Hacking a dreadful office situation?
January 18, 2015 9:24 PM
I came into a job because my boss promised me the opportunity to move into management within two years. Four months later, he wants me to stop working for him because I have made him too busy. Other sales people express the same reluctance, I have made them too busy, they say. I am so bored. Please help me make sense of this and know where to go?
My job is to make calls for those sales people who don't make their own calls. I would say half my daily work was calling until recently. I also do corporate communication and manage the rollout of the CRM. Shortly after starting, I showed my prowess in bid writing and was given comprehensive management of that process by the company managing director. I have won nine of the 11 bids I did. I feel like they are getting a real bargain with me, but that my boss thought I would be less successful because he had found only one new client in his first 18 months. I have brought him four new clients.
It is plain that other sales people also cannot keep up with the volume of leads I give them. Most of which are already converted into meetings by the time they get them. I feel between a pit and a pedestal. I feel part of the problem is that for most sales people including my boss, they are reluctant to get rid of their account manager responsibilities.
Individually, I have raised the total number of clients for the company by a small number. In dollar value, I found £2 million in new business in my first quarter and even got a small raise. It is what my boss asked for, it is in my job description. To be told, "stop working for me" is alarming. At the same time, he asks me to consider getting into field sales or marketing but presents the caveat that we made a deal that I would do this job for two years.
I feel like I am being set up to resign, and there may be grounds for suspecting constructive dismissal through his behaviour. Others in the sales team talk openly about me moving into a commercial manager role. How do I navigate this? Should I go over my boss' head? Should I go to HR? Should I tell l the MD? My boss won't address the quandary he has put me in although I want to try.
My job is to make calls for those sales people who don't make their own calls. I would say half my daily work was calling until recently. I also do corporate communication and manage the rollout of the CRM. Shortly after starting, I showed my prowess in bid writing and was given comprehensive management of that process by the company managing director. I have won nine of the 11 bids I did. I feel like they are getting a real bargain with me, but that my boss thought I would be less successful because he had found only one new client in his first 18 months. I have brought him four new clients.
It is plain that other sales people also cannot keep up with the volume of leads I give them. Most of which are already converted into meetings by the time they get them. I feel between a pit and a pedestal. I feel part of the problem is that for most sales people including my boss, they are reluctant to get rid of their account manager responsibilities.
Individually, I have raised the total number of clients for the company by a small number. In dollar value, I found £2 million in new business in my first quarter and even got a small raise. It is what my boss asked for, it is in my job description. To be told, "stop working for me" is alarming. At the same time, he asks me to consider getting into field sales or marketing but presents the caveat that we made a deal that I would do this job for two years.
I feel like I am being set up to resign, and there may be grounds for suspecting constructive dismissal through his behaviour. Others in the sales team talk openly about me moving into a commercial manager role. How do I navigate this? Should I go over my boss' head? Should I go to HR? Should I tell l the MD? My boss won't address the quandary he has put me in although I want to try.
"Who should I work for, who do you recommend I talk to?"
posted by rhizome at 10:51 PM on January 18, 2015
posted by rhizome at 10:51 PM on January 18, 2015
From the way you're describing it everyone else seems to be in a comfortable rut where the demands are not very high and they can tip along without working too hard. But now their world is bring disrupted by your high work-ethic and strong drive to get things done, and you are making everyone else look bad, including your boss. If this is accurate the situation is unlikely to end well for you - the existing group is not going to see the error of their ways and suddenly start to work harder because of your good example.
However! The good news is that if you like sales and are good at it, the world is your oyster. There are lots of companies that hugely value the type of activities you are talking about, and you should go and apply to one of those as Jacqueline says.
But something else to consider: A learning curve that smart, driven people need to go through is to understand how to work with people who are not as smart and driven and they are. What can you learn from your current situation about working with others? If you go into a job interview for a new role and you talk about how useless the people were in your old job and how you were so much better than them, it would be a red flag in terms of your ability to work well with others. To pick one example: Moving away from account manager tasks to a more sales-focused role is scary for most people - when you are an AM the work usually just presents itself, whereas with sales you have to go out and find it and constantly deal with the unknown. Is there a way you can enable this transition in your office? Caveats: You need to do it in a way that the other people don't feel demeaned, and your boss doesn't feel undermined.
Good luck!
posted by StephenF at 3:38 AM on January 19, 2015
However! The good news is that if you like sales and are good at it, the world is your oyster. There are lots of companies that hugely value the type of activities you are talking about, and you should go and apply to one of those as Jacqueline says.
But something else to consider: A learning curve that smart, driven people need to go through is to understand how to work with people who are not as smart and driven and they are. What can you learn from your current situation about working with others? If you go into a job interview for a new role and you talk about how useless the people were in your old job and how you were so much better than them, it would be a red flag in terms of your ability to work well with others. To pick one example: Moving away from account manager tasks to a more sales-focused role is scary for most people - when you are an AM the work usually just presents itself, whereas with sales you have to go out and find it and constantly deal with the unknown. Is there a way you can enable this transition in your office? Caveats: You need to do it in a way that the other people don't feel demeaned, and your boss doesn't feel undermined.
