A Day In The Life
I'm
30 years old and I have the greatest job in the world! I'm a sales manager
in the material handling industry. As a sales manager for R.H. Brown Co.
(Seattle, Washington), my greatest responsibility is to direct and lead
a team of four sales representatives and two engineers, covering a 400
square mile region which includes parts of Oregon and Washington. I am
also responsible for the operation of a Portland, Oregon branch.
My future is wide open in an industry that is well-rooted and here to
stay. There will always be a need for material movement. The steady progression
of technology which influences our everyday activities is not our enemy
but is our ally. The successful distributor must be capable of adapting
to the changes that are rapidly taking place in our industry. And I, as
a sales manager, must be capable of creatively maximizing the impact of
the changes created by technology. It is exciting to work in an industry
in which there are no limitations impacting growth.
My vision for the future includes more management responsibility. I believe
that a good barometer for the measurement of my own success and that of
my company is the level of success achieved by each person on my team.
In order to be successful in attaining my own goals, I must create a situation
in which my employees can be successful. My primary goal is to manage
a team of professionals who are enthusiastic about their ability to meet
company expectations.
As part of management, I am conscious of the need to earn the respect
of those I manage. Like many other sales managers in our industry, I was
promoted from a sales position. Over the course of a two year period,
I was responsible for a particular sales territory's increase in sales
of 25 percent. However, my ability to sell successfully does not automatically
mean that I can manage and lead successfully.
While recruiting, training and developing new sales representatives, it
helps that I don't forget my initial perception of our industry. I honestly
believed that when compared to other industries like computers and technology,
that material handling was second-class and behind the times. Boring.
Lacking an opportunity for creativity. To the contrary. In the last five
years, we have seen rapid changes in technology and an increase in competition.
As professionals, we must constantly be first with the most complete solutions
to our customers' problems. The formerly small distributor is becoming
large as a result of increased merger and acquisition activity. I very
quickly developed an understanding of the potential for challenges and
growth.
Real world experiences that come from placing myself on the firing line
have been my greatest teacher. As a sales manager, I must keep my pulse
on the industry at all times, continually challenging the sales representatives.
I spend a good portion of each day instilling in each person on my team
a level of enthusiasm that matches my own. We all must continue to learn
and adapt to a rapidly changing industry or risk becoming dinosaurs.
The opportunities presented for networking and education through vendor-supported
programs and through membership in MHEDA have been invaluable. At various
junctures during the past two years, I may have considered myself successful.
Then I spoke with the guy sitting next to me at a MHEDA conference. Not
only did I learn how to approach a challenge differently, but I've learned
there is always someone out there who is doing more and blazing new paths
for growth.
Each Monday, I meet with our salespeople in order to plan our strategy
and objectives concerning various projects that are in the works. During
a review of customer needs and a marketing plan designed specifically
to meet the needs of each customer, I continually ask questions. Each
member of my team will be asked, "What does R.H. Brown Co. need to do
in order to help you to meet your objectives this week?"
6:30 A.M. In order to spend the greater portion of each day in
the field with a salesperson, my day begins at 6:30 A.M. Because of the
size of my territory, I will spend one night each week on the road. Whether
driving a distance to meet a salesperson or in the office, I spend the
earliest hours of the day on planning and implementation of company-wide
marketing strategies. Targeting sales objectives for the day, week, month
or quarter, I remind sales representatives to remain focused on what we
as a company do best. It is my responsibility to direct our resources
into projects that we have the highest percentage of closing.
8:00 A.M. My enthusiasm for each salesperson's success helps to
fuel their drive, motivating them to achieve even more than they did the
day, week or month before. As I accompany a salesperson on the day's appointments,
I am conscious of the need to see the big picture, relating relevant market
issues to the trends impacting the individual salesperson's specific territory.
The time spent at a prospective
customer's site and time spent with the individual salesperson is an
invaluable resource for me. My priority is to monitor the demands of
the marketplace. While driving to the next appointment, the sales representative
and I are able to review and refocus on the strategies established earlier
in the week. Down-time spent in a car or over lunch provides an excellent
opportunity for teaching as well as challenging.
Throughout the day, I am in
constant communication with our offices in Portland, Oregon and Seattle,
Washington. I utilize my cell phone and pager throughout the day as
I respond to voice mail messages. I find myself utilizing e-mail to
communicate more frequently with other company personnel, suppliers
and customers.
5:00 P.M. For the next 60—90 minutes, I will respond to
e-mail and the latest voice mail messages. There is still time to prepare
for a full day on the road with another salesperson tomorrow. The decision
of how to spend my time is critical. I am juggling several balls in
the air at once. It is imperative that I remain focused on my number
one priority‹managing the department responsible for gross sales.
I am still a salesperson. As a sales manager, I am now selling ideas
and to a large extent the vision that I possess of a vibrant, exciting
industry that is filled with a potential for growth. Time management,
continuously monitoring changes in the marketplace and remaining focused
on company-wide objectives are all a part of each day in the life of
a sales manager. |
