Management’s Responsibility to the Sales Force, part three

Weekly Thought – July 21, 2020

Fred opened a management consulting firm in 1957, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, but working with companies with national and international reach. His ability to capture the sense of a corporate culture gave him a national reputation. One of his clients, GENESCO, reprinted the text of a speech given to their annual management conference. This excerpt is part three.

Management’s Responsibility to the Sales Force, part three

Respect for the dignity of the sales force is critical to a successful operation. In my experience, I find the attitude toward them determines the supervision policies. Able sales management finds many ways to express respect for the individual dignity of the sales team. Unfortunately, some are violated daily.

Personal and professional respect ties the sales force to the company, creating loyalty and camaraderie. It creates stability for the sales department and ultimately affects the success of the entire company.

Here are a few ways to show respect:

1) Ensure home office/sales force relationships reflect respect. The push/pull between home office staff and sales force creates a negative environment. Respect is breached with the sales force is by-passed in communication with customers, or used by executives to pass the buck. Home office negativity about the sales people should be actively discouraged. Respect is basically an attitude. Scratch the surface of shabby treatment and you find a shabby attitude.

2) Create sales meetings which recognize the professional qualities of the sales force, as well as the provision of helpful training sessions. Some meetings are so boring and demoralizing companies would be better to invest time and money somewhere else.

3) Use positive discipline to maximize performance. Many times we confuse punishment and discipline. Discipline is the fence we put around the sales force’s behavior and activities…broad enough to include the proper and narrow enough to exclude the improper. It is critical for management to clearly outline the definition of proper and improper. A good sales person appreciates organizational discipline. The secret of effective, constructive discipline is doing it according to our responsibility, not our authority. We discipline to be a championship team, not a tough boss.

4) Encourage personal development through delegation. Theodore Roosevelt said, “The art of good management is the ability to pick people and the humility to leave them alone.” Often management fails to delegate, not because the sales person doesn’t do the job, but because the manager wants to feel needed. Some sales managers treat the sales people like bird dogs to shoo up the birds while the sales manager shoots them. This violates individual development and dignity.

This week think about: 1) How well do I express respect for others around me? 2) What do others around me do to show respect? 3) Who is a model in my work, school, and community of respect?

Words of Wisdom: “The secret of effective, constructive discipline is doing it according to our responsibility, not our authority.”

Wisdom from the Word: “I know, Lord, that your regulations are just. You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me.” (Psalm 119:75 NET Bible)

Management’s Responsibility to the Sales Force

Weekly Thought – July 14, 2020

Fred presented an in-depth study of management’s responsibility to the sales force to an annual management conference of GENESCO. They reprinted it “due to the importance of the thoughts presented.” This excerpt is part two of four.

As our Christian educators and students return to campus after months of staying away, please pray for them. The adjustments will create disequilibrium for some, but challenges for all. May the Spirit of God lead and direct them.

Management’s Responsibility to the Sales Force

My talk today will be a change of pace. Instead of a pep talk on what the sales force should be doing, I want us to think about the responsibility of management to the sales people.

Think about ways to keep the boat steady enough to let the sales force keep on fishing for orders. This can be done by promoting them to concentrate on selling, not administration. Most took the job wanting to sell. Their responsibility is to move product; ours is to help by keeping our focus on the main thing.

1. Management needs to consciously guard against accumulated red tape that uses much time and energy. Are too many memos required? Are too many reports expected? Only management can really protect selling time from the erosion of organizational detail.

2. Give challenging opportunities. It flatters the top-flight sales person to know professional sales skills are required to be successful.

3. Provide a competitive product which fills a need/desire at a reasonable price. Our selling proposition should be geared to the professional, but not “can sell ice to Eskimo” types.

4. Establish an excellent customer service department -asking sales people to use up time and spirit settling complaints is wasteful. If service is faulty, the salesperson looks like a liar, or at least creates embarrassment.

5. Maintain corporate good will and reputation – having a good name makes it easier for the salesperson to get appointments.

6. Provide effective presentation materials – written pieces, samples, and sales tracks all make it easier for the sales person to sell the company products.

