Sales Example: sales rep emails his customer prospect asking for an update on their purchasing process then awaits a response. Sales management is frustrated that the rep just bemoans a non-responsive customer instead of proactive calling or driving the customer interaction.

Ownership Version: sale rep first thinks through why the customer should take his phone call and creates a benefit statement like “we’d like to share some best practices with you from some of our other customer deployments” or “we’d like to ensure we’re meeting your needs as you evaluate all your options, and would appreciate some frank feedback.” Rep sends email and leaves one voicemail with customer contact requesting a few minutes to sync up on the project. Rep calls as many times as needed to reach contact live.

Marketing Example: marketing manager pulls off a trade show and emails a spreadsheet full of “leads” to the sales organization. He complains during staff meeting that sales isn’t acting on leads delivered to them.

Ownership Version: before even booking the event, marketing manager gets buy-in from sales management that this event is a smart investment of time and resource. Marketing manager further gets prior agreement on the definition of an “A” lead from this event (e.g. job title, company size, industry, purchase timeframe, etc.). Marketer culls out “A” leads from event then reviews them in a live phone conversation with the rep that is best matched to the unqualified lead. Marketer follows up every two weeks with individual reps to get feedback on leads passed and maintain accountability.

Channel Example: channel sales manager setups up a sales training event with channel partner’s sale force and asks one month later why no deals have been closed or even pursued.

Ownership Version: channel sales manager see sales training as one tactic in a broad based plan to create sales momentum at the channel partners’ sale rep level. Channel manager’s attitude is that he needs to deliver 1-3 customer wins on a golden platter to partner reps even if it means 100% of the effort is his own. This is combined with weekly phone calls and frequent face to face visits with partner reps to ensure mindshare and demonstrate personal commitment to their success. Naturally, this won’t scale if this continues but it will create momentum and build partner rep effectiveness vital to driving sales through the channel.

Top 10 Behaviors:

• Do what needs to be done without being told to do so


• View all expenditures as if it's their money


• Focus on results not activity


• Cause change versus resist change


• Escalate to management when all else fails rather than at first roadblock


• See themselves as creators and builders not just as implementers


• Generate ideas and drive execution


• Think broadly - act as if they were one or two levels higher up the organization


• Proactive ---recognize opportunities and anticipate problems


• Solution oriented – brainstorm multiple options to overcome challenges

So, in summary, I encourage you take time out to show your staff what “ownership” really means to you and your business. Give them concrete examples of this behavior and publicly recognize staff members that demonstrate ownership on very specific tasks. Most sales, marketing, and channel managers are hardworking and capable professionals. Sometimes it takes the executive team to model the desired behaviors such as ownership in order to increase organizational performance.

© 2006. Sridhar Ramanathan is founder of the Pacifica Group, a management consultancy specializing in strategies and tactics to drive revenue growth. He can be reached at sridhar AT pacifica-group.com