Managing Sales in a Down Market

I am not sure if you can remember when Dennis Connor was out to recapture the America’s Cup in 1988? The race was scheduled for the California Coast just off of San Diego. Behind a veil of secrecy, the American team shocked the sailing community by building and sailing a catamaran that met the specifications of the 100-year-old design standard. Even under the protest of the opposing teams, the committee had to allow the boat since it did meet the specification formula, albeit not the intent.

Dennis and his team realized that sailing in the gentle breeze of California was much tougher than the strong winds of the East Coast or other popular venues for the competition. It was a condition that favored the light wind planing design of a catamaran over the displacement design of a sloop.

Try as they might, the opposing teams could not present a challenge to the catamaran. Even if they were the best sailing crew, their vessel design was best suited for high wind, not the slow gentle winds off of San Diego. Connor and his team easily defeated the New Zealand challenge 2-0.

If we consider the boat as the analogy for a sales management framework, the wind has changed. The slowdown in the marketplace has taken the wind out of our sails, but it doesn’t mean we can’t win a race. Most sales managers have less than 5years experience, which means they have developed their management skills during a growth, or high wind, market. Many of them may have never faced a tough market as sales people, or as sales managers.

Much like sailing in radically different weather conditions, the skills required to succeed in a growth market are much different than the skills required to succeed in a slower market.

www.paul-cunningham.co.uk www.messagemanagement.com