Sales Managers sit in the middle. They’re the shock absorber in the system. Taking the heat from the C suite on everything the sales guys do. Taking the heat from the sales guys about ineffective marketing, unrealistic pricing, poor customer service or late delivery. In every business, the rubber meets the road with the sales team, and the sales manager navigates a way through everybody’s failings to keep the wheels turning. Without good sales management, turnover of sales people is high, revenue disappoints and low margins show up in the bottom line. And the one who ends up paying for that is most often the CEO, with his or her job.

I'm indebted to @stevenreeves (and his alterego @frontofficebox) for introducing me to the phrase C suite.

As I get older I note with amusement just how many job titles start with "Director", "Head of", "Chiefxx" many of them several levels down from where the buck stops...