Answer Upon - Management by Osmosis

Yet when most organizations look to fill openings in sales management, they generally look within, that is promoting someone that is already selling for the organization in question. Further it is usually someone from the region where the opening exists. And who do they go to, usually to one of their top performers (assuming that the individual is willing to take the position, and most are).

The logic seems to be: Jane has done consistently well, achieved quota for the last four or five years; she is personable, gets along with the clients and everyone else in the office, it’s a great fit. Completely forgetting (or ignoring) the key and desirable attributes of a Sales Manager, you know the ones they drew up with HR and an outside facilitator at an “off-site” last year, the one that would bring about a change in the way they will hire managers moving forward.

Remember attributes and dimensions like:

 Leadership
 Communication
 Influence
 Relational Creativity
 Interpersonal Skill
 Strategic Thinking
 Forecasting
 Recruiting Prowess
 Conflict Resolution
 Proactive Planning
 Goal Setting
 Coaching (Their whole team, A, B and C players)
 Ability to conduct meaningful meetings
 

Many feel that bringing someone from the outside “may disrupt the culture” and the pay off may be too long. Jane has the product knowledge, familiarity with the staff and other departments, and of course, the “corporate culture”. So for a number of intuitive reasons they short list internal candidates, and usually go with one “they all like”. For entirely the wrong reason, external candidates are often overlooked.

And that’s how we end up with Management by Osmosis.

It manifests itself in two ways, first in the way managers are transitioned from the being sales reps to managers. Second, is in the desired effect on their staff.

Once Jane steps in to her new role, and is brought up to speed by the Director or VP of sales, she is whisked off to the company’s Management Training Program, where she meets her peers from other departments, various HR personnel, VP of marketing, during her three days of exhaustive training about:

 Proper Interviewing Skills/Equal Opportunity – 2 hours
 Harassment Policies – half day
 Performance Management – 2 hours
 Process and Benefits of 360’s – 2 hours
 SMART – 2 hours
 Motivation – 2 hours 
 Multicultural Sensitivity – 1 hour
 Mission Statement Analysis – 1 hour
 Protocols and Process (of all sorts) – half day
 

It is true that some of this osmosis does happen to a degree, the problem is it lacks structure and a means of measurement. Success is ultimately measured only by the numbers delivered, not much focus on methodology and sustainability. We have all seen cases where a region makes its numbers, but mostly in spite of the skills of the manager as a leader, coach, etc. And while everyone above and below Jane acknowledges the issues, you can’t argue with the numbers. Only after some A people leave, and C people fail to advance, and the numbers fall apart do questions start. Then the realization that Jane needs to develop some specific sales management skills, and finally someone asks, “What happened to those dimensions and attributes we drew up, didn’t she get the training?”

The other side of Management by Osmosis takes place in the development efforts of Jane for her newly acquired staff. I recently trained a newly appointed sales manager, he told me his Director told him: “if I could sprinkle a little bit of you into everyone in the region, that would be great.” The Director told me his plan was simple, to be successful, all that had to happen was for him to do what he always did, the other reps would watch, learn and end up like him. By spending time with them in the field, they would adopt his habits and skills, and would all achieve the same results, by osmosis! How To Get Quotes From Business Gift Companies
The boss just informed you that you’re in charge of ordering the promotional giveaways for the big trade show next month. This is your chance to shine – but you’ve never done anything like this before. Relax – ordering products from business gift companies is not as complicated as it seems at first glance. Here’s how to make gathering quotes for your business gift order almost painless.Knowing The Lingo Reading pricing charts and policies can be confusing if you don’t understand the industry lingo. Some of the terminology that’s helpful to know when dealing with business gifts companies includes:Screen setup cost is what the company will charge you to set up the screen printing press for each color. The cost is assessed once on each of your product orders. If you are ordering a run of 1,000 mugs with a two color logo, and the screen setup cost is ?30, then you will be charged ?60 as as of a Sales Manager, you know the ones they drew up with HR and an outside facilitator at an “off-site” last year, the one that would bring about a change in the way they will hire managers moving forward.

Remember attributes and dimensions like:

 Leadership
 Communication
 Influence
 Relational Creativity
 Interpersonal Skill
 Strategic Thinking
 Forecasting
 Recruiting Prowess
 Conflict Resolution
 Proactive Planning
 Goal Setting
 Coaching (Their whole team, A, B and C players)
 Ability to conduct meaningful meetings
 

Many feel that bringing someone from the outside “may disrupt the culture” and the pay off may be too long. Jane has the product knowledge, familiarity with the staff and other departments, and of course, the “corporate culture”. So for a number of intuitive reasons they short list internal candidates, and usually go with one “they all like”. For entirely the wrong reason, external candidates are often overlooked.

