Managing mavericks: Thawing the Cold War Between Management and Field Sales

At times the relationship between the home office and field sales is like a Cold War. They take “sides”, and regardless of which “side” someone takes, the thinking is the same- “You are the problem because philosophically you don’t “get it” when it comes to understanding us. I’m not going to do anything to the thaw relationship until you make up for your past promises broken.” This sales cold war is a productivity killer.

The major cause of the Sales-Home Office Cold War is lack of trust. The big difference between the historical Cold War and the home office/ field sales relationship is the home office and field sales are on the same side. Thus, two groups on the same team are struggling against each other trying to grow the business.

Interestingly, the lack of trust is more of a perception issue. “Out of sight, out of mind” therefore translates to “blind insanity”. The home office is paranoid that the salespeople are golfing and drinking three martini lunches- they don’t trust field sales is “doing their job”. The other- more amazing feeling from the management perspective- is that their field sales team does not know how to sell. The “fix” is required reporting on account activity to force better sales habits. This creates some good fictional writing on the part of field sales, except for the top performers who are excused from this exercise because- ahem- they are top performers.

Field sales does not trust the intentions of management when management requires field reports. The thinking is management will hound sales into making forecasts (which, in sales is less predictable than the weather or the economy), then hound them more to meet the forecast projections. Furthermore,  field sales and does not feel management listens to them when field sales does provide management with field updates. Salespeople put effort and detail into the reports, send them in, and then…… nothing happens. Lesson: Sending in information results in being punished or ignored.

While we don’t advocate a “silver bullet” mentality for any problem or solution, we do think that the Field Sales- Home Office Cold War can go through a substantial warming trend via Mutual Action Planning. Mutual Action Planning helps tear down the walls of the home office- field sales cold war by creating real business activity instead of assuming inactivity. Over time, the repeated iterations, candid conversations, and team accomplishments created by Mutual Action Planning become a habit. This habit eventually creates something more important: trust in the relationship.

The objective of Mutual Action Planning is not to force salespeople to conform to “management’s way”. It’s to create a collaborative management- field sales growth culture. Mutual Action Planning provides the strategic means and tools to dynamically engage the “boots on the ground” (sales, personnel) with management to ensure that the activities executed by the team is in line with management’s strategic vision. At the same time, management commits to providing the team with the necessary resources to execute the mission. It provides for necessary adaptations to strategy due to assumptions that proved to be wrong, unforeseen threats, or unexpected opportunities. Ultimately, each party is accountable to the plan, which makes them accountable to each other.

In plain language, Mutual Action Planning gets management and the ground forces operating from the same playbook on the same page with the same game objective in mind. Mutual Action Planning does not tear down the Iron Curtain between field sales and the home office. It erodes it, until finally the Iron Curtain is dissolved and forgotten.

If you are an organization with an independent rep network, sign up for our May 13 MANA Mutual Action Planning Workshop in Chicago or click on the link under “Events” in the left column of  this newsletter.