Over 40% of field sales professionals feel micromanaged by their managers, according to a recent survey. Catherine Naudé shares why she, despite resisting being micromanaged herself, wants her manager to track her whereabouts.
I’ve always believed that micromanaging people kills their initiative and turns them into followers. No wonder some sales managers hesitate to push their team for call reports, fearing they’ll seem distrustful of their whereabouts. But this has always left me with the questions. ‘How does my boss know when I’m doing well in the field or need assistance out there, if they have no visibility of my activities?’
Long before I joined the Skynamo team, I used to wish that I could give my boss (who was based in another province at the time) a bird’s-eye view of my day. I was convinced he would promote me or double my pay. I had to pat myself on the back, put my feet up and reward myself with a glass of wine each night. All while he was none the wiser of my regular great performances. Frustrating, right?
This is why I was so excited about switching to Skynamo. I knew my manager will see the efforts I put in every day. They would recognize my achievements and give me better advice in the areas where I struggle. Also, I love seeing my own call report now on days I have back-to-back meetings and am totally owning it! Similarly, when I have slack days, report visuals motivate me to pick up my socks for the next day.
Don’t get me wrong though, I too was slightly concerned when I started using Skynamo’s field app and had to be totally transparent with all my customer visits. I find people do have this fear. But once you start using automated call reports and stop updating information after hours, you won’t want to return to manual reporting.
The most common pushback I hear from sales managers who aren’t interested in using a field sales app like Skynamo is that their company leaders are well liked and don’t want to appear as micromanagers. But here’s the challenge — how can you effectively coach and mentor your sales team without transparency?
High-performing sales teams thrive in transparent environments. When everyone can see what’s happening in the field, collaboration improves, communication flows naturally, and employees feel recognized for their performance. They also get quick, constructive feedback when there’s room to improve.
Think of it like a healthy relationship. When my partner asks about my day, it’s not because he’s checking up on me — it’s because he genuinely cares. The same should apply to your relationship with your manager. If they care, they’ll want to know what’s going on. And when you build the relationship on trust, you’ll want to share that information.
