Loren Waldo
Senior Manager, Sales Development
Gulfstream
This is the third and final post in a three-part series where we state our case for focused sales management training. While it’s one thing for us to say it, it’s another for sales executives from major global companies to provide the proof! Three sales leaders have shared their stories about why they chose to train their sales managers, what they got in return, and why they elected Vantage Point as their partner. You can read part one here, and part two here.
Loren Waldo is Senior Manager, Sales Development at Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation. Gulfstream is an American wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics. The company designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and services business jet aircraft and has produced more than 2,000 aircraft since 1958.
Why train your sales managers rather than your salespeople?
Waldo: We recognized a need to challenge the traditional method of hiring the best-performing sales rep and then assuming they had the knowledge to be an effective sales manager.
What’s been the impact of sales management training in your sales force?
Waldo: Sales management training has really allowed us to progress beyond simply measuring results and to focus more upstream on pipeline performance management. We’ve started looking at things before they happen, so we can do more predictive analysis and catch problems earlier. These are the value-added activities that really drive results.
Why did you choose Vantage Point to be your training partner?
Waldo: I read Cracking the Sales Management Code as a professional development exercise for myself. I found the message to be so powerful that I took it to my sales team and said that maybe training sales managers was what we needed to achieve breakthrough sales performance. They agreed. We brought in the Vantage Point team and it was a refreshing experience to work with them. They were consummate professionals who are masters of their craft. Having a third party who could bring a neutral and expert perspective to our sales challenges was very uplifting.