The First 90 Days in Your New Job
Do you want to have a successful start in the first 90 days in your new job? Here are some ideas to help you achieve success during that critical time in working for a new company.
In the book “The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter,” Michael Watkins writes about the situations an executive should focus on when beginning a new job.
“Transitions are a critical time for leaders. In fact, most agree that moving into a new role is the biggest challenge a manager will face. While transitions offer a chance to start fresh and make needed changes in an organization, they also place leaders in a position of acute vulnerability. Missteps made during the crucial first three months in a new role can jeopardize or even derail your success.”
My Personal Experience
When I went from Procter & Gamble to Polaroid, I made similar adaptations. The products I sold at Procter & Gamble had different sales cycles than the products I sold and at Polaroid. Procter & Gamble’s products are fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG): toothpaste, laundry detergent, facial tissue, beauty aids, etc. At Procter & Gamble, one month was similar to the next month. Consumer buys these products at the same rate year round.
At Polaroid, I was selling seasonal products. Summer travel season was an important period for sales. The winter holiday season was the largest sales period for Polaroid.
The sales team sold seasonal film orders in the spring for shipment in the summer. They sold cameras and film in July for shipment from August through November. As the holiday season approached, the sales team would make additional rounds through their territory to sell film.
Retailers sold as much Polaroid film in one day in December as they sold the entire month of January. The transition for me required adapting to different selling cycles and new methods of projecting sales.