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SENSATIONAL SALES MANAGEMENTTHE KEY TO A WINNING SALES TEAM

by SELESTE LUNSFORD, Product Manager, Sales PerformancePortfolio, and MARK MARONE, Ph.D., Senior Research Manager

With a knack for being able to see the “big picture,”Jane is regarded as an excellent strategist, constantlyreassessing the market and identifying new customersegments.

Her colleague John, on the other hand, prefers tofocus on short-term goals and work one-on-one withhis salespeople, even joining them in the trencheswhen times get tough.

Frank, another sales manager, sees his role as anadvocate, communicating his team’s concerns to senior management and translating corporate directives for them.

Which of these three is likely to be the moresuccessful sales manager?

Surprisingly, the successful manager does not fitany one of these profiles alone. In fact, an effec-tive sales manager might be described as a mix ofall three… a rare individual indeed!

Gone are the days of numbers-driven dictatorswho motivate staff through intimidation or elab-orate incentives. Instead, the most effective salesmanagers are multi-faceted—drawing on anumber of diverse competencies to optimize theirsales teams’ performance.

Highly successful sales managers can recognizeand develop individual abilities and efforts whileat the same time promoting a collaborative andcooperative team atmosphere. They encourageautonomy by delegating responsibility, yetcontinually track and monitor individualperformance. They are visionaries with an abilityto see the big picture, all the while keeping asharp eye on details. They are intermediaries forupper management and champion employeecauses. In other words, being an effective salesmanager means balancing numerous—and oftenconflicting— demands of the role.

Contrary to popular belief, the success of anygiven sales team does not depend on sales incen-tive size. Research conducted by AchieveGlobalin 2000 and 2001 indicates that leading salespeo-ple worldwide attribute their success to muchmore than the offer of a trip to Jamaica.

Instead, they require the support of sales leaderswho are not only eager to commit themselvesfully to the success of the organization, but alsoare committed to developing their salespeople.

Hoping to discover how today’s most successfulsales managers optimize team performance in achanging and challenging marketplace, we askedsalespeople, sales managers and executives about

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the key competencies of a successful salesmanager. They provided detailed responses, shar-ing insightful examples of those best practices inaction.

While much of the previous years’ sales researchconcentrated on the daily observable behaviors ofsuccessful salespeople, the importance of the salesmanager’s role in creating these sales superstarscannot be ignored.

Through interviews with decision-makers, the collection and analysis of more than 2,000incidents of actual sales behaviors, and a reviewof the literature, we uncovered three key rolesplayed by sales managers poised for success:Coach, Strategist and Communicator.

THE THREE ROLES

The most successful sales managers have a uniqueskill set balanced between a number of diversecompetencies — allowing their salespeople tobuild on individual strengths while addressingtheir weaknesses.

For the best chance of success, sales managersmust simultaneously encourage and develop theirpeople, strategize markets and accounts, and

THE THREE ROLES

serve as liaisons between the sales team and otherparts of the organization. Without such support,employees are unable to accomplish and exceedtheir goals.

1. CoachThis role is about instilling high-performancebehaviors and processes within the entire salesforce, from advice on specific instances to thedevelopment of long-term career paths.

The sales manager is a role model whoseattitude and actions wield great influence —whether negative or positive. Unfortunately,while coaching is the role most oftenmentioned by salespeople as key, it is usually the one most often neglected.

Key attributes of good coaches and examplesof how they affect positive behaviors withintheir sales teams include the ability to:

Build cohesive teams. Regardless of whether asales team is built from the ground up orinherited from a predecessor, chances are itwill be comprised of individuals with a rangeof talents—veterans and newcomers, super-stars and poor performers. The challenge inthis situation is to conduct activities, facilitatemeetings and execute tasks in a way thatbuilds collaboration and cooperation.

Sales teams should be greater than the sum of their parts by demonstrating the ability torally around critical projects and share information among members.

Effective sales managers ensure return oninvestment by recruiting the best and brightesttalent, utilizing the most current tools, settingperformance standards through instructionand constructive feedback, and recognizingand capitalizing on performers with the greatest potential for success.