7. Design a territory with sufficient potential – asking a sales person to grow crops in scorched earth is unrealistic.

8. Develop a training program – product knowledge and sales approaches give confidence; understanding of personal styles eases sales interviews.

Management has a responsibility to give sales people the tools which can reasonably be expected to suffice to do the job for which the sales person is hired. And I underscore – recognize and respect the primary function – selling, not administration. Smooth the path and let them hit the road.

This week think about: 1) As a manager, how often do I forget the number one job for my sales force is selling? 2) As a sales person, how can I keep my time and energy focused on selling? 3) What is my biggest challenge in my job?

Words of Wisdom: “Management’s job is to keep the boat steady so the sales force can keep on fishing for orders.”

Wisdom from the Word: “You must not muzzle your ox when it is treading grain.” (Deuteronomy 25:4 NET Bible)
Note: This was one of Fred’s favorite responses to Mary Alice, his wife of 67 years, when she “encouraged” him to clean up his home office.

Management’s Responsibility to Salesmen

Weekly Thought – July 7, 2020

Fred’s appreciation of excellence applied especially to sales. “In tough times one of an organization’s most important hires is an accomplished sales force.” In the late 1950s he addressed the management of GENESCO focusing on the topic: “Management’s Responsibility to Salesmen.” Fred used the masculine noun in the title assigned, but demonstrated his great admiration for the talents of men and women. The month of July will feature excerpts from the speech.

During these off-kilter times, prayer for Christian institutions of higher education are much needed. Please consider joining us as we pray each month. Sign up for the monthly BWFLI Prayer Network.

Management’s Responsibility to Salesmen

“Reach that quota,” “Make those calls,” “Get those reports in…”

Salesmen hear this constantly, don’t they? I agree these are necessary in effective sales supervision. However, these commands of leadership will be more actively heard and translated into increased sales when a foundation of mutual responsibility between sales force and sales management has been built.

It starts with management’s responsibility to the salesman. The accent is on our “sowing before reaping”…a Biblical principle continually validated in the successful development of people.

& bull; Management’s first responsibility to the salesman is: Be sure he qualifies for the team. Two problems face us immediately: a) the selection-placement of salesmen and b) the termination of sales people.

First of all, the selection of salesmen should be placed in the hands of responsible management – those with a proven record of successful selection. It takes knowledge, experience, and almost a sixth sense to select the right person, even with all the interviewing and mechanical assistance available. For examples, The Marines and the New York Yankees have a superior selection system. Motivation cannot overcome poor selection.

Even with the most careful selection, however, mistakes will happen. These must be corrected. Pruning the team is difficult but critical. It takes an unusual brand of stamina to remove people from the organization. Many managers do not have the stomach for it. They will wait for a downturn in business or postpone until the sales person fails to the point of starvation.

Usually they rationalize they are being humanitarian, when actually they are being very selfish in trying to avoid an unpleasant experience for themselves. Is it humane to let people out when business is depressed and jobs scarce, or when they are years older rather than doing it when it becomes clear that it needs to be done?

Misfits with little possibility of success should be removed as soon as possible with as little pain as possible. When removal of a person is considered a responsibility rather than a right, there is a great deal more urgency and understanding. Perhaps some of you have had the experience of having a former employee say to you, “Thanks for letting me go. That’s the best thing that ever happened to me, even though I didn’t think so at the time.”

This week think about: 1) How do I think about my responsibilities to my employees? 2) What is the difference between a right and a responsibility at work? 3) Who models this principle for me?

Words of Wisdom: “While these points are specifically for improving management-salesman relationships, many will be helpful in considering management’s relations with all its people.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3 NET Bible)

Living In the Christian Context

Weekly Thought – June 30, 2020

Fred substituted for the Elliott Class of Highland Park Presbyterian Church for years. They were dear friends. He consistently thought about them, constantly keeping notes for the times when he was “up to bat.” This message is excerpted from a lesson taught in July, 1987.

