• Failing to communicate the reasons and timetable for a process, policy or technology change results in resistance, confusion and distraction from productive activities.
• Failing to communicate corporate goals and strategies. This may cause the organization to act at cross-purposes. For example, the marketing department invests in a campaign to promote product A, while the sales force is sending out direct mail pieces promoting product B.
• Failing to listen to your sales reps’ feedback about a new process. Your sales reps are the close to your internal customer and often the first to know about the customers’ response to a new process.
• Failing to give constructive feedback to a direct report because “the timing is not right”. The best time to give performance feedback is as soon as you become aware of the problem. The “right time” may never come. The longer you wait the worse the problem gets. And withholding feedback breeds mistrust. Your sales reps need to know where they stand with you at all times.
• Failing to correct a misunderstanding, or failing to clarify your own confusion. Eventually it comes back to haunt you. For example, you let slide a direct report’s misunderstanding about deadlines because you are not clear yourself. Pretty soon all your sales reps are slipping deadlines and productivity is heading down.
• Giving clumsy or unhelpful feedback in front of others, which puts sales reps on the defence and may lead to resentment rather than cooperation.
Communication Breakdowns - To learn more about this author, visit John Brennan's Website.
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John Brennan
(Visit John's Website)
John Brennan Ed.D.
Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal
Development, LLC, a training and
development firm. Interpersonal
Development has provided sales training
and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps
from over 100 companies.
A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan
received his doctorate from the University
of Rochester. His dissertation researched
the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling
Technology in training people in
interpersonal skills. While he has spent
most of his career designing or delivering
training, he was also a Vice-President of
Sales of a training and development
franchise with operations in 25 markets.
Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered
sales training in North America, Asia,
Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He
has been a guest speaker at numerous
national and regional professional
conferences.
When Microsoft wanted Best Practices
articles on sales for their web site, they
called Dr. Brennan. The results are at office.microsoft.com/e
n-us/FX011387391033.aspx
His firm’s clients have included Volvo,
The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman
Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the
Economist Group and countless small
businesses.
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