Expanding Federal Regulation of Private Student Loans

In a vote last month that fell for the most part along party lines, the House Financial Services Committee approved the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which will expand federal oversight of nonfederal private student loans. At the same time, the committee rejected a proposal that would have included school-sponsored “gap loans” under the authority of the new CFPA.

 

The House panel, in a vote of 39 to 29, approved the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act of 2009 (H.R. 3126), a centerpiece of the Obama administration’s pursuit to overhaul the nation’s financial regulatory system.

 

The approved legislation would create a new federal agency, the CFPA, which would have centralized oversight of various forms of consumer credit, such as mortgages and credit cards, as well as private student loans.

 

 

The New Consumer Financial Protection Agency

 

The CFPA would have the authority to write new consumer lending protection rules, monitor financial institutions for compliance with these rules, and penalize institutions for any infractions. The CFPA would also have the ability to ban products, marketing tactics, and other business practices that it deems “unfair, deceptive, or abusive.”

 

“The Consumer Financial Protection Agency will prevent predatory lending practices and other abuses and will ensure that consumers get clear information they can understand about financial products like credit cards and mortgages,” President Obama said in a commendation of the House committee’s approval of the bill.

The measure passed despite strong Republican opposition and forceful lobbying from banks and business groups.

“It’s not about protecting consumers; it’s about a new government bureaucracy making decisions for us,” said Representative Spencer Bachus of Alabama, the ranking Republican on the House panel.

 

 

Consumer Groups Back Oversight of Private Student Loans

 

A number of student and consumer advocacy groups had been urging the House committee to approve bringing the CFPA’s oversight to private student loans — non-federally guaranteed education loans issued by banks and private lenders rather than by the U.S. Department of Education.

 

Until this year, when private student lenders have been forced to make their credit requirements much more stringent in response to skittish investors and a risk-averse credit market, private student loans had been steadily attracting more and more borrowers as families struggled to meet ever-rising college costs.

 

“Private student loans are one of the riskiest ways to pay for college, yet a growing number of students have private student loans as well as, or instead of, federal student loans,” a coalition of student and consumer groups wrote in a joint letter to Representative Barney Frank, the Democratic chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

 

“Private student loans are expensive, mostly variable-rate loans that cost more for those who can least afford them,” the letter reads. “They lack the fixed rates, consumer protections and flexible repayment options of federal student loans, and are not financial aid any more than a credit card is when used to pay for textbooks or tuition.”

 

 

The Fight for Regulation of ‘Gap Loans’

 

In their letter to Frank, the consumer and student advocate groups also pressed for a legislated clarification that school-sponsored “gap loans” wouldn’t be exempted from the CFPA’s oversight.

 

“Gap” student loans — so-called because they’re intended to cover students’ financing gaps, any attendance costs that aren’t covered by other financial aid such as grants and federal student loans — are increasingly being offered by for-profit colleges and vocational schools to boost enrollment as these institutions encounter a growing flood of unemployed and low-income students looking to return to school.

 

For-profit schools that provide gap financing, say that their financing programs allow students to attend school who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a higher education.

 

But these gap financing programs are risky and expensive for students, consumer advocates maintain. Gap loans typically carry high interest rates and large monthly payments that the schools’ generally low-income students often aren’t able to handle — all while allowing the schools to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal money from the federal financial aid that students use to pay the bulk of their attendance costs.

 

Concerned about the potential for student loans made by for-profit schools to be exempted from the CFPA legislation under a small-business clause in the bill, consumer and student advocate groups had been lobbying in support of an amendment, sponsored by Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California, that would have specifically placed gap loans under the authority of the CFPA.

 

“We just want to make sure that the risky financial products that some colleges, for-profits in particular, have been making to students are still covered by this agency,” said Lauren Asher, president of The Institute for College Access & Success.

