2. DOES THE STRUCTURE OF OUR SALES TEAM SUPPORT COMPANY GOALS? To create an efficient and effective sales structure, sales leaders should examine which customer segments sales reps are targeting and how sales reps are prioritizing which products to sell. “Left to their own devices, sales


professionals often stick to whatever selling routine they’re comfortable with or that has worked for them in the past,” say the experts. “The best way to make sure you’re selling your chosen products to your chosen segments and verticals is to design a structure that prioritizes those goals.”


Tip: Not every sales force needs a redesign to get sales reps to prioritize company goals. While structure is the ultimate way to drive selling behav- ior that aligns with company goals, simply communicating priorities and


SELLING TIP A Letter to the Expert:


Competence and Commitment Determine Management Style


To be an effective manager, you need to evaluate the performance of people by their competence and com- mitment. When subordinates are not performing as anticipated, it is most likely because they lack commit- ment or competence.


Competence is a function of knowledge and skills, which can be gained from education, training, and experience. A business-school graduate can be as- sumed to have a certain level of competence by virtue of having gained the appropriate number of credits for graduation. An individual with 10 years of marketing experience with a consumer packaged goods company can be expected to have a fairly strong level of compe- tence in marketing.


“Competence” is not just another word for “ability.” People often use “ability” to mean “potential.” They talk about natural ability to describe why some people seem to be able to learn certain skills so easily. Compe- tence, on the other hand, can be developed with appro- priate direction and support. It’s not something you are born with; it’s learned.


‘‘


I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom. BOB DYLAN


reinforcing with coaching, training, and incentives can help.


3. HOW WELL IS OUR SALES FORCE COVERING THE MAR- KET OPPORTUNITY? For sales reps to be effective, good territories and territory plans must align with strategic goals. “Salespeo- ple are often given a territory that rep- resents far more work than they can effectively handle,” says the expert. “That can lead to poor penetration and untapped sales opportunities.” Another problem is territories that lack enough customers and pros- pects. “In this scenario, salespeople


end up chasing unprofitable opportu- nities, and the sales organization ends up wasting resources,” he says.


Tip: Companies need to regularly eval- uate the design of their sales territories and deployment of their salespeople relative to the market opportunity and the company’s strategic goals. Smart use of data, analytics, and software can provide valuable insight.


In the end, a well-designed sales


force will enhance customer and pros- pect coverage; drive selling efforts to priority customers, segments, and product lines; and increase organic growth for your sales organization. 


Commitment is a combination of confidence and motivation. Confidence is a measure of one’s self- assuredness – a feeling of being able to do a task well without much supervision. Motivation, on the other hand, is a person’s interest in and enthusiasm for do- ing a task well.


Sales teams can have various combinations of compe- tence and commitment; so, with: • High competence and commitment: The manager should practice delegating.


• High competence and variable commitment: The manager should use a supporting method, including praising and listening.


• Some competence and low commitment: The manager should use a coaching method, including directing and supporting.


• Low confidence and high commitment: The manag- er should use a directing method, including control- ling and supervising.


With situational leadership, the manager’s job is to diagnose a subordinate’s level of competence and commitment. Once managers define these two vari- ables, they can adopt an appropriate leadership style. As the subordinate’s competence and commitment


grow or change, then a manager’s leadership style changes to correspond to the person’s needs. That’s what situational leadership is all about.


– KEN BLANCHARD SELLING POWER APRIL 2020 | 31 © 2020 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.


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