I was demoted today and don't know what to do - HELP!

jlaurena · December 2012

Hi everyone,

I'm basically looking for advice here. I'm still in shock as I write this, but besides writing out a pros and cons list and replaying scenarios in my head, I haven't really gotten anywhere. Here's a quick background so you can understand what happened.

I work for a computer software company in the marketing department. I was hired in May 2010 as an inside sales rep. After a year and a half, I was promoted to a team lead, a position that was created for me, which meant I had a smaller territory but acted as a player/coach. In April, I was promoted to full time manager, managing 6 inside reps. Going from a peer to a manager is tough!!!!

Recently, a new division was created and two of those reps were transferred over. This left 4 instead of 6 reps. We hired one new inside sales rep, and in mid-November my CMO decided to have me fill in the 6th role until the end of the year. Well today, he along with my boss pulled me into his office and told me they want me to continue doing this role since I'm a natural at it - and that they were going to be posting the manager job - MY manager job - online in a few weeks.

This comes as a total blow, because I spent the past year gearing up for this and have only had 8 months to really prove myself. In those 8 months, I hired 3 new reps and had to get them up to speed. Also, I am 28 and was the youngest manager in the company. They had known I'd never managed before but hired me on - sought me out and asked me to do this role - because they believed in me.

Now, my CMOs reasons are that I am better as an individual contributor than a manager. In the last few weeks I've been performing the inside sales role, my numbers have been higher than the other reps...in my opinion, because I've been there the longest. Now they're telling me they can't afford me not to do that role. They are also offering me an "opportunity" to make more money - that is, if I continue to perform at a consistently high rate.

All in all, I'm happy to have a job, don't get me wrong. But I am confused, I was promoted for doing well, and now I am being demoted for doing well. As my 8 month tenure being a manager, I was paid 100 percent of my quarterly goals. Only 20 percent of my goals were for having the team meet marketing numbers, but I am being penalized for that 20 percent. We weren't able to meet our goals because of marketing spending which I had no control over and the ramp time of new hires. All I could do was coach and encourage people. Some people can't be taught sales overnight so this was no easy feat.

Is this fair for them to do this? I've never been given a warning or signal this would happen. Should I have requested more coaching? Should I 'rebuttle' and ask for a second chance? If anyone has been in this situation, I would love to hear your story, or if you haven't been in this situation, any advice would be awesome.

I want to point out again that I am lucky and thankful to have a job. I just had to vent and my MFP friends are always the best, most unbiased opinions I can get.

If you read this far, thanks! I know that was long. Now, another shot of Jack for me, as I'm trying to numb the pain of being "snubbed."

Lots of love,

-Jessica

abetterluke · December 2012

I'd be pissed. To the point where I'd start job hunting.

jlaurena · December 2012

they decreased my salary $22,000, but made my bonus plan out to make $5,000 more total than I was as a manager. This is also higher than any other inside sales rep. Thoughts?

amazing_u2 · December 2012

Sorry to hear about your job demotion. I know it's easy to look at the bad side of things. Think about if you were not demoted but fired. Yeah, so I am happy that you still have a job in today's economy. Companies sometimes make bad decisions (those who are positions to hire, fire.) Keep your head up high. Keep performing well. And add that managerial experience on your resume dear.
Best wishes.! No matter what you do. Just be and do your best and you won't have any regrets!

keith0373 · December 2012

I don't think it is unfair of them if you make them more money in your old role, but they could have handled it in a much better way. I too have to deal with the consequences of doing my job well. My bosses don't want to move me because it will make their jobs harder. Luckily, I work for a big (huge) company, and have opportunities to move elsewhere within the company.

