I know. You’re just happy I didn’t say “bus.” Between the obnoxiously overused “threw him under the bus” and Good to Great’s most famous “getting the right people in the right seats on the bus,” it’s safe to say we’re all tired of the bus! So, in celebration of a fantastic Super Bowl, let’s talk about having the right people in the right positions.
Last week I shared some perspective on Simplified Sales Management. In a never ending quest for clarity and focus, I’ve been repeating this phrase about the job of the sales leader:
Get the Right People, Calling on the Right Targets, Equipped and Proficient with the Right Sales Weapons
The Right People. I contend that Job #1A of the sales leader is to ensure he/she has the right people in the right positions. How much easier would everything else be if we devoted significant energy and attention to making that happen instead of just giving it lip-service?
Questions:
- Do you have hunters in hunting/new business development roles?
- Do these hunters have a successful track record of acquiring new accounts and new pieces of business from existing accounts?
- Do the people you have in hunting roles like to hunt and does it come naturally to them?
This isn’t exactly MBA-level analysis, but let me offer this: if you’re a senior or sales exec. and can’t answer the above questions in the affirmative, then there’s a problem. I am continually hearing about sales teams that aren’t working the way they’re supposed to, that aren’t bringing in new business and aren’t meeting quota. When I begin to push and probe about why that is, here’s a sampling of what emerges:
People in new business development roles that…
- have never really had to prospect before and don’t know how
- did well in good times when there was plenty of demand, but severely struggle when it comes to proactively going out to find their own new deals
- are great account managers but will do anything to avoid hunting for new business (including volunteering for any committee or cleaning the company restrooms)
- are too relational (yes, I said that – too relational), and are uncomfortable with conflict, pushing past resistance, risk and rejection – which are all part of the hunting process
- have never been successful in acquiring new accounts, yet their managers expect them to succeed and count on their results for the company to make its goals
Everything about the job of sales management is harder when we don’t have the right people in the right roles. I love to coach to salespeople. And I have a few great stories of turning non-hunters into new business development stars. The operative word in that last sentence is “few.”
Something to think about…
