Switch

Spend More Time with the Best Wholesalers

Can sales managers get more out of their coaching efforts?  After reading Switch by Chip and Dan Heath, I think the answer is yes.

Switch makes the great point that human beings typically focus on identifying and analyzing things that go poorly as opposed to things that go well.  The authors propose that positive change and improvement is borne out of finding and maximizing bright spots instead of mulling over problems.

Now consider how sales managers coach and develop wholesalers.  At most firms there exists a very egalitarian approach.  For example, if an internal sales manager has 12 direct reports, he will spend 1 hour on the phones with each wholesaler each month.

I think there’s an argument to be made that sales managers should focus most of their coaching time and effort on their best wholesalers.  Two reasons why:

1. Increased Development of the Best Wholesalers: The individuals with the most talent today have the greatest probability of growing and making a bigger impact on the firm moving forward.  Nurturing the best talent offers maximum long-term value for the firm.  Put another way:  are the worst wholesalers worth the same time/investment as the best?
2. Better Ammunition for Improving Laggards: More time with top performers will yield more insight into what makes them so good.  Managers will gather more and better tactical ideas to improve development of lagging performers, even if they spend less time on them.

A change like this does not need to be obvious to the team, nor overly dramatic.  For the example cited earlier, the manager could spend 2 hours with the top 4 wholesalers and 30 minutes with the remaining 8 instead of 1 hour with each.  It’s not more time, but potentially more effective.

While the bright spots approach doesn’t guarantee better overall performance, the logic behind it makes it a worthwhile idea for sales managers to consider.