---
title: "A Sales Manager's Work Insights"
description: "Managers don't necessarily have to be stronger than their subordinates; they should respect, trust, and delegate, while maintaining principles and systems. Effective management relies on clear goals, sound systems, and team quality to ensure execution."
author: "蒋军"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
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published: "2015-03-22"
language: "en"
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---

# A Sales Manager's Work Insights

> Managers don't necessarily have to be stronger than their subordinates; they should respect, trust, and delegate, while maintaining principles and systems. Effective management relies on clear goals, sound systems, and team quality to ensure execution.

Managers don't necessarily have to be stronger than their subordinates
Does every manager need to be stronger than their subordinates, control them, and monitor them?
Many people do this, but over time conflicts intensify—how can cooperation last? They believe subordinates are untrustworthy, and they call it gaining a deeper understanding of each member, but in reality, it's just surveillance.
This isn't to say that management should be laissez-faire, ignoring everything, but rather that there should be principles and institutional constraints, delegation of authority, monitoring of processes according to authority, and requiring subordinates to deliver results and be accountable for them. That's enough.
Otherwise, multiple management layers, increased internal friction, and scattered morale will lead to nothing.
Does a manager need to be stronger than subordinates? Of course, being strong is not a bad thing; but if not strong, it doesn't mean they can't succeed.
Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was not as talented in civil affairs as Xiao He, nor as skilled in military as Han Xin, but he could manage them freely and establish the Han Dynasty. Liu Bei was not as wise as Zhuge Liang, nor as martial as Guan Yu or Zhang Fei, but he could command heroes and divide the world into three.
Many managers, once they become the "top leader," become self-inflated and forget themselves. There are two reasons: one is lack of confidence, using so-called "official authority" to intimidate and build "prestige"; the other is being carried away by success, wanting to command "subordinates."
In fact, leadership is not determined by position, but by prestige, personal charisma, and magnanimity.
Managerial Principles
The primary factor is respect.
Sincere respect for team members, not hypocritical "posturing."
Yi Zhongtian said: "Talent and pregnancy are alike; over time, others can see it." I think the same applies to respecting others; over time, team members can see whether the manager's attitude is genuine.
Second, consistency between words and actions.
Third, consider subordinates' interests.
No manager who only cares about their own interests and ignores others' well-being has ever succeeded. Subordinates' interests are your own, but you must take a long-term view. Short-sighted people are not suitable; never try it.
Finally, don't speak ill of others behind their backs.
Some people always like to say in front of you: who is the worst, who is incompetent. But then they tell you that their boss doesn't like employees gossiping about others. I think such a person is definitely lacking in confidence, because they fear you might say negative things about them to their leader—it's just a petty mind. We should always be grateful, not cut off others' prospects or financial paths, and have the kindness to help others succeed.
Management Requires Delegation
Management is about managing people's hearts. If hearts are lost, what can be achieved?
Those who have been in sales and marketing for years know what the starting point of marketing is: demand.
I believe the end point of marketing should also be demand, or demand management, and at a higher level, creating and guiding demand.
Although many talk about competition orientation—defeating competitors to succeed—that's not necessarily true.
Management requires division of labor and, more importantly, delegation. Without delegation, subordinates cannot grow; if the boss does everything personally, subordinates cannot handle things independently.
Ensuring Execution
Almost every company talks about execution; execution has become the foothold of all strategies and tactics.
Whether it's baijiu companies, beverage industries, or other consumer goods companies, strategy and execution are the two poles of enterprise development, interconnected and inseparable. Strategy, tactics, and execution are all indispensable; that is, only through a "system" can goals be achieved.
Some might say strategy is for big companies, strategy is for top management; marketing managers mostly handle execution, so they don't need to think much about strategy. On the surface, this seems reasonable, but upon reflection, it's not.
Does a regional manager need strategic thinking to do well in the market? Do they need tactics and strategies? Do they need systematic integration? Can they just wait for the company to formulate everything, then copy it for so-called planning or execution, and the market will suddenly open up? Of course not. A regional market leader is definitely the formulator of regional strategy and tactics and the first person responsible for execution, without excuse. Of course, this regional strategy and tactics are under the company's overall strategy and tactics; often, regional managers who closely link the two will thrive and show their skills.
Therefore, only with correct direction can improved execution better achieve the company's marketing goals; otherwise, the stronger the execution, the farther from the goal.
Successful people like to tell "stories," leading you into a carefully crafted "dream," but they forget that some successes are individual and cannot be replicated. So, for enterprise marketing and frontline marketing managers, they need approaches and methods—that is, ways to improve execution and achieve goals.
To ensure execution, the following three aspects need to be done well.
1. Clear goals
The goals mentioned here are not strategic goals; grassroots employees and frontline managers don't care about those. They deal with stage goals, which must be clear. For example, number of stores entered, distribution rate, sales completion, cost control, promotional activity formulation, execution, and effects.
2. Sound systems
It's not just punishment systems, but also reward, assistance, guidance, and cooperation systems. Many companies have many systems and forms; everyone fills out forms daily, but in reality, many forms are useless. When things come up, everyone shirks responsibility, unwilling to take on accountability, doing as little as possible. Some functional departments think marketing is just eating, drinking, and having fun: "You're comfortable out there, asking for this and that!" No wonder a friend who is a sales director said: "I regularly take some back-office and administrative staff to market activities to let them experience how sales are actually done and how money is earned!"
3. Overall team quality
Overall quality doesn't mean everyone is the same, but that people can complement each other, have individuals who can handle things independently, and unite together under excellent leadership to enhance the company's combat effectiveness.
Team overall quality includes: first, the team's consistent understanding and identification with overall goals; second, sufficient professional skills and techniques; third, sufficient confidence, high morale, and career passion; fourth, full commitment.
If the above points are achieved, this is a highly efficient team that can fight hard, is full of execution, and can ensure execution.
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