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| Home - Industry Article - Jul 04 Issue |
Why Aren't We Selling More?
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Sergeants
The sergeant is named after the field sergeant in a military organization.
Sergeants develop an intense loyalty to their team, perhaps even greater than their personal loyalty to their company. They are hard workers who are constantly worrying about their "troops." They will even sacrifice their own best interests and tolerate personal hardships if they feel it will benefit their team.
Sergeants are strong performers on customer sales calls. Since they have participated in so many sales calls, they possess highly developed sales intuitions. As a result, they are excellent mentors to their team. And it is through their direct interaction with their team members that they draw satisfaction from their job.
Sergeants are likable, reliable people who have an intense pride in their work. They have a humble demeanor and will unselfishly pass any praise they receive directly to the team. They wear their emotions on their sleeves, and their team members always know where they stand. While they understand their place in the organization and are confident of their own ability, they still feel somewhat expendable and may suffer from self-doubt. They do not accept criticism easily
and will take faultfinding to heart. However, sergeants are typically some of the last people to leave a failing company and may have a history of staying with companies long after the good times have passed.
Since sergeants are "tell it like it is" people, communication with them is open, honest, and candid. For example, sergeants will tell the bad news as soon as possible and don't appreciate it being sugarcoated.
Sergeants create a sales culture based upon loyalty and obedience. Since sergeants will go to great lengths to defend their team's honor, it is difficult for outsiders to understand the internal machinations of the sales organization. It is a club that members from other parts of the company are not welcomed to join.
However, sergeants are ideal managers for products that are well into the mainstream market or even on the road to obsolescence. In these circumstances, tactical execution far outweighs the need for sales creativity.
Teflon Managers
Teflon managers are pleasant, agreeable and polite people. However, unlike sergeants, you may never really get to know Teflon managers, even after working with them for years. They avoid disclosing personal information or give just enough to be thought of as friendly. From this standpoint, some people will consider them superficial. Another characteristic of Teflon managers is their ability to stay above the daily fray of politics. Yet while they seem cooperative, they are usually very stubborn when it comes to their personal agenda.
Regardless of the situation, Teflon managers are even keeled and rarely frazzled. They always seem to be in control of their emotions and relate to others mainly in an edited, business demeanor. You will not find these people yelling in the office, and they rarely socialize or develop personal friendships with coworkers. They will share their honest feelings only when there is little personal risk and if sharing this information benefits their business position.
Nothing sticks to Teflon managers. Bad news that would devastate sergeants or expressive managers bounces off them. Teflon managers just keep moving forward and never seem to be depressed or give up. They enjoy prestige and title and act the role accordingly.
Working for Teflon managers creates an interesting dichotomy because of their personal nonattachment, comfort with solitude, idealized self-image, and desire to remain safe from criticism. As a result, they create a team of "patient Pollyannas." The sales team always exudes a cheerful, pleasant disposition to communicate everything is okay, even under the most dire circumstances. Patience and temperance are virtues Teflon managers appreciate.
Teflon managers expect a high degree of conformity and perfection from their staff. Most interestingly, no news is considered good news. However, this lack of news can sometimes be the death Nell for a start-up since information from prospects and customers about messaging, products and competition is needed in real-time.
Amateur Managers
Amateur managers are the toughest of all the types to work with. While they may make a great first impression, analogous to a great first date, each subsequent date becomes more painful and frustrating.
Amateur managers most likely do not have an extensive day-to-day background in sales, are very new to sales management, or lack the ability to manage a sales force. Since they lack practical experience, their management style suffers from an identity crisis. As a result, plans continually change and the sales organization suffers from a lack of focus. Their shortage of practical sales experience also renders their advice on deals unreliable and their participation in sales calls ineffective.
Amateur managers fear being judged negatively by their superiors and peers, as well as their subordinates. Therefore, they may perceive the company as unfriendly or hostile. Their fears may also play an interesting part in their decision process. Under stress they become worried and indecisive or they propose so many different solutions that nothing ever happens. Or they may create outlandish plans and elaborate schemes that can't possibly be implemented in the real world. The mood of the sales department is schizophrenic and changes from moment to moment. Sometimes there is a cheerful permissiveness while other times it is run with iron-fisted authority.
Amateur managers may have a misconception of their own strengths and an incorrect perception of how the organization views them. They also have a demonstrated history of broken relationships and a tendency to try to fix business problems by anointing a new "hero of the day." This person is expected to fix the organization's problem and receives great initial support. Soon thereafter, the support wanes and amateur managers start to blame the hero for the department's problems.