Living In the Christian Context

I believe life should be homogeneous, not broken into individually defined segments where the spiritual is just one. In a life like this there are compartments for business, social, family, financial, etc. I want my life to have a holistic reality. I know when I say that some of you will have their discernment antennae rise. Yes, New Agers have used this word, but it is a perfectly good word and concept. Speaking of misusing words… When my great undiscovered classic “You and Your Network” came out Word Publishing heard from Christian bookstores saying they didn’t want to carry it because the word Network was considered New Age. I think we can show Jesus demonstrated the power of connection and community long before anyone thought of hugging trees and deciding they were God.

We should be able to talk about our heavenly home as easily as many of you talk about your vacation homes on Padre or Pebble Beach. Don’t you find people have no difficulty casually mentioning their weekends on the beach, or in the mountains?

Frankly, I think we should be able to talk about scriptural principles as easily as we discuss the multiplication tables. Both are just facts of life for the believer.

Recently I met the owner of an electrical corporation who said he always tries to work God into the conversation. He paused. I think he was waiting for a “bless you, brother” from me. The truth is I rather resent that mindset for several reasons. In the first place, God is already there even though that may not be recognized. We are not inviting Him in from somewhere on the outside. I do not believe our life should be so segmented we have to shoehorn him into our conversations.

I spoke to a men’s retreat in California. We talked about integrating the spiritual as natural. I told them I am not one to grab someone, slap them with the King James Version, and pray loudly and long in the airport lounge. But years ago I told God if the Spirit opened a way I promised I wouldn’t duck. One of the men in the group caught that phrase. He had buttons produced for the whole crowd showing a duck with a bar crossed through – don’t duck! When I am open it is surprising how natural the conversations occur.

The newspaper tells us about daily happenings, often the negative and over editorialized view. It is their view of life. The Bible also gives us a view of life – but as it should be. As Christians we should be holistic and wholly His wherever we are. Segments are for grapefruits, not Christ’s people.”

This week carefully consider: 1) How tempted am I to live like a grapefruit? 2) What is my most natural way of talking about God? 3) Who models spiritual integration for me?

Words of Wisdom: “I do not believe our life should be so segmented we have to shoehorn him into our conversation.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4 NET Bible)

Wheelbase

Weekly Thought – June 23, 2020

Fred thought in pictures. His ability to pass visuals along to his audiences endeared him to all who listened. They carried home more than words, even more than principles – they had a concept they could picture.

As we mentioned before, it is time to update the breakfastwithfred.com website. Like all of us, it has aches and pains. If you would help us underwrite this process, any gift is greatly appreciated. Thanks for praying for us.

Wheelbase

Fiat 500s and Rolls Royce limousines have a commonality: they both have a wheelbase. The big difference is the distance between the front and back wheels. The shorter the wheelbase, the more quickly the impact of road bumps is felt and the rougher the ride. It doesn’t affect the ability to arrive at the destination – it does impact the comfort of the passengers.

Nearly sixty years in business has given me ample opportunities to put this visual into practice.

A baby has a short emotional wheelbase. He or she goes from crying to laughing and back to crying with very little provocation – and time. My grandson Jeff often heard me speak of this principle. When he and his wife Anne began raising their family this came back to him. I overheard him telling baby Jack who was crying in his high chair, “LYW, Jack, LYW.” When I asked what he said, he told me: ‘Lengthen your wheelbase, Jack.”
As we grow, our emotional wheelbase should lengthen. We learn the bad is never that bad and the good is never that good. The mature learn to live with a balance understanding and practicing, “This, too, shall pass.” Emotional maturity allows us to face crisis without giving in to the panic of the environment. Under the glass on my desk are lines from the poem “If.” “If you can keep your head when all those around are losing theirs…” At the end of the litany of ifs is the famous line, “Then you, my son, are a man.”

Yet, some executives maintain their childish short emotional wheelbase. You cross them and they scream; you please them and you are the recipient of flowery clichés. They are weak leaders and fail to engender great loyalty and trust.

The winner who stretches his emotional wheelbase enjoys greater success. And it is infinitely easier on the organization, the community, the family – and their own bodies.

This week carefully consider: 1) How long is my emotional wheelbase? Am I driving a Smart Car or a limo? 2) What exercises can I do to move toward maturity? 3) What picture am I taking away this week?

