Perspectives: Management, Leadership and Coaching

This posting focuses on organizational (sales force) management, leadership and coaching perspectives. My experience lead me to believe that management and leadership rely on two different profiles and require different skill sets. (Refer to the great leader posting)

Organizational (Workforce Productivity) CulturesIn today’s business, there are two basic types of organizational (workforce productivity) cultures that prevail.
The Traditional Hire and Hope Culture
Listed here are the basic characteristics of the traditional hire and hope culture that has evolved in business today.
     1. Individual skill success philosophy
     2. One seller fits all buyers
     3. Hire the best sellers in the market
     4. One sales approach fits all
     5. Do-it yourself selling messages
     6. Individualized skill set
     7. Unstructured individual strategies
     8. Individualized knowledge base

The Emerging Profile and Predict CultureListed here are the key characteristics of a more contemporary culture.
     1. Corporate model success philosophy
     2. Buyer/seller profile alignment
     3. Profile successful sellers
     4. Recruit and train to profile
     5. Aligned sales/buying process
     6. Common selling messages
     7. Demonstrable skill
     8. Proven strategies
     9. Certified knowledge base

Company Resource Management (Converting company resources to results)
The first element deals with the practical (supervision) side of management and focuses on the effective utilization of the sales force and all selling resources.
     1. Sales force administration
     2. Individual job descriptions
     3. Sales force compensation plans
     4. Sales force staffing
     5. Sales force control
     6. Sales force organization (configuration)

Organization (Team) Leadership (Shaping individual people into productive teams)The second element deals with the human side of sales force management and focuses on organization or group (team) leadership.
     1. Team seller recruiting
     2. Team segmentation
     3. Team motivation
     4. Team support
     5. Team control (Supervision)
     6. Team performance management (Reporting)

Individual Employee Coaching (Motivating people into performers)The last element is the coaching and motivation of individual sellers to maximize performance and meet sales goals and objectives.
     1. New seller head-start program
     2. Processing (Assimilated)
     3. Orientation (Training)
     4. Activity (Practice)
     5. Results (Perform)
     6. Personal seller support
     7. Individual seller supervision
     8. Seller performance management
          A. Activity (pipeline) reporting (sales force automation)
          B. Performance tracking (conversion, transition and close ratios)
     9. Individual seller motivation
     10. Ongoing seller development
     11. Seller compensation