 

Proprietary colleges argued against the proposed amendment, saying that gap student loans are already regulated by the federal Truth in Lending Act. New TILA rules, mandated under last year’s Higher Education Opportunity Act (H.R. 4137) and which will go into effect in February, will require student lenders to disclose more details about their private loan programs, including interest rates and estimated monthly payments, and to inform applicants for private student loans about federal student loan options.

 

Consumer advocates, however, hold that TILA regulations aren’t sufficient and that the stricter oversight of the CFPA is necessary in order to protect student loan borrowers.

 

“To effectively protect consumers, the CFPA must have full authority to regulate private student loans regardless of the institution offering them,” the consumer and student advocate groups wrote in their letter to Frank. “For consumers, a private student loan can pose the same serious risks whether issued by a financial institution or by a school. The CFPA should apply and enforce standards based upon the product and not the issuing institution.”

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The Student Loan en el Plan 3000 de Santa Cruz


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Student Loan Debt Highest Among Middle-Income Students

According to a new report issued by the College Board, students from families whose median annual income falls between ,000 and ,000 leave school owing about ,000 in student loans, compared to students from lower-income families, who graduate with about ,000 in student loan debt.

Students whose yearly family income exceeds 0,000 are least likely to borrow money in the form of student loans, and those high-income students who do turn to college loans borrow less than their middle- and lower-income counterparts.

Overall, students’ average debt load from student loans, regardless of family income, was about ,000 in 2009. p>

More Need for Student Loans to Pay for Private Education

The annual report from the College Board, “Trends in Student Aid,” reveals that student loan borrowing among students attending private, nonprofit four-year institutions has increased slightly in the past decade. To make this comparison, the College Board used 2009 constant dollars.

The increased reliance on student loans among private school students may indicate that these students, in the midst of a recession, are experiencing more difficulty in covering private university expenses, with their families less able to contribute money to help them cover their college costs.

About two-thirds of students who attended private colleges and universities graduated with student loan debt in 2009. Comparatively, about 55 percent of students who attended public institutions graduated with debt from student loans.

Student loan debt loads among graduates of public universities were about 24 percent lower than the levels of student loan debt incurred by students who attended private institutions. The gap between private school and public school college loan debt has increased by about 11 percent in the past decade, indicating that overall costs are rising at private institutions faster than they are at public institutions.

Estimated student loan debt levels among graduating college seniors reached a peak in the 2006–07 school year and declined in the two academic years that followed. Between 2007–08 and 2008–09, graduating seniors’ average debt from student loans remained fairly constant.

These estimates of student loan debt reported by the College Board include both government-issued federal college loans and non-federal private student loans.

Tuition Costs Surge at Public Universities as States Curtail Budgets

Although students at public universities are taking on less debt from student loans than students at private schools, tuition at four-year public institutions rose at more than double the rate of tuition increases at public two-year institutions and nearly double the tuition rate at private, nonprofit institutions over the past decade.

Another emerging trend is increased college enrollment: Undergraduate enrollment increased by nearly 6.5 percent between 2008–09 and 2009–10.

One trend that may forecast future increases in graduates’ student loan debt loads is reduced state spending on higher education. According to the College Board, state spending on higher education dropped by 9 percent in 2008–09 and fell an additional 5 percent in 2009–10. Federal stimulus spending accounted for 3 percent of state spending on higher education in 2008–09 and 5 percent in 2009–10.

An Emphasis on Grants and Federal Financial Aid

Educational grants rose on average by ,100 for undergraduate students, but borrowing in the form of federal student loans also increased by an average of 0.

The volume of private student loans — credit-based student loans issued by banks and private lenders rather than by the federal government — dropped from  billion in 2008–09 to about .5 billion in 2009–10, in part because lending limits on federal student loans were raised in 2008–09. Colleges and universities are also making additional efforts to inform students of the expanded federal student loan limits and encouraging students to maximize their federal financial aid before turning to pricier private student loans or other private consumer financing options.