As to what you should do about it, I would make it clear that you aren't happy with it, but keep performing at your high level. The next 8 months may bring along a better opportunity either inside or outside your company.

jlaurena · December 2012

Thank you!! Trying very hard to be positive right now. My car was stolen on Tuesday, and they started off the meeting by saying "sorry about your car. here's some more ****ty news." The thing is, before I became a team lead, they hired this guy for 8 weeks to start the new management role and he was terrible. That's when they decided to make me a team lead and prove myself to be a manager. Why did they even let me be a manager if I didn't prove myself as a team lead? 8 months just doesn't seem like a lot of time to prove myself and boost numbers overnight when I had no control over spending or allocation of marketing dollars, and all I could do was try to ramp new hires overnight to the best of my ability while managing the day-to-day affairs of the position. I'm just annoyed and aggravated I wasn't given more coaching or more utilities to be successful!!!

keith0373 · December 2012

Just put it in the "it all matter' book. I have an extremely varied work background and always have fall backs. I kind of keep a record of what I do like about my job and what I don't. If the don'ts get to be more than the do's it is time to move on. More money and less responsibility doesn't sound like a horrible deal, but it is a kick to the pride.

barb_32 · December 2012

I do think it was a low blow from the company not to promote you and to leave you in the position that you currently have. It's great that you are doing well and they like the results but I would have to let them know in a polite way that you would like to apply for the other postion. If you don't show interest and persue the other postion, you will always wonder what would have happened if you had. Take a chance and if nothing else you still have your sales position. Go after what you want, it's the only way to get it.

ubermensch13 · December 2012

AND this is why I organize Unions...

alaskaang · December 2012

This is something that you are going to really have to decide what makes sense for you. Sales is a tough job, but can be very rewarding when you're good at it. I worked as a sales comp plan administrator and analytical support role for many years. It's not uncommon for changes to be made in roles, management and pay structures.

As a sales rep with the right incentive plan, you can make more than your manager and you have more control over your earning potential. On the other hand, a bad incentive plan can really lower that opportunity. One question on the pay reduction, is your base still the same or higher than what it was prior to the initial promotion? If not at least a little more, then I would suggest trying to at least negotiate a slightly higher base just in case they change the incentive plan later and it doesn't have the same upside.

The biggest question, is what are your career goals? Is management where you truly want to be? If you really want the management role, are you in a position not to make ultimatums but to push back. Perhaps asking for another shot with some type of mixed role, personal and team goals. Any agreement should have specific goals and acceptable results defined. If you are too valuable as a sales rep, then they don't want to lose you altogether.

The last question is something only you can answer, is does this demoralize you to the point of needing to change employers? Good sales people are in high demand. Even if you have to change industries, like you said, sales skills are not learned overnight. Just because you have a good position doesn't mean you can't start looking for something better where you will have a better chance in reaching your personal career aspirations.

Junken_Diraffe · December 2012

Do what you're doing for now, then, when they post the manager job online, apply.

ice1200s · December 2012

With the economy being as bad as it is, management gets away with stuff like this. They know it's an employer's market and the chances of you leaving are slim and none. They also know someone else will do it for less.
Something similar happened to me in during the '80-'82 recession. Twice a manager's position came up and my manager torpedoed my chances because he didn't want to lose me. Translation: He would have to do all of his work himself, instead of unloading a bunch on me. So, during lunch one day, I went to our largest competitor, applied and was offered a job on the spot. When I came back and gave my notice, corporate overruled my manager and a promotion and more money suddenly became available.
I wouldn't say this could happen for you, but it wouldn't hurt to do some clandestine job searching.
Good luck! Ciao, Marc

Epilogue: A year and a half later, my old manager was promoted and he became my boss again. Two months later he took his revenge by laying me off. You don't win them all.

PoliticalRN · December 2012

I don't want you to take this the wrong way but I am a half glass full kind of gal. At least you still have a job. I have many friends who lost their jobs completely and had their homes foreclosed and cars repossessed. I live in the Silicon Valley in California and we took a big hit couple of years ago. Since you still have a job, it's your opportunity to go find another job that you may like better without the panic of taking what is available. I have a friend who went from 6 figures a year to working at a department store just so she can feed her young daughter as a single parent. Good luck and i hope you find what you're looking for. :0)

CamillaBeaumont · December 2012

Is management where you want to be? If so, then it is worth scheduling a sit down with your CMO to discuss. Ask for an honest critique of your 8 months as manager, the good and the bad. Let the CMO know that you want to work your way back into that position, and find out what areas you need to improve on for them to consider promoting you again. Ask the CMO what a realistic time frame would be for you to work your way back up to management. And then decide if you are willing to do those things with this company.

