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Thread: Boss undermines me!!!!

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    Email problem Willie's Avatar
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    Boss undermines me!!!!

    Hi there to you all, I joined this forum today cause basically I was looking for some advice.

    The story goes like this im a Sales Manager for company X and the owner of the Company also a sales rep of nature, he's got this nature of phoning my clients and visiting them, which means they dont deal with me after awhile, they deal directly with him, cause why would they deal with a manager if they could deal with a owner. No problem I dont lose my comm, and it's not like I dont follow up, this guy just like shoving his nose into all my big accounts and then he basically takes over. It makes me feel like im basically a promoter of the company not even a salesman anymore. Previously he lost some "BIG" accounts and after two years I got them back, and what do you know, he sticks he's nose in there again. Any advice would be appreciated, at this stage in time, I cant even type properly because of the anger and the frustration.

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    Hi Willie,

    Welcome to the forum.

    I've been in sales a long time. I have my own IT Company, so I know where you're coming from.

    Firstly, a Sales Manager shouldn't be visiting clients to get business. Sales rep's do that. A sales manager MANAGES the sales reps. He attends business breakfasts, does networking, has 1-on-1's with his sales reps to see where they can improve, he boosts moral at morning meetings etc

    He does visit / call clients yes, but only to see if everything is going well. To basically make an appearance per say.

    What your boss is doing, is leeching off your hard work. He is letting you harvest the clients, and he is reaping the rewards by visiting / consulting with clients YOU have harvested. I'll bet a month's salary that this guy couldn't close if his life depended on it. He's taking the easy route. Letting you do all the hard work.

    Why?

    It's simple. He's lazy. He doesn't want to go through the whole procedure of meet & greet, proposal, negotiation and finally, closing. So he uses you do do that, and walks in when the client is already in the honeymoon phase of their relationship with you / his company.

    How do I know this? Because I used to do it. Until someone spoke to me one day, and since then, I do everything from birth to abortion. Also, because it's my company, and the company name means more than anything else.

    Solution? There isn't one unfortunately. Well, not entirely. Having a heart to heart with him will only infuriate him even more.He's the owner, so what he says is the gospel. You can try and speak to him, but if it goes south, you're in trouble. I personally would look for other employment. From what you've said it sounds like you have enormous potential. Rather give that potential to another company, than let him leech from yours. Salesmen are not born, they are moulded.

    Seek other employment as this issue will not improve unless he does a 180 and apologizes. Be an asset to someone who'll appreciate your sales skills, your people skills and the like. Stop making this guy rich from YOUR hard work. Let him get someone else to leech from.

    Many companies slap their employees with the "Sales Manager" position as they know it'll boost their ego and make them feel special. But, what use is it to be a Manager if you're not managing?

    I hope this advice helps.

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    Willie (11-Mar-11)

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    Diamond Member Justloadit's Avatar
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    Welcome to the forum,

    On the one hand you have not lost your comm, to me this is sacrilege, the fact that he takes over the clients is not a real issue to you, you are now getting comm and he does the follow up work. Use your skills to get new clients. What will happen of course, is that at some stage your comm will be greater than the bosses income. That is the day the shit will hit the fan. I experienced this with another company which I was a director. The MD eventually got rid of the sales people, because he thought that he did not need them any longer, and he also could not stand that the rep made more money than him. Well in the end, the company turn over dropped, and the rep went on their own, bought and sold the goods he was representing, and now makes more money than the company selling the goods.

    Your call.
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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    The times I've seen this, the boss was either bad at delegating or insecure.

    Either way I'd suggest plant a seed in the boss's mind. What happens if there's a wobbly patch with the client and it's time for a rescue job?

    If the boss has too close a relationship with the client, he can't come in as the out-of-town-expert-with-a-briefcase and patch the issue.

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    Email problem Willie's Avatar
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    Hi Everyone

    First of all thanks for the advice, yes the reason why I'm still out doing sales is because I'm good at it. I've got my team that im leading and they doing well, and even in their sales he tries to get in there. Anyway I thought about it last night while I was sitting in commercial law class, I'm going to construct a database for him, that consist of his clients that he services annually every odd month or so, I'm going to take the last 5 years data and compile this database with this data using quotations and invoices, and then hand this over to him, so hopefully it will keep him busy, see I'm not and IT expert but I do come from an IT background.

    Confronting him, definitely an opposition, just gonna use a bit of strategy, gonna tell him that when he goes to see one of my clients again I want to go with to see how he works so that I can learn, that way I dont lose the relationship with my client and he will be able to see that by taking me with everytime will become irritating (strategy). Need to remember that I'm a salesman/marketer so why not sell the fact to my boss the he can go sit behind he's desk and chill, while I actually make more money than him.

    Will keep you guys updated...... O yes before I forget quitting the job is not a option, my clientele that I have built up over the years is to precious at this stage, you see the way that it works say for instance you service a client this year, and you service him next year, every year you get commision. Okay that sounds normal but if you've got my db then you've got a retirement package going. And actually I work for myself thats the main reason why im still selling.

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    Diamond Member wynn's Avatar
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    Don't you think he is just hedging his bets?
    He seems to be making sure he has a personal relationship with your clients in case you leave!
    Maybe he was burned before by a sales guy who left? maybe he is the sales buy who left a company taking all the clients with him and is terrified of the same thing happening to him?

    If you still recieve comm thats a good thing, he seems not to be cutting you out, but very importantly, cover your own ar$# by making sure that he knows you are still servicing your clients even if they give the orders to him.

    Look on the positive side, if I were a client I would be chuffed as hell that the boss shows a personal interest in me even if I was introduced by the salesman/ager and am still serviced by the guy (double the service what an amazing company!!! over delivery, wonderful)
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    Hi there,

    I think, what you have right there, is the nature of the bad boss! Even in other fields, that happens - I've seen it. They're the bosses who micormanage everything, rather than focusing on the big picture. They're the ones who don't trust their employees to do their jobs, and the funny thing is, the less they trust them, the more likely those employees are to be demoralised and do a bad job!

    This is one of the big reasons I got out of the corporate rat race myself, and started by own businesses. I just couldn't handle office politics anymore!

    Good luck to you.

    Tamara

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    Hi Willie

    I like your approach from your second post. I do think it is important for a senior manager to go and see clients as this helps them keep a finger on the pulse. It is also most useful for the middle management as you find that you don't end up reporting to someone who is totally oblivious of the real world and client needs. You may like to try inviting him to some of your clients instead of waiting for him to remember to invite you along. This can become a formidable strategy from a sales perspective.

    Also if you are feeling like this, some of your reps are too, so at this stage, including this sales etiquette in a more structured sales procedure is not a bad thing, good thinking, me thinks!

    Good luck!
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    Debbie
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    i do not think nor believe he is a bad boss. You said it yourself that hes also a salesman of some sort. Could it be he feels threatened by you and wants to show that he also can do it? Or could he be 1 of those people who cant trust their employees to do a great job and succeed at it? Which could also be a major reason why he follows up on your clients? Dont forget, he might be a big business owner and boss but he is stil only human.....

  11. #10
    Email problem Willie's Avatar
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    Okay guys sorry for the late reply and updates, things are a bit better now I kinda exploded at him and asked him straight to his face what his problem is with me, and said to him if he wants to help then he should train me not undermine me, I also said to him if he needs any information from my clients the ladies in the office will get that for him, and if he needs technical information then he asks me, if he really needs to speak to my clients then I will setup the meeting and introduce him thats my terms and conditions. But enough with the drama, things are going great, thx for all the responses at the end Go with your gut feeling.....

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