Help! I'm Smarter than My Sales Manager!

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  ndlicht108/04/08 Reported as spam
  1

  RE: Help! I'm Smarter than My Sales Manager!

  Thinking from the point of view of your boss is extremely important. Remember, they are on the lne and very visible, espescially in sales and also very vulnerable to job loss.
  
  A new boss immediately looks for who they can count on. Thats normal. Also, a new boss isn't necessarily a good manager so remember that
  
  I agree that you need to sit down and talk.
  
  1. Initiate it
  2. Start it off with "Not having been a manager, I think I have been inadvertantly making it more difficult for you to do the job. I want to apologize."
  3. First off, I want to say that I now realize that when you ask me to do something, its because its our company's objective and I need to use my skills to be sure we achieve it.
  4. As a sales person on YOUR team, I have come to understanddo that I do not have the perspective of Company objectives that you do. My job is to deliver the sales within the guidelines or objectives that you have set because it assures accomplishing curent and future company objectives.
  
  5. Given my realization, and it is me who has been offbase, I want to start over again between us. I should have realized a lot earlier how important it is to be counted on for support, not for questioning. I also realize that Management is a tough job because you must work through all of us to make the goal and thats no easy task.
  
  6. Count on me to be supportive, to remember that and produce within your guidelines. Please candidly tell me what is not working and I will fix that behavior immediately. Managing without these guidelines accepted would be nearly impossible. When I have an idea that I believe may help the team, I will take it offline and offer it as a suggestion only. I will present it as a business case so, as a manager, you can evaluate it's merit v our Team goals.
  
  7. Again, I sincerely aplogize for being a thorn in your side and not realizing how difficult I was to manage. My actions from now on will affirm my comittment to being a dependable team member and to helping you and the team succeed within the guidelines you set.

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  ndlicht108/04/08 Report as spam
  2

  RE: Help! I'm Smarter than My Sales Manager!

  RE: Help! I'm Smarter than My Sales Manager!
  
  Thinking from the point of view of your boss is extremely important. Remember, they are on the lne and very visible, espescially in sales and also very vulnerable to job loss.
  
  A new boss immediately looks for who they can count on. Thats normal. Also, a new boss isn't necessarily a good manager so remember that
  
  I agree that you need to sit down and talk. Heres a suggestion for how to do that and what to get your boss to internalize and understand.
  
  If you can not or will not take this step, or accept how your boss works, prepare your resume and leave as soon as you can.
  
  So here's your "agenda and be convincingly sincere!!!!
  
  1. Initiate the meeting ASAP.
  
  2. Start it off with "Not having been a manager, I think I have been inadvertantly making it more difficult for you to do the job. I want to apologize."
  
  3. First off, I now realize that when you ask me to do something, its because its our company's objective and I need to use my skills to accept it and be sure we achieve it."
  
  4. As a sales person, I love what I do and am passionate about it but I have let that passion overshadow the greater picture - the fact that we are a team and need to be following the same game plan.
  
  5.I have also come to understand that I do not have the perspective of "Company objectives" that you do. I should have understood that its My job is to deliver the sales within the guidelines or objectives that you have set because it assures accomplishing curent and future company objectives.
  
  I have not been doing that very well at all and as such, I have not been helping, I am probably hindering regarding company and team goals. I need to stop that ASAP and I need your candid statements of where I go off track so that I can be sure to correct that behavior.
  
  Please help me also to learn how best to make suggestions in a way that you can consider them
  
  5. Like many people, sometimes chang is difficult to accept and I am, in our working relationship, very guilty of that. I now understand that and the fact that it is me who has been off base in how we relate and I want to start over again between us.
  
  I should have realized a lot earlier how important it is to be counted on for support, not for questioning. I also realize that Sales Management is a tough job because you must depend on and work through all of us unique individuals to make the goal and to implement company policy and thats no easy task.
  
  6. So please let me start fresh from today onward.
  
  Count on me to be supportive, to remember that and produce and work within your guidelines. Also, please candidly tell me what is not working and I will fix that behavior immediately.
  
  When I have an idea that I believe may help the team, I will take it offline with you and offer it as a suggestion only. I will present it as a business case so, as a manager, you can evaluate it's merit v our Team goals. And, most important, I will fully accept that its an idea only and may or may not be accepted.
  
  7. Again, I sincerely aplogize for being a thorn in your side and not realizing how difficult I was to manage. My actions from now on will affirm my comittment to being a dependable team member and to helping you and the team succeed within the guidelines you set.
  
  By the way, this tact not only can work, it can set a new tone where your ideas get considered and, if desired, your promotability chances increase substantially.
  
  Neil Licht
  answers@ucanpreventbadhires.com

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine08/04/08 Report as spam
  3

  RE: Help! I'm Smarter than My Sales Manager!

  Wow! I'm really impressed with Neil Licht's very specific advice about how to approach the boss. That's diplomacy in action!