Obviously, you do not want amateur sales leadership. But here is the hard part, it is sometimes difficult to spot during the hiring process. The candidate will say all the right things and possess a track record that legitimizes their experience. In my mind, they best way to expose amateurs is to have them interview with a mentor. While they may fool others, a mentor's intuition can easily spot any imposter.
Micromanagers
Micromanagers are the most organized and methodical of all the management types. They have a strong sense of responsibility to their company and they pride themselves on achieving their revenue goals. They tend to be black-and-white, all-or-nothing thinkers who want things done their way. They may have laboriously created methodical processes for every aspect of their job, most likely having used these same processes at previous companies. Their endless stream of formal and informal regulations sometimes distracts salespeople from achieving results.
They may be well known for their temper and are not considered people-oriented. In fact, they dislike human resource issues and are not regarded as great recruiters. They tend to hire people who they know will carry out their instructions to the letter, and even though one of the team members may achieve success, they will criticize that person if it wasn't done their way. Micromanagers will have a long list of tasks on their white boards and keep records of all top accounts there in plain view.
Micromanagers are a good fit for a company that needs to bring order to a sales environment in chaos or one that is transitioning from a start-up to a more mature organizational phase. However, their fit is better with the sale of lower end products that entail a lot of transactions. In fact, they are ideal for products that are sold primarily over the phone. Conversely, their attention to detail drives enterprise salespeople insane.
Overconfident Managers
Overconfident managers are on the opposite end of the humility spectrum from sergeants. They tend to be self-centered and self-absorbed. While charming and gregarious in public, they rarely have deep relationships in private. When they do take an active interest in developing a relationship, it is because they believe it will benefit their cause-having orchestrated strong relationships with their superiors.
Overconfident managers just love to talk about themselves and don't exhibit a
great depth of feeling for others. They may boast of past successes and frequently recount stories about these achievements, regardless of whether someone may have heard them before. Not surprisingly, arrogance makes them susceptible to making judgmental mistakes. They also enjoy being the life of the party and know how to make any party an unforgettable event. They are typically flashier dressers and very concerned with their appearance.
They will receive strong reactions when they participate in sales situations. Some customers will absolutely love them while others will have an equally strong, opposite reaction. Similarly, they will not relate equally with all members of the team. Rather, they will have a few favorites that resemble them.
They are not open to feedback and are known to get quite defensive when criticized. They will get the job done their way and succeed at any cost. Although they are not exemplary planners, their sheer drive and tenacity make them well suited for roles where they have to launch a new product line or a new company.
Overconfident managers build a sales team of fighting gladiators who possess extraordinary will power, mental toughness, animated spirit, and intelligence. They are a team of clever conquerors.
To be a conqueror, you must attack your enemies, be comfortable fighting for the cause, and not be afraid of rankling people in the process because the end justifies the means. It also means not exposing any weakness, such as fear, self-doubt, sadness, or embarrassment. As Julius Caesar said, "Veni, vidi, vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered"). Only the attacker can be victorious; at best, the defender will merely survive.
If your company is in dogfight with competitors and your product's functionality and mindshare is sub-par, you may need an over-confidant manager for the short-term. Somehow, a team of clever conquerors will find the way to win while the company plays catch up. However, he who lives by the sword will die by it in the end. And, overconfident managers alienate for more customers and co-workers than they win-over.
Conclusion
The structure of the sales department will mirror the sales management style of its leaders. Since the sales leadership will naturally imprint themselves on their organization, it is critical to understand what style of sales leader fits your company in the short and long-term. Does your company need a mentor for one product and a micromanager for another? Do you need a sales leader who is equal parts mentor and overconfident manager? These are important points to consider in addition to a person's industry background and accomplishments when selecting your next sales leader.
Since technology salespeople regularly sell to people who are better educated
and more technically proficient than they are, they know there's a difference between a smart person and a clever person. A smart person knows how something works, while a clever person knows how to get something done. The clever salesperson is skillfully talented and tactically shrewd in finding a way to win. Remember, your salespeople are definitely not monkeys who need to climb higher in the trees. They are the caretakers of your company's most important asset-customers.
Steve Martin has been personally responsible for over a quarter of billion dollars of high technology sales while working for leading edge Silicon Valley companies over the past twenty years. During this time, he has participated in thousands of sales calls and worked with hundreds of salespeople in roles ranging from salesperson to Vice President. His new book titled "Heavy Hitter Selling - How Successful Salespeople Use Language and Intuition to Persuade Customers to Buy," is the first book to truly explain the human nature of selling. Visit www.HeavyHitterSelling.com or email Steve directly at stevemartin@heavyhitterselling.com to provide article feedback.
 
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