- June 12, 2009
- Posted by: Dave Kurlan
- Category: Understanding the Sales Force
Yesterday a well meaning Sales Manager, in defense of his salesperson, asked me how a salesperson who made “Club” could possibly assess so poorly. It’s a great question with a dozen or more possible explanations. Here are some:
- One or two big hits – exceptions rather than sustained performance
- Existing accounts grew
- Accounts were inherited
- Had help closing his accounts
- Been in the industry for a long time and was well known and well respected
- Owns the biggest accounts
- Owns the richest territory
- All renewal business
- Large portion of call-in business
- Opportunity knocks – in the right place at the right time
- Had the opportunities in the pipeline forever and they finally closed
- Had exceptional marketing support to generate interest and leads
Rather than asking how someone who has achieved success could assess so poorly, what if I asked this tried and true question: If you take away all of his existing business, customers, sales manager, leads, call-ins and pipeline, and told him he had six months to go out and find and close 50% of a year’s quota, how would he do?