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motivate performance in ways that extend farbeyond incentive programs and quota plans.They use motivational methods such as verbalrecognition, performance management andcommunication to encourage the team andevoke enthusiasm.

They are fluent in these initiatives and are ableto apply the appropriate motivators to partic-ular team members and situations. Part of successfully implementing such tactics is remembering that what motivates the recentcollege graduate, for example, may not appealto the tenured, single mother of two.

“A fellow manager who was new to mycompany came up with an outstanding recognition system that rewarded salespeoplenot only for production, but for every aspectof their job,” said a telephone sales represen-tative in Seattle. “On a weekly basis, we hold a meeting and award a prize to eachsalesperson who meets specific criteria. Sales performance improved, and quickly the office began to recognize these people as the elite, the best of the best.”

Assist in sales activities. One of the most effective methods a sales manager can use togain respect from the sales team (and modelskills for its members) is to jump into thetrenches. Salespeople tend to judge their managers not so much by what they say, butrather by what they do.

Successful sales managers support activitiesthroughout the sales cycle by using theirnetwork of contacts to identify prospects;leveraging their understanding of the biggerpicture; drawing on their depth of experienceto strategize account plans; and, ultimately,helping to close business.

Effective sales managers skillfully intervene incontentious customer interactions, targetingconflict resolution in a way that satisfies the

It’s every manager’s nightmare: mending abroken staff from a previous administration.But one vice president of a Seattle-basedfinancial services firm did just that, building acohesive team by respecting employees’ differ-ent styles and allowing the sales force to build their own businesses within thecontext of the company’s overall guidelinesand incentive structure.

Now, says one delighted salesperson, “Hecompliments people for their success and inno-vations. Morale and productivity are up likenever before. There is no sense of fear in theair, only fun and cooperation.”

Develop professional skills of individuals in the sales organization. Effective salesmanagers recognize that teams are comprisedof individuals. To maximize efforts, the performance of all members—not just lesserperformers—must be improved. This can bedone through behavioral observation, skill assessment, and targeted coaching and train-ing such as skill- and knowledge-based instruction.

When training ends, sales managers shouldreinforce these skills through modeling andongoing coaching and reinforcement activities.

“We prepared a course on how we should sellour product, which strategies were appropri-ate and how to negotiate,” reports a MexicoCity-based sales manager. “As a consequence,we achieved amazing sales.”

A sales representative in San Franciscoreported similar results when his salesmanager brought guest speakers in fromdifferent disciplines to talk about selling.“Everyone,” he reports, “got their bonus that month.”

Motivate individuals in the sales organization. Effective sales managers

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helped me finish, acting as my sounding board as I rehearsed until midnight. My presentation was flawless, and I got the business – all of it! My relationship with my boss reached a new level.”

2. StrategistThis role requires the manager to simultane-ously see the big picture and keep close watchon the details. A balanced thinker — one whoconsiders grand strategies while managingexpectations and actual performance —contributes heavily to establishing directionand building sales team confidence.

It is in this role that the sales manager mostoften acts as the decision maker — the finalauthority —regarding resource decisions,proceeding with sales activities, penetrating amarket or agreeing to the terms of a sale.

Specific attributes of a good strategic thinkerand examples of how such managers affectpositive behaviors within their sales teamsinclude the ability to:

Create, communicate and execute a vision for the sales organization. The best strategistsare leaders, policymakers and visionaries.They provide clear mission and vision state-ments to their teams in an effort to providecontext for sales activities.

Successful sales managers ensure their sales-people comply with the organization’s overallpolicies and procedures. They also create and,if needed, modify these procedures to furtherprovide direction, reinforce an appropriatebalance of short- and long-term thinking andfacilitate the satisfaction of organizationalgoals.

As one sales representative notes: “The teammanager provided a vision and explained thepurpose of the group. He clearly communi-cated how decisions were going to be made.

customer and preserves the salesperson’s account relationship.

However, sales managers must be careful notto “take over” on sales calls, contradict theirsalespeople or in any way undermine theircredibility. The manager’s role is to supportthe sales team, bringing experience to the tableto win the customer.