Words of Wisdom: “The winner who stretches his emotional wheelbase enjoys greater success.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Therefore we must progress beyond the elementary instructions about Christ and move on to maturity.” (Hebrews 6:1(a) NET Bible)

Wait To Worry

Weekly Thought – June 16, 2020

Fred always said he taught himself to think and write in telegram style – the most content in the fewest words. That is the reason he wanted his headstone to read: “He stretched others.” Many of his “one-liners,” as he called them became favorites of his consulting clients, speaking audiences, and readers. They were a code language for the Smith family who grew up hearing and quoting them.

Wait To Worry

Once I was speaking to a couples’ Christian conference. A few days afterwards I received a letter from the President of a chocolates company, accompanied by a large box of candy. “Wait to worry” is the finest thing that has ever happened to my wife.

If you come to our house in Cincinnati we will show you a framed white towel hanging on our bedroom wall. Strange thing to do? My friends know I can be odd, but this seemed to take the cake. Here is the story: Mary Alice called the children in for dinner. Our son Fred lagged behind wanting the last minutes of mud play. She, of course, said “Go wash your hands and face and get in here to eat.” Too late she remembered she had hung up sparkling new white towels. She quickly walked down the hall only to find a perfect set of muddy handprints where he had dampened the digits and placed them neatly on the towel. Needless to say, she wasn’t happy!

I decided to hide the towel. Three years later I took the towel to a framing shop and then presented the objet d’art to Mary Alice. You know what happened, don’t you? She began crying and saying, “Aren’t they sweet? Aren’t they sweet?” Three years earlier those weren’t the words she uttered.
There is no amount of money she would take for that framed towels and those muddy handprints.

One of our family sayings has been: “What you worry about today you will laugh about tomorrow.”

Sometimes when things get tense around our house, our children have learned to stop me by saying, “Dad, is this something we will laugh about later?” It usually is. I remind myself to laugh or have high blood pressure.

It is an emotional and mental discipline to step outside the current panic, taking a long range view. I read a study about worry which interested me. One of the findings was 80% of the things we worry about today will not happen, will work out favorably, or be totally forgotten in one year. Doesn’t it make sense to wait to worry?

(Editor’s note: That framed towel hangs today in the home of Fred’s “offender” son in Tyler, Texas.)

This week think about: 1) What am I worrying about that needs to be put in the “wait” column? 2) When have I laughed about something that seemed earth-shattering at the time? 3) How can I model faith and not fear for my family?

Words of Wisdom: “Wait to worry.”

Wisdom from the Word: “And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27 NET Bible)

Problem Solving

Weekly Thought – June 9, 2020

Fred’s ability to ask purposeful questions was widely recognized as part of his uniqueness. He spent very little time in chit chat. When someone came to him with a problem, he quickly began the search for their recognition of the next step.

Thank you for praying faithfully for our work. It is indeed a privilege to invest hours combing through his files, searching for content which can be organized into wisdom nuggets. We appreciate your financial support which underwrites our social media, internet presence, and key people who bring this work to life for you.

Problem Solving

When people come to me with problems, I try to early on get them listing their assets. I am always careful to say it that way, not “tell me about your financial situation.” But invariably people start to tell me about money. Rarely do they ever list others.

I pause them and say, “Let’s stop and go back a little bit. “ Are you alive?” Of course they say, “Yes.” I continue “Well, you look that way to me!”

Then I go through a litany of assets never considered:

“Are you healthy?” “Do you have an education?” “Do you have work or life experience?”

After I get through a complete list of what I call real assets, we move on to the quantitative ones.

My purpose is to break through the cloud which comes with loss, blinding them to the true measure of their situation. I want them to realize the basis for gratitude. Once that occurs I have a foundation to work against their current problems.

But if they keep saying, “Yes, but…” I know my job isn’t finished yet. So, I keep referring back to their list of assets until they move past the “yes, but…” While they stay stuck in that mode, they haven’t moved on to gratitude. In reality, they are still wanting more.

Gratitude is being grateful for what you have, not for what you hope to get. Problem solving begins with an accurate assessment of what we have, then moving on to attack the difficulty. Often, our minds get stuck playing a tape of hopelessness which builds on itself, disabling our mental abilities so needed in problem solving.

