Episode #366: Leadership For Sales Managers In The Online World
THE Leadership Japan Series
Covid-19 hit business in Japan like a brick thown through a shop window. All of a sudden everything was a mess and there were glass shards, dangerously sprinkled around everywhere. We were all tiptoeing around trying to find a safe way through this catastrophe. Companies were upended and people were vanquished to their rabbit hutch homes to conduct business from there. Commerce ground to a halt, as we went into lockdown. Toilet paper, rice, pasta and Zoom licenses were selling well, but for most of us, things came to crashing halt.
In this scramble to adjust to the new situation, sales leaders were struggling to handle the new working conditions, themselves now sharing a small space at home with the spouse and kids. Most Japanese bosses were not familiar with the new technology, so there was a period where a lot of energy had to be invested to learn how to connect using the new medium with the team.
The first thing we all found was that communication was much harder. We discovered that coordination of things in the office was a breeze – a simple, efficient, painless process. Being remote from everyone, suddenly made coordinating things much more complex and time inefficient. The scramble to re-ignite revenue streams also meant we started short circuiting our communication. “When we will that deal get paid”, “What’s happening with this client”, “What are you doing about your sales funnel, it looks light and low?”. We became demanders and order giving bosses, instead of leaders.
Language is so much more important in the remote world. We have to embrace that timeless wisdom from sales guru Brian Tracy when he said, “Remember, everyone you meet in life is carrying a heavy load”. The exodus to the home office, which for many meant the kitchen table, has been stressful. Our team are all carrying many varieties of heavy loads. They can’t concentrate at home, because their family are making a lot of noise. They are having trouble contacting existing clients, because they are also under stress and are at home too. They can’t attend networking events anymore to find new clients. Cold calling hasn't gotten any easier in lockdown.
Engaging our sales staff to keep going hard despite the difficulties has three elements and one huge trigger. Their relationship with you, the boss, is number one. Are you speaking to them from an empathetic standpoint or are you just shouting out urgent commands from the bridge, like a pirate captain under enemy fire. What about their belief in the way senior management are handling this economic disruption? They will have worries. Are we going to run out of cash and go under? Will people start getting fired? Will I be furloughed home for months with no pay?
What has been the communication flow from on high and from you, about the strategy for dealing with this crisis, the financial stability of the firm and the company’s prospects for the future? Do they still feel pride in the company? Have the internal levels of sectional infighting, blame shifting, finger pointing and political manoeuvring reached radioactive levels? As the boss have you grouped the team together to fight against the external threat of Covid-19 and united everyone to crush your weakened competitors?
The biggie in gaining team engagement is that people have a sense that you care about them and they are valued. This feeling valued component encourages their confidence and empowers them. This is where boss communication skills are so critical. When we contact our people, are we spending some time to connect with them on a personal level, empathise with how they are feeling and telling them that we value them in this company. Or are we straight into interrogating them about their numbers?
Before Covid-19, none of us were having a happy time recruiting sales staff, especially those with good English. The danger now is that through errors in leadership, we start seeing our good people leave and join our competitors. We need to keep the team together, united and ready to fight against the many disruptors of our businesses. We want the sales team to remerge from catastrophe stronger, more united and motivated to win. The buck stops with the sales leader.