 

Read the full report from the College Board: “Trends in Student Financial Aid 2010“

Finalizing two major pieces of his agenda, President Barack Obama on Tuesday wrapped up his health care overhaul and turned the government into the primary lender of federal student loans by stripping private banks out of the process. (March 30)
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Account Management – Bridging the Gap

Account Management – Bridging the Gap

Ask most sales managers what they require of their sales people when it comes to account management and you will get a variety of responses. Typical of these responses are the following:

‘I want my sales people to:-

Have a clearly defined strategy for each key account
Demonstrate that they have all angles covered with an account management plan
Identify and manage key decision-makers
Understand how buying decisions are made
Use a process to actively manage the account.

Ask customers what they look for in a good account manager and the responses take on a different emphasis. They express the skills in some or all of the following ways:

‘I want account managers to:-

Show that they are constantly thinking about us
Be active in bringing us new ideas
Be highly responsive to our needs and problems
Show sensitivity in working with our decision-making processes
Support us with state of the art technology, products and processes.

In summary, the supplier sees the account manager as someone whose job it is to PROTECT AND GROW the account. The customer sees the account manager’s primary role as someone whose job it is to CARE FOR AND CULTIVATE their account. The reality is that the account manager has to fulfil both roles, and bridge the gap between these two sets of requirements.

The tensions facing account managers surround the issue of how they should position themselves between these two requirements. If they are seen to be acting too much in the interests of their own organisation the trust between them and their customers may suffer. If, on the other hand, they are seen to be acting too much in the interests of their customers, they may be perceived as being disloyal, and the trust between them and their organisation may suffer.

Account management is about handling this unenviable task of pleasing two masters, each of whom will have a say in the account manager’s success.

Account management therefore is about BRIDGING THE GAP between the interests of suppliers and their customers.

As with most things it all starts with planning.

PLANNING
The only place to start when it comes to planning account management activities is with the customer’s business.

In today’s turbulent markets organisations have spent a great deal of time and energy defining their mission, vision and values. While they have done this essentially for internal communication purposes they undoubtedly expect their suppliers to understand and focus on them as well.

Where these statements exist, good account managers not only record them, but positively acknowledge them in their dealings with their customers.

Behind these statements of intent however lies the customer’s actual business. The history, the current objectives, the strategy, the resources, the structures, the systems, and the skills required of their managers and employees are all relevant pieces of information for the successful management of the account. All need to be understood by today’s account managers to enable them to place their products and services into the overall context of the customer’s business.

Increasingly, customers also expect account managers to understand how their business plans will impact their use of the account manager’s products. They expect account managers to be thinking about the issues of cost saving and quality. They take for granted that account managers will readily understand how their products and services may need to change in the light of expansion into new markets and territories.

From the customer’s point of view therefore good account managers show that they have a complete grasp of their business and their contribution as a supplier to its profitability and growth. They can show that they have a real empathy with the customer’s situation and needs.

When it comes to these issues, suppliers have the same interests but for different reasons. Their interest lies in their desire to constantly spot openings for more sales and to see opportunities for the introduction of different products, technologies, and applications. Their concern with these issues is more to do with the vulnerability of the account to competitor threat, and how the customer’s future plans will present either opportunities or risks for them. Empathy for them means staying close to customers, and close is the only place to be these days.

From the point of view of suppliers therefore it is vital that their account managers have a firm grasp of all the commercial issues surrounding the account, because only if they do can they hope to get closer to the account, act in a more strategic way, and so shut out the competition.
Planning account management activities also involves the people issues which play a part in the successful management of the account. Customers want their buying and decision-making processes respected, and require sensitivity from account managers to their internal politics, power-bases and personalities. They want a sales effort that is co-ordinated with the account manager involving specialists and other colleagues in a planned and structured way. They want to have a say about the frequency of visits and with whom they prefer to deal. In short, they want to be managed but with the involvement and agreement of their key people.

