Career Development | A Sales Guy

4 Keys to Proactive Sales Management

I see this far too often. Sales managers and sales leaders reactively manage their people. They reactively manage because they to manage to results. Results are a trailing indicator in sales. If you manage to results your too late.

It’s a common approach in sales. The sales rep misses quota. The manager says that’s not good, don’t miss quota again. The rep misses quota again, the manager puts him on a PIP (performance improvement plan), which in essence lays out goals the rep must meet in the next 30 to 60 days or be fired. In the less agressive scenerios like this, the manager works with the rep to figure out what is wrong but even then it’s still being reactive.

I have always felt this is a bad way to manage and lead sales teams, yet it has staying power and seems to be the course of action for most organziations.

Being reactive does little for anyone. The key is to be proactive. Like most things in life getting ahead of the problems or preventing them entirely is far better than trying to fix them. The key is find the leading indicators of failure.

To find the leading indicators I break down sales management into 4 integrated categories; planning, execution, results and talent.

Failure and poor performance can and will be seen early in any and all of these categories. They are a barometer for failure or success.

If a poor plan is put in place, failure is imminent even if it’s executed well by a talented sales person. – Manage the plan.

If a great plan is in place but is executed poorly by a talented person, failure is just around the corner. – Manage execution.

If the sales person lacks the skill or talent a good plan won’t make a difference. – Manage talent

If it’s a poor plan, executed poorly by someone with out the talent you’re screwed. – Manage all three.

If it’s a great plan, executed brilliantly, by a talented sales rep and the results aren’t there, you’ve messed up somewhere. – See 1, 2, or 3. The problem is there.

Proactive management requires a process that embraces and monitors all the critical elements to sales delivery.

My management process works like this;

1) Everyone on my team builds a yearly plan. They share it with the entire team, peers and all. We cut it up, attack it, challenge it, and rework it until its a solid plan. Plans go through a rigorous evaluation process to ensure they’re sound.

2) I focus on execution. Plans are reviewed every quarter asking the following questions: what did you say you would do, what did you do, what did you learn, what are you going to do next quarter. The process ensures proper execution by evaluating WHAT a rep is doing and HOW they are executing to the plan. This allows problems to be identified early and changes made on the front end.

3) I hire for talent, and coach. The most important aspect of proactive management is talent. I hire for talent and I coach them. I have standing one on one meetings every 6 weeks with all of my direct reports. During these sessions we talk about what they do well, what they need to improve on and what they need to stop doing. These are not performance reviews. They are coaching sessions, designed to help them grow as a sales person and as a leader.

A process that embraces all of these elements is proactive. Problems are seen early and symptoms are separated from root cause.

Getting poor results with proactive management is almost impossible. You see it coming long before the boat sinks. It gives you time to course correct, limit the damage or turn things around.

If your results aren’t there, if the numbers are off, if quota is in jeopardy it’s one of 3 things; a bad plan, poor execution or lack of talent. Quick can you tell me which it is? How do you know?

Guest Post: Why Are 50% of Sales Reps Missing Their Sales Quota? (thecustomercollective.com)
Hoover’s Webinar to Reveal Top Tips for Hiring and Managing Sales Teams – “Prospecting and Territory Development Best Practices” (eon.businesswire.com)
CEO Guide to Sales Management – Introduction (frontofficebox.com)

August 10, 2010 | Filed under: Business Performance,Career Development,Hiring/Firing,Leadership,Personal Development | View Comments |

My Big Weakness

I have a big weakness. I know it and it got the best of me this a.m. I am very short and impatient with new idea laggards or as Seth Godin put it the “resistance.” I inappropriately tore into someone this a.m. who I felt was being a resistor and it wasn’t fair to them.

I have been working an initiative at work that is different, it is outside the norm. It leverages new tools, communication approaches and engagement. I have been working it since March. The process has been painful in many ways. I’ve encountered the resistant at multiple different stages. The people who say, “I don’t get it,” ”Have you gotten executive approval?” ”This isn’t going to work.” “It’s too risky, what if people do this and that with it.” ” We can’t do this because . . . ” I am continually having to address these people and it makes it hard to be successful in introducing new things. I really struggle with the people who ask these questions and make these types of statements. I see them as being in the way.

