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Most of us have been in a situation where we have worked for a manager who thought his prerogative was to exert an almost beastial authority over his workforce in order to 'encourage' those under him to work harder, more efficiently and more productively. Granted, with most of these people, this form of management in some way reflects a touch of the sadistic megalomania in some people's personalities but deep down there is still a very Victorian idea that productivity in the work forcer results from a rule of fear.

Let us then put this beast to bed once and for all. Sales people don't have to be encouraged to fear. If a sales person misses target he not only fails in generating business for his company but if he is performance based, misses out on his own income. No sales person in their right mind is satisfied with missing targets on a consistent basis and if they do then they are generally in the wrong business. No amount of fear is likely to induce them to overcome their failings.

What then is the point of a sales manager?

In an ideal world sales people would make quota and businesses would forecast results on these minimum requirements. All the sales force would be self motivated to make minimum targets and strive to increase their own income by always aiming above quota. However, in the real world this is evidently not what happens. Sales people miss targets, forecast imperfect or innacurate projections, ignore opportunities, renege on follow ups etc. Add to this a plethora of outside factors such as lazinesss, family problems, tube strikes, car issues etc. and the real world seems a lot more complicated. This is where the sales manager steps in. The sales manager's job is to sort out all the problems and issues that present themselves in the way of making the business tick over.

What the draconian task masters of the Dickensian era, resort to is a darwinian approach to sorting these problems out. In the style of a sergeant major drilling recruits on the parade ground there is an attitude that you can mould, beat, cajole and bully effort and skill that is latently hidden in every sales person. This in effect only serves in alienating employees, adding further stress and implanting a defensive mentalitiy in subordinates that makes finding those problems that need fixing, harder to do.

Coaching and Mentoring

By adopting a different approach to management, different atomsphere's and results can be achieved. In just about every situation, identifying solutions and working through problems WITH the sales force will result in improved effort and productivity. Sales people aren't stupid, if you identify ways in which they can improve and raise success rates then 9 times out of 10 they will jump at the chance. It is not the information that is important but in the delivery of the information. By gaining the trust of employees, the chances are that they will appreciate and take on the advice that will in effect raise the revenue of the company as a whole.