Derby Management's "Competitive Edge" Blog

The rhythm of the seasons...Taint spring yet

I was reminded yesterday of the inevitable rhythm of the seasons both in VT and in the world of Sales.  It seems that for some yet unknown reason, a decision has been made to redo the kitchen in Vermont.  Not that I was consulted or even asked in this decision process, but I was told that a decision had been made all the same. Given this, I reached out to my friend Steve at Homestead, the company up at the end of the road a piece that does the plowing in the winta', the lawn in the summa' and basically everything else from landscaping to construction at the VT house.  

Super Bowl Sunday & Sales 

For months, everything in the NFL has been on the line, and it all comes down to this Sunday when the two best teams in the country define the 2020 Champion!  

Not all that different than viewing our own Sales scoreboards at the end of the sales year on January 1, and of course. starting today for January and then in any of the following months and quarters.  Metrics count everywhere in business and in our own personal lives, and achieving metrics always result from executing activities from planning strategies and tactics.

I've had the privilege of knowing Marijo McCarthy for 30+ years, so I was very pleased when I received an email from her following last week's blog. 

A gifted lawyer at the firm of Widett and McCarthy, she and I and another 20 plus small business entrepreneurs breathed new life into SBANE, "The Smaller Business Association of New England", (now, rebranded to The New England Business Association" ) back-in-the-day.  Led by Julie Scofield, the powerful Executive Director of the association, SBANE was placed squarely on the map in New England as "THE" place to be for small business. 

Not tech or specific market focused, but just "meat-and-potatoes" small businesses run by rock solid women and men who came together to share best practices and consistent networking...on steroids.  
Back-in-the-day, SBANE was all about the basics of business networking, education in what it takes to run a small business successfully, and superb connections from trusted referrals.

Be IMPERATIVE, and not just Vanilla !

Teaching Marketing at Tufts... 

• A consistent search for real life Marketing & Sales Plan projects for my students
• 5-6 person teams work for 13 weeks on complex marketing and sales plan assignments
• All of our academic content is woven into these assignments from real companies
• I teach the tools; company management provides the real life experiences

The results are very positive and dynamically exciting from everyone involved

This job of being a successful sales manager requires heart! 

Nothing in the career of sales management is for the faint of heart!  This is a profession that requires a constant ability to balance selling and management skills, both of our people and our customers, while keeping an ever watchful eye on the monthly, quarterly and annual clocks.  Thinking more directly about the true meaning of why "heart" is at the lifeblood of this career, if one wants to be "successful" as a sales manager, one must be "consistent", and in order to be "consistently successful", one needs to have heart and truly love what one does. 

• You've got to love this as a career, and not just like it as a job
• It's not good enough to just enjoy the work, or just be good at it
• This is a career that requires jump-out-of-bed and love going to work passion.  

Whether the title is SVP or VP of Sales, or National, Regional, or District Sales Manager, or any of the ego-inflating titles of CRO or CSO, the real work of any successful manager of sales comes down to striking a work balance between being a Player and being the Coach. 

Let's assume that I have some level of sales and sales management skills.  The question that I then must ask and answer, and will ultimately guide my success and the success of my team, comes down my decision of how much time am I as a manager going to spend playing the game, and how much time am I going to spend coaching my team.

Jack's Law of 3,000

• The average "very good" salesperson spends 57.5 hours a week "working".
• The average "very good" sales manager guiding a team of 6-10, spends 65

Subtract travel, ineffective meetings, standard non-utilizable time (early Mondays and late Fridays, for example), and the actual "Selling & Sales Management Time", which consists of preparing my team for the game, coaching the game and then following up, comes down to only 30-40% of the total time available! 

The rest of that time from the original 3,000 to 3,800 hours is either simply not there (vacations, holidays, sick days) or is managed very ineffectively.

So, why do we want to become sales managers?

1. For the competitive sales DNA in us that strives to win and be recognized for our wins
2. It's another step from salesperson, to manager, to VP to CEO. (20%+ of the F500 CEOs)
3. We simply love building and coaching a team...and, of course winning, which goes to #1.

 What are the most important sales management Skills & Attributes?

• Attributes:  Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Work Ethic
• Skills: Strategic & Tactical Planning, Hiring & Developing, Leadership & Communication

Want to learn more and be part of a very unique experience?

Attend our Sales management Boot Camp:  October 1st-3rd

 

Good Selling, Good Marketing...and Good Planning !
The time is now, not tomorrow !

 

Head Coach  

 Derby Management...for 25 years
 -Sales & Marketing Productivity experts
 -Business & Strategy Planning specialists
 -Senior Management Coaches for CEOs & VPs

Boston, MA 02117
Jack's Cell: 617-504-4222 
jack@derbymanagement.com

 

 

 

 

 

This post is adapted from the excellent perspectives of JP Nicols 5 Lesson Leadership Lessons From the Godfather. JP provides a very interesting hangout. Check him out.

You finished Q1 either on (or not) plan.  Congratulations in either case !

Let's spend detailed time this week or next figuring out why and then rebalance Q2

Probably the last time you looked at your 2017 Sales Plan was January, and maybe even last December at the time the board approved the company's business plan.

Then you jumped into the deep end of the pool with your January sales meeting after which everyone hit the road and their desks totally focused on execution.  

It's been a blazing hot and exhausting Q1, and Q2 promises to be more of the same. Certainly, nothing is going to slow down.

A breakfast with customers or referral partners is always my favorite meal of the day, and one of life's little pleasures is my careful selection of raspberry or strawberry "jelly", or sometimes, just to feed my wild side, a spoonful of marmalade.  Simple pleasures for a complex life.

Being successful in any business is tough work.  Always has been, always will be...and that's what makes it both an exciting career and very rewarding. Once in a while, we get lucky, but rarely, and then only for short periods of calm in a turbulent ocean of constant change.