The resistance, as Seth Godin calls it, is that part of our brain that wants to be safe, it avoids change, follows the rules and likes the status-quo because it’s predictable.

Seth describes the resistance at work in his book Linchpin like this:

You work with people who are totally at the mercy of the resistance. They assist the devil by being his advocate in meetings. They follow the rule book, even parts you didn’t know about. They love what worked before and fear what might be coming.

He’s right and I don’t handle these people well. My personality is like that of a shark. Not the aggressive nature, but the metaphor by which sharks must keep moving to breathe. Sharks need to keep water moving through their gills in order to breathe. If they stop moving, they run the risk of suffocating. In this manner, I am a lot like a shark. I breath progress, and momentum. I can’t stand the feeling of stagnation. I need things to keep moving.

I bit this persons head off today because I felt like they were being the resistance. It felt like they were slowing things down. They asked me one of those fear based questions. They asked if we had approval and support from another group. It didn’t feel as if it was asked in a way that suggested they were looking to help the effort or improve on it but rather to control the effort. I didn’t handle it well.

I apologized both on the phone and in a separate email. Regardless of his question, I was wrong to respond the way I did.

That being said, moving forward I need to be more cognizant of how I engage with the resistance. No one ever wins by trying to “stamp” out the resistance. It takes tact. Tact, currently I am not very good at.

Selfishly, I wish I didn’t have to deal with it. I wish the resistance would flip the switch and start from the positive, what could be gained, how things could be better, etc. I wish the resistance could see they have more to gain than lose by moving forward, by change.

The biggest irony in this tale, is much of the early resistance has come back and said they were wrong and they like the new effort and the value it is providing. This is always nice to hear. But man, it would be so much nicer if the fight just didn’t have to happen. Until then, I need to get better at managing the resistance, because fighting it just doesn’t work.

Lessons Learned from Seth Godin – Sources of Insight (sourcesofinsight.com)
A Look at Godin’s Linchpin: Get Uncomfortable & Get out the Cowbell (downtheavenue.com)
Book 67: Linchpin (mootbox.com)

July 19, 2010 | Filed under: Career Development,Personal Development,What I Think! | View Comments |

Coaching Matters

Last week I posted my thoughts on people who are coachable. My take, it’s the most important trait you can hire for. You can see the post here.

One of the most interesting things about the post was a comment left by David Brock CEO and Founder of Partners in Excellence, a sales consulting firm. David made the point that just as important to finding good coachable people, was making sure those people had coaches.

. . . Great managers need to both coach and be coachable.

We do face a real challenge, hiring people that are coachable is great, but they need to get the right coaching. Too few managers invest the time in coaching or coach effectively.

While the data is a few years old, we did a survey of several 100 sales managers a few year ago. One question was, “How frequently do you coach each sales person?” The response astounded us, 68% coached their sales people once a quarter or less.

Managers don’t understand coaching and don’t integrate coaching into the fabric of the business. To drive high performance, it’s critical to have coachable people, but it’s as critical to coach them!

David makes a great point. To hire coachable people and then not coach them is not only inefficient, but foolish. We need to coach the coachable.

My management style is to coach. Some people like it and others can’t stand it. To me a coaches job is to bring people along. It is to get as much out of them as possible. Coaching is about providing people the support, feedback, and honesty that will allow them to grow and be the best they can possible be. Not everyone likes to be coached as they don’t like to be told they aren’t good at something, or that they need to improve. A lot of people don’t like the openness and exposure that comes with coaching.

It’s because of this, coaching is hard. Coaching takes an investment in people, management doesn’t. Management isn’t an investment in people, it’s an investment in process, goals, and delivery. People are just another resource to be managed. This can work in the short-term, but not in the long-term.

Coaching is an investment people. To be a coach takes time, commitment and understanding. Coaching requires an understanding of the person as a person, what their motives are, their career aspirations, their strengths and weaknesses, their capabilities, their learning style, their personality, and more. Coaching embraces the individual not the resource.

I like this part of leadership. I get motivated and inspired by watching others reach their goals, grow as individuals and achieve greatness. Because of this, I coach.