“The afternoon before the pitch, I’mcompletely unraveled and concerned that I won’t get an opportunity to rehearse,” said one advertising account executive. “In walks my sales manager with a pizza. We took a break, and he jumped in and

Potential Pitfalls in the COACH Role

Sales managers who devote their time tocoaching but do not fulfill the other roles can be successful, but they may not unleashthe full potential of their staff. They are generally well liked, consistently model theselling skills needed by their employees andare diligent about developing individuals and teams through training.

While such managers may be able to manage a mature market, they are likely to experiencedifficulties expanding their region beyond organic growth and are frequently out oftouch with corporate objectives.

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He valued everyone’s input and kept the envi-ronment open and trustful.”

The lack of this quality, on the other hand, can result in severe consequences.

Another sales representative reported turnoverand confusion as a result of a sales managerwho “was never clear in the duties that heexpected from employees. Each day hechanged procedures and what he wanted youto do!” After a period of high turnover, “thecompany eventually went out of business.”

Develop and maintain a strategic approach to the marketplace. Effective sales managersprovide market expertise. This requires in-depth market analysis, including segmentation,purchasing behaviors, competition and trends.

Effective managers use this information toformulate an approach to the market, recom-mend and execute business developmentinitiatives and determine how to best positionproducts and services in a particular market.Depending on the company’s infrastructure,this may be a distinct task or one that isshared with the marketing department.

“I initialized a long-term market developmentplan after taking over the management of thebranch,” said one Shanghai-based salesmanager. “Market research was conducted inan attempt to gain insight into the marketsituation, including market segmentation anddistribution channel. As a result, our salespeo-ple approached the market better, and weimproved and stabilized sales performance.”

According to a sales manager in the trans-portation industry, “I recently came up with a good marketing campaign in our office. It gave us the exposure and ability to acquirenew clients. Our mass mailing and follow-uptracking combined with a quality product putus in a position of increasing sales over ourprojected quota in the fourth quarter. Thecampaign’s accompanying field competition

resulted in a positive shot in the arm and adoubling of quota.”

Manage resources effectively. Meeting supplyand demand requirements with regard to salesstaff, financial resources, channel partners andsuppliers is a key element of this function.Using powers of persuasion and communica-tion to obtain needed resources is imperative.

Perhaps most challenging of all is takingresponsibility for the team’s contribution tothe organization’s bottom line. Sales managersare accountable for managing budgets andexpenditures as well as ensuring that salescontracts are constructed to meet team goals,mine client opportunities and ensure organiza-tional profitability parameters are met.

Members of the sales team are probably themost critical resource a sales manager has.

“Success for us is achieved in our dailyactivities,” noted one Japan-based salesmanager. “We hire better people. In selectingpotential employees, we perform twointerviews and hold three career informationprograms to make sure that we hire employeeswith qualities we find essential.”

Maintain a current knowledge base. When asalesperson is promoted from the field tomanagement, the temptation is to focus onnew administrative and management tasks andrest on the laurels of previously acquiredmarket, product and competitive knowledge.Unfortunately, such information becomesoutdated quickly.

Successful sales managers devote their time tomaintaining the knowledge to assist in salescall activities and developing well-foundedstrategic planning initiatives.

It cannot be overemphasized that listening to salespeople in the field is one of the bestways to keep market knowledge current.

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A South Africa-based sales manager reports,“My ability to understand the specific issuesrelating to an industry, as well as the specificissues relating to sales, allowed me to assist in negotiations at the most senior level of the[client] organization. As a result, we changedthe customer’s purchasing decision, closing on a short-term commitment as well asconvincing the client to standardize hiscompany’s equipment on our platform.”

3. CommunicatorOne of the most important roles a sales manager performs is acting as liaison betweentop management and the sales staff.

This role describes the characteristics that ensure the flow of information throughout the sales organization is timely and accurate.A good communicator will not accept missedopportunities due to misunderstandings andthe lack of infrastructure and technology.

