Last week I was having a few sales conversations related to our BGM ( become a great billing manager programme). We run this a couple of times a year, and our next programme kicks off again over the coming few months. 

I was smiling to myself as I reflected that not a lot changes for new, inexperienced billing managers. It’s the same challenges and issues that come with the territory when you first promote one of your best billers into a management role. 

It’s a real shame because a standout billing manager will literally put millions into your profit pool. 

So here are those mistakes you might have seen… 

 

C!!””!! Communication 

 

Chatting away to mates on the billing floor is one thing. Giving clear communication is something else.  When communication is ambiguous, when emails and directions are unclear, people feel confused and uncertain.  

Seth Godin, the New York Times bestselling business leader in his book Tribes, shared the fact that people are desperate to be led. It’s the world we live in. Leadership and clear direction make a massive difference to results. 

Remember your recruiters crave guidance and clarity from their billing manager; even if they are new in the role. 

 

Turn Left… No Right ….?! 

It’s difficult and stressful to work for a manager who is constantly changing their mind, or shifting their view of what’s critical to business growth. 

This could be your fault as a director. Your billing manager needs your support on what are the business priorities and their focus as a billing manager. For example, what are the; 

  • Must do activities; daily, weekly, monthly 
  • Nice to do; though not business critical 
  • Forget altogether or outsource 

 

Letting Emotions and Mood Dominate 

A manager (thank God) once suggested that before I open the door into the office, I left my bad mood and ego outside.  

Unfortunately, not every new manager does this. I personally think that the focus on authentic communication has got skewed.  

Being authentic is one thing. However, justifying being rude, obnoxious, and a bully because you are authentically you is ridiculous. Which leads me to a great solution…. 

  

Getting Coaching and Direction Wrong 

One of the lightbulb moments that attendees on our BGM programme get is the power of learning how to motivate and manage the different personalities in their team. 

All too often new billing managers have a, my way or the highway mentality. Which rarely works in the long term. In honesty, they don’t know any different. 

I will be eternally grateful to the individual who encouraged me to learn how to coach. The fact is that individuals in a team will all be at different stages of their development and therefore will need a different approach. If you want to read how this works, I wrote a  blog post on the subject you can read here. 

 

Playing Favourites 

Never an easy one to tackle and if your new billing manager is working with their best bud it might be time that you pointed out what potentially might happen. They don’t  understand the potential impact down the line of being best pals if they suddenly have to dismiss Martin, their mate, for gross misconduct! 

It’s appropriate to praise top performers too, be that a ninja BD star or a hardworking resourcer. 

Remember to encourage your new billing manager to spread positive attention as much as they can, especially in public. Favouritism, or even the appearance of it, will cause unhappiness, and likely kill productivity alongside festering a less than positive team atmosphere. 

 

Managing Time 

If you have moved a star performer into the role, remember that they now have a number of tasks on their plate. Multitasking isn’t something Katy, or I recommend.  However prioritising the urgent versus important most certainly is.  

“Teach a man to fish” is a mantra to encourage your new billing manager to adopt. Though they may still be bringing in significant fees, they also need to develop their billing team to do the same. 

Consequently, they must monitor their time on a daily basis. 

 

 

Do Your Billing Managers Need Help? 

We have mentioned six common mistakes here; there are more by the way! 

If you want to support your billing manager to deliver more, then we can help. Getting results isn’t just about ‘what you know’. It’s about how you IMPLEMENT what you know on a consistent basis. 

The difference with the BGM programme is that it’s about IMPLEMENTATION, not just INFORMATION.  

You can ‘know’ something intellectually, without knowing it ‘in the muscle’. Your results tell us all ‘what you know’. Your bank balance tells the story of ‘what you know’.  

If your team are consistently billing as much as you want, that is excellent news. Though I doubt it, or you wouldn’t be reading this post! 

However, if you know your team are not doing as well as they could do, as often as you want – then you need to get them on our Become a Great Recruitment Manager Programme. 

This programme isn’t for everyone so before you join the Great Recruitment Manager Training Programme we want to check if this is a fit and a match for your manager and your recruitment organisation.  

Two things to do first. 

1. Visit the page here which outlines the BGM programme content and has a small sample of the many success stories we have. View here. 

2. Then book a call with one of our team here. 

 

Warm regards,  

Nicky and Katy