The Rosetta Stone of Sales Management
Last week, I wrote a little bit about the secret sauce of great sales management. It’s trust, consistency, and transparency. But I left something out, and it might be the most important ingredient. What’s interesting is that it’s enabled by the things I just mentioned, but most leaders (even the good ones) are still reluctant to put it in the mix.
It’s accountability, and it probably scares you.
Mike Weinberg and I have been working with a group of sales managers over the past few months along the lines of his Sales Management. Simplified. video series. From the feedback we’ve gotten, it’s no surprise that the concept of accountability is recognized as the biggest game changer in an organization.
It often gets swept under the rug, or leaders hide behind their commission structures. Comp plans are often full commission, providing the manager cover and leaving it up to the reps to “act in their own best interests.” The primary job of a sales manager is to get the best out of her team, and help them achieve their highest potential. Everybody wins in that situation, but few are willing to step up.
Too many leaders are afraid to hold their people accountable, because they don’t want to be thought of as micromanagers. There’s a big difference between accountability and micromanagement. It’s called support, and I’ve written about this before. Like anything that’s worth doing, your fear of doing it wrong should not prevent you from moving forward. It’s too important to neglect
Your top people want to be held accountable
Stop kidding yourself. You’re more effective when you know someone’s going to ask about your performance. Your parents and teachers checked to see if you did your homework. You know you want your trainer to see you at the gym even when you don’t have a scheduled appointment together.
I used to have to submit a weekly call report to my manager on Thursday evenings before our Friday check-ins. It used to bug me. I was doing a good job, and my results were there. I don’t feel like I deserved Big Brother looking in on me, and I had things I’d rather do with 45 minutes of my time each week.
After an organizational change, there was a period of time when I didn’t have to submit those reports. Things slipped, and it didn’t have anything to do with Big Brother. You don’t want to hear this anymore than I enjoy saying it, but I was a much better seller when I had to fill out those reports.
The fact was simple- I had to physically look at and review all of my current opportunities each week. About once every six weeks, I’d catch something I’d forgotten about. That’s eight deals a year that didn’t fall through the cracks. Think about that.
Your top performers understand this, and while they don’t want to be micromanaged, they appreciate a partner who wants to help them become the best they can be.
Accountability allows for a common language
One of the things I love about sales is the objectivity of success. The numbers are there or they aren’t. You made the sale or you didn’t. Selling, like golf, is a results-oriented game, and there aren’t any pictures on the scorecard.
To continue the golf analogy, there are too many reps out there telling wild stories about all of the things that happened on the second hole that led to them making bogey or worse.
“A gust of wind knocked my ball into the water”
“I hit a cart path in the fairway and my ball bounced out of bounds.”
“You should have seen the bird explode mid-air, it was amazing!”
None of these things really matter though. You failed to make par. Handicaps aside, organizations cannot thrive with a team full of bogey golfers. The sooner you make par the only acceptable standard (and give them the tools and resources to lay better), the fewer excuses you’ll get. The people who continue to make excuses? It’s easier to encourage them to do so for another team, perhaps a competitor.
Your team needs to agree to a common language before you can all speak it, and accountability to the result gets everybody on the same page. Everybody spends way less time telling stories that don’t mean anything, and focusing on the only thing that matters.
You immediately have context for the really tough conversations
It seems like almost every team has that person or two that feels untouchable (or isn’t worth messing with). Maybe it’s the commission-only salesperson who isn’t performing well, but “they don’t really cost the organization anything.” Maybe it’s the long-time top performer who’s resting on his laurels and prior achievement but isn’t really contributing much to the team (or the bottom line).
Typically, these represent “management no-man’s land.” You don’t know what to do, nothing feels like a no-brainer, and don’t you have a spreadsheet to check somewhere?
A results-oriented approach gives you the context to have those tough conversations in that mutual agreed-upon language.
“Bill, you’ve been our top dog for years, and I can’t tell you how much the organization appreciates you. I know you’re exactly who we need to continue the charge, particularly in this market. But I’m not seeing the same growth numbers from you. Is everything ok?”
“Sue, I’ve worked my tail off for you, and as I turned 60 last week, I realized how tired I’m getting. I’m gonna ride this gravy train for a few more years and then retire when my wife does so that we can travel more.”
Editor’s note: Bill’s likely not going to be so blunt, but it’s a typical situation, so just bear with me on this…
“I understand, Bill, and if anybody’s earned that right, it’s you. Still, this organization needs to grow, and I need to keep a constant tone throughout the team or I’ll risk losing the attention and respect of some of the other players. I’ve always thought of our relationship as a trusted partnership, so I know you understand where I’m coming from. If you were in my spot, what would you do?”
Now you lay out the options, which include
Bill getting his act together and hustling to grow
You hiring another rep in Bill’s territory to help him grow
a couple of other things in between
It’s a really uncomfortable conversation, but when it’s about the results (and if it’s always been about the results), when Bill lays his head down at night, he’ll understand that it’s not a personal attack on him or a lack of loyalty by the organization. The company’s giving him everything he needs to succeed, and not taking anything away from. He’s forced with a logical choice of growing, or abdicating that potential to someone who’s willing to.
The best leaders are capable of having conversations like this, even in management no-man’s land, because they’ve created the environment and enabled themselves to do so. It’s not a stretch to understand that those decisions often make or break the culture in sales orgs, and winning cultures produce winning teams.
I don’t think there’s another factor in the equation that has such a huge domino effect across an entire organization. What's the accountability culture like in your company? What would become possible if it were a weapon used to optimize the performance and potential of everybody on your team? I dare you to think about that for a few minutes…
Want to discuss this more? I think this is something that a lot of people need to talk about but are afraid to, and that’s understandable. Join the conversation online in the Rethink The Way You Sell Community, and let’s hash this out.
I also have a free sales training scheduled on this subject. Here’s where you can find this workshop and other upcoming live appearances.
Jeff Bajorek
Real. Authentic. Experience.
There’s a big difference between knowing how to sell and being able to. Jeff Bajorek spent over a decade in the field as a top performer. He’s been in your shoes. He knows what it will take. He can help you succeed.
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