Gratitude is a lubricant which can get our mental and emotional gears in correct alignment.

This week think about: 1) How do I use questions with myself and others to begin the problem solving process? 2) What gets me stuck when working through a problem? 3) When is my most fruitful time for thinking?

Words of Wisdom: “If they are stuck in the “yes,but…” mode they haven’t moved on to gratitude.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Who is a wise person? Who knows the solution to a problem? A person’s wisdom brightens his appearance, and softens his harsh countenance.” (Ecclesiastes 8:1 NET Bible)

You May Succeed

Weekly Thought – June 2, 2020

Fred’s articles in Leadership Journal helped thousands. Each year we receive messages referencing writings from the late 80s and 90s. His clear approach to issues made these articles particularly helpful. In the summer/88 edition he addressed success, focusing on the challenging aspect of permission. These excerpts continue to offer timeless principles 32 years later.

You May Succeed

Recently I was talking with a minister who had just returned from a missions trip.

“What did you accomplish?”

“Well, the most important thing I did with the small churches in difficult situations was give them permission to succeed.”
That was an interesting thought. He must have sensed they saw themselves as losers. They went thinking their ministry was supposed to be tough, and nothing more than meager results would be the outcome. He saw this and helped them raise their sights to see opportunities they had missed.

His remark reminded me of a story about a gifted golfer on the LPGA. This Christian athlete possessed enormous talent but couldn’t put up wins. In frustration, she went to a Christian counselor who uncovered she subconsciously didn’t think of Christians as winners. Raised in a strict home and taught Christians were to be passive, and accept loss with grace, she became a volunteer martyr As a result she wasn’t free to win.

Here are three reasons Christians are afraid to succeed:

1) An incorrect concept of God: Last year while speaking at a seminary a young man approached me, opening the conversation with this: “God has me just where He wants me.” “Where is that?” “Broke!” This is a faulty view of God.

2) An incorrect concept of how God works: When we depend on God to constantly provide through miracles, we misunderstand Him. God is the one who brought cause and effect into being, so usually right results come from right actions.

3) A hesitancy to accept plaudits for abilities: Before speaking at a meeting of a very strict denomination, a young woman sang beautifully. Afterward I said, “You have a lovely voice.” She hung her head and said, “Don’t give me the glory. Give the glory to the Lord.” “My dear, I simply gave you a compliment from somebody who tried to sing and was not able to, and yet who recognizes that you can. Since I believe you have nothing except what you’ve received, any comments I make after that are within the scope of giving God glory.”

The issue, at its heart, is accepting a worm theology. Those who are most comfortable losing readily picture themselves not as children of a great God, but as worms. He doesn’t see us that way. As believers He sees us in Christ. He made us from the dust, but didn’t intend for us to live there. As Christian leaders we have the good news that can break barriers and give people the freedom to enjoy success achieved with integrity.

This week carefully consider: 1) What makes me afraid to succeed? 2) Who needs to hear these words? 3) How can I strengthen the view of myself as a Christian and child of God?

Words of Wisdom: “God is the one who brought cause and effect into being, so usually right results come from right actions.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children.” (Ephesians 5:1 NET Bible)

Faith and Friendships

Weekly Thought – May 26, 2020

Fred wrote and thought much about relationships. Last week we introduced his thinking on the excellence of them. We continue this week with thoughts about a critical challenge: religious differences between friends.

Thank you for praying as we bring Fred’s wisdom to you.

Faith and Friendships

Religious differences can test our friendships, even to straining the quality of the relationship. It can be the most volatile factor of sustaining a long term connection.

The knowledge of God’s will, the interpretation of God’s Word, loyal ties to an institution, along with traditions of denomination and family combine to create intensity in our beliefs and opinions which affect our relation with others.

It is easy to generalize our unique relation with God into a pattern for everyone else. When our faith walk leads us to believe we know the will of God, we can unconsciously come to apply that knowledge to ourselves, but to others, as well. Young friends of mine used to parody the Four Spiritual Laws of Campus Crusade by saying “I love you and have a wonderful plan for your life.” This can definitely throw a clinker into a friendship.

