I’ve had several conversations with VPs of Sales/Managers in the last few weeks, and it’s absurd to me how tolerant we are of mediocrity.
I recently spoke with a prospect (CEO) on the phone who was complaining about the lack of engagement with his Senior VP’s/Sales Managers. He said he had seven of them, but only one was really performing sufficiently.
That means 85% of his management team are losing. I asked him what he had done about it, and aside from “calling them on the carpet” or “writing them up,” he had done nothing. He said that even though they weren’t performing, he didn’t want to lose them to a competitor.
When will we learn to begin expecting bigger things from people?
Since when do we assume that people intend to behave improperly and get mediocre results? Do we really think that’s their hidden purpose, is to be average? Of course we don’t.
The problem is that people just don’t know how to be superior—how to excel—how to be successful—how to take their game up five levels.
The game is changing, and the skills have to change, too. When my CEO/prospect friend said that he didn’t want to let them go, I challenged him (and probably caused him never to call me back again) to determine what skills his people needed—to bring in experts to teach them those skills.
Here are the five skills I think business development/VPs need to have:
1. Marketing and Lead Generation – Why should these people not be experts at this? Do they listen to teleseminars on the topic; do they go to conferences on the topic; do they read books on the topic; do they watch videos on the topic? When’s the last time you saw a marketing book circulating around the office, with ideas in it marked up, scratched up, dog-eared, highlighted? Ever?
2. Writing – Since when are cohesive thoughts on paper not important? Do your VPs of sales know how to write a compelling sales letter; do they know how to write copy for the web; do they know how to write the intro to an audio piece that might generate thousands of leads for your company?
Or are they content to outsource that to some ad agency who has no soul for the product and doesn’t care about your product and sales, anyway?
3. Strategic Alliances – The VP’s in your organization should understand strategic alliances. Do they take courses in it; do they ask best practices of other people in your company or other firms in your industry; do they have a plan for strategic alliances, or do they do what most companies do—let it come to them?
4. Pain Finding Skills – Are your VPs really good at selling? Do they really understand a problem orientation to professional sales? Or are they merely chasing a number for quota and putting pressure on the salespeople to “get the job done; time’s running out”?
You (or your VP of sales) had better be your best salesperson, or he probably can’t coach his people to do the same.
5. Inspirational Leaders – Do your people go to school to learn to be inspirational leaders; do they read books on the topic; do they study great inspirational leaders like Churchill, Roosevelt and some of the amazing generals in the civil war?
Is there a continuous conversation on how to be more inspirational to your team? If not, why not? Do we detest that conversation because it reveals flaws in the ointment, or do we just not think it’s that important?
Do we think that “we hire seasoned veterans; it’s up to them to be inspired and get out of bed in the morning”? Good luck with that attitude.
If your people aren’t engaged (or are failing), it’s your problem.
I also submit that if you think coaching is for weaklings and losers, then you’re about ready to get your lunch eaten by organizations that see their human capital as THE differential advantage in their market.
Don’t settle for little when the world is abundant and aiming big is a necessity for you.
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