Over the past several years, I have focused on helping distributors become more profitable than they ever thought possible. In this mission, I realized how important the operational managers are to the success of the organization. They are one step off the front line and generally have their fingers on the pulse of the customer fulfillment machine. 

Unfortunately, many of the companies I observed failed to adequately equip these leaders with the tools to be successful. They are shown the door to the branch but then handed an enormous key ring and left to their own devices. It is a thankless journey that often leads to burnout. With a little thought and organization, we can help them channel their energy in a positive direction. 

I recently worked with a group of branch managers from the same vertical market. It was part of a rigorous training course brought forth by the leadership of their trade association. At the beginning of this program, the direction was clear. Turn branch managers into business managers. We, as the owners of these companies, are not equipped to do this internally. Hence, the program was born. 

These managers and managerial candidates all shared a desire to improve the function of the operations they serve. Inefficiency and poor results are not due to a lack of effort. They are just missing a few parts of the toolbox. When given these positions, there was very little direction. Essentially they were told, “You have been an exceptional customer service representative, so let’s make you the branch manager.” 

The candidates are excited at the prospect but have very little idea about what they just agreed to. If we ever want them to thrive in these positions, we have to show branch managers how to become successful custodians of the asset. 

Teach Financial Understanding

The typical branch manager has been exposed to the selling side of the business. He has figured out the fundamental desire to sell products for more than they were purchased for. He has probably been exposed to terms such as gross profit, gross margin, operating expense and net profit. Some managers might even understand the cost of goods sold and carrying cost. 

In most companies, you would be hard pressed to find branch managers who understand how the different parts flow together to find balance. This has got to change. 

At the risk of being redundant with long-time readers, expose your branch managers to a monthly income statement and teach them what each of the components means. How can we ask them to make the company more money if we don’t show them where we are today? 

Talk about how overtime drives up operating expense, which ultimately erodes net profit. Talk to them about how the use of common carriers can reduce the overall cost to deliver orders. Teach them that a 2-percent bump in gross margin can often double the bottom line. In my opinion, whoever oversees the branch managers should review the income statement every single month. 

Measure Branch Performance

As the old saying goes, you cannot manage what you cannot measure. I think it was meant to say, you cannot improve what you cannot measure. Without the recording and review of basic measurements, branch managers will be hard-pressed to show noticeable improvement. I have written a great deal about the use of monthly branch scorecards. In my experience, this is how we tell the branch manager what is important and what he should focus on. Without a coherent list of measurable expectations, the branch is like a ship without a rudder. Let’s take the guessing out of the process. 

Make no mistake about it, distributors are selling entities. It is in our DNA. I don’t ever want to lose sight of that when designing branch management tools. Probably not going to happen but I am a suspenders-and-belt kind of advisor. I would much rather get the rolling of the eyes than make a disastrous assumption. When building the sales component of your scorecard, keep the verbiage focused on gross profit.

 For example, don’t measure sales dollars per order; rather, measure gross margin dollars per order. This gets your recipient in the profit frame of mind. Four or five sales-related metrics are sufficient. 

To round out the income statement responsibilities of our manager, we need to create a set of operational expectations for our scorecard. Now, this might be foreign territory for our newer managers but a little focused education will clear each of these components up. 

On the operational side, I tend to suggest inventory management metrics, fulfillment metrics and staffing ratios. By explaining how each of these metrics will reduce the operating expenses and give us an opportunity to drive net profit, you are coming full circle on the financial responsibilities of branch management. 

Leadership Criteria 

Leadership is where our direction gets a bit subjective. The measurement here is based less on tangible ratios from our performance but rather a consistent message of professional skills development. In working with clients, I realized that the constant reinforcement of skills development is just as important as the identification of the skills themselves. 

If you want a branch manager to improve his employee retention skills, then you must speak to this issue every month. If you would like to see improvement in facilities maintenance, then you must reinforce it every month. 

With a recent client, we identified eight specific critical skills for branch managers of this company. Things such as product knowledge, conflict resolution and recruiting all made the list. To reinforce the development of these areas, the operations manager gives the branch manager a rating based on a 10-point scale. Again, this is highly subjective. 

The ratings are performed, documented and reviewed with the manager every month. Not only are the critical areas reinforced but this practice has a produced a brilliant byproduct. With these 12 reviews, the arduous task of an annual review is far easier to complete and gives a stronger picture of how the manager has grown in the past 12 months. 

If you want to develop stronger, profit-minded managers, you must be willing to sit down and review progress on a monthly basis. I recommend that you go over these three components: the monthly branch income statement, the branch performance scorecard and the branch manager review. In one hour, the branch manager will walk away with a very clear understanding as to where the branch stands and where it needs to be. It is a guide. It is a rudder.

We need to step up our game regarding branch management education. These folks are so close to the point at which profit is made or lost. With a little effort, organization and a healthy dose of consistency, we can realize our goal of turning branch managers into business managers. Good luck and know I am always here to help.