I invest in the people that work for me. I challenge them to set higher goals. I look to understand who they are and how they tick. I want to know why they do what they do everyday, how they do it, what they want to do next, what causes them anxiety, what is a breeze, what they use as a crutch and what they avoid. It all helps me to be a better coach. I look to coach my people every chance I get. Like David said, it’s not a quarterly effort, but should be an ongoing process. Coaching happens throughout the days, weeks, and months. Coaching is situationally driven. Coaching is about capitalizing on situations. Coaching requires being on the lookout to provide opportunities for growth or improvement. Good coaches provide support when the opportunities appear, not at some regularly scheduled time.

I like what David said. He’s right. Hiring coachable people is only half of the effort. Coaching them is the other half. Hire coaches and hire coachable people and then coach them. It makes all the difference in the world.

What is Effective Coaching? (socyberty.com)

July 13, 2010 | Filed under: Career Development,Leadership,Personal Development | View Comments |

It’s Hard

It’s hard -

to be successful
to challenge the status-quo
to exercise everyday
to be comfortable making your customers uncomfortable
to eat well
to fire someone you like
to recycle
to read 10k’s everyday
to read a book a month
to blog everyday
to create new stuff
to get up at 5:00 am
to go to bed at 2:00 am
to tell the boss you can’t because of your kids football game
to accept you made a mistake
to change direction
to not quit when it sucks
to do the paper work that HAS to be done
to sit in the pain
to call out the elephant in the room
to call yourself out
to accept criticism
to keep learning
to do the hard work
to NOT do the easy work

It’s easy -

to take credit for others work
to quit while you’re ahead
to blend in with the crowd
to be agreeable
to say yes
to let others do it
to accept excuses
to blame others
to spectate
to ignore
to procrastinate
to settle
to take the shortcut
to ignore the data
to do the easy work
to NOT do the hard work

There are two paths to chose from, one sounds easy and one sounds hard, chose carefully.

July 9, 2010 | Filed under: Career Development,Personal Development | View Comments |

Think Like You Have To Defend It

I was talking to a former employee the other day. We were talking about the changing work place and the unique dynamics the down economy has created.

During the conversation he said he was getting frustrated with his new manager. He said he liked him but didn’t feel he was bringing much value. He said he asked a lot of questions, but not Jim Keenan questions. Flattered, I had to ask, what are Jim Keenan questions.

He said Jim Keenan questions challenge you to dig deep and then defend your thoughts. The questions his new manager would ask were questions he himself would ask, they weren’t questions he hadn’t thought of. They were how do we fix this problem questions, NOT what is the problem, why is it a problem, how did it become a problem, is it really a problem, is it THE problem, does it really need to be fixed and then, if so, what needs to be fixed first and why?

He said the questions didn’t help get to the heart of the matter. They just accepted what was on the table. They didn’t challenge his thinking.

What my former employee was saying, was he enjoyed being challenged. He wanted a manager to help him see more than he was seeing at the moment. He said he liked it when we worked together. We never just accepted things for what they were. We didn’t allow what was on the surface to dictate our thinking and because of this he was far more effective.

I’ve always held that being a coach is a leaders job. To be a coach means pushing your players. It’s challenging their capabilities and perspectives. It’s getting more out of them than they can get out of themselves. The best way to do this is to ask questions that challenge their thinking. It’s making them uncomfortable.

The best leaders I’ve ever had were the ones who challenged my thinking. They made me own my thoughts. It was never good enough to say what I thought. I had to defend it.

Forcing people to defend their thoughts doesn’t allow them to just grab what sounds right or quickly fits for the moment. Defending our thoughts makes us think long and hard about why we are taking a position. It compels us to do more research, gather more data, test our assumptions, and be more clear.

Challenging people to defend their thoughts doesn’t make you popular, but it definitely separates the wheat from the chaffe.

This former employee is proof of that, he would make some of the best bread you’ve ever tasted.

If you’re going to bother thinking, think like you have to defend it.

April 29, 2010 | Filed under: Career Development,Leadership,Personal Development | View Comments |

I Wish I Knew How To Code

Knowing how to code will be one to of the greatest skills we can have. I really believe this to be true. If my girls ask me what they should learn in school, what electives they should take, I’m going to tell them to learn to code.

I’m not talking about becoming a full-time developer as a profession, but to have the ability to code as a secondary skill, the ability to build your own website, or blog, and to create your own simple applications etc. Being able to code will be a huge benefit in our lives.

