Hourglass Selling® Blog

What do C.O.R.E.© Leadership Skills look like between the regional manager and district manager? I contend that this is the “core” of the issue which I have been discussing over the last few weeks. While there is absolute clarity that defines field activity between a sales rep and district manager this clarity does not exist for the RM-DM relationship. Ask any RM to describe what a field ride-along with a DM should look like. Their response is like embracing a cloud. Not a lot to hang on to.

Show me a district that has performance or personnel issues and I’ll show you a district with a 1st line manager who is struggling.

Show me a senior manager who avoids working in the field with 1st line managers and I’ll show you a senior manager who is leading by hearsay.

I invite every senior sales director with 1st line sales manager direct reports to get out in the field to coach, observe, redirect, and evaluate your managers. While I can’t guarantee every field ride-a-long will be easy, I can guarantee the outcome of your involvement will be extraordinary. Prepare to be surprised. Very surprised – guaranteed!

Chuck – Cogency Group

Coach-Observe-Redirect-Evaluate

Field activity that occurs between a district manager and a sales representative during a ride-along is a well established practice. From pre-visit planning to post-visit review each sales call is pre-reviewed, pre-planned, observed, and specific skill feedback is promptly delivered verbally and in writing.

We know why it is crucial for district managers to work with sales reps. Sales rep development is critical to any organization dependent on direct sales for success. So, if 1st line managers are the most important conduit to the salesforce then shouldn’t we dedicate time in the field helping them become better at what they do? Wouldn’t that be better than just asking questions as they tell us what happened in the ring last week, last month, or last quarter in a so-called 1 on 1?

The best among senior sales leaders “inspect what they expect”. Just as 1st line managers are expected to do ride-alongs, senior sales directors must conduct ride-alongs with 1st line sales managers for the same reasons.

It is common for senior sales managers to schedule regular “1 on 1” meetings with 1st line managers to “drill down” into metrics. In this case, senior sales managers must be ready to accept whatever they are told unless they have had the leadership courage to conduct field ride-alongs with 1st line managers. I submit that district managers are often lost to seemingly poor metrics while others flourish buoyed by numbers that are not reflective of their inability to lead.

To be continued..,

Chuck – Cogency Group

Last week I discussed the issue of why many senior managers opt for occasional meetings with their first line managers over regular field visits. I coined this practice as leadership by hearsay.

Now, I’d like to discuss the importance of leading by observation.

If leading from the front is axiomatic, then why does this argument fall upon deaf ears when it comes to the most important link in the sales chain; the 1st line manager? 1st line managers are critical to corporate success for many reasons. Among those reasons is that 1st line managers are very close to and respected by sales representatives as well as customers. They are the inextricable link between senior management and sales reps. They are the final source of interpretation for communications that flow from the executive team.

Whether senior executives care to admit it or not, 1st line managers often temper the tone of executive communication to the salesforce as they see fit. And when senior execs decide to communicate directly with the salesforce, reps invariably turn to – you guessed it – their 1st line manager for interpretation. A simple nod of the head, eye roll, or head shake, provides indication of the validity of the message from upon high.

Indeed, there is an abundance of research that argues that 1st line sales managers are critical to the success of any field sales organization. These managers are trained as much as practical in workshops and meetings before they are turned loose to bring home the bacon, eggs, toast, and the plate upon which it is served.

1st line managers are expected to use their training to leverage ride-alongs as the most effective platform for sales rep development. Through direct observation, coaching, and redirection, 1st line managers help reps hone skills to increase sales. While some senior managers shrug off 1st line management stress as a fact of life, I would offer that the challenge is more complex. They are almost universally denied hands-on senior leadership attention.

More to come..,

Chuck – Cogency Group

Hearsay is defined as information received from other people that one cannot adequately substantiate; a rumor. Senior managers seldom, if ever, work with 1st line managers in the field for the sole purpose of professional development. Rather, many regional managers prefer to hold occasional meetings to “see” how 1st line managers are doing.

The Missing Link…

Quarterly 1 on 1 meetings that senior sales management schedule with 1st line managers are analogous to a boxing coach training a prize fighter how to punch a bag and then promptly disappearing when that fighter steps into the ring. After the fight, imagine that fighter sitting down with his coach explaining, as best he could recall, how the fight went. He would describe how he counter-punched or delivered an uppercut that the coach had told him about in training. The coach, trying to keep his status as an up and comer, would then evaluate his fighter solely on whether he had won or lost the fight. As ridiculous as this sounds this is how many 1st line managers are led. I call it leadership by hearsay.

Ambition is the mother of transition. From sales representative to district sales manager to regional sales manager, to area director, to VP, senior VP, and so on. Of these transitions I would argue that none is more traumatic than the transition from sales rep (individual contributor) to sales manager.

In this transition, the sales rep often feels as if shot from a cannon. This opportunity catapults an ambitious sales rep from a job where ride-alongs are conducted with military precision to the 1st line management position where his or her success is left to the interpretation of someone who, in all likelihood, has never spent a single minute coaching a manager in the field.