Attributes of a good communicator and examples of how such managers affect positivebehaviors within their sales teams include theability to:

Communicate to other parts of the organization. Effective sales managers are ableto work closely with other parts of the organi-zation to ensure team success. They are dili-gent about providing progress report detailsand communicating the factors – both positiveand negative – that impact the team’s abilityto not only meet, but also to exceed expecta-tions.

Superior sales managers are viewed by theirteams as conduits to upper management,responsible for representing their views.

“Our TV station has embarked on somemajor changes,” said one sales manager in San Jose. “Jobs are changing, people arecoming and going, and a great deal of direc-tion has been lost. Our local sales managerhas made it her main goal to communicate ourconcerns to the vice president. Without herpersistence to guide us through all thechanges, our group would have disbanded.”

Communicates information from other parts of the organization to the sales staff.Nothing is more counterproductive than organizations acting at cross-purposes.For example, the marketing department hasinvested in a campaign program to push

Potential Pitfalls in the STRATEGIST Role

A common profile is of a sales manager whois almost exclusively a strategist. This personexcels at planning and is often referred to as a visionary.

While such sales managers possess a clear understanding of their market and theirproduct’s current and future place in it, theysometimes find themselves disappointed intheir team’s inability to make this vision a reality. In fact, more often than not, the salesteam doesn’t even understand what the visionis and is prone to view this manager as “sitting in an ivory tower,” disconnected from the salesperson’s reality and hard to approach.

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product A, while the sales force is sending outdirect mail pieces promoting product B. Effective sales managers prevent this situationfrom happening by ensuring that the staff is communicated to and understands thecorporate market and product strategies.

The ability to view actions as they relate tothe bigger picture promotes an increase insupportive behaviors. Even more important,effective sales managers ensure that theirpeople are informed of changes.

Providing sales staff with timeframes and rationale for a process or technology changeguarantees greater adoption and less confusionand distraction from sales activities.

A Waltham, MA-based national sales managerin the services industry said, “Recently ourorganization went through a realignment ofsales teams. My manager did a fantastic jobexplaining to all concerned in one-on-oneinterviews about the details behind thechanges and why they were necessary.”

“My national sales manager did an outstand-ing job of dealing with management concerns(over sluggish revenues), yet built up his salesteam at the same time,” said an Irvine, CA-based sales representative. “He was able tosell management on the benefits of keepingprograms in place.”

Solicit and value feedback from their salesteams. Effective sales managers create an envi-ronment where the sales team perceives thatinput and feedback is valued.

Communication should never be a one-waystreet from the manager to the team. Salesrepresentatives know better than anyone whattheir customers are saying and what theywant. In fact, the sales rep is closer to mostcustomer interactions than any other person in the organization.

Managers must encourage their teams tocommunicate important information about

clients as well as their individual needs, prob-lems and concerns. It’s critical that managersnot just pay lip service to valuing feedback;rather, they need to actively incorporate theirteam’s input when making decisions.

“Our manager conducted one-on-one meet-ings with each sales rep to go over everyaspect of selling situations and problems,”said one Boston-based sales representative in the tech industry. “This really created astrong connection with each rep, resulting in a trusting and open atmosphere.”

A real estate executive in the Stamford areanoted: “The sales force frequently missedmandatory meetings. Finally, the salesmanager took the time to listen to individualsalespersons’ needs and adjusted companymeeting requirements accordingly. As a result,there is better attendance and an overallincrease in morale and productivity.”

Facilitate communication among team members. Successful sales managers not onlycommunicate effectively with their teams andupper management, but they also actively promote open and honest communicationamong and between sales teams.

Because sales professionals spend a lot of timein the field, often working remotely, theysometimes require formal practices or struc-tures to promote both professional andpersonal communication with their colleagues.

Managers can actively encourage the sharingof information, problems or concerns amongthe sales force by providing frequent opportu-nities to network, holding cross-teammeetings, requiring collaboration for certainactivities or creating mentoring programs.

Encouraging sales professionals to share theirexperiences, observations and ongoing chal-lenges with colleagues results in stronger andsmarter teams.

