At the 2014 Chief Sales Executive Forum, Focus Session speaker Lisa Marks, Vice President and General Manager of Global Business Development at American Express Global Corporate Payments, revealed some of the lessons learned in reinventing the sales function at American Express. One of her most important messages was about the “three Rs”:
- Remove – There are frequently too many layers between the sales function and general management. And between sellers and strategic decision makers. De-layer your organization and get sellers closer to the heart of the business.
- Reflect – Spend more time thinking about your losses than celebrating your wins. Figure out why you lost and determine what you can do differently next time to win.
- Reward – Define the performance you expect and be prepared to reward those who bring in the results with both cash and recognition. Make the sellers who reinvent themselves into your heroes.
The illustration below from graphic recorder Kelly Kingman illustrates Lisa’s presentation in a most innovative way. Enjoy! 
We look forward to sharing more graphic recordings of more keynote presentations from the 2014 CSE Forum in the coming weeks.
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About the Author
Gary Tubridy is a principal of the Alexander Group and the general manager in charge of the firm’s management consulting business. Gary’s consulting work is focused on increasing marketing and sales effectiveness with particular emphasis in technology and medical products industries. Gary has deep expertise in diagnosing sales management issues and helping clients execute action plans to improve results. His research is focused on best practices of leading sales organizations in North America with particular emphasis on sales force transformation and the role of sales leadership. He leads the Alexander Group executive events series and hosts the Operations and Executive Forums. He is one of three founding stockholders of the Alexander Group.
Gary has been with the Alexander Group for over 35 years. Prior to that, Gary was in sales with the IBM Corporation. Gary holds a B.A. from Brown University and an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University.