Also doesn't hurt to have a look around and see what else it out there at another company!

jlaurena · December 2012

Thanks everyone! I know I don't have it bad and there are soooo many stories out there where people are truly facing challenging times. Thanks for listening to me vent. All in all, I think I'll be happy in a sales role again. They are giving me a higher base than any other rep and are giving me a more senior title than the others as well. I also will have more earning potential than i did in a manager role. I was having a hard time managing and didn't find it rewarding, so having less responsibility may actually be a blessing in disguise. It is going to be awkward explaining to coworkers that I chose to do this, as this is how my managers and I are going to position it. Since I am doing the rep role now, we are going to say I wanted to stay in this role to pursue sales. With this being a weird situation, I guess they are going about it with my feelings in mind. It is true that I want to go down a sales path rather than a manager path because frankly managing aka babysitting people sucks! I guess I am frustrated because I had no time to really prove myself or get a lot of management experience under my belt. I wish I would have had more time. I guess everything happens for a reason!

meshashesha2012 · December 2012

calm down over the weekend and ask to speak to one of them monday during a coffee break or something similarly neutral

ask them what, in their opinion, you'd need in order to eventually get to where you would be considered a good candidate for that position. listen calmly and objectively.

once they've tell you then - if you really want that job - start making whatever changes need to be made or getting whatever the experience you need. in 6 months if you decide to stay then let them know you're still interested in a similar position. if they still arent interested then start looking other places

good luck. i personally wouldnt immediately take it as a slight.

agbva · December 2012

Maybe this will help: it's not unusual in sales departments to have the top performers earn more than the first level managers. So if you can stand the title change, people (perhaps) talking behind your back, then let it go, but only for now.

I strongly suggest that you keep a very close watch on what is going on at your company, as there's a smell here. A good manager in a good company would not treat you as you have been, so either it's your age, gender, or some other reason they are not telling you. They are buying your continued performance and loyalty with a raise and the promise of a higher income.

srp2011 · December 2012

Thanks everyone! I know I don't have it bad and there are soooo many stories out there where people are truly facing challenging times. Thanks for listening to me vent. All in all, I think I'll be happy in a sales role again. They are giving me a higher base than any other rep and are giving me a more senior title than the others as well. I also will have more earning potential than i did in a manager role. I was having a hard time managing and didn't find it rewarding, so having less responsibility may actually be a blessing in disguise. It is going to be awkward explaining to coworkers that I chose to do this, as this is how my managers and I are going to position it. Since I am doing the rep role now, we are going to say I wanted to stay in this role to pursue sales. With this being a weird situation, I guess they are going about it with my feelings in mind. It is true that I want to go down a sales path rather than a manager path because frankly managing aka babysitting people sucks! I guess I am frustrated because I had no time to really prove myself or get a lot of management experience under my belt. I wish I would have had more time. I guess everything happens for a reason!

So sorry you're having to go through this, but take some deep breaths and let it settle in over the weekend - it sounds like you are a really great salesperson, and that you actually prefer this role over management, so you may actually find this is a blessing in the long run. Think about what you really want, not what you feel you should want. Having been a manager, I can honestly say one of the hardest parts of the job was when we had to move someone out of a role that wasn't right for them, especially if they were giving it their all - there's no good way to do that, but it sounds like your employer does really value you if they've made it possible for you to increase your income - a real demotion doesn't come with more money :-) Yes, it will be awkward for a few days or weeks, but if you can get past that, you may find that you're a lot happier in your new/old role. It may just be the perfectionist/achiever in you that wishes you'd had more time to prove yourself, but sometimes that urge can make us stay in situations that aren't what we really want out of pride, so this may just have pushed you back onto the right path for you.

