Sales Leadership Greatness: 4 Part Discussion about Coaching Styles
PART II – RAH-RAH SALLY
Rah, Rah Sally (our first sales leader extreme)
As you read about this sales management style, ask yourself, “Is this my strength area?” If so, what are my strengths and what are my weaknesses?
Rah-Rah Sally believes that everyone will work better in a environment of excitement, up-beat discussions, and positivity. She smiles all the time and with a bright voice explains the way to the promised land (sales and happy customers).
Everything needs to look good – the salespeople, the company, the marketing, and the products and services. She praises, a lot – sometimes too much, but it does help at times. You might hear her in the hallways, “It’s a great day for making new customers happy – Let’s go, Let’s do it!” She might draw you aside and say, “I know this is going to be a great week for you – I can feel it!”
Negative stuff is avoided and only can-do discussions allowed. Facts and results are overlooked. Progress isn’t tracked and activities are not managed. In addition, great fanfare precedes new initiatives but those new strategies are not followed up on, improved, and carried into greater performance. Gradually people begin to hate the fanfare when it begins. No new processes are created.
On the positive side, Sally does bring warmth into a tough sales environment. She does focus on relationships. Things do look good. She means well.
She just needs to mature and to realize that processes are important and results must be faced. Facts are at times brutal but real. Teaching is improved if a process is followed and patience with a process leads to consistent results.
Recently, during a Coach the Best™ Session, a young woman named Tiffany raised her hand and said, “I’m Rah-Rah Sally. And, I do relate to the positive and negative qualities of this style of sale leadership. Sometimes I miss focusing on results and progress measurements. I sweep problems off the table and let them run around hidden. I do praise people, but I’m sometimes too nice and not direct enough for clear direction or re-direction.”
Tiffany’s not alone and some men also play lead with rah-rah. Many sales leaders rise to a sales leader position with similar styles. If you are like Tiffany, and you want to change, you can grow. I’ve seen significant and positive changes in sales manages who wanted to get better. Lance.
Next Discussion – Passive Process Pete