Archives des Management

1-Managing means helping salespeople

Sales people have three main missions: to acquire customers, build customer loyalty and develop the contribution of each customer (average basket). To achieve this, they (normally) define their sales action plans. However, experience shows that this can be a difficult exercise, requiring a real sense of perspective. On one mission, a sales representative's action plan read "open more prospects", with no further details. The intention is certainly laudable and relevant. But this objective does not in itself constitute a structuring action plan for his prospecting activity. It's an axis, but not an act: it lacks an operational dimension. In other words, in order to "open up more prospects", should he intensify the number of prospecting actions he carries out, or improve their targeting, or even their quality? Spending several days prospecting with the wrong approach can be demotivating and counter-productive! His manager had noticed a drop in motivation, without having questioned him or led him to modify his action plan or sales strategy...

However, there is no shortage of opportunities for the manager to support the salesperson in his or her thinking by providing real added value! What criteria should be used to target priority prospects? How can we adapt to arouse their interest? How can we increase the average value of contracts signed? How can we optimize the sales coverage of the sector to reach our objectives? Managers have an essential role to play with their teams! Provided they ask themselves the right questions, and help them analyze their results. As long as they distract them from the "what" (the objective to be achieved) and concentrate on the "how" (number, type and quality of actions to be carried out), they can empower their sales teams to perceive their needs and the pragmatic means to be implemented to reach their objectives. Focusing on building the path to results, rather than on the results themselves, has the added advantage of raising awareness and fostering commitment.

2-Managing means coaching every salesperson

When asked about their relationship with their managers, many salespeople appreciate the trust they are given, while others appreciate their autonomy... Some, on the other hand, call on their manager to solve customer problems or finalize a high-stakes negotiation. Managers from the field often appreciate this approach. With good sales skills, they conduct these discussions with the salesperson and generally achieve satisfactory results. But it's not a solution: from the point of view of the salesperson's progress, is it enough to attend the manager's demonstration? To ask the question is to answer it: watching a tennis match does not make the spectator a seasoned tennis player! Increasing sales performance therefore involves acting on 2 fundamental levers: skills and motivation.

How do sales managers help their teams to develop their sales, relational and behavioral techniques? How often do they coach them to reinforce or work on these skills? How do they help them develop their self-confidence and assertiveness? Only by observing salespeople in sales meetings can the manager establish a reliable diagnosis. This is the prerequisite for helping each salesperson, on an individual and personalized basis, to reinforce their strengths and work on their areas for improvement. By taking a genuine interest in his colleagues, the "manager coach brings them high added value and helps them grow, while raising their standards. They develop the skills and motivation of each individual. This in turn has a major impact on results.

3-Managing means leading

Whether organized at the start of each sales cycle, or on a more occasional basis, sales meetings are always special occasions. Favoring exchanges between colleagues and the sharing of best practices, they provide an opportunity to work on the means to achieve objectives. Here too, real attention needs to be paid to the format and content of these key moments: too many meetings are scuttled by endless slides, untimely exchanges and ill-defined or poorly mastered objectives. The result is general passivity, a lack of constructive action, a feeling of wasting time, and even demotivation. So how can sales meetings be animated to deliver real added value? To move the team forward? Motivate them? The starting point is to ask yourself what you want your team to achieve by the end of the meeting. Is it to improve their negotiating skills, to open 10 new accounts over the next six months, to take ownership of a new offer, to better share information in order to sell to networks...?

The meeting must be prepared with these objectives in mind. The manager organizes the different phases of the meeting and chooses the most appropriate facilitation methods from a wide range (metaplanning workshop, round-table discussions, case studies, role-playing, etc.). The beginning and end of the meeting are of course key moments, to which the manager must pay particular attention. The introduction gives meaning to the meeting, sets the tempo for the day, and the conclusion puts the results of the meeting into perspective over the coming weeks or months, highlighting the added value of the work carried out together. With a fast-paced day, more interaction and participation, a dynamic of reflection and decision-making, sales people and managers spend a constructive and stimulating time, bringing momentum and energy until the next meeting.

In brief

Sales managers have powerful levers at their disposal to help their teams grow and impact their results. By activating them, they gain in relevance and credibility with their teams. By focusing on skills, motivation and the relevance of actions taken, they put the pressure on salespeople's activity rather than on results alone. This enables them to develop their performance... and get results!