Good luck!
posted by StephenF at 3:38 AM on January 19, 2015
You're pretty hot shit, why on earth are you settling for working for losers like this? Update your resume and find a fabulous new job making shit-tons of money in sales. That kind of hustle and smarts should benefit you, not these Willy Loman-types.
When asked why you want a new gig, simply say, "I was so good at my job they couldn't keep up, I figured that I'd rather work in a place that can embrace my success."
But anyone telling you to your face they don't want you working for them anymore is a huge red flag, Huge.
I suppose you can meet with him to ask, "I'm concerned that you don't want me working for you. I'd like to explore other opportunities in the company, if that's okay with you."
I think it would help to know the specific words and context of the he wants me to stop working for him because I have made him too busy comment. Was it in a status meeting? What exactly DOES he want you to do? Are there other things you could do instead of making appointments?
But frankly, if a manager is this bad at managing a valuable resource, if sales people are complaining that they have too many qualified leads...this place is too dysfunctional to stick around.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:43 AM on January 19, 2015
When asked why you want a new gig, simply say, "I was so good at my job they couldn't keep up, I figured that I'd rather work in a place that can embrace my success."
But anyone telling you to your face they don't want you working for them anymore is a huge red flag, Huge.
I suppose you can meet with him to ask, "I'm concerned that you don't want me working for you. I'd like to explore other opportunities in the company, if that's okay with you."
I think it would help to know the specific words and context of the he wants me to stop working for him because I have made him too busy comment. Was it in a status meeting? What exactly DOES he want you to do? Are there other things you could do instead of making appointments?
But frankly, if a manager is this bad at managing a valuable resource, if sales people are complaining that they have too many qualified leads...this place is too dysfunctional to stick around.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:43 AM on January 19, 2015
It is plain that other sales people also cannot keep up with the volume of leads I give them. Most of which are already converted into meetings by the time they get them. I feel between a pit and a pedestal. I feel part of the problem is that for most sales people including my boss, they are reluctant to get rid of their account manager responsibilities.
So I've been in a position similar to yours (bid writing, prepping for warm calls as a non-sales account manager) and something in your situation just isn't computing for me. Of course companies want more sales. Of course salespeople want more leads. So why isn't this working?
1. Do your bids promise services/products at a level your company can't reliably provide?
2. Do your bids woo clients from a market segment that the company isn't interested in, for reasons unknown to you?
3. Are you bringing in leads for undesirable customers (you know, the clients who are too difficult for the revenue they generate)?
Look, there's always some bright-eyed, eager person who comes in new to the sales department with a mission to get into management. This person spends the first 2-4 months frantically bringing in contracts and clients that no one actually wants or the sales team has actively avoided because the client/market/value isn't a good fit. In this case, I'm worried this person is you.
It sounds like you have some valuable skills. I recommend talking to your boss. Ask how he envisions your role. Listen very carefully to what he says. If he says something about making him too busy, ask for clarification.
It's entirely possible that these are lazy folks who don't want to work, and in that case you should tell them to pound sand and find someplace that appreciates you. But it's also possible that since you're so new, there's an important aspect of culture or history you're missing that is second nature to the folks who have been there longer, and you may need to tune into it to successfully carve out a happy spot for yourself.
posted by mochapickle at 7:01 AM on January 19, 2015
So I've been in a position similar to yours (bid writing, prepping for warm calls as a non-sales account manager) and something in your situation just isn't computing for me. Of course companies want more sales. Of course salespeople want more leads. So why isn't this working?
1. Do your bids promise services/products at a level your company can't reliably provide?
2. Do your bids woo clients from a market segment that the company isn't interested in, for reasons unknown to you?
3. Are you bringing in leads for undesirable customers (you know, the clients who are too difficult for the revenue they generate)?
Look, there's always some bright-eyed, eager person who comes in new to the sales department with a mission to get into management. This person spends the first 2-4 months frantically bringing in contracts and clients that no one actually wants or the sales team has actively avoided because the client/market/value isn't a good fit. In this case, I'm worried this person is you.
It sounds like you have some valuable skills. I recommend talking to your boss. Ask how he envisions your role. Listen very carefully to what he says. If he says something about making him too busy, ask for clarification.
It's entirely possible that these are lazy folks who don't want to work, and in that case you should tell them to pound sand and find someplace that appreciates you. But it's also possible that since you're so new, there's an important aspect of culture or history you're missing that is second nature to the folks who have been there longer, and you may need to tune into it to successfully carve out a happy spot for yourself.
posted by mochapickle at 7:01 AM on January 19, 2015
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posted by Jacqueline at 9:35 PM on January 18, 2015