Software is everywhere around us. It continues to power more and more of what we do everyday. Software is no longer just used in business applications for big business or to create off the shelf consumer apps like Quicken. Software has permeated all aspects of our lives, especially if your life has moved online. Bloggers know exactly what I’m talking about. Knowing the simplest of HTML code is a huge benefit.

The complexity of application development is increasingly becoming more simple. Developing applications can be done in days instead of weeks and months. What once took tens of people and 100,000′s of dollars can now be done with a few people for a few thousand dollars. Teams of one are cranking out popular IPhone apps at record breaking speeds. It no longer takes a hoard of developers and a bunch of money to create cool, fun, functional applications.

Knowing how to code will create all kinds of advantages. It creates less dependency on professional coders. It will allow folks to create their own personal applications. I love this. How cool would it be to create your own slew of personal applications that make your daily life easier. People who know how to code will have a stronger, more attractive online presence. Knowing how to code will bring a number of advantages.

App’s are becoming even more ingrained into our day to day. They are getting to be easier and easier to make. Being part of this ecosystem will be huge.

I don’t know how to code and it kills me. I have to hire someone every time I want to update my blog. I can’t build my own applications. I can’t participate in this burgeoning ecosystem.

I’m making it a goal to learn how to code. Looking forward, it’s the right thing to do.

What about you? Do you want to learn to code?

April 10, 2010 | Filed under: Career Development,Personal Development,Random,What I Think! | View Comments |

Venture Capital and Human Capital Investment

The other day Fred Wilson announced on his blog that Union Square Venture’s junior analyst, Andrew Parking was leaving.

Fred and his partners aren’t shy about their vision for USV;

Ever since we started Union Square Ventures almost seven years ago, we’ve envisioned it as a partner driven firm where the partners do most of the work. We don’t have a career path for young people, and we emphasize that with a two year and out analyst program.

I talked with Fred about this the other day. I asked him how they were going to replace Andrew and he said he wasn’t sure.

This got me thinking.

I suggested to Fred that they do replace him in the same way they found him, that USV should take on a newbie, someone non-traditional.

If you read Andrews post about his experience at USV and Fred’s you’ll see that the experience had a big impact on both parties. But particularly on Andrew.

I really like this concept of putting non-traditional candidates with experienced professionals. I think more companies would benefit from this practice.

I shared with Fred what I thought:

You have the ability to introduce your craft to talented people who may normally never be introduced to venture capital. Charlie, Andrew, or some unidentified person you mentor in the future, could be the person to fundamentally change the world of VC and/or find an investment others didn’t see that makes a huge impact on business or society.

I think there are two sides to this coin, the business, data driven side; the side that asks, do we NEED a junior investment professional? Then there is the other side that asks; do we want to influence the future of venture capital by mentoring and introducing talented people to it?

Fred agreed with me, but also shared his thoughts on the challenges with executing on this idea.

I thought it was an interesting perspective based on the outcome of Andrews time at USV.

I think there is tremendous opportunity for people and companies to invest in non-traditional talent.

Finding people today is very linear. We build job descriptions with very rigid qualifications and required experience. Talented people become pigeon holed into specific roles with little opportunity to change direction. This does little to help anyone.

I’d love to see large organizations, VC firms, and other professions create programs that invite non-traditional candidates into their organization.

Bringing in non-traditional talent creates fresh ideas. The people want to be there because they are making a change. They work harder and in many cases take a pay cut. Creating opportunities to find fresh, talented, exceptional people who know little or nothing about your business is the ultimate in capital investment.

If done right, it could generate huge returns, for both parties. If Fred looks to replace Andrew the same way he found him, something tells me there will be a lot of applicants, and justifiable so.

What do you think? Should companies do more to attract and recruit non-traditional talent? Is it smart or risky?

March 31, 2010 | Filed under: Asset of The Future,Career Development,What I Think! | View Comments |

Knowing When You’re Right or WRONG!

I struggle with knowing when I’m right and when I’m wrong.

I am not afraid to have an opinion. I’m quick to express myself. I am normally quick to see the ending, what needs to be done, why something isn’t working, what’s missing, and more. I’m the guy who says; “Hey, there is an elephant on the table.”

The problem is knowing when I’m right versus when I’m wrong.

