I mean yes. The phrase that followed me through large multimillion dollar sales campaigns is that “people buy from people (they like.)” You can be the best, but if they don’t like who they’re dealing with it doesn’t matter. This is more true on these larger items where you will have high touch after the sale.
Well, it’s kind of an interesting dichotomy. In one respect, obviously super no. In another, quite possibly yes. The simplest comparison from my own experience I can give is that military units that are close to HQ have to adhere to the rules more due to the likelihood of oversight and accountability. Out in the sticks, not so much. “Joe will do what Joe can get away with.”
So yeah, a regional manager and his corporate, uh, handler, canoodling after getting the client drunk enough to agree to a sale in small town Pennsylvania; yes. Very yes.
I always liked it when they showed Michael’s incredible sales skills. In a very limited context, he could be an absolute genius.
He’s a perfect example of people rising to their level of incompetence. It happens all the time at companies. Just because someone is great at sales, or engineering, or anything else really, doesn’t mean they will make good managers. And most people will never take the demotion back down to the level they are competent at.
