25 Andrew Smyth: Leadership and Customer Relationships

In this podcast conversation, Andrew Smyth shares his unique journey from being a tradesperson to becoming a successful sales person, sales manager, and senior leader. He emphasizes the importance of understanding customer perspectives, effective communication, and the need for visibility in leadership roles. Andrew discusses the characteristics that make an effective sales manager, including listening, involvement, and recognition of team members. He also highlights the differences in managing employees versus contractors and the significance of maintaining relationships in both contexts. The conversation concludes with insights on how recognition and motivation play crucial roles in driving sales performance. We discuss the importance of building strong customer relationships, and the role of sales managers in engaging with customers. We also explore strategies for effective joint calls, the intelligence a managers needs in customer interactions, and the responsibilities of salespeople in maintaining accountability. The conversation emphasizes the need for appreciation, communication, and understanding in the sales process, highlighting how these elements contribute to overall sales success. Andrew also shares his insights on transitioning from a peer to a sales manager, emphasizing the importance of establishing the identity of the Sales Manager while maintaining authenticity. He discusses the challenges of managing experienced salespeople and the necessity of addressing issues with empathy and openness. Andrew highlights the significance of making mistakes as a learning opportunity and the importance of celebrating successes, no matter how small. He reflects on his own experiences, sharing powerful valuable lessons learned from making decisions in his management role, and concludes with a powerful message about the importance of kindness and authenticity in leadership.You can see Andrew's  profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-smyth-06a54677/Key Takeaways• Listening and involving team members in decisions is vital for new sales managers.• Recognition for salespeople can take many forms, including incentives and personal acknowledgment.• Sales managers should balance data analysis with personal engagement.• Salespeople value autonomy and recognition for their achievements.• Building relationships with contractors requires a different leadership approach. • Recognition can come from simple words of appreciation.• Joint calls should focus on adding value to the salesperson.• Sales managers must respect the salesperson's relationship with customers.. • You need to cast your identity as a sales manager.• What you walk past, you condone; set clear standards.• Own your mistakes instead of blaming your team or others.• Celebrate successes, no matter how small.• Recruiting the right people is a significant triumph.• Be brave, bold, authentic, and kind in leadership.Sound Bites"You still need to be visible.""You need to be able to engage your manager.""You can't beat being together.""A customer doesn't need to understand. They have a choice""Be super, super interested in the customer.""Make your problem my problem.""You have to cast your own identity.""What you walk past, you condone.""Don't be afraid to make a mistake.""Celebrate success, it can be simple.""Be brave, be bold, be authentic, be kind.""Kindness can help business grow."Keywordssales management, leadership, employee engagement, contractor management, recognition, sales strategies, sales recognition, customer relationships, joint calls, sales accountability, leadership, sales motivation, sales management, leadership, mistakes, success, team building, authenticity, kindness, coaching