COMMENTS
Dave,
The worst part of sending the new sales person out with the veteran is the last thing the veteran wants to happen is to take the "rookie" to an account that might make he/she look bad.
So they go to all the "lay-downs" and make the job look easy. Then the new sales person goes out and can't even get an appointment. They begin to feel inadequate very quickly and we run the risk of losing them by creating un-realistic expectations!
It's almost as bad as wanting to create a profile around a companies top performers... it just doesn't measure up.
I'll be looking for that "new emerger" for our clients to emulate!
John Hirth
I'm looking to hire the individual who does do all the right things. When I find them, do I tell them I want them to be the model or could that sabotage the hire?
Dave,
Good post. In running sales organizations, I often faced similar issues.
The only thing I take issue with is the assumption that your top reps have the best territory. Maybe I'm too much of a Bill Belicheck fan, but I never believed in "tenured" positions in sales. I think the "territory" is owned by management and the shareholders and that the reps get their slice of it to harvest at their behest. I always thought it was healthy to reorgainze/equalize territories on a relatively regular (2x/year) basis.
Brian.
First, let me reply to Brian's post, then Roy's.
Brian, while shaking up territories keeps your reps from owning them, it sabotages your business because the company never get the chance to take advantage of the relationships that don't get a chance to grow. I don't have a problem with reps who have "best accounts" or "best territories", it's just that when it gets to that point we have to recognize that they have become very effective account managers rather than producers. And at that time, they cease to be role models for new salespeople.
Now I'll reply to Roy's comment, three up from here.
There's nothing wrong with communicating the high expectations you have for the new salesperson - as long as you also hold that new salesperson accountable for those high expectations. If you can do both, and you chose the right salesperson, you will have your role model!
Dave,
If a professional services firm has only one person who actively sells and that person isn't someone that you want others to emulate, where do go to introduce someone who may be interested?
Thanks
Joe,
Glad to see you found the blog! Your challenge is to find the person who CAN be emulated. In search of a Rainmaker...someone who, like you, became an accountant but should have gone into sales!
Dave,
I believe this example to be an epidemic in today's sales culture. I see it time and time again where the "best" salesperson is the one with the highest numbers, not the one with the best raw sales talent. We should all take a closer look and see who is indeed the most talented in our organizations.