Suppliers likewise want their account managers to plan and manage the people issues. They know that internal roles, levels of authority and discretion, and the structures (formal or informal) within the customer all play a part in buying decisions. They know that these decisions are not always rational but can be based on perceptions, feelings and subjective judgements. They recognise the need for individuals within the customer to feel included and cared for. They understand that clumsy account management, involving many different people in an unstructured way, will annoy the customer and reflect poorly on them as a supplier. They recognise that insights into the people issues at the planning stage are key to their success.

It is the job of account managers therefore to know, understand, and to be able to use all available information to plan their account management activities. Planning is the first step to satisfy the needs of both parties.

Planning then translates into defining account management goals and strategies. Again there are two sets of requirements of the account manager when it comes to approaching the task of achieving the goals and strategy in the best way. The requirements involve a complete understanding of the buying cycle-as seen by the customer and as seen by the supplier.

MANAGING THE BUYING CYCLE
Approaching the task of managing accounts involves seeing the buying cycle from two perspectives-the customer’s and the supplier’s. Both perspectives are similar but are subtly different and it’s important for account managers to understand the differences if they are to play their dual role.

When it comes to the buying cycle from the customer’s perspective it follows a six step process. The process exists whether the customer is an existing account or a prospective account.

1. Need/problem identified
At this step the customer recognises that it has a need or a problem which it has to address. Having ascertained that it cannot supply the solution itself it embarks upon a search to identify the best provider of the solution.

To do this it may contact one or a number of potential suppliers and briefs them on its need or problem. The intention is to find the best solution.

2. Exploration of options
The next step in the buying cycle involves the exploration of options with various external suppliers. The customer will make comparisons, weigh up the pros and cons of different approaches put forward, and will make both objective and subjective judgements as to whom comes closest to its buying criteria. Those suppliers who come the closest are normally invited to present their solutions more formally.

3. Presentation of different solutions
By the time different potential suppliers are asked to present their solutions, the customer will have prioritised the requirements in their buying criteria and will have agreed the roles of different individuals in the buying decision. At this step the customer is looking for shortlisted suppliers to show a complete understanding of its needs and priorities, and is looking for a convincing presentation of the best solution.

4. Decision to buy
The decision to buy is largely dependent on the quality of the presentation of solutions and results from a number of factors. Ultimately they can be summarised by the ‘SPACER’ mnemonic as follows:

Security Is the organisation/product/service a safe bet and risk free?
Performance Will the solution proposed perform as promised?
Appearance Will those involved in the buying decision look good as a result; will the customer look good?
Convenience Will the solution be easy to implement?
Economic Does the solution provide a financial benefit?
Relationship Is there a relationship which can be developed into the future?

If, for the costs involved, all or many of the above benefits are supplied then the customer is likely to buy. If, on the other hand, the costs do not provide the benefits, and in addition involve risks, then the customer is unlikely to buy.

5. Implementation
Having decided to buy what is perceived to be the best option, the customer implements the solution and experiences the reality of its purchase. At this step the customer is usually anxious in the early stages and seeks all the support and reassurance the supplier can give.

Throughout the use of the product, process, or application it is the visibility and frequency of contact between supplier and customer that is all important to ensure total satisfaction with the solution bought.

6. Progress and evaluation
The customer’s future depends on its abilities to profitably satisfy the needs of its own customers, and its customers’ needs will certainly change in the light of market conditions. These days it is not long before progress and change are followed by evaluation and new needs or problems are identified of concern to the customer which impact the supplier’s product. At this point the buying cycle starts again and is repeated.

Seen from the supplier’s viewpoint the buying cycle is slightly different.

1. Need/problem identified
Either by proactively seeking out the business, simply working closely with the customer, or responding to an enquiry, the sales person identifies the customer’s needs or problems.

