The Management System

These practices should be devised by the Senior Management Team and should be in line with the agreed vision.  The practices will result in:

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• Development of best practice and process around the key activities and development of specific sales and service leadership competencies in line with your vision.

• Clear and consistent messages being delivered throughout the team.

• Consistency in sales & service and performance management.

What are Management Practices?

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Expect and Inspect

To function effectively as a vibrant sales & service culture, people need to know what managers expect.  And they need to know how managers will inspect.

An analysis of successful, customer-focussed organisations shows that high performing managers follow consistent, systematic routines to manage their front line people.

‘The Management System’

A set of clearly defined, measurable practices that managers at all levels commit to carrying out on a regular, disciplined, skilled and enthusiastic basis and without fail.

Each part of this definition is important:

• A set of clearly defined measurable practices.  Doing a few things randomly isn’t enough; many actions are required to achieve sustained excellence in front line delivery.

• Managers at all levels – From the CEO right through the organisation including anyone who has line management responsibilities. If it stops at one level, it has the effect of one domino bringing the whole lot down.

• Regular, disciplined, skilled and enthusiastic basis and without fail. With so many different priorities for your managers, it is difficult to stay focussed on front line delivery.  Maintaining this focus requires discipline and consistency.  It requires holding people accountable and supporting them.  A management system can help managers stay focussed by clearly indicating behaviours needed daily, weekly, monthly – by putting consistent sales & service delivery at the front line firmly on the agenda.

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The Management System

There are 5 key groups of activities around which the activities in the Management System are based:

• Setting Clear Direction and Planning Performance: Creation and ownership of team and individual performance plans that are reviewed and updated regularly to take into account changes in business performance and activity.

• Measure, Observe and Coach Performance: The regular use of the various forms of coaching to enhance team and individual performance.  This includes regular and structured Performance Planning sessions to enhance individual performance and raise levels of accountability.

• Building Strong Teams: The use of focussed, regular meetings to enhance team and individual performance. Building great teams to achieve outstanding results.

• Removing Obstacles: The use of meetings and other problem solving techniques to quickly overcome issues affecting performance.  Setting people up to win – ‘Removing the static’.

• Reward and Recognition: The introduction of processes designed to recognise and share best practice, reward performance and appropriate behaviours.

Example - Measure, Observe and Coach Performance

Successful organisations are little more than the combined ability of their people to sell and service, and at the heart of great Sales and Service organisations are great Sales and Service coaches.

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• Monthly 1:1 performance planning sessions: Customised to particularly discuss business results, activities, skills, knowledge, attitude and behaviours, with the onus being on the person being coached to create and agree upon a clear action plan that will improve their business and sales performance. 

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• Regular skills observation sessions, to give individuals feedback on customer interactions and the like, and managers feedback on their coaching skills. In the moment coaching, where managers seize the moment in giving feedback to individuals or teams.

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• In the moment coaching, where managers seize the moment in giving feedback to individuals or teams.