The Mobley Moment

By Michael Mobley



When I was very young, I had quite a negative image of salespeople. My impression of them was as sleazy individuals who tried to sell something you neither wanted nor needed. Further, part of their sales technique was to make one feel guilty, ignorant or less than adequate to be a member of the human race because of resistance to their heartfelt entreaties to fill an obvious gap in one's life.

Frankly, it took awhile for me to overcome that stereotype. But I soon came to understand the obvious fact that, without sales, there is no business, and like any other function in business, successful selling requires effective management.

In business, as with so many other professions, leaders often make the mistake of assuming that, because someone has superior individual performance, they will automatically display expertise in managing their organization. One of the more obvious examples of this phenomenon concerns professional sports in the United States over the last 50 years.

It has been extremely rare for a superstar on the field or the court to have made a successful transition to the position of coach or operating executive in a sports franchise. One of the reasons for this is that the superstar displays superior talent, commitment, work ethic and/or some other characteristics that not only make that person a cut above the majority, but often lead to his impatience with those who do not exhibit similar skills. He doesn't understand why someone cannot perform as he did. Remember Michael Jordan?

A sales force is often victimized by a similar scenario. The characteristics that make an individual a superior salesperson do not necessarily translate into effective management. If business leaders do not set expectations and provide training for their sales managers, they run the risk of creating a leadership gap in the sales force that can engender less than optimum sales and profit performance.

Effective sales management is a combination of leadership and development of appropriate systems and procedures for the sales force and function. There are countless books and articles that focus on the systems and procedures of good sales management, including organization, hiring the right people, providing the appropriate tools and training and implementing a fair compensation system, all of which are key to maximizing the opportunity for the desired sales performance.

However, I am intrigued by the leadership skills so many authors have identified as critical to the performance of a sales manager. Interestingly, these leadership skills are not necessarily specific to the sales function, but can be universally applied to every aspect of an organization.

I will cite excerpts from two articles to illustrate this point. The first is by Gerhard Gschwandtner and Maryann Hammers, titled, "The Seven Qualities of Top Sales Managers." The second is by Jose Gil from Ezine Articles called "8 Attributes of a Good Sales Manager." Because of overlap between the two articles, and considering space limitations, I will only point out key attributes in italic type.

Leading by example is critical for any leader to be effective. Whether knowing the products and services, satisfying the customer or dressing appropriately, a good leader must "walk the walk." Earning trust and respect are facilitated by leading by example. Trust is the foundation of any relationship. In addition to "walking the walk," trust means the manager's word is his bond, and that his team can count on him. To quote Gschwandtner and Hammers, "Trust is not what you preach to your team, it is what you do when nobody is watching." Through leading by example and establishing trust, respect can be earned and maintained.

Getting involved is another aspect of leading by example and building trust. Visibility with customers and accessibility to the sales team are keys to effective sales management. Management guru Peter Drucker once said, "The manager who focuses on contribution and who takes responsibility for results, no matter how junior, is in the most literal sense of the phrase 'top management,' for he holds himself accountable for the performance as a whole."

Part of getting involved is coaching. A good sales manager will grow and develop his team through training, helping to find solutions for customers, giving feedback and setting career paths.

While the above attributes focus on relationships with the sales team, there are two personal characteristics that a sales manager must possess to improve his performance. The first is determination to persevere in getting the job done, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. This does not imply, however, following a path that has no chance of success.

A certain amount of flexibility is a required of any good leader. Consequently, a sales manager must also be a master of change. "Every organization," according to Peter Drucker, "has to prepare for the abandonment of everything it does." As articulated by Gschwandtner and Hammers, "The ideal sales manager will calmly face chaos, enthusiastically embrace change, and always adjust to whatever tough challenges lie ahead."

Leading and managing successful salespeople is not necessarily a function of identifying the best salesperson, but of finding someone who either has or can learn the skills and techniques to enhance the performance of everyone on the team. There is no question that Michael Jordan was a great basketball player. But as a basketball executive, the jury is still out.



Michael Mobley is executive director of j-ref (www.jref.org), a small business financier that provides loans and consultation services to Howard County entrepreneurs. He also teaches a course on entrepreneurship at Howard Community College. He may be reached at 410-313-6170 or mmobley@jref.org.