2. Investigation
Depending on the complexity of the need, the sales person, alone or with others, carries out a thorough investigation of the needs or problems, and prepares a formal proposal, or simply presents solutions (if the customer is well known and a good relationship exists).

3. Presentation of solution
The sales person presents his/her product/service/technology as a solution to the need or problem and answers questions/objections relating to the solution. Other suppliers may be asked to do this as well if they have been involved at steps 1 and 2.

4. Buying of solution
The customer buys the solution, with or without a negotiation, and formalises the agreement to buy in a contract or agreed terms of trading.

5. Implementation of solution
The solution is implemented and the customer has the ultimate ‘show proof’ in the product/service/technology provided by the supplier. After sales support is the key requirement of the sales person at this step.
6. Progress and evaluation
As the customer’s business moves on the requirements change. They grow, they differ, they evolve, and as a result of the customer’s demands and market-place trends, needs are re-assessed, problems identified and the opportunity for selling arises again for the supplier, and the process is repeated.

While the buying cycle is always obvious at the time of securing a new customer, it is very often neglected when it comes to account management. And yet it is this process that is constantly going on and which produces the opportunities to protect and grow the account as well as care for and cultivate the customer. It is the process through which all successful account management takes place.

The successful account managers constantly monitor and evaluate their customers’ progress, needs, and problems and actively use the buying cycle to spot and manage new sales opportunities.

Successful account managers also know how to manage individuals involved in the buying process, the next key ingredient to their success.

MANAGING DECISION-MAKERS
The decision-making processes within an account vary significantly. Rarely do they involve just one individual, and rarely are they discernible simply by looking at the customer’s organisation chart.

Buyers, line mangers, specialists, accountants, senior influencers, directors and even entire boards can be involved in all or part of the decision-making process.

Successful account managers are able to understand the concerns, the role, and the personality type of each influencer involved in a sales opportunity, and are able to respond convincingly to each one.

Each influencer will have a perception of the progress the organisation is making, and the needs or problems it has. Account managers need to understand these and the reasons behind them. To do this, they need to enlist the help of a ‘champion’ who wants the sale to succeed. Good account managers have ‘champions’ in every account and know how to work with them to manage the decision-making process in the best possible way.

From the customer’s point of view, account managers are doing a good job in managing their decision-making processes when they can relate to a wide population of people within the account and can talk their ‘language’. The issue ultimately is one of trust born out of an account manager’s credibility with a wide variety of people

From the standpoint of suppliers, the more people their account managers know both up and across their customer accounts, and the more aware they are of the decision-making process and influencers within them, the greater the likelihood of ongoing success in servicing and growing their key accounts.

Account managers can only do so much to achieve success in these areas on their own. The help of internal colleagues can make all the difference. Their final skill is that of being able to manage and motivate account management teams, usually made of individuals over whom they may have no direct control.

MANAGING ACCOUNT TEAMS
Account management teams can exist for a particular sale, for the duration of the relationship with the customer, or at a point in time during the relationship with the customer. They can vary in size and membership and the individual members usually play different roles in the management of the account.

There are many good reasons for having more than one person involved in the management of an account.

Greater depth and breadth of expertise brought to the customer
Like level people dealing with one another
Avoidance of exposure to just one individual
The gaining of different access points to the customer
Coverage of split sites, different locations, and different decision-makers

Account teams however need to be managed, and this is not always easy given that account managers may not have direct control or authority over other team members. Accountabilities of team members can often be very blurred.

Successful account managers are able to influence others from within their organisation to assist them; they can co-ordinate the efforts of colleagues to bring an impressive team together for the customer’s benefit.

The skills of consultation, persuasiveness, negotiation, and relationship-building all play an important part in this aspect of the account manager’s role. Without these skills and the active support and involvement of colleagues the account manager can be severely disadvantaged.

SUMMARY
Account management is a balancing act. It requires great sensitivity to the needs of both the customer and the supplier. Both parties rely on the skill of the account manager for the success of the ongoing relationship.