And that’s how we end up with Management by Osmosis.

It manifests itself in two ways, first in the way managers are transitioned from the being sales reps to managers. Second, is in the desired effect on their staff.

Once Jane steps in to her new role, and is brought up to speed by the Director or VP of sales, she is whisked off to the company’s Management Training Program, where she meets her peers from other departments, various HR personnel, VP of marketing, during her three days of exhaustive training about:

 Proper Interviewing Skills/Equal Opportunity – 2 hours
 Harassment Policies – half day
 Performance Management – 2 hours
 Process and Benefits of 360’s – 2 hours
 SMART – 2 hours
 Motivation – 2 hours 
 Multicultural Sensitivity – 1 hour
 Mission Statement Analysis – 1 hour
 Protocols and Process (of all sorts) – half day
 

It is true that some of this osmosis does happen to a degree, the problem is it lacks structure and a means of measurement. Success is ultimately measured only by the numbers delivered, not much focus on methodology and sustainability. We have all seen cases where a region makes its numbers, but mostly in spite of the skills of the manager as a leader, coach, etc. And while everyone above and below Jane acknowledges the issues, you can’t argue with the numbers. Only after some A people leave, and C people fail to advance, and the numbers fall apart do questions start. Then the realization that Jane needs to develop some specific sales management skills, and finally someone asks, “What happened to those dimensions and attributes we drew up, didn’t she get the training?”

The other side of Management by Osmosis takes place in the development efforts of Jane for her newly acquired staff. I recently trained a newly appointed sales manager, he told me his Director told him: “if I could sprinkle a little bit of you into everyone in the region, that would be great.” The Director told me his plan was simple, to be successful, all that had to happen was for him to do what he always did, the other reps would watch, learn and end up like him. By spending time with them in the field, they would adopt his habits and skills, and would all achieve the same results, by osmosis! Changing Behaviour; Lessons from Safety Training
Getting safety training right or wrong has immediately obvious and emotionally and financially tangible consequences. The rewards of: no deaths or disabling injuries, no grieving families, no grieving workmates, no damage to reputation, plant and machinery, no increase in compliance costs and full availability of your products and services in the market place are compelling.Changing people's behaviour with regard to safety is a time consuming, difficult business. General training does not have the immediate and emotional rewards of safety training. Changing people's behaviour without those rewards is even more difficult.The lessons that organisations have learnt in making safety training effective are, therefore, all the more instructional for general training.In particular, studies of the effectiveness of training which combined an understanding of human psychology with a reviey all like”. For entirely the wrong reason, external candidates are often overlooked.

And that’s how we end up with Management by Osmosis.

It manifests itself in two ways, first in the way managers are transitioned from the being sales reps to managers. Second, is in the desired effect on their staff.

Once Jane steps in to her new role, and is brought up to speed by the Director or VP of sales, she is whisked off to the company’s Management Training Program, where she meets her peers from other departments, various HR personnel, VP of marketing, during her three days of exhaustive training about:

 Proper Interviewing Skills/Equal Opportunity – 2 hours
 Harassment Policies – half day
 Performance Management – 2 hours
 Process and Benefits of 360’s – 2 hours
 SMART – 2 hours
 Motivation – 2 hours 
 Multicultural Sensitivity – 1 hour
 Mission Statement Analysis – 1 hour
 Protocols and Process (of all sorts) – half day
 

It is true that some of this osmosis does happen to a degree, the problem is it lacks structure and a means of measurement. Success is ultimately measured only by the numbers delivered, not much focus on methodology and sustainability. We have all seen cases where a region makes its numbers, but mostly in spite of the skills of the manager as a leader, coach, etc. And while everyone above and below Jane acknowledges the issues, you can’t argue with the numbers. Only after some A people leave, and C people fail to advance, and the numbers fall apart do questions start. Then the realization that Jane needs to develop some specific sales management skills, and finally someone asks, “What happened to those dimensions and attributes we drew up, didn’t she get the training?”

