Do Great Salespeople Make Great Managers?

That is an age-old question, isn’t it?  You can insert your favorite sports example here which typically involves a superstar/Hall of Fame-caliber athlete who fails as a coach because the game came too easy to him.  But does this analogy work in the sales arena also? This Sales & Marketing Management article approaches the topic with aplomb. The pull quote (emphasis mine): Sometimes great salespeople aren’t as good at coaching and managing other people – they’re excellent at being individual contributors, they’re great at building relationships with customers and working deals from start to finish, but they lack the patience or coaching ability or intangible interpersonal savvy to be responsible… Read More

Continue Reading

Tracking Sales Reps 24/7

A sales executive was fired for deleting an app on her cell phone.  The details from the Fox News story: A sales executive was fired after she deleted an app on her phone that tracked her every move, allowing her employer to know where she was 24/7. It was only a matter of time until this type of issue surfaced.  My personal take is that tracking her 24/7 is an incredible invasion of privacy and her actions were the same ones I would have chosen in that situation.  However, let me throw this at you from the former Judge quoted in the article: Judge Andrew Napolitano said that in the… Read More

Continue Reading

The Most Dangerous Sales Manager

I have had the opportunity to work for many different sales managers over my career.  I’ve seen many styles, but I think this article in SalesHQ.com hits upon the most dangerous style: The Good Buddy is everyone’s friend. Managing is a popularity contest that he intends to win. He’ll be a great drinking buddy, a top notch shoulder to cry on, a guy you can trust to cover for you. He’ll make sure the office atmosphere is loose, that everyone feels welcome, that the office is a fun place to be. Discipline? Well, that’s not something you’ll find in his office. An insistence on hitting quota? Something else that isn’t… Read More

Continue Reading

A Hazy Shade Of Forecasting

The stresses of this economy are affecting entire sales departments from the leadership down to the trenches.  One piece I have noticed is a distinct aversion towards customer relationship management software.  Interestingly, the resistance is coming from sales managers. What I believe I am seeing are sales managers with less than solid forecasts…and they know it.  However, one of the oldest games in sales is fudging the forecast.  Sales managers typically inflate the forecast to buy time.  They know certain deals are soft, to say the least, but they are hopeful they can cover those loses with new, undiscovered opportunities.  It is some twisted logic for sure. I once worked… Read More

Continue Reading

The Leadership Paradox

Good leaders must be good followers.  That is paradoxical, isn’t it?  This article from CNNMoney.com chronicles an M.B.A. students journeys from grad school to the Marines to a tour of duty in Iraq and back to grad school.  It is a fascinating first-hand account (h/t to JustSell.com). This is profound (emphasis mine): In many ways there’s probably no better preparation I could have had for the business world than joining the Marine Corps. The Marines teach you how to be both a leader and a follower. I don’t have to lead in every situation – but I’ve come to enjoy stepping up in a time of chaos. When I’m working… Read More

Continue Reading