Performance and action go hand-in-hand: performance is the result, or the outcome, of actions directed toward a specific task. As a Field Manager, you are ultimately responsible for the performance of each of your team members. Performance management is not just a periodic review to make sure that people are doing what they are supposed to do. It begins the moment you communicate the specific job expectations to your team members. It continues in the form of feedback, which you need to give regularly, clearly, and as objectively as possible. The process will be completed only if you conduct periodic, one-to-one sessions with individual team members, where you should:

• set sales expectations

• review performance

• provide solutions to some of the problems

• discuss rewards and career development opportunities.

Performance management means investing time and effort to ensure that each of your team members is working to his optimum potential. Performance management involves various processes, such as:

• objective setting and action planning

• monitoring

• counselling

• appraisal

Each of this calls upon your skills of observation and communication. If you follow these steps correctly, you will ensure a high level of productivity from each of your team members. To facilitate a better understanding of these processes, we will cover them one by one.

We have discussed that the most important role of a Field Manager is to lead a team towards the achievment of planned objectives.