Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

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  1

  Villeroy

  10/06/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  The Lord of The Manor
  
  Sales Manager who thought it was his right to 'bed' every female staff member. His conversations were always full of double meanings and smutty comments that he thought were extremely witty, but in reality were just boring. He was a nightmare at our annual conference harrassing any female in sight. The problems really began when I began a relationship with a female co-worker, he became obsessed with our relationship and eventually engineered me out of my role. My partner left soon after.

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  2

  BUCKSHOTT

  10/06/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  These stories are interesting and amusing, and probably best illustrate the tenets described in "The Peter Principle", whereby people rise (or may be promoted) to their level of incompetence.
  Some sales managers are/were very good sales people, but are not good managers. And management does the firm no favor by elevating these people into a position where they will fail and cause dissention in the ranks.

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  3

  derflinger@...

  10/06/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  How about the writer from hell? Most of these sales managers will probably not be sales managers much longer However, by using the names of the submitters, these individuals - especially your mom - can be identified and targeted by these people or the friends of these managers (assuming that they have any). It would make me very uncomfortable sending this type of story to a 'reporter' who casually identified his sources. using the names or at least the e-mail formated addresses (even without the domain name) just paints a big target on their back.

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  4

  jenhall

  10/06/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  Worst was a "basic instinct" incident! My sales manager came with me to an important meeting, to discuss logistics with a key decision maker. She decided not to let facts get in the way of a micro mini, giggling and hair flicking!!....all this despite the fact I gave her this customers background as an icu nurse and pastor of a church!! He asked that I NEVER bring her back....who could I complain to though....she was also the MDs wife!!

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  5

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  10/06/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  Re Note 3:
  When the sources are identified, it's because the stories were posted as comments to previous posts. Obviously, the people who left the comments didn't care if their BNET handles are used. As for my mom, I defy ANYONE to identify her without calling me to unravel a very long and complicated history of name changes. In any case, she loves it when I tell that story.

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  6

  The Dagger

  10/07/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  Gee, there were so many. The Yankee with a "special" Last name to identify when a call was from an applicant. A sure sign of dramatic and useless turn over.
  The Ex-Carny who ran a High Tech Electronic Sales Team like we were Milk bottles to knock off the shelf for a prize.
  The ex-College professor who pushed products we didn't sell, but he "use to".
  The drunken bully who lived in the past, concerning both Family and Career.
  I have had some great team leaders who directed teams to reach common goals for the common good and I have tried to emulate them in my career.

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  7

  Eliyahu60

  10/07/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  For those who have to deal with bosses like these, it's worth keeping in mind that the behavior of some of them (the first one, who stalked the employee outside of work and the last one, who showed off his nether regions) is also a violation of the law and can be prosecuted if anyone bothers to report it to the police. There's a not-very-fine line between conduct that is unethical, sleezy or annoying and that which is criminal in nature, and those of us who work in law offices have a name for the latter people. We call them "clients."

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  8

  bcarre

  10/07/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  interesting but...isn't the real problem the managers
  above who appointed all these sales managers from
  hell in the first place????
  And how can these managers not notice that something is
  going very wrong? Sales reps play a crucial role in the
  company, top managers should make sure that 1/ they hire
  the right persons but also 2/ that their sales manager will
  inspire/lead/motivate them.

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  9

  miyahira

  10/07/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  I agree with bcarre - the people who hired the 'sales manager from hell' and his or her direct manager are probably no better. The behavior mentioned in these snippets is hard to hide in any organization. Sooner or later it will surface.
  
  So what would I tell the salespeople who work in that organization? Inform their sales manager's manager, then look for another job if nothing is done within a reasonable amount of time.
  
  Good sales people become 'known' within their industry. So finding another employer who sells similar merchandise should be a viable option. It may mean relocating; which is not always easy to do. However it could also open new opportunities in a better run company.
  
  There is no 'perfect' solution however. So everyone needs to be real as far as their expectations are concerned. But having to work with inept managers stymies one's effectiveness.

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  Longjohn1223

  10/07/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  I worked for a man whose father owned the company. In daddy's eyes, sonny could do no wrong and sonny knew it. Sonny lied to his employees and customers on a regular basis, and seemed to take great pride in dishonest dealings, including cheating his sales staff out of their comissions. Routinely, we were greeted with "What the F*** are you still doing here?...You guys don't know how to sell...I should fire all of you. "
  Another company recruited me, and within a couple of days I turned in my 2-day notice (I QUIT TO-DAY!). He was actually stunned that I would want to leave! All I could say to him was that I did not belong there, and that I needed to move on. That was the best move I've ever made!!

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  jenburk

  10/30/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  to bcarr - I agree, but have you ever worked for a company before? Everywhere I've worked, from nationally recognized nonprofit organizations to the world's largest software solution providers, have so many levels of incompetency that the managers above the managers are just trying to keep their butts out of slings. And the owners, even if they are only one or two levels from the lowest on the totum pole, have other fish to fry, like keeping investors happy. AND - the nice managers may have even hired the evil managers to do what they cannot - lead by fear, fire the weak, get numbers out of nonproducers, whatever. Sad, but very true, unfornutely, as I can attest to having been but one of the many victims of poor management several times in my 20+ year career.

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  bcarre

  10/31/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  Hi Jenburk,
  I don't share the length of your experience, I actually have a
  10-year career behind me. Throughout these years I was
  fortunate enough to have 2 good managers, the latter for
  almost 8 years. We had mutual respect for each other,
  although I'd reckon that he couldn't inspire people in times
  of hardships, but he was straight in his boots and always
  ready to listen.
  No, the "manager from hell" I refer to was (were actually)
  the 3 CMO's, whose results were completely transparent, or
  the HR director who happened to be the boss' pal, even
  though my company wasn't small (where that happens a lot)
  and quoted on the stock exchange (in Paris). Who's to
  blame? The CEO, probably, who, like you said, spent a lot of
  time nurturing his holy shares (he owns +60% of them).
  
  Hence perhaps the small number of books about
  inspirational leaders (like the CEO of SouthWest Airlines for
  e.g.), as there aren't as many books about proven CEO
  leadership as there are CEO's, is there?
  
  greetings,
  Bruno

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  13

  jenburk

  11/02/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Real Life Sales Managers from Hell

  WOW! Did we work for the same company once upon a time? I think you just described one of mine - scary. Though, actually, not scary, since most of us have probably worked for a company like you just described.
  
  You are so right that there are not enough good examples being written about - definitely!