coletrain

Account Executive

How to deal with a forgetful manager

Need a little bit of help on this.

A new manager for the team came aboard a couple months ago (among other org changes) and it's fair to say he is more than a bit forgetful.

He is the type of person that is in need of constant reminders about critical deal information and even in multiple circumstances has forgotten things he said to prospects.

The item for today: a discovery call postponed yesterday and I informed him about the situation and action plan to get it rescheduled. My manager messages me asking if that exact meeting is still on in the exact same chat.

Thought it may be him playing dumb at first but I increasingly realize it goes beyond that. Naturally, I want a positive relationship with my manager and this is an obstacle that my fellow team members and I face regularly.

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19 comments

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CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Just from reading your title - put everything in writing.

After reading your post - put everything in writing.

coletrain

Politicker

Account Executive

100% agree with you, it's a full CYA measure that I generally do so I can say, I've done xyz.
Hasn't worked yet but do it for my own sake anyway

GDO

Politicker

BDM

Exactly!! Learned this early on

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Everything in writing, set aside time to prep before calls/meetings, and be prepared to act as a bit of assistant with a ton of reminders. Lots of handholding
I don't envy you.

coletrain

Politicker

Account Executive

Yeah, seems like it'll be managing up more than previous roles which is its own challenge.
Everything in writing seems to be the most crucial piece of advice overall

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Definitely a lot of managing upwards, which is whole skillset in and of itself.
It's going to be annoying, but will also make you more well rounded.

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

ERP Sales

Not a fun solution, but have a dedicated prep time with your manager to discuss big deals. Keep them out of all small deals so you get their attention only where its needed.

Give them notes on what THEIR role is in meetings and what THEY need to know

coletrain

Politicker

Account Executive

Very true, I try to at least have a quick session before just to ensure there's a full understanding of what's going on.
The bigger deals: without question a requirement for my sake alone but also want to ensure full understanding. I think there is a limit on where some people should be involved, the only rub is he wants to be on everything even if not strictly necessary

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Your manager sounds overwhelmed. I like Kosta's suggestion, to keep attention on bigger deals as needed, as well as the notes.
You may also wish to personally establish a routine of summarizing the day in an email, and any follow up items you are hoping for from your manager.
Sorry, this sounds frustrating, but might get better as your manager finds his footing.

coletrain

Politicker

Account Executive

Thank you for the kind words and hoping the same.
I haven't tried that yet however it could be something worthwhile for this job and beyond to show what I'm doing consistently.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

All that is probably already in SFDC or whatever CRM you are using, so it may be a bit duplicative.
However, it may also be beneficial to you - reviewing the day + the next day/two might be like giving yourself a mini 1:1 and keep you aligned on your sales process as well. In a way, you'll be coaching yourself to be more effective and to know what you need to progress your deals.
Best of luck.

Pachacuti

Politicker

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

You basically have to makes things so simple a kindergartner can do them.

Or

Develop workarounds to minimize the need for your manager on a day to day basis.

coletrain

Politicker

Account Executive

I feel like it will be a combination of the two based on what I've seen so far. Frustrating to have to make some things so simple but seems necessary given

Diablo

Politicker

Sr. AE

damn, this could be annoying. might be too many things on his plate and he's still trying to align ?

coletrain

Politicker

Account Executive

That's a fair question and wish it seemed true.
He doesn't have that much on his calendar. This also includes not knowing the specific product being sold, which is concerning at best. He's asked that to every person on the team at least once.
We're not a big team either.

Beans

Big Shot

Enterprise Account Executive

Notes.

J.J.McLure

Politicker

Owner at *redacted*

How is his attitude? Forgetful people often know they're missing a lot and it's frustrating as hell. Maybe a conversation along the lines of "we seem to have different communication styles, how can we improve this to make sure nothing falls through the cracks?"
Don't back him into a corner with "you vs me" talk, you guys are on the same team working towards the same goal.
And like everyone else said, CYA by keeping everything in writing just in case.

coletrain

Politicker

Account Executive

I like that aspect, because we clearly do. He seems to be more of a "do it and inform later" type of person.
100% CYA

ChumpChange

Politicker

Channel Manager

Weekly or bi-weekly 1/1's.

Team deal reviews.

Shared calendar.

I mean there are a lot of different avenues on how to ensure they're involved. However, some managers (not all) get caught up on the managerial side of the role instead of the deal-closing side.