Purpose of the Training Program

First-Line Managers make important decisions on a daily basis that are

critical to the execution of company’s strategies and satisfaction of its
customers.

This program is geared to train the basics of leadership and management

to individuals in this critical position, supplying them with the tools they need
to make optimal decisions that are aligned to the organization’s strategy and lead
their teams in execution.

This training program will help them in understanding their basic management &
leadership roles in the organization.

After this session they will be able to focus better their

roles & responsibilities.
Who is ?a First Line Manager
(FLM)
The Role of the First Line Managers (FLMs)
What does Responsibility mean?
Core responsibilities of 1st line sales mangers
A Strategy-Based Approach to First-Line Sales Managers’ Responsibilities
Differences in 1st, 2nd & 3rd line sales managers’ roles

Five things first-line managers should know

•Managerial Skills
•Leadership Skills
•Managers vs Leaders
•Managers have subordinates Leaders have Followers
Motivating TMs
•Joint Sales Calls : An important guiding tool for TMs
•Managing Vacant Territories
•Sales Activity Monitoring (SAM)
Transactional Analysis in sales
Case Study
Management & the Managers
 What is Management ?
A set of activities (planning, organizing, leading, controlling and decision making)
at an organizational resources (human, financial, physical, information) to
achieve organizational goals in an efficient & effective manner.

 Who is a Manager ?
A manager is a person who is primarily responsible to carry out management
process.

 Who is an Ideal Manager ?

The ideal manager for an organization must be both EFFECTIVE &
EFFICIENT.
 Effective Manager: Who makes right decision and successfully implement
them to achieve the objectives .
 Efficient Manager: Who achieve the objectives in a cost effective way.
Who is a First Line Manager (FLM) ?

First line managers are those directly responsible for the day to day work of a team
of employees.

They will report to second line managers who are responsible for the day to day
work of many teams each with a first line manager.
Traits of successful First Line Sales Managers
A. They understand TMs and manage them wisely
B. They leave sales to the TMs (most of the time)
C. They align TMs in the field with company goals

1st line sales managers are the key to any successful operation. A person who is
hardworking, sincere, with strong leadership quality can change the scenario
completely
He is like a player, coach, mentor, or teacher to his team members.
He has to sell performance to his own people through right
direction, delegation and control.
The Role of the First Line Managers (FLMs)
FLMs undertake a balancing act working as an intermediary between senior
management and team members.
FLMs are required to be able to plan, prioritise and monitor
performance and progress.
They need to be able to identify performance issues, understand how to
evaluate the behaviors and performance of both teams and individuals
and take action to address performance issues.

FLMs need to take responsibility not only for their performance, but the
performance of others as well.
What does Responsibility mean?
Responsibility is the ability to respond.

Ability implies there is a need for certain knowledge, skills and tools and
response implies some form of action needs to be taken. The effectiveness of an
FLM is directly linked to their Ability to Respond.
Why sales people fail ?
When they believe that business will come to them, they
fail. In selling profession, business does not come, we have
to go out and have it by doing hard work.

Lack of follow up in a timely manner, which makes the sales

people and the organization lose credibility.
Lack of commitment of the sales force toward achieving
sales target due to lack of proper motivation by the line
managers.

Lack of clarity & consistency of goals, objectives & direction make the sales
people disorganized.

Lack of proper monitoring of the sales processes.

Miscommunication and lack of coordination between sales & marketing activities.

Lack of proper selling skills (sales training) make sales people fail.
Core responsibilities of 1st line sales mangers
They manage the sales target given to his
TMs, remove obstacles to selling, conduct
joint sales calls and win/loss reviews, conduct
bottom performer management and identify
opportunities for efficiency.

They lead the team, motivate, inspire and

execute the sales strategy by translating
strategies into actions.

They ensure the team has a common understanding

of individual and team sales mission.
They coach sales people. They train sales people
continuously with real-time examples.
They recruit, develop an internal and external
network to continuously attract talent.
A Strategy-Based Approach
to First-Line Sales Managers’ Responsibilities

First-line sales managers are the key link between

an organization’s strategy and the day-to-day
activities of the sales force.

