As part of his executive development Rob attended Cranfield’s Sales Directors’ Programme, so we spent five minutes with him to discover his thoughts on the programme.
Rob Molyneux:For me, coming on the course was to get a good understanding of techniques that have been proven by people in industry and the academic theory behind that to really give me a strong platform to build a sales organisation, and to encourage the growth of the sales business.
EE: What did you enjoy mostly about the Sales Directors’ Programme?
RM: The variety of the content and the course structure was probably the things that stood out most to me. It was four very well compiled and thorough days of learning but each one dovetailed well, built on previous references from previous days but there wasn’t a great deal of repetition. It covered a lot of ground and I think that meant that variety kept you interested but also meant that you are continually challenging the ways in which you operate your own business and take that into a sales position.
EE: In which ways will the programme benefit you as a leader in sales?
RM: I think giving confidence to take the methods through and translate them into an existing sales structure. So it’s quite hard to implement change effectively and quickly. This course gives the confidence that they are going to be good decisions and they’re backed by sound knowledge, research and application in industry. The fact it’s not entirely theoretical and has been proven in industry is a big confidence boost.
EE: Would you recommend the Sales Directors’ Programme to others and why?
RM: I would recommend the Sales Directors Programme to others. I think the main reason for that it’s very difficult to take time out from your working life and to dedicate a considerable amount
of time in one specific dose to training, but actually taking that time to reflect is very healthy for the business, it’s healthy for you as an individual and as a leader and doing that really gives a strong platform for how you can take your organisation forward.
The variety of the people within which you draw experience from and learn from, not only the academic staff providing the content but also other delegates who are in potentially very different businesses, very different sectors, but struggling with the same challenges, it really does provide you with good learning opportunity and to share ideas.
I think the follow up content to actually take the messages and apply them to own specific issues within your business, or the challenges that you face is a particularly good way to end on a positive and to bring it all together and reinforce it.
EE: What advice would you give to anyone considering the Sales Directors’ Programme?
RM: I think the only advice that I’d give anybody considering this is to do it!
Read more:
- Motivating and Rewarding the Sales Force
- Managing and Measuring Sales Performance
- A Ten-Step Framework for Setting Effective Sales Targets
- Adopting Key Account Management – 12 Mistakes to Avoid