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Une Direction Commerciale intérimaire pour (presque) tout faire ?

En pratique, un spécialiste de la performance et du management commercial qui intègre une entreprise pour une mission en intérim peut intervenir sur 3 axes : structuration de la stratégie commerciale, animation et management, soutien opérationnel sur le terrain.

Du fait des profils à potentiel généralement proposés, le périmètre des missions prises en compte est double : opérationnel pour assurer la continuité, et stratégique pour ajouter son expertise.

Dans les faits, son intervention consiste par exemple à :

- assurer le suivi des Plans d’Action mensuels/hebdomadaires et le coaching terrain
- animer l’équipe, encadrer les investigations de Grands Comptes
- assurer ou préparer les entretiens et négociations à fort enjeux
- apporter un regard extérieur sur la stratégie et l’organisation commerciale
- proposer des pistes d’amélioration des process commerciaux, outils et indicateurs de de pilotage

Le Directeur Commercial par intérim accompagne donc de façon globale l’entreprise qui l’accueille. Il le fait d’autant plus sereinement qu’une feuille de route est établie en accord avec le ou les dirigeants. Pour eux, l’exigence de résultats tangibles à assez court terme est un moyen de mesurer rapidement le retour sur investissement (les missions de ce genre se déroulent généralement sur des périodes de 3 à 8 mois, à temps complet ou à raison de 1 à 3 jours de présence hebdomadaire, selon les besoins).

Des avantages immédiats

Les bénéfices pour l’entreprise sont nombreux, mais on retiendra surtout la souplesse de cette solution qui permet au dirigeant d’entreprise de configurer la mission en collant au mieux à ses besoins du moment :

- faciliter ou accélérer un recrutement
- bénéficier d’une plus grande flexibilité dans un contexte de changement
- absorber un surcroît temporaire d’activité
- tester la pertinence d’une création définitive de poste

Enfin, le recours à une DC en intérim, moins sensible à la pression interne et exempte de tout « passif », peut s’avérer plus efficace dans certains cas de figure : conduite du changement ou réorganisation, conquête d’un nouveau marché moins bien maîtrisé, négociation à fort enjeux vis-à-vis d’un client …

Discover the KESTIO webinars, where we discuss

all topics related to sales performance with our experts:

Fabien Comtet, CEO

Dominique Seguin, General Manager

Nicolas Boissard, Marketing Director

Pourtant, ce levier reste relativement peu utilisé malgré les nombreux avantages qu’il procure. A cela, deux raisons majeures :

D’abord, si les agences de recrutement proposent déjà aux entreprises de faire appel au « management de transition » pour des fonctions de Direction de production, Direction logistique, industrielle ou encore financière, elles proposent rarement ce service pour une Direction commerciale. Surestimant l’importance de la connaissance de l’environnement du poste (produits, portefeuille clients,…), elles ne perçoivent pas la contribution potentielle du DC par intérim.

Ensuite, les agences ne sont de fait pas les mieux placées pour proposer ces postes : leur métier est plus de sélectionner de « bons profils » que de garantir la qualité et la validité des méthodes, outils, et processus que leurs recrues appliqueront, n’étant pas elles-mêmes des spécialistes du domaine. Aussi, elles ne sont pas très à l’aise sur ces terrains qu’elles ne maîtrisent pas.

La solution « Cabinet de conseil »

Pour un dirigeant en recherche d’un Directeur Commercial par intérim, se faire accompagner d’un expert des fonctions commerciales permet de lever de nombreux freins. Habitué à s’adapter avec réactivité et efficacité aux caractéristiques de l’entreprise (taille, organisation, positionnement…), ce dernier sait analyser et s’approprier rapidement l’offre et les spécificités d’un marché.

Sa force est de conjuguer efficacité opérationnelle (expérience), vision stratégique (conseil) et capacité à accompagner la montée en compétences des équipes (formation).

