All sales organizations are more or less like this (Pareto docet):
- 20% of good sellers
- 60% of average sellers (from discrete to so-so)
- 20% of duffers
We should support the good ones so that they sell more and more…
…try to motivate the media…
…and send duffers away and replace them with new sellers.
But, no.
For inscrutable reasons, companies often make these two mistakes:
- Most sales managers and SME owners spend a lot of time with duffers, and too little with good sellers.
- Moreover, they prolong too much the duffer’s permanence in the company, so that he can hopefully turn into a good seller.
But when a duffer has proved to be as such, it’s useless to keep it in the company:
- First of all, it’s bad for the duffer himself: if someone isn’t suitable for sales, it’s better for him to look for a job behind a desk rather than in front of customers.
- Then, it’s bad for the performance and morale of the other sellers, just as in the locker room of a football team.
- Finally, it harms the company: it costs, it wastes time for the bosses, it doesn’t bring turnover, and as I have just said, it also makes the others less productive.
So, sending away “poor performers” is a healthy management habit.
Moreover, it’s a clear signal to everyone that unsatisfactory performance isn’t tolerated.
Question: how can I quickly “flush out” the slaps, preventing their endless excuses?
Here’s a simple method.
You have to include all sellers in a commercial machine that generates effective offers, that creates new opportunities in a constant way, that doesn’t force them to make lead generation but focuses them on selling, and that supports them behind the scenes by nurturing relationships with customers.
When you start this machine, this happens:
- good salespeople sell even more;
- average salespeople sell better than usual;
- and duffers don’t sell anyway.
In 30 to 60 days, you’ll have understood everything beyond a reasonable doubt.
And you can act accordingly.
