Review by martinaunwagu -- The Cadence of Excellence

[martinaunwagu]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Cadence of Excellence" by Matthew McDarby.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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A sales manager’s influence comes down to how well he or she helps salespeople see new and different opportunities, problems in their approach. A sales manager’s job is to strike the right balance between efficiency and effectiveness based on his or her business needs at the time. The question, however, is “How”?

The Cadence of Excellence: Key Habits of Effective Sales Managers, written by Matthew McDarby, is a book that gives helpful tips on how sales managers and coaches can significantly improve the performances of their sales forces by solving the “no time for the important things” problem. The book is not about time management but about the enormous impact the choices of sales managers and coaches can have on their performance and the performance of their entire team. Matthew uses the framework of inwardly versus outwardly focused tasks as a guide for structuring this book. Inwardly focused-tasks are the tasks that are focus on improving, evolving, or changing the skills and performance of a sales manager. Outwardly focused-tasks are the ones that are focused on helping the team’s performance.

Matthew believes that excellent managers know how to influence their team’s focus and direct their efforts toward important things like planning, critical and strategic thinking, and highly effective execution by setting a specific and consciously crafted operating rhythm. One quick way to tell the difference between a great manager and an average manager, according to Matthew, is by looking at his or her calendar to see if there is a predictable rhythm that includes time for planning, observation, coaching, and other activities. Also, Matthew believes the ones who have a predictable rhythm will always be the ones who excel.

I like that the writer gave helpful and straightforward tips on how managers can help their teams. Tips like; “comparing datasets between two very similar companies will find loads of difference.” In other words, there is never going to be a simple formula for success. “Selling is about influence, and coaching is about influence. Therefore, coaching is a great deal like selling.” “You must understand how to create value for customers and know that it has everything to do with how you sell versus what you sell.” “For a company to consistently deliver on its promises of service and quality to customers, the sales organization must focus on selling what the company is good at delivering” “Sales are learned by doing, not watching.” Transformational leaders think “how” first before they think “what.” In other words, they know that their success hinges not necessarily on what methodology or performance framework they choose but on how they execute that methodology or framework. The three quick tips on how to ensure a proper hiring process given by the writer on page 36 are helpful and a take-home for me.

I like that at the end of each chapter, the writer tends to ask thought-provoking questions that require a reaction that helps explain the topic in that chapter. Also, I like that each chapter has a heading that gives readers a clue about what the chapter is.

I like that Matthew did thorough research using personal experiences, experiences of others, and making references to other books. One of which is “Rethinking the Sale Force” by John Devincentis and Neil Rackham. The writer closes with a sentence that indicates that changes take time and the choice to be excellent falls on the readers. He doesn’t try at any point to portray his opinion as law. The size makes it an easy read. Also, the simple way the writer wrote the book makes it easy for someone who isn’t a sales manager or coach to be able to read and understand it.

I like that the writer included a simple worksheet at the end of the book to enable readers to jot down specific activities, ideas, or actions they will keep doing, stop doing, or change. Matthew believed that committing to change in writing has a way of creating a sense of self-accountability, and he strongly recommends that everyone take the first step toward sales leadership excellence by putting their plans in writing.

I find nothing to dislike in the book. Also, the absence of errors indicates professional editing. Based on these, I rate the book a 4 out of 4 stars. I will recommend this book to sales managers, coaches, and anyone looking to improve his or her sales team. I also think business schools and owners of businesses will find this book helpful as it gives tips on how to build and sustain a winning team in chapter 6.

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The Cadence of Excellence
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[Prisallen]

This sounds like an excellent book for those people in management positions or even people who own their own business. It is not for me, though, as I am retired. Thanks for your wonderful review!