“Sales managers have the ultimate accountable job. They cannot hide.”— Harvard Business Review (July/August, 2006)

Many years ago I was appointed deputy general manager for a finance company which was being transformed into a merchant bank. By the end of the second week I was finding my feet, getting to know the staff, gaining acceptance, and generally making steady progress in my role as head of credit and business development. Feeling good!

At 3:30 that Friday afternoon the general manager called me into her office. “The Chairman wants you to fire the chief accountant. Now!” We closed at 4:00 on Fridays.

“What did she do and why are we firing her?”

“The Chairman wants you to fire her. Now.” Why me and not you, GM, I thought to myself. But there was no doubt that one of us had to go. And it wouldn’t be me.

Looking back I realise that this situation is not uncommon to new sales managers, for very

often in their new role they are required to fire a former colleague. For some it can be tough.

But hey! You are in management now!

And speaking of sales managers; how shall we define sales management? Tanner et al (2009) define sales management as “The activities required to lead, direct, or supervise the

personal selling efforts of an organisation.” Let’s accept that.

So what do sales managers actually do? And is being a super sales rep a prerequisite for being an effective sales manager?

The answer is, of course, no. Indeed there are numerous stories of super sales reps who were promoted to sales managers and after failing miserably were demoted.

While Tanner’s definition of sales management has several important aspects, they claim managing salespeople is the most important. As Ingram et al (2016) claim, “Sales managers work with the systems and processes and interact with the people involved in making a sales organisation successful.”

Research indicates that the most effective sales managers possess specific skills and focus on particular activities. Among the most important sales management skills are: oral and written communication skills, listening skills; human relations skills; organisation and time management skills; industry, company, product, and general business knowledge; coaching, motivating, and leadership skills; and honest and ethical tendencies.

Want to add a couple more?

In addition to these general skills, the best sales managers focus on a number of specific activities in their interactions with salespeople. Among them are:

• Prepare their sales team for constant change by being a role model and mentoring salespeople

• Earn the trust of salespeople by being dependable and competent, and exhibiting integrity

• Give salespeople continuous feedback in a positive manner

• Build enthusiasm throughout the sales team

• Get involved by being accessible to salespeople and visible to customers

• Grow and develop salespeople by emphasising continuous job improvement and career development

So is the above only a wish list, and is it all meaningless if the team is not meeting numbers?

This marketer’s experience is that in addition to the above, most sales managers are also focused on hitting their targets regardless, and usually do, because they cannot hide.

And so they also crack the whip when they need to, and will not hesitate to fire their best friend who is not performing. But preferably not at 3:30 on a Friday afternoon.

What’s been your experience. Ever had to do that?

Herman D Alvaranga is president of the Caribbean School of Sales Management. He may be contacted by E-mail at hdalvaranga@cssm.edu.jm