The first-line sales managers are uniquely positioned to play a critical role
in driving the decisions of senior management as the direct connection
from senior sales managers to the field.
A Strategy-Based Approach
to First-Line Sales Managers’ Responsibilities

A. Directing the TMs

The first responsibility of the first-line sales
managers is clarifying and explaining the
Business strategy to the MPOs.
They plays a critical role in translating and
reinforcing those decisions throughout the
TMs.
They need to focus the TMs on the right
customers and areas.

They need to guide TMs with necessary selling techniques

considering the customers’ attitudes & importance.
A Strategy-Based Approach
to First-Line Sales Managers’ Responsibilities

B. Organizing the TMs

The first line sales managers must organize (coordination among team

activities & performance toward company policies) their respective TMs

based on marketing and sales strategies; like day to day activities, sales time
allocation based on customers’ importance, team efforts, and administrative
issues etc.
A Strategy-Based Approach
to First-Line Sales Managers’ Responsibilities
C. Executing the Strategies
The Execution area is typically the focus of first-line sales
managers.

Educate TMs on achieving target: They can influence the

degree to which targets provide the highest level of focus and
motivation for the TMs.

Measure and manage performance: First line managers needs

to measure performance of his team. Managers must also
coach their MPOs through regular activities such as one-on-
one meetings, phone calls, and traveling with MRs to
customer sites to transcend poor performance.
Communicate for sales compensation: It is their role to
explain, communicate and give examples of how an MR can
earn incentive under various performance scenarios.
A Strategy-Based Approach
to First-Line Sales Managers’ Responsibilities

D. Supporting the TMs

First-line sales managers offer the TMs with the right
messages, as well as recruiting and training talent, which will
determine the MPOs ultimate success in selling.
Provide the right messages: First-line sales managers should
ensure each TM has the right messages to identify leads,
sell solutions and develop a compelling value proposition to
customers.
Develop sales competencies: They can help identify talent
short-falls and methods for filling those gaps. Clarifying to an
MPO the types of skills required and where they may need to
develop goes a long way in building an TM’s ability to be
effective.
A Strategy-Based Approach
to First-Line Sales Managers’ Responsibilities

D. Supporting the TMs

First-line sales managers offer the TMs with the right
messages, as well as recruiting and training talent, which will
determine the MPOs ultimate success in selling.
Provide the right messages: First-line sales managers should
ensure each TM has the right messages to identify leads,
sell solutions and develop a compelling value proposition to
customers.
Develop sales competencies: They can help identify talent
short-falls and methods for filling those gaps. Clarifying to an
MPO the types of skills required and where they may need to
develop goes a long way in building an TM’s ability to be
effective.
Effective Management Skills

Productive and effective management is not an innate

quality, management skills can be cultivated, developed and
learned.
Some managers inspire, some motivate, and others fail
miserably to engage their employees.

When employees choose to leave a position, it's often because

of their manager or relationships with people in their working
environment.
People quit people, not jobs.

First line sales managers must motivate their team to make them
productive & reduce turn over of sales talent, and also to support &
train to improve performance of average TMs.
Five things first-line managers should know

They are the first contact point between line workers and management

Polish business communication skills (verbal & written)

Learn how to think strategically

Get comfortable with complexity and uncertainty

Improve managePolish business communication skills (verbal & written)

and leadership through personal mastery

Invest in professional development programs

Communication Skills

Guidelines for effective communication

1. Stop talking
2. Put the talker at ease
3. Show a talker that you want to listen
4. Remove distractions
5. Empathize with a talker
6. Be patient
7. Hold your temper
8. Go easy on argument and criticism
9. Ask relevant questions
10. Stop talking
 Communication Process

Message

Barriers R
S E
E C
Bridge of
N Develop E
Encode Transmit meaning Receive Decode Accept Use
D Idea I
E V
R E
R
Feedback for two-way communication
Managerial Skills

Technical Skills : The skills needed to understand and do tasks relevant to

the organization.

