First Line Manager effectiveness
First Line Manager Effectiveness (I)
By on Oct 16, 2008First Line Manager Effectiveness (I)
Pharmaceutical companies can obtain dramatic improvement from their sales forces when their first line managers (FLM) improve their own effectiveness.
The role of the FLM is critical because although the company determines the direction of the organization, the FLMs assess the implementation of the strategy. It is well known that 75% of projects fail in implementing strategy.
The purpose of todays article is to define the most important competences in the FLMs effectiveness.
Effectiveness is about doing the right thing. I have attempted to meet and classify them properly and in the near future I will analyze each of them in depth.
FLMs effectiveness is optimized by:
1. Developing their teams / people:
Within Maslows pyramid of needs, you can find how important it is for each rep to feel that they are improving personal and professionally. This has a powerful effect on talent retention and sales. Everybody needs improving, not only in skills but also in personal growth.
Another effective competence is developing the team. The sum of the parts is less than the total sum of the team (synergy). So working with your reps as a team has a greater effect on sales than working with each of them individually.
The competence of developing people individually and of the team as a whole is necessary for FLMs if they want to improve their effectiveness and get results. Besides, FLMs must differentiate between low and high performances, due to the fact that needs and action plans must be different.
2. Motivating their people:
Sometimes reps dont achieve their goals. In this case the FLMs analyze their sales, the competitors, the opportunities (SWOT analysis) trying to find answers and solutions. Nevertheless rarely do the FLMs analyze rep motivation and even in that case they do not solve the problem. The FLMs dont discover or detect the real points which need improving. And only well trained FLMs are be able to motivate their people. More often than not, motivation is the real factor for underperformance.
3. Carrying Out Business plans:
Yes, yes business plans, not action plans.
In my opinion there are some differences between action plans and business plans.
The most important difference is that the Business plan includes the action plan and a Development plan.
An important issue: FLMs are used to carrying out Action plans on the territory but not Action plans on the rep (development plan). Think about this: Sales are always the result of a rep activity plus his motivation, and not the other way around.
4. Supporting / helping their reps face problems:
Some published surveys indicate that reps rank FLM support with problems as one of the most important characteristics of a FLM.
The way in which FLMs solve them is named efficacy, but thinking in terms of efficiency it means to classify problems and solve them by priorities. The FLM must solve and help their rep with problems. The saying A FLM must not to do everything, they can delegate it is not a way of delegating responsibilities.
5. Helping their teams target the most important clients
Years ago in the pharmaceutical industry, the Market Share was considered to be the most important ratio in sales, but recent trends indicate that now the most important sales ratio is profitability. It is so important that in the near future, it will be the ratio for measuring and paying incentives.
And what about classifying teams clients? Well, reps and some FLMs think that the company pays them for visiting doctors or even for only following the promotional plan. So if they discover that targeting quality is one of the most important factors in achieving sales objectives, it may be that FLMs will be more focused on helping reps classify their clients.
6. Helping their reps thinking strategically:
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. So FLMs teaching their team to think strategically is better than thinking for them.
But, what does it mean?
Thinking strategically is about analyzing (results, potential and effectiveness), fixing objectives (qualitative and quantitative), implementing (making a business plan, allocating resources) and following it up. Many times FLMs make the reps business plan, and later they present it to the reps, and as usual, the reps agree, but they never learn.
7. Having balanced incentives scheme:
Experts state that: Money is not a motivation factor, but it is a hygienic factor. So if you are in range, money does not motivate you but it could demotivate you if you feel you are not well paid. Take it into account. It is very important to make a balanced incentives scheme in a qualitative and quantitative way. If a FLM wants to motivate his teams and make a full incentives scheme, he must not forget to take into account qualitative and quantitative incentives plans. The objectives are different so the results are distinct.
8. Improving a teams sales skills:
Sales results are equal to skills times motivation, so if FLMs detect weaknesses in a rep skill area, FLMs should do the best to improve that reps weakness. It doesnt mean FLMs should teach or train them, because they are not a master in everything; it means they are responsible for pushing their team as high as they can.
When I refer to sales skills I mean product knowledge and sales techniques.
The new role of the FLM is that he doesnt produce sales but he produces the best reps he can, and they obtain sales.
So, how to achieve sales? By improving reps skills and following up on their progress.
9. Hiring people using competences company model:
There are many different surveys and published documents that assure us that there are big differences in sales between high and low performance reps. Besides improving or reinforcing some rep weaknesses, the rep should have some special inborn traits such as empathy, an open mind, proactivenessSo, the better seed (inborn traits) you have, the stronger tree you will have. In addition you need water, sun, etc (Skills).One of the most important FLMs competences is by using the competence hiring model, making the best possible team.
10. Classifying a teams clients:
Dont forget the adoption ladder, one of the latest Sales Force Effectiveness tools. FLMs must teach and help their reps to differentiate messages, tools, actions and marketing plans with their clients. This is the core of the adoption ladder, each client has different needs requiring the use of different tools.
So, I have tried here to briefly summarize the ten most important competences in improving FLMs effectiveness.
In my next article, I will examine in depth how FLMs can develop teams and people.