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The Sales Director |
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Date: 01/09/2006 |
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We ask John Nicholson, former Group Sales Director for Compaq UK & Ireland, and current NED at Recite "What differentiates a superstar Sales Director from a good one?"
There are many good Sales Directors around, but how many deserve that 'stellar' label, that star quality that means that wherever they go, their company's fortunes will rise? Only the very best in the sales field can truly articulate what helped them make it to the top. So what are the components that make a superior Sales Director?
John Nicholson is a former Group Sales Director at Compaq, where he was tasked with delivering yearly sales of $3.5bn - or $1.75m an hour! More recently he was CEO and is now Non-Executive Director at sales effectiveness company Recite. He is also an NED at FPGA Computing specialist Nallatech and live brand experience experts MMM.
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He believes those aspiring to be the best Sales Director must see the big picture of what their goals are, know how to grow the business, how best to involve others, and know what to say and do, and when! Nicholson believes it is important to realise that as a Sales Director, you are doing more than simply leading the sales team. You will also be expected to have some degree of influence at Board level in your own company. The Sales Director's role is more than just the sales management side. Yes, you need to be familiar with the sales process, how sales work, how salespeople think, and how teams work. But you also need that additional dimension, to be able to influence strategy and build partnerships, often with people who will have had both good and bad experiences with sales. And with the Board, you've also got to be articulate and persuasive and know how to choose your moment: when to speak and when to keep quiet.
Gain some general management skills
Nicholson believes his performance has benefited from gaining an extra layer of general management experience, and he'd advise others to follow the same path. "My international experience of general management was quite unusual. I went out of the sales force and ran engineering and marketing teams before coming back to a Sales Director role; I think that was an enormous boost. I was looking at market segments globally and that helped me to gain broader perspectives, allying and partnering across and outside the business."
Plan your career
To gain that general management expertise, which will ultimately help the Sales Director's career, Nicholson has a career management plan, which is simple but effective. "I always think from a general career perspective, you should keep thinking two steps ahead. Decide where you want to be in two steps time, and then wind back, and say, 'What attributes do I need to acquire that would help me achieve my goal?"
Change is a key factor
Although he believes organisational culture does play a part in whether a Sales Director can be successful at different organisations, he considers change to be a bigger factor.
"What's more important than culture is the degree of change that's required to be driven by your role in the organisation. Typically, a CEO or a Sales Director arriving is usually indicative of change. However, remember that the core competencies you need to do the job are still the same. You've got three attributes and three aspects on what you have to deliver: you've got be a manager, a leader, and a coach and you've got to have the right skills, capabilities and resources."
Clarity and control
Nicholson believes the best Sales Directors control the speed and direction of their team, and are also a coach to their direct reports, to the point where the team members are maximising the impact of their teams. "The difference between a good Sales Director and an excellent one is the ability to deliver impact via your people. That's pretty fundamental. If you're going to get your team to have an impact, you've got to have a positive impact on all three broad stakeholder groups: your customers, your team members, and the company."
A key word watchword for a nascent Sales Director Superstar is clarity. "One of your tasks as a Sales Director is to be really clear with people on what their charter is. The best Sales Directors will create and sustain an environment where people can succeed. A key aspect of any manager's role, but particularly in sales, is that people have got have clear charters, roles, goals and measures, to feel committed and dedicated to their task, their role - and they've got to know what success looks like"
Numeracy
In addition, you can't be a Sales Director and not be numerate. "I'm amazed at the number of people I come across in sales positions who are innumerate, who can't sit down and work out trends," says Nicholson. "A Sales Director must absolutely be able to forecast, and getting your trends and therefore the direction you're going to go in is critical to that. Otherwise, how else will you know whether to take timely action or not? You've also got to be articulate, persuasive and be able to put yourself in other people shoes, whether it's customers, other parts of the organisation or people in your own team.
The Sales philosophy according to Nicholson
> Try and walk a mile in somebody else's shoes - and if it doesn't work out, you're a mile away, and you've got their shoes."
> "Never wrestle with pigs - all you do is get muddy, and the pigs love it."
> "You've got two ears, two eyes, and one mouth. You should attempt to use those five things in that proportion."
> "Never be afraid to ask questions: 'He who asks is a fool for 5 minutes. He who doesn't ask is a fool for life.'
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John Nicholson, former Group Sales Director for Compaq UK & Ireland explains his Sales Director philosophy |