Les consultants Kestio ont fait la preuve de cette adaptabilité en accompagnant récemment sous ce mode 3 sociétés aux configurations et aux enjeux bien différenciés :

- une multinationale leader sur le marché des EPI (équipements de protection individuels pour les professionnels), qui souhaitait assurer la réussite d’une réorganisation de la force de vente de l’une de ses filiales en Angleterre,
- une PME locale œuvrant dans le secteur des entreprises adaptées pour refondre sa stratégie et son organisation commerciale, dans un contexte financièrement tendu qui rend difficile le recrutement
- une société d’événementiel en expansion, dans le but de booster sa force de vente sans attendre l’issue du recrutement (en cours) du Directeur Commercial définitif.

Le succès d’une telle démarche tient à la bonne coordination des acteurs, à un bon « calibrage » de l’accompagnement, et à un « passage de relais » mené avec soin vis-à-vis du futur DC permanent.

Finalement, le Directeur Commercial intérimaire est une solution temporaire qui présente des résultats rapides et jette les bases d’une efficacité durable ! Alors, pourquoi pas ?

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Technical: this is the easiest to understand, insofar as you have the resources, processes and methods qualified to make it explicit.

Relational: when different professions, hierarchical levels and decision-making bodies are involved. How will each of these players react to the change inherent in any project?

The main risk associated with this complexity is not achieving the objective assigned to the project. Fortunately, there are a number of levers that can be used to significantly increase the chances of success. Here's an equation to help you remember them:

[(scope/number of batches+ steering)x σ]^{communication+resources}, with σ= sponsor constant

1/ Project governance and sponsorship: two levers for decision-making

Setting up a governance structure is the organizational answer to establishing the project's specific operating rules. The bodies that make it up are responsible for taking stock of progress and making decisions, sometimes difficult ones, such as adjusting the project's trajectory in relation to what was initially planned. Regular meetings of these bodies encourage the expression and involvement of all stakeholders.

The sponsor is also an essential part of the decision-making process. His or her position of influence and commitment to the project's success helps to keep it on course. Without a sponsor, there's no transmission belt to the highest levels of the hierarchy. Without visibility, there's little guarantee of the project's survival.

2/ A clearly defined scope and regular monitoring optimize the project's operational security

Defining the perimeter is a tricky business, since it has to meet two opposing objectives:

- be sufficiently comprehensive to meet the needs of project stakeholders and thereby encourage their involvement
- and remain realistic and therefore achievable.

The first part of the exercise is designed to open up the fields of possibility: the aim is to give free rein to the generation of ideas, so as to glimpse the scope of possible actions. The second part consists in reducing the perimeter to an addressable reality, in which case the subdivision is the solution to be favored, as it enables better control of the cost/quality/time triangle. The reality of a perimeter is often the result of compromises made during negotiations between the various players involved.

This perimeter is to be officially published as part of a "project contract", to which reference can be made, particularly when managing a fixed-price contract with an external service provider, where the perimeter can become an adjustment variable in relation to costs.

Of course, regular monitoring of costs actually incurred, milestones reached and quality of deliverables is essential to ensure that the commitments made in the "project contract" are being met. Since the success of a project is built up as it goes along, these indicators announce the color of the project: from green if the trend is favorable, to red if there are hard points.

To find out more about KESTIO 's Change Management team and how to implement them in your environment, send an e-mail to:kestio subject: Project Management

3/ Resource management and communication are key to the performance of a complex project

Of course, the skills of the resources needed to solve the problems identified within the scope of the project are necessary, but not sufficient. It is the dynamics of the project team's members that are the key to the project's day-to-day performance, and have a direct impact on the cost/quality/delivery triangle. A project can be delayed by technical issues that are harder to resolve than expected. But it can also come to a standstill if those involved fail to share the same objectives and coordinate their efforts to achieve them. Team motivation is enhanced by quick wins and celebrations.

Communication also needs to be meticulous, combining a truthful, fact-based discourse with the promotion of the project's identified benefits: the challenge is to face up to the difficulties encountered, while at the same time maintaining support, with constancy and determination.

At KESTIO, we're convinced that the successful management of a complex project depends on the most objective possible consideration of its context, and on the project manager's clear-sightedness regarding the strengths available, but also the potential breaking points that can destabilize the whole. And from this starting point, to be able to build a common trajectory and a collective adventure. At KESTIO, we've helped a number of corporate projects along the path, never straight, to success.

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