Sales Management Tips: Sharing Control

by Lois Wong

 

 

Have you ever had the misfortune of working for a micromanaging sales manager? I can say from personal experience that it’s demoralizing. 

 

Several years ago, I was selling enterprise solutions for a Fortune 500 Company. I was very surprised when one day my sales manager confronted me about scheduling a customer meeting at 9:30 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. The customer requested this time which allowed him to check emails and get settled in before my meeting him.  She found that hard to believe and asked for his phone number! An iron-fisted manager thrives on power and control. 

 

Over a few short months, the entire sales team was frustrated.  Reprimands and recommendations from her boss about this micromanaging style resulted in minimal improvement over the next 6 months. Ultimately, she was informed that the team didn’t respect her, and that her style of sales management was distracting the team from closing business. Her response was, “this isn’t a popularity contest.”  No, however, in order to lead a sales team to achieve its goals, the team must be willing to follow a manager’s lead. Ultimately, she was removed from the role.

 

As Thomas A. Kayser writes, “power sharing increases sales motivation and commitment."  A comment I have heard hundreds of times goes something like this:  “How do you expect me to manage my sales team if I have to give up my authority and control?”  Shared power is about sharing control, not giving up control.  Facilitating shared power means you trade-off the ironfisted control of making sales people do something for the shared control of helping to make the process of their doing something possible and successful!  You have traded off de-motivated compliance (“I will do because I have to”) for motivated commitment (“I’ll do it because I understand it and I want to”).

                                                                                                 

Sharing power means everyone getting over the restrictive mindset that says: “If I’m not in total control of the situation, then it must be out of control, because I’m the only one capable of keeping things controlled.”  Until that happens, centralization will rule!”

 

Sales managers who lead by control and authority may experience results but not long lasting ones.