The account manager needs to be constantly in touch with what is going on within the account and how this translates into the buying cycle. The buying cycle continually produces opportunities for the account manager at the progress and evaluation stage. At this point, being able to consult, manage, and influence decision-makers is critical to the account manager’s success.

The whole account management process can be helped significantly through the use of account management teams who need to be properly led and co-ordinated.

Account management is a difficult and demanding skill requiring planning, insight and a high degree of sensitivity. As an extension of both the customer and the supplier the ultimate challenge for account managers is quite simply TO BRIDGE THE GAP.

Commonwealth Secretariat


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Modern Debt Management Systems Can Produce Tremendous Savings

Consumer and personal debt is, perhaps, the number one problem facing most American families today. The reasons behind the tremendous surge in debt have been related to emerging socio-economic patterns suggesting that we’ve become a nation obsessed with lifestyles and consumerism.

 

America has always been a nation of consumers and the American people have always enjoyed one of the highest standards of living in the world. Something else has contributed to this national crisis.

 

What has changed in the last several decades is that we have developed very sophisticated technology to acquire debt. Debt acquisition is as close as your cell phone or personal computer and can be accomplished in a matter of seconds.

 

However, we have been slow in developing such sophisticated systems to manage that debt at the consumer level. We have been the victims of a technological gap between debt acquisition and debt reduction.

 

If you do not manage your debt, it will manage you. Or more precisely, your creditors will manage your debt for you and they will, of course, manage it in a way that is most favorable to them, not necessarily you.

 

At the consumer level, we tend to keep our debts separated, divided, and isolated in separate accounts, making it impractical, until recently, to strategically manage that debt.

 

Automated debt management systems have been in use by banks, insurance companies, and other institutions as needed to maintain cash reserve requirements but, until recently, have not been available at the consumer level due to the cost of developing and supporting these specialized cash flow management systems.

 

Many people in other parts of the world have had access to various debt reduction systems. In this country, however, it is a relatively new opportunity to systematically manage our personal and consumer debt. We now have access to affordable technology to manage our debt rather than allowing it to manage us.

 

First, let me explain what a modern debt management system is not.

 

It is not a set of instructions or a “How To…” book available from a variety of well intentioned sources which simply overstate the obvious; instructing us to “stop spending so much money”, or “cut up our credit cards”. It is not a “makeover” system which painfully rearranges our daily spending patterns.

 

It is not a static spreadsheet or plan for debt reduction which does not consider our day to day personal financial circumstances.

 

It does not involve the refinancing of existing debt or consolidating smaller short term debts into larger long term debts. It is not a self administered or pre-calculated repayment acceleration plan. It does not involve negotiating with your creditors or any means of debt reduction which avoids the repayment of legitimate debt on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

 

Just like the bank model, modern debt management systems are integrated with your daily and monthly financial transactions. They are dynamic. Modern debt management systems have the ability to analyze and manage all of your debt, including your mortgage debt, side by side in a single environment and make strategic adjustments based on your daily or monthly cash flow.

 

A modern debt management system is programmed for liquidity. Liquidity is to debt what water is to fire. If you have an abundance of liquidity, you could be out of debt in very short order. On the other hand, if you have a shortage of liquidity, it could take decades to get out of debt.

 

A modern debt management system focuses on ways to harness current liquidity and seeks to fully develop your potential future liquidity. It utilizes that liquidity to systematically eliminate debt. It can develop multiple sources of liquidity and utilize that liquidity as leverage against debt.

 

Because of the importance of liquidity, modern and effective debt management and debt reduction systems are fully integrated with your current monthly income and expense cash flows. That is not to say that increasing your income and/or reducing your expenses is a requisite. A good debt management system takes advantage of existing cash flow, not necessarily changing it.

 

A modern debt management system is relatively painless to follow and does not require significant changes to your established spending patterns. It can be set to aggressively pay down debt, to maintain a certain level of debt but reduce the carrying cost, or fund a retirement or college savings plan.

