Talent Management in global sales
It's fascinating to see how many of the global account managers we talk to that consider themselves to be “the guys with the scars on the back”. They find themselves stuck in a continuous negotiation between customers, local key accounts and central HQ functions.
To some extent this is inevitable and part of the job, but developing successful global sales leaders requires companies to structurally add new flavors to their Talent Management processes.
We have identified three areas that needs to be sharpened for a successful Global Account Management:
- Career path. When are you able to take the step to manage a complex and often financially large customer relation? Do you want ex local company heads, or is it a step before you can take on a bigger country role? And what job can you take after being a Global Account Manager?
- Skills. There are some very distinct competencies that a Global Account Manager needs to entertain. Influencing without authority is one, together with networking skills. Cultural understanding that might (or is it should?) have been gained through various assignments abroad.
- Incentives. This is an area that is always a source for conflicts among sales people. A variable pay system starts with how targets are set and cascaded, and by whom. For accounts that are truly global with a global sales maker, targets are set and deployed through the global account. For others, there needs to be a degree of co-operation (yes, here comes influencing without authority again) and collaboration in setting targets. The bonus system itself needs to reflect the degree of impact the various players in a total account may have and the ability to measure each individual´s effort. This puts a stress on the financial system, but is the foundation for a motivating incentive plan.
Some HR processes are easy to adopt to a global sales environment, others need both time and effort to get right. But all are critical to the success of the Global Account Manager.