“I manage (I’m losing the term loosely!) a team of 6 Account Managers based in Auckland. I am challenged by the usual time pressures we are all under, including the constant meetings and interruptions that seem to chew so much of my time. Because of this I struggle to catch up with my team members regularly and adequately. I recently asked them all to give me some feedback on how things were going and 5 out of 6 of them told me that I am not available enough and that they need more time with me weekly. Any Ideas appreciated?”
We recognise this as one of the most common challenges for Sales Managers – that is, balancing priorities and getting the time balance right with each of your direct report sales personnel. The most effective and efficient way to manage this is, as a foundation stone, committing to not-negotiable time with your team members either weekly or, at a minimum, fortnightly. With six direct report Account Managers, a one hour “one on one” catch up with them equates to a one day per week commitment. This is not feasible. Choices are therefore 30 minute sessions weekly for all six; or 60 minutes for 3 of them on alternate weeks (fortnightly). You should set a standard agenda for these sessions and it is critical that both parties make a commitment to dedicating this time. I would then have them scheduled for both of you in your Outlook calendar for the next 6 months, as “priority” events. You will recognise over time that various individuals will need more or less time than others and you should tailor things accordingly on that basis.
An additional communication method, particularly where Managers have national / geographically dispersed teams, is to make a commitment to contact each of your team every day by phone. A good practice is t make a quick call to “check in” with them towards the end of every day. For example, a 5 minute call to each Account Manager between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. on the drive home, but not if you have had cause to have a conversation with them otherwise during the course of that day. This is not meant to be a micro-management practice, it is simply a highly effective way to stay in tune and in touch with your team members. This practice typically negates the need for multiple phone calls and “phone tag” throughout the course of any week to quite some extent.