The other side of Management by Osmosis takes place in the development efforts of Jane for her newly acquired staff. I recently trained a newly appointed sales manager, he told me his Director told him: “if I could sprinkle a little bit of you into everyone in the region, that would be great.” The Director told me his plan was simple, to be successful, all that had to happen was for him to do what he always did, the other reps would watch, learn and end up like him. By spending time with them in the field, they would adopt his habits and skills, and would all achieve the same results, by osmosis! Business Case Study; Franchisor Cash Flow Remedies
One thing that new franchisors need to be careful with is watching their cash flow. It takes about one to two million dollars to adequately set up a franchising program for an existing company with a viable prototype already in place. It is wise for franchising executives to consider the need to conserve and watch outflows like a hawk.Indeed there are ways to replenish funds if a new franchisor entrant blows thru their investment capital. Many franchisors fail merely because they did not have the money to hold the rocket ship together as rapid expansion took place and more and more franchises were sold. If not the market will end their game.Often expanding new franchisors will need additional investment capital. A franchising arm of a larger Corporation can become a severe temporary liability for the company during rapid expansion, even as massive amounts are coming in from sales, lotsly aimed at sales management; little focus on the list of attributes and dimensions. In some cases there are some programs aimed at developing these skills, usually left to the discretion of the senior executives in sales. In most cases, it was felt that Jane would learn the skills from the same senior executives: hence, by osmosis. During field visits, where between pipeline and account reviews, development would of course occur. Why, just think of all the development that takes place on the way to and after client calls. You know, when they take the visiting sales Director to their best client; or the client that is almost closed, but where the Director can make a difference, (read grant a greater discount or other concessions).

It is true that some of this osmosis does happen to a degree, the problem is it lacks structure and a means of measurement. Success is ultimately measured only by the numbers delivered, not much focus on methodology and sustainability. We have all seen cases where a region makes its numbers, but mostly in spite of the skills of the manager as a leader, coach, etc. And while everyone above and below Jane acknowledges the issues, you can’t argue with the numbers. Only after some A people leave, and C people fail to advance, and the numbers fall apart do questions start. Then the realization that Jane needs to develop some specific sales management skills, and finally someone asks, “What happened to those dimensions and attributes we drew up, didn’t she get the training?”

The other side of Management by Osmosis takes place in the development efforts of Jane for her newly acquired staff. I recently trained a newly appointed sales manager, he told me his Director told him: “if I could sprinkle a little bit of you into everyone in the region, that would be great.” The Director told me his plan was simple, to be successful, all that had to happen was for him to do what he always did, the other reps would watch, learn and end up like him. By spending time with them in the field, they would adopt his habits and skills, and would all achieve the same results, by osmosis! In Customers We Trust
I was in Boston and wanted to buy a homeopathic remedy for my young daughter. At 9:10 pm I drove up to a local health food store, Bread & Circus.The store closed at 9:00 pm and cash registers were sealed for the night. But the manager could see my concerned face through the glass door and let me step inside.He listened to my concern, then walked down the aisle, picked up and handed me the $10.95 product I needed and said, ‘You can come back and pay for it tomorrow’.I was amazed. He asked for my name and telephone number, but when I said I lived outside the United States, he replied, ‘Well, just come back in the morning and tell them what you got. We open at 9:00 am.’I was back in the store the next morning with a grateful smile, and $10.95, and a big compliment for Mike, the night manager of Bread & Circus. Key Learning Point ----------------------------ills of the manager as a leader, coach, etc. And while everyone above and below Jane acknowledges the issues, you can’t argue with the numbers. Only after some A people leave, and C people fail to advance, and the numbers fall apart do questions start. Then the realization that Jane needs to develop some specific sales management skills, and finally someone asks, “What happened to those dimensions and attributes we drew up, didn’t she get the training?”

The other side of Management by Osmosis takes place in the development efforts of Jane for her newly acquired staff. I recently trained a newly appointed sales manager, he told me his Director told him: “if I could sprinkle a little bit of you into everyone in the region, that would be great.” The Director told me his plan was simple, to be successful, all that had to happen was for him to do what he always did, the other reps would watch, learn and end up like him. By spending time with them in the field, they would adopt his habits and skills, and would all achieve the same results, by osmosis!

He was not given any training on how to properly develop members of the team; how to set up metrics or score cards (other than the resulting revenue); how to motivate and coach his A reps versus C members; how to set goals and plan meetings; what to look for in new recruits (look for people who are like you, he was told); how to effectively communicate with members of the team and other departments, you get the picture. Not to mention the fact that he was selected over another rep in the office, and had little help in how to deal with the bruised ego the decision created.

While we are very much in favor of promoting internal candidates, rewarding success, and creating loyalty and incentive, it is important that it is done right. Training is crucial, while most organizations are ready to spend time and money for ongoing training for front line reps, there seems to be reluctance on spending money for managers. When we present our Manager and Coaching programs, organizations seem to point to internal programs (as outlined above), and other reasons for not moving forward.

We often point out that the ROI on training managers is greater than on dollars spent on C players, and have a longer and more sustainable impact on sales success and growth. But in most instances they seem more willing to just train the reps, all of them A, B and C reps (more on this concept in future issues). At times even saying that they feel their managers are challenged in a number of areas, but they first want to work on improving their reps, then deal with the managers once the numbers are better. Unfortunately, the reality is that unless you address all parts of the issue, you will likely not get the long term results and benefits your sales organization could consistently deliver.

For more information about our Manager training and Coaching programs, please contact us at info@sellbetter.ca.

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