Sticking with our analogy, senior sales managers cannot lead 1st line managers by avoiding the ring. Customers are more often flattered by the attention and impressed with the apparent commitment to professional development when a senior sales manager accompanies a district manager on a sales call. Through past and recent experience I can confirm that the reluctance for a three person sales call seldom emanates from the customer. Rather, it is grounded in fear that a customer might not be receptive. More profound is that many senior sales managers don’t know how to conduct field ride alongs with district managers.

More to come..,

Chuck – Cogency Group

Premise:
Professional gatekeepers are doing a good job in limiting access to end users and decision makers. With so many sales reps focused on changing the way their customers do business it is no wonder that these gate keepers have to act boldly to prevent total chaos. But if you and your solution provide value then you will quickly learn that access rules are designed to limit marginal representatives who do not bring value to the equation.

Story:
I recently witnessed a sales representative call on a major medical facility and get turned away. The rep was selling a solution that she felt was entirely appropriate. When I asked her what happened she told me that her call the previous day also came up empty. It became clear that afternoon during another call what the problem was.

In terms of understanding the product’s features, this rep was one of the best. She understood the product top-to-bottom. She had a strong grasp of all pricing and delivery options. What stuck out like a sore thumb was her spiel was exactly the same for everyone. She get’s an A for feature dumping and a D for probing the needs of the prospect.

Where were her questions about patient volume? Why didn’t she ask about the difference between her product and her competitor’s product and its affect on the institution’s users? What was she doing to identify the prospect’s pain points? What was her plan to exploit that pain to her advantage to eventually close the deal?

I don’t want to give you the wrong idea – reps must cover features. But features must be mixed with questions about customer needs. The rep should also do a little homework before the call to better understand the prospect. Scanning health journals, the prospect’s web site, the business section of the local newspaper, or a comprehensive Google search, could turn up all sorts of intelligence about your prospect – intelligence that makes you look prepared, confident, and on your way to new business.

As a sales rep, you have to do more than write reports that prove to your superiors you met with x-potential user. To get past that gatekeeper onto first base, you have to be more than just an expert on your product; you have to be an expert about your prospect!

What have you done lately to hone your selling skills?

Selling is a skill. It is not a talent. It is the oldest and newest profession on earth – skills must constantly evolve to keep pace.

The question of tenure versus skill came to mind during a recent workshop that I was invited to host. As participants presented their respective positions following an exercise designed to uncover needs and define the pain associated with the absence of the client ’s solution, a tenured rep disagreed with an approach presented by a colleague. As the discussion unfolded the debate grew more polarized. When the more tenured rep took the stand that his experience made him right the less tenured rep said “Tell it like it was, Dan. Tell it like it was.” As tempers settled it was apparent that what was really going on was that the tenured rep was applying a false argument or logical fallacy often used to discredit a debate opponent by attacking the credibility of that opponent rather than the premise of the opponent ’s position.

Okay, to be clear, this is not an article about debate tactics. But I could not help but recognize the danger of the confidence and comfort that tenure had imbued upon the more experienced attendees. Tenure alone does not make one “right”. Tenure only implies capabilities that result from experience. But does time always mean experience? Does experience always mean success? If someone does something wrong for a long time does it become “right”?

A sales call is not a natural conversation. Selling is a skill. Practice ‐ Practice ‐ Practice. As our value increases with tenure are we practicing our profession so that our skills are reflective of our tenure?

What do you think?

Chuck – Cogency Group

It can be difficult for leaders of sales organizations to spot the blind squirrels within their ranks – especially when the economy is moving ahead at full steam. When jobs are plenty and customers are flush with cash, it’s true – even a blind squirrel can find a nut.

But what happens when the economic seasons change for the worse and the nuts begin to dry up?

With fewer dollars, greater competition, and less deals to be had, selling skills become an ever so important asset.

If sales numbers aren’t where they should be, ask yourself the following questions.

•    Do members of your sales force truly have the ability to connect with potential customers?
•    How are their prospecting skills?
•    How well are they able to probe to uncover needs?
•    Can they go further and identify pain points?
•    Does your sales force know how to illuminate that pain beyond tolerance?
•    Are they able to tie the product to relieving that pain?
•    How do they create a sense of urgency among potential customers?
•    Do they understand how to effectively cultivate relationships with customers in order to stimulate repeat business?

You may discover that after contemplating these questions your sales force isn’t where it should be. Don’t worry. All hope isn’t lost. A point we like to stress here at Cogency Group is that selling is a skill and skills can be learned.

There aren’t as many nuts to go around nowadays but they’re still out there. Make sure your team has the vision and foresight to find them and pick them up.

Place Your Focus Where It Counts

Have you considered everything your organization must invest just for the privilege to ask for the business? Make every sales call count! Supply must meet demand at the sales call. Organizations utilizing field sales organizations to drive business must supply customer needs upon initial engagement. Place your focus where it counts to deliver results!