I have signed many “statements of faith” holding forth the tenets of New Testament dogma. I have never seen one featuring these words: “I am currently living in love with my fellow Christians and will continue to do so as tenaciously as I hold the other points of doctrine.”

Often we find it much easier to fight for the faith than to exemplify it. Our relationships illustrate our real beliefs. The non-Christian world of the first century would say, “Behold the love they have for one another.” Even the keeping of Christ’s commandments was predicated on love: “If you love me, keep my commandments.” In the early days of Christian contemporary music a Catholic priest named Peter Scholtes composed a song which became an anthem for the 1960s Jesus movement: “They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love.” It was sung by long-haired youth, and three-pieced suited businessmen.

The only genuine ecumenism is based on love first before organizational unity. Doctrinal harmony is critical, but making sure it is core dogma and not just preference is an outworking of love.

Often when some of my more ardent doctrinal friends criticize other Christians, I ask them: “Do you think they are going to heaven?” This usually stops them for awhile and even with hesitation they say, “Certainly. Why?” Then I give them my simplistic conclusion: “If they are going to heaven, they are part of the body of Christ and I have no option as to whether or not to associate with them and to love them. We are part of the same family.”

Therefore, excellence in friendships (especially long term ones with diverse religious backgrounds) requires a purposeful effort to practice love, seeing others without personal filters as the only answer (as much as possible).

This week carefully think about: 1) How many friends do I have who hold dissimilar religious traditions? 2) What can I do this week to focus on loving and not judging? 3) When does oneness in Christ become real to me?

Words of Wisdom: “The only genuine ecumenism is based on love first before organizational unity.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The one who loves his fellow Christian resides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.” (1 John 2:10 NET Bible)

Qualities of Excellent Relations

Weekly Thought – May 19, 2020

Fred enjoyed sincere, long-lasting friendships. He knew how to be a friend, a confidant, and understood how to create excellent relationships.

Believing these wisdom emails are helpful, we ask you to share with your colleagues, friends, and family. Fred’s heartbeat was stretching others. As his words still speak truth decades after originally written, we want him to continue being helpful.

Qualities of Excellent Relations

Relations require time… quality time. This can be a limiting factor in developing serious friendships. I don’t mean habitual time, but time which adapts and adjusts to the moving scenes of life. Like capital in a business which must be applied to create the most good at the right time, relations require the same strategic action.

Mature relationships also demand compromise. Since we are all unique there will never be total overlap. There will be differences and often the compromise is exposed in traditions from our upbringing, our view of life, our past experiences, and most importantly, our perspective for the future. In good relationships, we establish a lamination of layers which allow us to bond one with the other.

In addition to time and compromise, it is necessary to share worthy projects. In my experience this is particularly true of men. We are not as apt to “do lunch,” as to work on something together. A friend with whom I worked for decades took early retirement. We knew to keep the relationship vital we must find meaningful work outside our company. We joined a corporate board together which gave us a clear reason for ongoing conversations, traveling, and making a strong contribution as a key part of the friendship. It has become a lifetime relationship which is both pleasant and profitable to others. Many of my longtime friends have served actively as Christian laymen, both in the church and parachurch organizations. Joining in Christian work together has given us opportunities to bridge life changes and grow together. We also shared the surviving and thriving of many Christian ministries.

Not only do we share projects, but we also share friends. One of life’s greater benefits is introducing friends to friends who then develop their own relationship. Building a network through the years spurs my own growth, as well as enjoying the synergy of these branches which occur. One of my dear friends Ron Glosser, former CEO of the Hershey Trust, has one of the most robust networks of any one I know. He is constantly trying to connect people in order to create a strong, productive outcome. Every time we talk he wants to know how he can pray for me, and how he can help me. He considers his network a gift of God to be used for His glory and to do much good in the world.

This week consider: 1) How intentional am I about building a helpful network? 2) Who are my best and closest friends? 3) What can I contribute to my friends?

Words of Wisdom: “In good relationships, we establish a lamination of layers which allow us to bond one with the other.”

Wisdom from the Word: “So then, my brothers and sisters, dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends.” (Philippians 4:1 NET Bible)

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