Succession
and Legacy Planning
In most cases, the departing sales professional possesses
certain competencies and attributes that have made them successful. Many sales
mangers, when faced with the task of replacing these folks, search for someone
just like them. This is a mistake.
Succession planning is the approach taken to
evaluate the changing needs of the sales assignment. Review and analyze what
demands the last salesperson faced and determine what has changed. Is the
competition different? Is the marketplace different? Are your products and
services changing? Is the required technology different? How about size and
complexity of the territory and marketplace? What about global issues? What
unique new competencies and attributes will be needed by the salesperson coming
into the job that the past salesperson could get by without because of his or
her experience and years of service?
Legacy planning, on the other hand, is
different. One of the key findings that came out of the significant downsizing
of the 1980s and 1990s was the fact that the majority of knowledge on how to do
the job disappeared with the individual being downsized. Perhaps some of the
first to recognize this were the managers in federal agencies during President
Reagan’s term in office. As they reduced headcount, their effectiveness
decreased.
Organizations operate on three communications levels. The first is
the formal processes built into an organizational design. These are the SOPSs
(Standard Operating Procedures) or M&Ps (Methods and Practices).
The second is the informal communications that bypass formal
processes to get the work done more quickly. This conversation is in the hall or
at the coffee machine, and it contributes a significant amount of functionality
to a business. In fact, studies have shown that this is the channel by which the
bulk of the work gets done.
The third is the social network or relationships that exist within
a business. Friends network and help friends. Just watch who goes to lunch
together or parties together outside of work. They may not realize how much
communication pertaining to business functions take place in this environment,
but the amount is amazing. Consider the last time you or your associates played
golf. Business topics were part of the entire day’s conversation, and a lot of
action items came out of the eighteen holes.
To solve this problem, excellent managers track the career
progress of their sales personnel and determine when they are likely to move out
of the organization. In preparation for this event, a plan is put in place to
capture what these people do to be successful in their territories or assigned
responsibilities. Perhaps they tutor a younger person. Maybe they document
historical patterns of the customers. Whatever the process, make sure you
capture what they know before they leave. This is legacy
planning.
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