 

Today’s sophisticated, versatile, and effective debt management systems are not inexpensive. However, in terms of future interest savings, they can make up the cost of the system in the first few months of use and, over time, produce interest savings in excess of the total amount of current and future debt.

 

An inexpensive or do-it-yourself system is probably not a good alternative. While you might be able to redirect some liquidity and do some good, you would not be able to recreate the integrated mathematical algorithms which drive a more sophisticated system producing the best possible results.

 

 

Any current financial plan worth its’ weight in paper should address both sides of the balance sheet and include a modern debt management system.

 

 

David Haslett is Senior National Director of the Freedom Equity Group. To discover how modern debt management technology can help you pay off your mortgage and other debt, go to: http://www.fastestmortgagepayoffplan.com

 

 

Ways to consolidate credit card debt include using balance transfers and contacting a credit union or bank for loans. Condense credit card debt, but read any disclosures regarding balance transfers, with advice from a certified public accountant and credit counselor in this free video on debt management. Expert: Jerrie Guthrey Bio: Jerrie Guthrey has been a certified public accountant and credit counselor since 1992. Filmmaker: Jack Guthrey
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Interim Sales Managers: When Can Hiring an Interim Sales Manager be the Best Option?

At first glance, an interim sales manager may seem like a strange concept. After all, “sales” is a constant, “business as usual” function within any organisation.

However, over recent years, the concept of an interim sales manager has emerged. Specifically interim sales managers are increasingly seen as a flexible and appropriate solution in the following three business situations:

1) Stop Gaps

2) Start-ups

3) Special Projects

This article looks at each of these three situations and explores how an interim sales manager can add immediate value.

Stop Gaps

Many companies can find themselves in positions where they have a short-term requirement to plug a gap in their sales function. Typical scenarios include long-term illness, maternity leave and any type of sudden unplanned crisis.

Whether it’s because the situation does not allow for a permanent resource, or that the time to recruit leaves sales exposed, an interim sales manager can bring immediate resource to bear on the problem.

Almost exclusively, temporary sales people are not catered for in the general recruitment market; this is the domain of professional interim sales managers who specialise in filling immediate interim assignments.

Start-ups

Another common situation where an interim sales manager is a good solution is with start-ups and early stage companies. Typically, these companies have limited resources and find attracting top sales talent a real problem.

Interim sales managers are usually over-qualified, experienced individuals with broad experience across different business stages. As well as bringing additional “hands on” sales resource, an interim sales manager will add value through supporting the start-up management team with strategy and market development.

Interim sales managers are also “heavy hitters” with strong networks, capable of opening doors and bringing in major deals that younger sales hires would struggle with.

Special Projects

Finally, every business has times when they need to focus resource on new areas to drive revenue. Often, these special projects emerge from board-level strategies to sustain profitable growth and retain a competitive edge.

These could include exploring new markets, evaluating current sales channels, or merging sales teams and divisions.

An interim sales manager is an excellent solution for this situation. Crucially, interim sales managers bring a fresh perspective, unencumbered by internal politics and structures.

In addition, while it could be argued that existing sales people could be utilised for these special projects, rather than bringing in an interim sales manager, this seldom works in reality.

Why? Unlike an Interim Sales Manager, existing sales people (if they are good) are best left focused on execution. Indeed, most of their remuneration will come from successfully selling established products to existing markets.

Many a new product launch has been halted by sales teams that are not interested in selling the new product; once they experience resistance, they go back to selling what they know.

In contrast, interim sales managers measure success by their last assignment. Once you have an interim sales manager focused on delivering a successful outcome they have no option but to make it work.

In summary, there are many situations where hiring an interim sales manager is the best option.

From start-ups to multi-national organisations, interim sales managers represent a flexible and results-focused solution short-term sales and business development resourcing.