- One of the critical skills you have to learn
is the balancing act of working with your manager,
who's at a higher level, and your team that reports to you
at a lower level.
It's quite simply called managing up and managing down.
As the field sales manager, the dynamics really seem
so much different than when you were
a field sales representative.
Your fellow salespeople are looking to you to protect them
and let them sell.
The marketers, development teams, and the financial managers
who were once fighting for your attention and support
are now hitting you with questions
that seem to start with why, or why aren't you?
And those sales managers who once patted your back
with congratulations now have a lot more questions
about the sales team and their results.
You're in a much more structured setting now
with a staff that reports to you
and the management above you.
You need that adjustment period to realize
you're not a sales representative anymore,
but you're not the director, either.
It's a feeling of being caught in the middle.
There's no clear set path for mastering
how you balance the needs of your direct reports
while at the same time keeping peers and other departments
and senior management happy, too.
This is definitely a case where there's no right answer.
You need to evaluate various techniques
and develop a strategy that works best for you.
But, you need to address it quickly.
For me, there are four approaches to succeeding at this.
In many ways it ties in with the lessons
right from the sales process, only now you adapt them
in your role as a manager.
Honesty.
You can't fake it as a manager
since people can read through phony talk very quickly.
State your case, explain your plan,
be open, and be authentic.
Credibility.
If you say you're going to do something for your team
or you promise something to senior management or marketing,
then it's quite simple, deliver on your commitment.
This ties right in with your reputation,
credibility, and your character.
Results.
Sounds basic, doesn't it?
You want to know something?
Achieving your sales targets makes everyone happy.
I wish it was that simple, but never lose focus
of the goals of this position.
Don't get too wrapped up in managing up or down
and then forgetting the number one priority
is generating revenue.
Communication.
People want to be heard and they need to to listen.
You can't manage if you're chained to your desk,
so you need to be visible.
This is where your customer resource management software
can help you even more.
It enables effective communication and teamwork.
It's an awkward feeling at times
when you're managing your sales team in the morning
and then working with other departments in the afternoon,
then as soon as it's quiet you get a call
from the VP of sales.
It's a feeling of being trapped
and being questioned from all sides.
Managing up and managing down really is a critical
skill set of a good field sales manager.
Learning how to balance the needs of your team
and the requirements coming from management
is a skill that must be mastered.