Taking Over an Existing Team – Part 2 of 3

This is the second of three posts detailing a few quick tips I used when I was hired to take over a sales team that was ranked last in their region. In six short months, this team became the number one sales team in volume and volume growth, and they held that position for the next fifty consecutive months…

To read the first post in this series, follow this link.

The First Sales Meeting

Like most sales teams, this group held long rah-rah sessions every Monday morning to “fire up the troops.” From what the GM told me, these were often very inspirational, though they never seemed to translate into solid results. Everyone would leave the meeting with great enthusiasm only to come back to the office on Friday reporting sub par sales.

This told me the team lacked an understanding of their goals, clear direction and the support necessary to execute. I decided that my first meeting must not be about motivation, but expectations – both my expectations of them and, more importantly, what they could expect from me. Here is a synopsis of what I showed and told them when I stood in front of them for the first time:

• What you can expect from me…
  • I will always be fair, open and honest
  • I will check my ego at the door
  • I will always respect you by being on time to our appointments and meetings
  • I will keep my meetings short and informative
  • I believe that those closest to the customers should make the decisions – you are closest to the customer
  • I will never shoot you for making a bad decision provided you made it with the best intentions
  • I believe that “the way we always did it” is not working and we need to find a new way to do things
  • My primary goal is to help you make this company number one in the country – we are currently last in our region
  • You are the only ones who can guarantee we are successful in that goal
  • This will never be about me, it will always be about you – you are the only people in this company who create revenue.
  • If you are not in sales, then you are in support – I am in support and my only job is to make you the hero
  • I will always keep my word and I will always honor your commitments to the customers, even when it costs the company money

• What I expect from you…
  • I expect you to always be fair, open and honest
  • I expect you to have a healthy ego
  • I expect you to be on time to meetings – if you’re late for our sales meetings, how can I believe you’ll be on time for customer appointments?
  • I expect you to contribute to meetings by having a success story to share each week
  • I expect you to make decisions for yourself
  • I expect you to fail tremendously. This will ensure that you have tremendous successes. Besides, if you’re not failing, then I know you’re not trying
  • I expect you to learn from your failures
  • I never want to hear why we can’t do something, I only want to hear ways we can – In other words, stop putting roadblocks up in front of yourself
  • I expect you to be the number one salesperson in the company – yes, I expect each and every one of you to be number one
  • I expect you to be the hero and to never let anyone in this company, especially me, cut your legs out from under you
  • I expect you to always keep your word to your customers, even when it costs the company money
  • I expect you to stand on my desk and scream at me if I ever fail to live up to your expectations

Their Reaction

Prior to my arrival, this group was always told what to do and when to do it. The previous sales manager was the superstar and the salespeople were his roadies. It was always about him and never about them.

Given all this, you know they were putty in my hands after that speech. J

Of course, this presentation was just words unless I was prepared to live it, and “live it” I did. From cosmetic changes like removing the reserved parking sign for the sales manager to real changes like showing up unannounced to help a salesperson working on a Saturday, I lived the vision I described and the reps took notice. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Tomorrow’s post, part 3 of 3, will detail a questionnaire I provided to each salesperson at the end of that first meeting. A questionnaire that they were required to complete and return the next day for a scheduled one-on-one meeting with their new support person – me.

The New Manager Questionnaire

To read the salesman questionnaire and the results of these meetings, please follow this link.

After reviewing the documents and spending time in the market, it was clear to me that this team lacked execution and direction. They all seemed to be working very hard, but they were failing miserably at actually doing things that mattered. Additionally, I discovered that this group’s prior leader had been very active with the largest customers – so much so that he was figuratively cutting the legs out from under his team.

I felt like this group needed to see real change – not just a new butt behind the manager’s desk – so I got permission from the GM to come into the salesroom and rearrange a few things the weekend before I started.

Day One for the New Sales Manager

As the sales team staggered in between 8:30 and 9:00 AM on Monday, they were quite shocked to see that their salesroom bore no resemblance to the one they left on Friday.

While I understand that most people don’t like sudden change, and no one really likes surprise changes made to their space, this group was in last place and needed the proverbial “slap in the face.” So I slapped them as hard as I could.

Where they once had blank walls, they now had product displays of each and every one of their company’s products (complete with point-of-sale merchandise). On the formerly clean windows, they now saw up-to-date charts, graphs and spreadsheets detailing every single key performance metric for their team and the other teams in the region. They also saw weighted rankings that showed definitively who was performing and who was not.

The most striking change, however, was in the form of their seating arrangements. Where this “team” once had twenty small cubicles, they now had one very large table and a wall of short file cabinets labeled with their names. No longer would this group act as individuals – this new arrangement would prove to guarantee both best practices sharing and shorter office stays. (Unless he/she sells with a telephone, there is no reason for a salesperson to be in the office except for training and, in the old days before direct deposit, to pick up a paycheck.)

The grumbling was comically animated. I still chuckle today when I picture the mix of blank stares and angry glances – these reactions made giving up my entire weekend worthwhile.

I emerged from my new office and greeted the team as they arrived. I introduced myself to every one of them the same way: “Hi, I’m the new sales manager, and my only job is to support you.”

The First Sales Meeting

Like most sales teams, this group held a rah-rah session every Monday morning to “fire up the troops.” From what the GM told me, these were often very inspirational though they never seemed to translate into solid results. To learn what I shared at my first sales meeting with this group, please follow this link.