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A salesperson in Tokyo reaped tremendousbenefits when his sales manager designed aprocess to leverage the experiences of his teammembers as well as those of other sales teams.“In order to face the intensifying competition,we built a nationwide network connecting allbranches, so that our salespeople can shareinformation on customers and products aswell as successful sales examples, therebyenhancing their sales skill and abilities.”

MANAGEMENT STYLE: ENABLER OR INHIBITOR?

In addition to the three roles outlined in thisreport, we discovered that salespeople attribute acertain “style” to managers they perceive as beingmost successful.

Based on the reactions and comments of thoseinterviewed, an enabling management style facil-itates the sales manager’s ability to execute thethree roles, enabling salespeople to perform attheir peak.

While the indicators that point to an enablingmanagement style cannot be specifically linked tosuccess, respondents perceive their importance infulfilling the three key roles.

Although the sales professionals we surveyedoften characterized sales managers on a contin-uum between polar extremes, it should be notedthat these descriptions were usually based on therelative success of the manager.

Those identified as having an enabling manage-ment style were more successful in meetingquotas, while those with an inhibiting style werereported to have turnover and revenue problems.

Even though this style of management does notemerge as a requirement, it is safe to say that itdoes make things easier. Respondents describedsome key attributes of this management style as:

• consistently considering different perspectives

• listening to the concerns of individuals with compassion and patience

• keeping promises and leading by example

• exhibiting enthusiasm, confidence, commitment and honesty

These behaviors more than likely create a loyalstaff committed to satisfying and even surpassingthe organization’s sales goals.

Potential Pitfalls in the COMMUNICATOR Role

A manager totally devoted to fulfilling thecommunicator role is fully focused on collect-ing and sharing information. This person isdiligent about completing progress reports and consistently uses call reporting andtracking systems.

Unfortunately, this manager is viewed as anadministrator and is often unable to move histerritory beyond status quo. To quote one ofthe research participants, this kind of person“can be great with details but misses the bigpicture.”

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Here are some specific examples of what salespeople had to say:

According to a retail sales professional fromSan Jose, poor morale and performanceemerged after their manager began a “hot seat approach to quiz the reps… bullying and embarrassing them (in front of peers), as well as threatening to take away clients.”

A Chicago area sales executive reports havingto terminate a sales manager after his regionexperienced poor performance and highturnover. “He lacked empathy for hiscustomers and his people. He often criticized(salespeople) after sales calls without partici-pating in them or offering any reinforcement.”

On the other hand, an effective sales managerin Massachusetts was able to reenergize a salesteam that had been floundering for more than

two years. One of his employees had this tosay: “His presence was excellent—confidentand compassionate. People picked up on thisand fed off his energy. He was a strong leaderwho led by example.”

ASSESSING YOUR SITUATION: WHERE ARE YOU?

Not all competencies, or even a high level ofproficiency in each, is required in all cases. Infact, there are instances when a sales manageronly needs to draw on one or two of the roles.

Ultimately, however, all three roles are requiredto optimize the performance of a sales team. Evena team of “superstars” needs a manager who cansuccessfully navigate all three.

The chart below is a thumbnail assessment thatprovides some high-level insight into the extent towhich you (or your sales manager) portrays thethree roles. Review the roles described in the

Sales Manager Roles and Competencies 1 = Extremely Ineffective5 = Extremely Effective

Build a cohesive team

Develop professional skills of individuals in the sales organization

Motivate individuals in the sales organization

Assist in sales call activities

Create, communicate and execute a vision for the sales organization

Develop an approach to the marketplace

Manage resources effectively

Maintain current knowledge base

Communicate effectively to other parts of the organization

Communicate information from other parts of the organization to sales staff

Solicit and value feedback from the sales team

Facilitate communication among team members

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

Total __________

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

Total __________

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

Total __________

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previous sections, and rate yourself (or your salesmanager) on your ability to be effective in eacharea.

Our research found that while sales managerstypically excel in one of these roles and demon-strate strengths and weaknesses in others, fewmanagers have mastered all three roles.

To evaluate your strengths and weaknesses ineach role, find your total score for each role, andrefer to the key below to see where you fall.

