they know I can help you.)
  2. Sales executives: this is gonna be hard to swallow for some, but what I see is this: you have some blind spots in your game and you’re too proud to ask for help, and thus, the burden on your manager to observe, diagnose and help is a heavy load.  The solution: make an honest assessment of your game and approach your manager for help.  Ask him/her for a comprehensive, honest diagnosis and game plan…and work it together (before a formal PIP is served).
  3. Non-revenue producing personnel: “it’s not my job, man” is what I see and hear.  The solution: admit it IS your job ‘cuz if you don’t help all those around you, sales will continue to decrease and you’ll be revving up your LinkedIn profile sooner than later.  There are tons of places you can help so be proactive and be an ally to both sales manager and sales executive.
  4. Senior management/leadership: you assume too much…about a lot of things.  Yes, you’d love to hand over the sales operation to an all-star catcher like Buster Posey who can pick-off the runner at first and catch Bumgarner’s curve, and hit .290 with power.  But not everyone can be that good without coaching and training.  The solution: get closer to your sales managers and listen to their needs.  And then, help them!  (And if you need, call me, I do this stuff for a living and I guarantee results.)
 
The pressure inside our respective companies has never been higher and it will continue to be intense.  But firing people is not the answer – after all, recruiting, on-boarding and training is a long and expensive process. Get closer to the problems and together we may see that 11%  “reform rate” grow higher and higher!
 
Good luck,
​Michael  
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