For those subscribers who bought and have read my book, you will be aware that I attribute success for many in international sales roles is dependent on three key factors:
- The design of the go-to-market model.
- Finding and selecting the best-fit distributor partner in that model.
- Having the right talent that can deliver the critical mass in international scaleup.
Of those three key factors, getting the wrong person in the role leads to missing the other two. So, those involved in recruiting for these roles must identify and recruit the right candidate, first time, every time. The high staff casualty rate in these roles (typically, they survive only between 18 and 36 months) is symptomatic of recruiting a poor-fit candidate for the role.
As I explain in my book, an international scaleup role with P&L accountability is very different from a domestic market sales manager/director role.
I saw this ad for a Business Development Export Sales Manager. It described the responsibilities:
- Developing and executing territory and distributor-specific sales plans to meet quotas
- Collaborating with distributor partners to generate new customer leads, including carrying out those all-important in-person joint-customer visits.
- Partnering with distributors to deliver technical/scientific seminars and presentations on our products and services to end users and internal training of distributor staff to enhance their knowledge of our products and services.
- Using the scientific knowledge gained from your education and career to engage in high-level collaborative, multi-faceted sales processes.
- Partnering cross-functionally with your colleagues in matrix teams to service the needs of your customer base to the best of our collective ability.
- Working with new and existing distributor contacts to develop and maintain strong customer and distributor connections throughout the organisation.
- Provide regular P&L forecasts and reviews with clear explanations for variance and corrective actions required.
- Manage all stock levels and inventories in distributor partners.
- Ensure all invoiced sales are collected on time with zero sales outstanding at 30 days from their due date on the invoice.
The person this company wants is described thus:
- A BSc degree or equivalent as a minimum, up to a PhD in Life Sciences.
- Commercial experience managing Export Channels and Distributor Partners.
- Previous demonstrable success in a consultative selling environment with complex sales and purchasing processes and a proven track record in lead generation and prospecting
- Experience within the left-handed widgets and nose hair scissors market is highly desirable
- Adaptability and an independent way of thinking and working that gives you the passion and drive to win business and establish long-term customer/distributor relationships
- Strong interpersonal skills and clarity in communication when interacting with a range of audiences at different scientific levels.
What's Wrong With This, You Ask?
- No prior P&L experience or track record is specified. A P&L role is much more demanding than a sales manager role. I explain why in my book.
- Is the candidate required to select new distributors in new markets or change distributors in current markets? If so, the candidate must bring demonstrable evidence of doing this.
- An international sales or export role is not in an office in London. It is out there in the markets. So the ad fails to mention if travel abroad is required and how much (for example, 50% of time to be spent abroad—approximately 20-25 weeks of the year in the markets).
Appointing the wrong person to lead this international business is a common feature for so many of the companies I talk to and consult with. This section had to be a must-have in my book. It explains the mistakes recruiters and senior managers make in recruitment. It busts some of the myths recruiters and seniors told me about how they made their choices, and I explain the profile of a person that is most likely to succeed and why.
Finally, I share my own process for picking winners. Very few recruiters and senior leaders were as thorough as I was at flushing out the best-fit candidate. In my book, I explain why their method gives poor results and why my process is better at finding a good match.
My core business is not recruitment, so I am not trying to teach these folks how to do their jobs. However, I have recruited people from reps to the middle (first-line) managers to Country (second-line) Managers, so I ain't green and a novice. And I have a good track record of picking winners.
Specifying the candidate profile is one thing. I've seen some great profiles in ads. But the massive disconnect is when I meet or know the person appointed in the role and see a poor fit between what the recruiter wanted and what they have actually got. I can predict that the candidate will be yet another dead body on the international graveyard.
Gaffs I see include:
- Appointing a person into a senior P&L BD international role who has NEVER managed export sales. Bizarre, I know. But right now, I know of more than one large multinational that has done this. A person who has never made export sales knows nothing about distributors and the various models.
- A person who does not know the difference between a distributor and a distribution warehousing and logistics service company and why it matters. Again, no surprise. That's another reason why I explained it in my book. Some still talk of their "agent" when, in fact, they don't have any agents! They don't know the difference between an agent and a distributor.
- A person who has never hired or terminated distributors for a restructuring project, changing distributors, or expanding into new markets. This is quite common.
- A person with a poor understanding of the value chain from the factory to the patient in the country. So they commission a third-party research company (these companies call themselves "Insights" these days, not market research). That company doesn't know much either but sells an apparently great-sounding (costly) research project with recommendations that don't hold up to my scrutiny. Don't laugh, it happens! Many gullible seniors believe these stories of how "We can give you a view of market demand," which is nonsense. They don't need it. There is only one measure of market demand in international sales - ONLY ONE and it costs you NOTHING!
- Relying on this third-party questionable "research," seniors put forward the excuse for under-performance as "We're growing prescriptions and in the top 5 for growth in prescription", to which I explode their argument with: "Yeah, but you missed the budget! That is the only metric that matters. You made a promise, and you didn't keep it. Trust me, I've heard it all so often. The difference is that I was never gullible in believing it, and I was laser-focused on the things that really matter in international sales and business development. I see many seniors who "cannot see the wood for the trees" and run around like headless chickens, posting photos at events on LinkedIn while the business foundations are crumbling! They won't be around too long!
- There is no reward for "trying"; only results-delivery gets rewarded. Very few can deliver year-on-year results for five consecutive years. Many fall off the edge of a cliff within 18-36 months to be re-born into another company and repeat their mistakes to another gullible recruiter.
- A person with no demonstrable letter-headed evidence of achievement of her/his results that they have claimed at the interview. The person missed budgets but avoided saying so by talking about the growth of the business in the local market with irrelevant insights data from some research company. I know where these people are in SSA. If they get appointed, I know they have bluffed the recruiter and the hiring company into a costly mistake.
Call to Action:
Buy my book to learn more about my thoughts on hiring the right people for international sales roles.
It is available from Amazon globally and all good booksellers online or in your country's bookstores. The price currently is enjoying a 9% discount on its RRP price on Amazon:
And if you'd like to read a sample before placing your order, you can do so at this link:
About Me and Samkoman Consulting Ltd:
I started SCL after a stellar career at AstraZeneca. I am focused on helping my clients succeed in scaling up in their home market and expanding into new markets, unblocking the factors stopping them from delivering scaleup after numerous attempts in existing markets, and advising senior Boardroom executives on international and domestic business commercial challenges.
I'm happy to chat to you at no cost or obligation about how I can help you without talking nonsense and jargon but truthfully telling you how it is, with straight-talking from a senior executive who has been where you are, has faced the issues and challenges that you face, and successfully addressed them.
I will use your time effectively. I won't waste your time. I'm down-to-earth and straight-talking.
If I can't add value or if your problem is complicated by someone else having a go and botched it up, I'll tell you and walk away.
You can book a free, no-obligation Teams or Zoom call directly into my diary using the link below.