I’m a passionate guy. I am convicted when I draw a conclusion. I believe strongly in my positions and execute and espouse them with conviction and passion.

The problem occurs when I am challenged.

Despite my passion and conviction; I understand, I don’t know everything. Therefore, I am very open to contrary opinions and ideas. I embrace dialog and debate. I thrive on it. But, many times, I’m not swayed and this is where things get messy.

I struggle at knowing when I’m wrong and need to concede versus knowing when I’m right and need to hold firm.

I easily acquiesce when labeled inflexible. I don’t want to be perceived inflexible. I give in or quickly look for compromise, not because I believe I’m wrong, or because I believe there is a better way, but because I don’t want to be considered as stubborn or not collaborative.

Other times, I question my position. I still “feel” like I’m right, but insecurity sets in and I begin to doubt my position, and I give in. This happens most when I am debating what to do with someone I consider more experienced or with more knowledge. The sad part being it’s not always someone with more wisdom.

What kills me is, about 75% of the time, particularly on those things I am MOST passionate, I am right and my acquiescence cost us/me a deal, an opportunity, money, or worse we DIDN’T avoid a failure, incident or loss.

I get PISSED when this happens. The anger and disappointment inside boils over as I mull about in the thought of how it all could have been avoided if I hadn’t rolled over.

There are times where I was wrong and I didn’t give in. It too cost us big. I’m not happy here either. However, I take ownership, evaluate the situation so it doesn’t happen again and grow from it.

There are also those times, where I was right and stayed the course and where I was wrong and agreed with a different direction. Those are the good times.

For me, the hard part is knowing when I’m right and when I’m wrong AND when to stay the course at all cost or give in to a better path.

Having the humility to know when your wrong is admiral. Knowing when you’re right and not budging is critical. Having the ability to determine which is appropriate, is everything.

How do you know when to hold your ground OR when to give in?

How do you know when you’re right versus when you’re wrong . . . because I’m still trying to figure it out.

March 30, 2010 | Filed under: Career Development,Leadership,Personal Development | View Comments |

The Future of Personal Online Branding

What do you use to promote YOU to potential employers? Could you compete with Gonglue Jiang and this?

Everything we do will flow through our online networks. Our ability to gain “reach” via our online content, and interactions will be the difference between success and failure. One of the key components of this is creating compelling content that makes people want to share it.

Stowe Boyd blogged about one of Gonglue’s innovation’s, which is now getting tons tweets, which in turn is driving tons of traffic to his page, which in turn is getting him lots of exposure.

Does your resume do that for you?

Gonglue Jiang has one of the best example of this I’ve seen yet. Imagine being a tech recruiter and landing on his page. It almost becomes a no brainer.

If your still relying on your resume to promote yourself, you are clinging to a dying process.

We all need to ask ourselves. How are we promoting the business of “US?” Is it compelling?

It needs to be. It’s going to be the biggest asset you own. It’s going to be the asset of the future.

Side note: I can’t think of a more compelling reason to learn to code.

Infinite USB plug is a big idea for small conveniences (engadget.com)

March 22, 2010 | Filed under: Asset of The Future,Career Development,Marketing,Personal Brand,Personal Development | View Comments |

You Can Do It, Go Figure It Out!

What do you think? How do you want me to do it? Can you take a look? What are you looking for? Can I get your opinion? These are all questions asked to overcome our lack of confidence.

Organizations are making us afraid of our own capabilities. We question our talents. We lack confidence that we can do our job. To mitigate this, we ask permission. We ask for direction. We ask for agreement.

We check with our supervisor for direction. We look to our peers and friends for feedback. We look for templates and paint by number instructions.

Our fear of failure is making us all grey. It is keeping us from adding our own unique and special talents to the effort.

When I was a kid, I would ask my dad for help. He would always look at me and say; “Figure it out yourself, you can do it.”

He was right, and when he was wrong, I learned a lot. It was a great confidence builder.

Sucking the confidence out of employees hides the problems, creates bottlenecks and kills creativity and diversity of thought. It’s not empowering.

The next time an employees asks you for a template or how to do something, say to them, “you can do it, go figure it out.”

They will and if they don’t you’ll quickly find out where the real problems are.

You can do it, I know you can. Go figure it out!

March 18, 2010 | Filed under: Career Development,Leadership,Personal Development | View Comments |