Total Points

17-20: Extremely effective in this role

14-16: Demonstrate sufficient skills in this role

9-13: Need to work on improving skills in this role

4-8: Focus efforts on acquiring skills in this role

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Depending on your position, there may be a lotyou can do to further support the selling process.The table on facing page is a starting point.

• The first column brings together the typesof organizational support sales managersneed to excel at each role.

• The second column provides space for you to evaluate the effectiveness of this support.

• The third column is for notes about thingsyou and others might do to improve thesituation. Think about focus, information,useful tools and understanding.

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Organizational Initiatives to Improve Effective?Sales Management Results Yes No

What improvementscan I make?

• Provide access to training programs, knowledge and resources

• Provide tools to help sales managers evaluate individuals on their sales teams

• Provide access to incentive and non-monetary rewards

• Ensure the entire organization understands what coaching entails and its value to the organization

• Give managers the autonomy to conduct regional marketing and local market channel strategy activities

• Facilitate the integration of information among marketing and sales departments to keep market information current

• Facilitate communication and idea exchangebetween sales and product development to keep product knowledge current and productdevelopment plans aligned

• Provide a corporate mechanism to track and evaluate sales performance

• Produce and communicate a channel strategy that addresses potential for conflict (e.g., Internet & inside sales vs. field) and impact on commission structure

• Provide a clear vision that can be communicated to the field

• Engage in frequent two-way conversations with your sales managers to better understand the factors that positively and negatively impactsales performance

• Create channels for sales managers to procureresources and assistance from other departments in the organization

• Develop an infrastructure for lateral communication

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APPENDIX

An overview of key research studies that laid the foundation for this report.

Interviews With Decision-MakersThe main purpose of this study was to identifybroad sales trends:

• how the market is changing

• how organizations are responding

• what strategies are being employed

The study focused on the following types oforganizations and interviewees:

• organizations with as few as 100 to morethan 10,000 employees, with reputationsfor superior sales and marketing

• all business sectors, including heavy manufacturing, high-tech manufacturing,financial services, health and social servic-es, business services, retail and distribu-tion, transportation and utilities, govern-ment and education

• vice presidents of sales or human resources

A total of 33 interviews were conducted frommid-February to mid-April 2000: 24 in theUnited States and nine in Italy, Switzerland andGreat Britain. Interviews lasted about 45 minutesand were conducted by phone, although in a fewcases interviewees chose to write their responsesand return them by e-mail.

Critical Incident StudyTo get at the competencies that make up a goodsalesperson, AchieveGlobal conducted a criticalincident study in 2000 and 2001.

“Competencies” refer to the behaviors peopleactually use—not the behaviors they think theyshould use, or which have traditionally beentaught—to perform a given job or set of tasks, in

this case selling. The purpose of the study was todevelop current and future modes of salesperformance and sales management. Thesemodes could then be used to develop assessmenttools and sales performance and sales manage-ment programs.

To determine the competencies of effective sell-ing, AchieveGlobal followed the critical incidentmethodology, which has been used in thousandsof studies since it was first developed in the1950s. The critical incident methodology is wellsuited to establishing a baseline set of tasks, a“real-life” definition of selling.

In each organization surveyed, researchersrandomly selected two people – one manager orsupervisor and one nonsupervisory employee.Without being given any definition of selling,these respondents were simply asked to recallrecent examples of both good and bad salesbehavior.

Who Participated in the StudyOrganizations. Organizations were selectedbased on their reputation for superior sales andmarketing, as identified in the United States bySales and Marketing Management magazine.Internationally, AchieveGlobal affiliate partnersand an independent research firm were asked toidentify the leading sales and marketing organi-zations in their respective countries.

The study focused on organizations ranging from100 employees to more than 10,000 employees.They represented all business sectors, includingheavy manufacturing, high-tech manufacturing,financial services, health and social services,business services, retail and distribution, trans-portation and utilities, government and educa-tion.

Organizations from Brazil, China, France, Japan,Mexico, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland, theUnited Kingdom and the United States wererepresented.

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Respondents. More than 470 people respondedto the study. Participants in the study were allsales managers or salespeople, usually identifiedby a key contact within each organization. Insome countries, interviewers contacted salesmanagers and salespeople directly.