Interpersonal / Human Skills : The ability to communicate, understand, and

motivate both individuals and groups.
Conceptual Skills : The ability to think in the abstract.
Diagnostic Skills : The ability to observe the most appropriate response to a
situation.
Managers vs Leaders

Managers are persons who get the job done by

others.
Leaders are those who have followers.

The biggest difference between managers and leaders is the way they motivate the
people who work or follow them, and this sets the tone for most other aspects of
what they do.
Many people, by the way, are both. They have management jobs, but they realize tha
you cannot buy hearts, especially to follow them down a difficult path, and so act as
leaders too.

"To truly lead one's people, one must also truly know them." ~Nelson Mandela
 Managers vs Leaders

Managers are persons who get the job done by

others.
Leaders are those who have followers.

The biggest difference between managers and leaders is the way they motivate the
people who work or follow them, and this sets the tone for most other aspects of
what they do.
Many people, by the way, are both. They have management jobs, but they realize that
you cannot buy hearts, especially to follow them down a difficult path, and so act as
leaders too.

"To truly lead one's people, one must also truly know them." ~Nelson Mandela
Managers have subordinates

Managers have subordinates and their power over

others comes from formal authority.

Authoritarian, transactional style

Managers have a position of authority given by the
company, and their subordinates work for them and do
as they are told because they have been promised a
reward for doing so.
Work focus
Managers are paid to get things done, often within tight constraints of time and
money. They thus naturally pass on this work focus to their subordinates.
Seek comfort
They tend to lead normal and comfortable lives. This leads them to be relatively
risk-averse and they will seek to avoid conflict where possible. In terms of people,
they generally like to run a 'happy ship'.
Leaders have Followers

Leaders do not have subordinates, when they are

leading. When they want to lead, they have to
give up formal authoritarian control, because to
lead is to have followers, and following is always
a voluntary activity.

Charismatic, transformational style

Telling people what to do does not inspire them to
follow you. You have to appeal to them, showing
how following them will lead to their hearts' desire
Leaders have followers

Seek risk
Leaders are risk seekers, although they are not blind thrill-
seekers. When pursuing their vision, they consider it natural to
encounter problems and hurdles that must be overcome along
the way.

People focus
They are always good with people, and quiet styles that
give credit to others (and takes blame on themselves) are
very effective at creating the loyalty that great leaders
engender.
This does not mean that leaders do not pay attention to
tasks - in fact they are often very achievement-focused.
What they do realize is the importance of enthusing
others to work towards their vision.
 Managers vs Leaders : an overview

Subject Leader Manager

Essence Change Stability
Focus Leading people Managing work
Have Followers Subordinates
Horizon Long-term Short-term
Approach Sets direction Plans detail
Decision Facilitates Makes
Power Personal charisma Formal authority
Appeal to Heart Head
Dynamic Proactive Reactive
Persuasion Sell Tell
Exchange Excitement for work Money for work
Likes Striving Action
Wants Achievement Results
Risk Takes Minimizes
Rules Breaks Makes
Conflict Uses Avoids
Direction New roads Existing roads
Concern What is right Being right
Credit Gives Takes
Blame Takes Blames
 Motivating Sales Team

What is Motivation ?
Motivation is a psychological feature, that makes a person to act towards a
desired goal and elicits, controls, & sustains certain goal-directed behaviors.
Motivation is the purpose or psychological cause of an action.
In one day,
.
1. your TMs may want to work as hard as possible to achieve the objective or
2 to work hard enough to avoid a reprimand or
3. to do as little as possible.

The goal for a first line manager is to maximize the

occurrence of the first incident and minimize the
occurrence of the last incidence.

The face of any organization is the sales force. Companies spend a considerable
amount of time and money on sales force rather than on any other promotional
activity. However, sales force is expensive and companies are looking forward to
managing them in an efficient and effective manner.
 Motivating Sales Team

How do I motivate my sales team ?

How do I retain top sales talent ?
MONEY is not the only way to motivate the salespeople ;
ENGAGEMENT is the way, it is a bigger motivator than money

In a survey, 78% employees cited RECOGNITION as a motivating factor in their career.