If you decide you really want to pursue management, like others have suggested, sit down with them when emotions cool down and get honest feedback, and maybe look into some management classes to build your skills and look for other opportunities. But don't get sucked into thinking management is the 'right' path for career advancement or career satisfaction, or that you 'should' want to be a manager or be good at it. It's not for everyone. Personally, I hated it, and decided to go out on my own as a freelancer so I could do the work I enjoyed and not have to deal with 'babysitting' people anymore - best decision I ever made - I've had lots of offers to go back into a corporate situation, but there's not enough money in the world (of course, now I have to manage myself...:huh: that's a whole 'nother story)

jlaurena · December 2012

Wow - AMAZING response! You read my mind....that is all! Thank you!!!! :blushing:

DoriGaga · December 2012

I have been in your position. I was promoted to a supervisor at my job when I was about 21, in hindsight a little too young and inexperienced, especially since half my staff was older than me, but I stayed in that position for about a year and a half, and same thing, out of the blue my manager said we needed to have a meeting, and basically said "We are going to ask you to step down from your position, and it's not optional."

I was in shock. I took it really badly, I thought I was a total screw-up, it was a major blow to my ego and self-esteem, and I ended up losing about 25-30 lbs from stress (which I gained back unfortunately). It took me a long time to realize, most companies don't operate fairly. The upper management has a different agenda and they never really give you the actual reason for doing anything. I can't speak for ALL upper management here, but from my experience, they don't see you as a person, it's all business. But to us our job is our livelihood and we identify ourselves often a little too much by our employment.

If you like your position now, I would just stick with it and the hurt and shock will fade with time. But if you are still upset about it, keep at it, do your best, but look for something else in the meantime. I truly believe everything happens for a reason... maybe management at this place is not where you're really meant to be, there could be a way better opportunity waiting for you, that you wouldn't have looked at because you thought you were already in a great position.

But, it really, really does suck. Like a lot. Sometimes I think that I would have handled getting fired better than getting demoted, because even though it is a worse situation to be fired, mentally it was so hard to keep going back to work, I felt hurt and embarrassed for a while, and the first little while going to work was really awkward. But in the end, I knew I needed to do something to get out, so I went back to school, which I had put off for 2 years because I thought the management track at that job was where I wanted to be, but going to school and getting into hairdressing proved to be a million times better, and looking back I wouldn't change what happened back then.

I wish you all the best!!

jlaurena · December 2012

Now THAT is a crazy ending!! My gosh. Sounds like you had a whirlwind employment there.

stanluoser · December 2012

My brother told me a saying he heard.."Never be too good at a job you don't want." It's like if you're a janitor, never be too good at it or they'll never promote you or move you out of that job. Why find someone worse than you when they can keep you.

ninerbuff · December 2012

Hi everyone,

I'm basically looking for advice here. I'm still in shock as I write this, but besides writing out a pros and cons list and replaying scenarios in my head, I haven't really gotten anywhere. Here's a quick background so you can understand what happened.

I work for a computer software company in the marketing department. I was hired in May 2010 as an inside sales rep. After a year and a half, I was promoted to a team lead, a position that was created for me, which meant I had a smaller territory but acted as a player/coach. In April, I was promoted to full time manager, managing 6 inside reps. Going from a peer to a manager is tough!!!!

Recently, a new division was created and two of those reps were transferred over. This left 4 instead of 6 reps. We hired one new inside sales rep, and in mid-November my CMO decided to have me fill in the 6th role until the end of the year. Well today, he along with my boss pulled me into his office and told me they want me to continue doing this role since I'm a natural at it - and that they were going to be posting the manager job - MY manager job - online in a few weeks.

