Sales & Marketing Management - November/December 2007 - (Page 29)

everything they need to excel in the position, coach them to succeed and work on helping them execute knowledge. If with all that, they still can’t perform, then you’re off the hook. “If at the end of the day, you look in the mirror and know you’ve done everything you could to help this person succeed, it’s time to let him go,” Stephens says. Kevin Davis says another mentality that sales managers must change involves the instinct to avoid confrontation. “That is the exact opposite of what it takes to be a successful sales manager,” he says. “Positive confrontation from a sales manager speeds up the success or failure of individual salespeople. When you see a behavior from a sales rep that is unsuccessful, you must address it.” people join companies but leave bosses If you suspect poor performance and the revolving door is not the result of bad salespeople, but rather, of inappropriate coaching and bad people management, a simple evaluation of the managers in question will clearly indicate that. Since direct employees are the most affected by management, they are the best source of information for identifying and remedying bad practices. According to Stringer, “Through the use of employee surveys, senior management can diagnose the problem, identify the poor supervisors and make sure profits and productivity stay on course.” Bosses aren’t often evaluated by employees, except during consulting events such as those provided by Stephens’s company. When employees do get to evaluate their bosses, two results are typical. The first is, “I love my manager.” The question is, why? If sales results are not satisfactory, loving your manager is meaningless. “What you want to hear is, ‘I love my manager because he challenges me. He pushes me to be better,’” Stephens says. On the other end of the spectrum are those who hate their managers. These employees usually cite the classic reasons: They don’t listen to me, I only hear about what I do wrong, I never get any positive feedback, they don’t respect me, they don’t treat me well, etc. From her experiwww.salesandmarketingmanagement.com ence, Stephens says, “You usually hear about not listening and lack of positive feedback before you hear about compensation. Issues people have with bosses are always interpersonal.” Results of employee satisfaction surveys conducted by the Texas-based National Business Research Institute indicate that employees want a boss who builds their selfesteem and treats them fairly. An absent boss who fails to provide command and control at the job only leaves employees feeling stranded and unproductive, and lack of feedback make workers feel underappreciated. Workers remain engaged in their company’s success if the employer provides strong leadership and a sense of control over their work environment, as well as advancement and development opportunities. And finally, when employees can see they have an impact on things like customer satisfaction, quality, sales or profit, they feel valued and motivated. If you’ve checked all the items on the list and realize you’re pretty much perfect, you could try non-monetary rewards that provide simple pleasures and other work-life perks that don’t cost the employer much. Flex time, telecommuting, on-site fitness classes or just letting the team knock off early on the occasional Friday afternoon can have a great impact on motivation. From the reasons people hate their bosses and leave their jobs, it’s obvious that the delicate line that can’t be crossed is respect. Challenge is not a bad thing, as long as your team can still stand tall and be proud of their work. “If you only show interest in results, you’ll probably get the results,” Stephens says. “But it will backfire, because retention will suffer. People will burn out or simply make different lifestyle choices.”As the yin needs some yang and the yang needs some yin to create harmony, great relationships and a stable sales team will lead you to your coveted big numbers. A balancing act is all it takes! s&mm Editor’s Note: For another perspective on this crucial topic, check out “7 Lessons from a Bad Manager” on our website, www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 SALES &MARKETING MANAGEMENT 29 istock photo http://www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com http://www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sales & Marketing Management - November/December 2007

Sales & Marketing Management - November/December 2007 Contents Editor’s Letter Management Strategies What “Tell Me More,” Really Means Sales Strategy Marketing Management Motivation/Incentives Training Technology The Brains Behind the Brawn Are You a Bad Manager? Pipeline = Lifeline Feeling the Squeeze; The Foray Mobile Workmate; Seeking the Sights of Pittsburgh; Testing the Social Media Waters. Gadgets & Gear Books That Improve Strategic Thinking, People Skills and Sales Work/Life Take-Aways

Sales & Marketing Management - November/December 2007

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