69 % work harder if they are better recognized

52 % are not satisfied with their current recognition
49 % leave as they would be recognized by another company for their efforts
39 % do not feel appreciated at work
72 % feel they are disengaged
18 % disengaged employees undermine co-workers success
Motivating Sales Team

2 proven principles that work well in motivating salespeople

1. Recognition and 2. Appreciation

• Be specific about the objectives, goals, strategies etc.

• Be focused about the tasks (including the sales process)
• Update the TMs about compensation plan (sales incentives, reward etc.)
• Give public recognition
• Recognize something besides sales
• Involve the family / friends
• Match the TMs talents with company’s objectives
• Build personal & trusting relationships with co-workers
• Encourage open & frequent conversations to avoid disengagement
• Train salespersons continuously
• Help salespersons in career development
• Give feedback immediately
• Show respect
Joint Sales Calls : An important guiding tool for TMs

• The joint fieldwork gives you an excellent opportunity to:

• Help the team members perform better
• Establish your leadership
• Train, develop and assess the professional competence of your team
members on-the-job.
• Assess the movement and availability of different products
• Develop rapport with KOLs (key opinion leaders)
• Assess sales trends and competitors’ activities in different markets
• Plan your work to ensure optimum utilization of time.
• Based on the observations made during joint fieldwork, identify areas for
the team member’s development.
• Demonstration can be used to show how something could be done.
• This provides an opportunity to the team member to identify the areas that
need improvement.
Managing Vacant Territories : 1st line manager sales managers’ focus

A 1st line sales manager should be on the constant lookout for

good prospective candidates in each territory.

Till a suitable replacement is selected, maintain the sales of the

vacant territory by ensuring the regular coverage of all the key
doctors.

Be in touch with the important customers of a vacant territory

either by phone or physical sales calls.

Keep the vacant territories active by selling products &

generating prescriptions by your own until a suitable candidate
is found.
Sales Activity Monitoring (SAM) :

Essential of Pharmaceuticals Sales Management

What to monitor ?
TMs daily activities & outcome
Cold sales calls and warm sales calls
TMs performance & sales growth
Customers’ Feedback

How to monitor ?
Verbal Monitoring : Daily communication over cell phone to tract his every
movement in the market place & day’s outcome.

Monitoring by documents : Observing DCRs, TPs, sales performance,

utilization of resources, sales calls frequency etc.

Meetings : Analyze outcome & next strategies to overcome difficulties.

Transactional Analysis in sales

Transactional analysis is a theory about personality,

personality development and communication.

An Ego state is a consistent pattern of feeling and

experience, and normally associated with particular patterns
of behavior.
The three ego states are Parent, Adult and Child:
The Parent state : Caring & Protective
The Adult state : Organized, & Logical
The Child state : Natural, Spontaneous, and Emotional

Relationship Pattern
Parent & Child relation - Protective & Emotional
Adult & Adult - Logical & Logical
Adult & Child - Logical & Emotional

Physicians & Salesman - ?

ASM & TM - ?
Roles of a 1st line sales managers : a brief

The role of a first-line sales manager is a juggling act.

They have to close sales, coach and motivate their team to be customer-
relationship specialists.
They should know how to develop and execute a successful sales strategy.
The pressure is on their shoulders as the success of the sales department is largely
dependent on how well they can handle these multiple priorities.

A 1st line manager is a trustworthy motivator , team leader

and 100% positive result oriented person for the
organisation, he should be good communicator having
good product knowledge and most important he should be
frank ,open and passionate . He can lead his team by
motovating the team members in positive way that they
should acheive their goal every month with the help of
company's strategy which should be 100% implementing in
the field .
Case Study

Find out 3 difficulties in your area regarding TMs’ productivity

improvement in ABC Company.
Explain the reasons behind these difficulties.
Suggest suitable solutions to overcome these difficulties.
What are the managerial steps will you take at your end next in
this regard ?

A prescribed format will be used in the case study, where

common difficulties will be mentioned to help them to
study the case. Moreover, open discussion session will be
conducted to learn about the case study.
For Any Feedback or Suggestions mail at: [email protected]
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