This comes as a total blow, because I spent the past year gearing up for this and have only had 8 months to really prove myself. In those 8 months, I hired 3 new reps and had to get them up to speed. Also, I am 28 and was the youngest manager in the company. They had known I'd never managed before but hired me on - sought me out and asked me to do this role - because they believed in me.

Now, my CMOs reasons are that I am better as an individual contributor than a manager. In the last few weeks I've been performing the inside sales role, my numbers have been higher than the other reps...in my opinion, because I've been there the longest. Now they're telling me they can't afford me not to do that role. They are also offering me an "opportunity" to make more money - that is, if I continue to perform at a consistently high rate.

All in all, I'm happy to have a job, don't get me wrong. But I am confused, I was promoted for doing well, and now I am being demoted for doing well. As my 8 month tenure being a manager, I was paid 100 percent of my quarterly goals. Only 20 percent of my goals were for having the team meet marketing numbers, but I am being penalized for that 20 percent. We weren't able to meet our goals because of marketing spending which I had no control over and the ramp time of new hires. All I could do was coach and encourage people. Some people can't be taught sales overnight so this was no easy feat.

Is this fair for them to do this? I've never been given a warning or signal this would happen. Should I have requested more coaching? Should I 'rebuttle' and ask for a second chance? If anyone has been in this situation, I would love to hear your story, or if you haven't been in this situation, any advice would be awesome.

I want to point out again that I am lucky and thankful to have a job. I just had to vent and my MFP friends are always the best, most unbiased opinions I can get.

If you read this far, thanks! I know that was long. Now, another shot of Jack for me, as I'm trying to numb the pain of being "snubbed."

Lots of love,

-Jessica

Bottom line. All companies look for profit. Chances are that profit either went down/remained the same and that's what might have caused the demotion.
Take it with a grain of salt. You didn't get fired, and though it's a demotion, use the experience to try to excel.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Doodlewhopper · December 2012

Could be a CYA issue. Very often a manager will make a personnel move in response to his superior putting pressure on him. Ie; sales are down due to the economy, boss is frantic and doo-doo rolls down hill. Regardless of how well you have done your job, your head goes before his will.

"Well Joe, what have you done in response to our pathetic last quarter? Youre not just sitting there waiting for the economy to turn around are you? Youre not paid to sit and wait, youre paid to do something..."

Azdak · December 2012

With the economy being as bad as it is, management gets away with stuff like this. They know it's an employer's market and the chances of you leaving are slim and none. They also know someone else will do it for less.
Something similar happened to me in during the '80-'82 recession. Twice a manager's position came up and my manager torpedoed my chances because he didn't want to lose me. Translation: He would have to do all of his work himself, instead of unloading a bunch on me. So, during lunch one day, I went to our largest competitor, applied and was offered a job on the spot. When I came back and gave my notice, corporate overruled my manager and a promotion and more money suddenly became available.
I wouldn't say this could happen for you, but it wouldn't hurt to do some clandestine job searching.
Good luck! Ciao, Marc

Epilogue: A year and a half later, my old manager was promoted and he became my boss again. Two months later he took his revenge by laying me off. You don't win them all.

Spoken by someone who has been around the block a few times and knows how the world works.

To the OP: unfortunately, these types of situations are pretty standard in today's workplace. The best defense is to keep growing your skills, constantly develop your network, and no matter how well things are going, ALWAYS be on the lookout for your next job. There is zero loyalty and almost zero honesty in the workplace today. You really have to be a mercenary. Good luck. I wish I had followed my own advice for the past 20 years.

axialmeow · December 2012

Sorry this happened. But it's fair. Businesses look out for themselves and themselves ONLY. If they see a potential for making more money somewhere they will take it. And that's what happened. It wasn't that you weren't good in management, it's that you were better at sales. They saw that and jumped at it. You must take for granted that sales comes naturally to you. It's not something just *anyone* can do. It's a valuble skill. I do not possess it. I could never do it. Management is easier to replace. Natural sales people are not easy to find.

I was demoted today and don't know what to do - HELP!

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