One rep on your current sales staff stays at or above quota, while the other has a difficult time consistently achieving the sales goals. Recently you decided to hire a third salesperson. As soon as the new rep starts, you know the under performing salesperson will be motivated to work a little harder.
Whoa! Not so fast. Ideally, it should work that way. The struggling salesperson, feeling pressure from the arrival of the new hire, becomes energized and starts to meet quota.
While nice in theory, adding a new salesperson to your staff before dealing with a non-performing rep will likely bring about more problems than it solves.
No secret
New salespeople quickly size up their fellow reps. They identify the top performers as well as those not hitting the sales goals. When under performers remain on the company payroll month after month, the new hire quickly gets the idea that “achieving quota is great but not mandatory at my new company. I guess every one does their best.”
A slight dulling of their competitive edge occurs. They know they don’t always have to be at the top of their game. It won’t cost them their job. No worse statement can be conveyed.
Negative atmosphere
Though gainfully employed with your organization, non-performing reps know they aren’t accomplishing what they’ve been asked to do. They’re aware that losing their job might be a possibility—however remote.
Mixed or negative feelings—spoken or unspoken—will come out during their interactions with the new rep. Neither party benefits.
Assess the salesperson
Avoid this situation altogether. Don’t begin the search for an additional salesperson just yet. Determine first whether or not the struggling rep should even be in the profession of sales. Ask him to take a sales assessment.
This tool may show that he can sell but has weaknesses in certain areas of the sales cycle that prevent him from reaching his full potential. If that’s the case, enroll him in a sales training course right away.
Make a plan
If the assessment results show the reverse to be true, that the rep lacks the sales skills necessary to be at least a solid producer, take some definitive action. Put him on warning. Inform him in writing that he must be consistently at or above quota for a certain length of time or he will be terminated.
I tell my clients that 90 days should be the maximum amount of time that a person remains on warning. Otherwise, the process drags on for too long.
Sales training
When you sign a non-performing rep up for sales training, his behavior changes. You are making an investment in his career and giving him a vote of confidence. All salespeople appreciate this.
His general demeanor around the office will change. Lack of a solid sales education may have held him back in the past. Interactions with the new rep and other coworkers should be more positive.
At the same time, it’s fair to let him know you’ve been disappointed with his performance in the past. Tell him that this training comes out of your budget and that you expect him to put what he learns into practice. He needs to start hitting his sales targets consistently.
The warning process
Reps on written warning behave differently. Sales training hasn’t been offered as an option. They need to perform or they’re out of a job. Some focus and do all they can to make their goals. Others realize they’ll never succeed in their current position and do the minimum while trying to secure employment elsewhere.
In either case, they may act somewhat aloof or detached from their coworkers. Minimize their interactions with the new rep. Ask your stronger rep and other employees to help the new hire during orientation.
Hiring
Once you’ve decided which path to take with the under-producing salesperson, move ahead and start the hiring process. If you find the right candidate, make the person an offer.
You might ask, “What if the non-performer hasn’t completed sales training or shown any marked signs of improvement just yet?” or “He’s still on probation and I’m not sure whether he’ll sell enough to achieve their goals. Is it still okay to bring the new person on?”
Yes. The non-performing rep isn’t showing up to the office each day and phoning it in. Goals have been set, and the penalty for not making them, in the case of the rep on probation, made clear.
In large companies with sizable sales staffs, several reps might be on probation at any given time. Sometimes their coworkers know; sometimes they don’t. Regardless, they work alongside one another with few problems or issues.
Too much information What if the new rep suspects or finds out that one of the salespeople is on probation? It happens. Rumors travel through the office grapevine. During the interview process, he may have even asked if any reps were currently on probation. He might have inquired about the warning process itself.
Conversations between you and the nonperforming rep are private. Certainly you can’t confirm any employee’s probationary status. You can, however, discuss general company disciplinary procedures with the new hire.
The person will come away from that conversation knowing that you have performance-related expectations of your employees. When those expectations aren’t met, there are consequences. The new hire will value their position with your company more, not less, stepping up and giving you his or her best performance. As an employer and leader of the company, that’s the best position to be in.
