Why Salespeople Fail and How You Could Have Predicted It
Why Salespeople Fail and How You Could Have Predicted It
In a recent meeting, there were discussions on what to do with this salesperson. In his first year, he had only minimally increased sales, bringing in only a little bit more than his salary. While he did build a pipeline, he had failed to close most of what was stuck inside. And he was spending his days on airplanes, touring the country, rather than spending any time building momentum in any one territory.
It's really a very simple problem. The company he came to work for was a small, little known manufacturer in need of distribution and end-user accounts. The companies at which this salesperson had prior success were with brands you know well, that everyone in the world already carried, with established distribution. All he had to do was grow what had already been established by others before him. After all, how much new distribution had to be created for Oscar-Mayer Wieners?
In the new position with the small company, distributors had to be convinced to carry a product that their customers weren't asking for. He needed to create need by opening end-user accounts.
As you can see, the new position required him to actually sell, while the old position only required him to have a presence, maintain relationships and attempt to grow what already existed.
He lacked the experience needed for this position and his prior income and experience at well-known companies masked all of that.
This happens at companies all the time when they hope to recreate the success one enjoyed at another company. But you have to look at what you'll need them to do and compare that with what they were expected to do before. In this case, one is not the same as the other and the failure of the $130,000 man could have been easily predicted.
Why Salespeople Fail and How You Could Have Predicted It - To learn more about this author, visit Dave Kurlan's Website.
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The senior level salesperson was hired with a $130,000 base salary plus bonus - very high compared with the rest of the industry. He was expected, with minimal support, direction or supervision, to add new distribution and end-users. After all, he had enjoyed tremendous success while engaged in similar activities within the industry.
In a recent meeting, there were discussions on what to do with this salesperson. In his first year, he had only minimally increased sales, bringing in only a little bit more than his salary. While he did build a pipeline, he had failed to close most of what was stuck inside. And he was spending his days on airplanes, touring the country, rather than spending any time building momentum in any one territory.
It's really a very simple problem. The company he came to work for was a small, little known manufacturer in need of distribution and end-user accounts. The companies at which this salesperson had prior success were with brands you know well, that everyone in the world already carried, with established distribution. All he had to do was grow what had already been established by others before him. After all, how much new distribution had to be created for Oscar-Mayer Wieners?
In the new position with the small company, distributors had to be convinced to carry a product that their customers weren't asking for. He needed to create need by opening end-user accounts.
As you can see, the new position required him to actually sell, while the old position only required him to have a presence, maintain relationships and attempt to grow what already existed.
He lacked the experience needed for this position and his prior income and experience at well-known companies masked all of that.
This happens at companies all the time when they hope to recreate the success one enjoyed at another company. But you have to look at what you'll need them to do and compare that with what they were expected to do before. In this case, one is not the same as the other and the failure of the $130,000 man could have been easily predicted.
Why Salespeople Fail and How You Could Have Predicted It - To learn more about this author, visit Dave Kurlan's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Understanding the Sales Force - Objective Management Group, Inc. is the pioneer and industry leader in sales force evaluations and sales candidate screening. Spearheaded by leading sales industry expert, Dave Kurlan, Objective Management Group, Inc. can help you measure sales effectiveness, execution and potential.
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