Study Method. For the sales professional model,respondents were asked to think of four separateoccasions:

• Think of a recent time when you or someone else made an important sale.

• Think of a recent time when you or some-one else exceeded expectations in salesperformance.

• Think of a recent time when you or some-one else failed to make a sale.

• Think of a recent time when you or some-one else failed to meet expectations insales performance.

For each of these, the interview probed using the following questions:

• What did the person do?

• What was the situation?

• Who was involved?

• How did the customer react?

• What were the results of this behavior?

• When did this happen?

• What was this person’s title and positionin the organization?

Analysis. The study generated more than 2,100critical incidents. These were entered into a data-base, along with information identifying partici-pant characteristics. The analysis followed theguidelines set forth by Flanagan (1954) and Russ-Eft (1995).

As a result of the analysis, these incidents wereaggregated into a set of 16 selling competencies,and then further divided into the five key roles ofeffective salespeople. Based on feedback fromthese salespeople, the three roles of an effectivesales manager emerged.

The critical incident methodology does notinvolve a statistical analysis of a representativesample. The purpose is not to identify the mostfrequently mentioned sales performance or salesmanagement attributes, but rather to uncover thefull range of critical attributes that make up suchperformance.

This study builds upon and updates previousAchieveGlobal research on sales performance andsales management (Sales and marketing trends,1987; Roles of a sales manager, 1987; Sales forceturnover, 1989; Service excellence, 1990; Salesproductivity, 1990; Customer loyalty, 1989,1991-1992; Roles of the salesperson, 1987, 1990,1994; Sales leadership, 1991-1994; Drivingissues, 1998-1999; Coker, Del Gaizo, Murray, &Edwards, 2000; and Del Gaizo, Corcoran &Erdman, 1996).

Validation. The assessment tools based on theU.S. and international critical incident studieshave been validated extensively.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Seleste Lunsford is a product manager forAchieveGlobal’s Sales Performance portfolio ofproducts and services. She manages the identifi-cation, design, development and maintenance offoundational and advanced products for salesprofessionals.

She has worked with organizations in a widevariety of industries, including financial services,training and IT services. Citibank, Diners ClubInternational, Dime Bancorp and several largeSouth American credit card issuers are among thecustomers she has consulted with.

Seleste’s professional experience includes posi-tions in sales, product management, marketingand management consulting. Her responsibilitiesin these positions led her to become proficient instrategic planning; market analysis and businesscase development; process redesign; and productdesign & development.

She earned an MBA degree from Florida StateUniversity, where she also earned a B.S. degree inphysics.

Mark Marone, Ph.D., is AchieveGlobal’s seniorresearch manager. He has more than 13 years ofacademic and private sector experience inresearch and consulting on issues such aseconomic development, corporate strategy andbusiness policy.

His career includes being a senior analyst withNielsen Media Research, where he was responsi-ble for analyzing market data for key nationalmedia accounts. He also served as director ofresearch at the Global Business InformationNetwork, a research firm that provides interna-tional consulting to businesses in the Midwest. Inaddition, he spent several years as a managementconsultant with KPMG, LLC, and as a clientservices manager for Sterling Research Group,Inc.

Mark has written extensively on topics such ashigh technology industries, economic develop-ment and corporate strategy in the telecommuni-cations industry. He has been the featuredspeaker and presented research findings atnumerous international academic conferences.

He earned a Ph.D. from Indiana University,where he has held several academic posts. Hecurrently is an adjunct professor of managementat the University of South Florida.

ABOUT ACHIEVEGLOBAL

AchieveGlobal is the world leader in helpingorganizations translate business strategies intobusiness results by developing the skills andperformance of their people. We are a singleresource for aligning employee performance withorganizational strategy through training andconsulting solutions in sales performance,customer service, leadership and teamwork.

To find out more about this topic or any of themany ways AchieveGlobal helps organizationsmove from strategy to results through theirpeople, contact your AchieveGlobal representa-tive, call us at 800.456.9390 or visitwww.achieveglobal.com.

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©2002 AchieveGlobal, Inc. No. M0227 (4/02)