I was once hired as the Interim General Manager of a luxury retail and goods business, and my primary objective was to address the issue with the sales and account management staff, as that seemed to be taking a hit on the overall performance of the company. The owners had to let go their general manager and hired me to redirect the course of the company. Here’s I short sumumary of what I did over the six months I stayed as Interim General Manager:
- Assessed the situation: I obviously started by conducting an internal audit of the sales and account management team, as well and the rest of the organization. This involved analyzing their performance metrics, interviewing team members and stakeholders, and identifying areas for improvement.
- Identified root causes: Once I had a comprehensive understanding of the situation, I started my work to identify the root causes of the issue. This involved reviewing company processes and policies, assessing the team’s training and development opportunities, and evaluating the overall organizational structure.
- Developed a plan of action: Based on my findings, I developed a plan of action to address the problem. This involved revising processes and procedures, implementing training and development programs, restructuring the sales and account management team, or a combination of these approaches.
- Implemented the plan: After finalizing the plan of action, I worked with the sales and account management team to implement the necessary changes. This involved setting clear goals, communicating the plan effectively, and monitoring progress to ensure the desired results are achieved.
- Evaluated results: After implementing the plan, I evaluated its effectiveness and measured its impact on sales and account management performance. Based on these results, I made any necessary modifications to the plan to ensure its continued success.
- Focused on improving communication and collaboration within the team, as well as fostering a positive, supportive work environment. This involved holding regular team meetings, encouraging open and honest communication, and providing opportunities for team members to provide feedback and offer suggestions for improvement. Building a strong, cohesive team is an important aspect of improving sales and account management performance
Overall, my goal as Interim General Manager was to quickly and effectively address the issue with the sales and account management team, and to ensure that the business is well-positioned for future success. I succeded in doing so and and the task was completed in time.
You might be wondering what were the actions taken in relation to the issue with the sales and account management teams. Here’s what happened in a few lines:
My findings helped us understand that the root causes of the issue were mostly related to lack of training or development opportunities, lack of alignment with the company’s goals and lack of clarity in relation to responsabilities and objectives.
I worked very closely with the sales and account management team to provide support, clarify expectations, and ensure that they had the resources they needed to succeed. This involved regular coaching and feedback sessions, as well as monitoring performance metrics to track progress and make any necessary adjustments. I also focused on improving these areas to help them achieve better results, and implemented training programs, provided additional resources, organised bonding activities to improve team morale and motivation or adjusted their roles and responsibilities as neccessary, among many other things.
I had to recommend replacing two staff due to attitude issues and lack of interest in the improvements we were making. That wass a difficult decision, but in was necessary to ensure the success of the sales and account management team and the overall business.
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