Failure Is Personal. Why Broadcast it – Sales Managers 32
“Most of the territories are not doing well with the new product.”
“No one is executing the strategy.”
How many times have we seen such mails going out to the entire field force?
They are meant to create urgency. But do they?
Perhaps they do the opposite.
When a failure mail is sent to everyone, failure becomes a shared experience.
A sales manager may think:
“It is not just my territory. Everyone is struggling.”
That creates what I call the social proof of failure.
And once failure feels common, it does not feel as serious.
So, when you become a Vice President or CEO, ask yourself:
Why send a failure mail to everyone?
If someone is failing, talk to that person.
Face-to-face is best.
If that is not possible, have a virtual face-to-face conversation. Keep the relevant numbers, facts and examples ready. Look at the problem together. Understand what went wrong. Then decide what needs to change.
If even that is not possible, send a personalized email.
Yes, it takes more time. But it also gets more attention.
A personalized email:
• speaks directly to the individual’s situation
• is more likely to be taken seriously
• gives the person relevant information at the right time
• allows you to address the specific problem rather than sending a generic warning
You can even prepare 10–15 different scenarios and choose the one that best fits the individual.
Using a person’s name helps. But true personalization goes much deeper than a name.
People want to feel that you have seen their problem.
Final thought
A generalized failure mail is acknowledging your own failue
Face-to-face conversation first.
Virtual face-to-face second.
Personalized email third.
If the failure is personal, the intervention should be personal too.