The Country Manager of a well known IT company is on a two day visit to the regional office. Even the Regional manager is not aware about his visit. Entire office is at full strength and the gentleman after observing this is content that his leadership could attract talented and dynamic resources to the company and also has their willful support. The interiors of the office were impeccable and the powerful air conditioners which were running at full throttle had completely transformed the habitat and made it a comfortable place to lounge around; at least for the sales person who had the highest probability of experiencing a heat stroke if at all, any of them ventured out in the field during the peak of the summer season.
‘What are they doing in office?’ asked the CM. ‘Sir, they have their appointments scheduled and all of them shall be marching out towards their destination in the next fifteen minutes.’ answered the regional manager. The staring eyes said it all and the manager’s wish was their command. Within no minute the bags were packed and all of them moved out of the office with grit and determination which completely camouflaged their inner feeling of displeasure and resentment.
‘Now where? We can’t manage meetings every day.’, this is what, has been floating in their conscious mind. Camaraderie has now overpowered rivalry and consensus is achieved to visit a nearby park and find solace under the shade of a tree. One of them, whose residence is nearby, also decides to stay with the pack as his untimely visit to his home could raise several eyebrows. Anyway, the park is bustling with activity as their counterparts from other sectors viz. pharmaceuticals, FMCG, etc. have already occupied their respective shades.
A telephone call from the boss has set the evening fixture; which is going to be a ‘one to one’ meeting with the chief who will leave no stone unturned to take some sadistic pleasures, followed by drinks and dinner that would end the day’s humiliation on a better note.
I hope I could summarise the daily routine rather humiliation of a salesperson who according to management Gurus are the bread earners for the entire ecosystem. ‘Hunters’, ‘Lion’, ‘Aggressive’, ‘Dynamic’, ‘Smart’ are common analogies which are used to define a sales person. However, all these traits get masked by the indifferent attitude of the superiors and the peers in other functions, who are otherwise solely dependent on the performance of the sales force. At the end of the day, a salesman is left alone bruised by the callousness of their peers, within the organisation and skepticism outside it. Growth is stagnant apart from the fact that fancy designations are bestowed upon them to keep their motivation high; however the job profile remains the same.
Yes, of course not all are blessed to have ‘Fire in their belly’. It is only a front line sales person who is expected to keep the fire burning while all others can take cover under his proficiency. Even the country manager, who has a degree from some top management institute of the country and others from the management cadre with some extra educational qualifications are solely dependent on front line sales team which can crunch numbers for them, making the business owner perceive that he has the right management team with him which is being nurtured on fat pay packages. The top man never ever knows how many sales executives have given their blood and sweat for the growth and success of the organisation.
Nevertheless, there is hardly any person from the hard core sales team, who is appointed as a key decision maker in the management team and the majority of them belong to a cadre who don’t have any experience on the ground. Sales strategies are finalised in the cool comforts of the office which are far away from reality. However, any failure in replication of these ill drawn strategies on ground is considered as a performance issue with the sales personal and a ticket is issued to him for showing laxity in achieving the deliverables.
Whether it’s a solution sale or a product, primarily it’s the attitude of the person selling it that counts. No doubt conviction in the product is required but all products and solutions are not foolproof as they lack somewhere or the other. Suggesting a solution or selling a product with its inherent drawbacks is always a challenge for a sales executive.
A sales process specifically in the IT sector is a long drawn activity and involves several rounds of discussion with the process owners of a company and the irony is that the target audience does not want to adapt to it, as any software installation shall keep a check on their working and also maintain a trail of all the events with exact date and time. So it becomes imperative to convince the business owner to adapt to technology which is a herculean task as it is similar to teaching a lion to hunt its prey or guiding a fish to swim. However a sales person smartly convinces the owner to adapt to technology by highlighting the return on investments and thereby logging a sale.
‘The sales department is not the whole company but the whole company better be the sales department’
-Philip Kotler
There could be several interpretations for this quote but for me an organisation where the sales department is backed by all the support functions, shall always remain a winner. After confronting phrases like “Salesman Not Allowed”, worst is not over yet for a salesman as the stigma attached to this word could be ousted if and only if we understand that all of us, irrespective of function, nature of job, family background, educational qualification, caste, creed or religion have been selling ourselves to the outside world. So ultimately,
we all belong to this unique function called ‘Sales’ which has strengthened our existence on Mother Earth.
Happy Selling
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