- Warstler Consulting

The Performance Series
Part Two of an Eight Part Series
DO YOU HAVE THE
RIGHT SALESPEOPLE IN THE
RIGHT ROLES?
CJ WARSTLER
MANAGING DIRECTOR
warstlercj@warstlerconsulting.com
WARSTLER CONSULTING LLC
www.warstlerconsulting.com
In Part One of “The Performance Series” I poised a simple question…
”Are Your Salespeople Performing Up to Your (and their) Expectations?”
Here is an excerpt…
The answer to the above question is not simple, nor is it typically corrected by one or two actions.
There could very well be several reasons for the issue. Maybe the people are trying to do a job they
are not hard-wired to do…their DNA may not be suitable for the role. Or, they could be matched with
the wrong type of sales manager. Possibly, the systems you have in place may cause stress for some of
the reps, while others don’t worry about making sure every little detail in the CRM system or SAP backoffice system is accurate. Maybe the metrics you use to measure them are driving behaviors in conflict
with your desired goals and objectives. Their previous employer may have utilized team selling and
now the rep must act more independently. Maybe they had one specific solution to sell and now they
have four options which causes issues. I could go on and on here, but my guess is you are frustrated
enough by now.
So what is the answer? It depends on the actual problem or problems your team is facing. It probably
boils down to one or more of the following areas:
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PEOPLE - You may have the wrong people trying to do a job they are not capable of doing.
SYSTEMS - They may be too complex or salespeople don’t understand “what’s in it for me.”
METRICS AND REPORTING - When you measure everything, you measure nothing.
SALES TOOLS - Salespeople never have the right tool for the specific situation before them.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES - Not all of the salespeople have the KSA’s to perform.
SALES & MARKETING DISCONNECTION - Marketing develops content salespeople ignore.
BUYER & SELLER MIS-ALIGNMENT - Sellers are not selling the way buyers want to buy.
PEOPLE
People have a naturally strong desire to be successful. I have never met a person who said, “I really
want to under-perform today!” So if you agree this statement is true, why do so many under-perform?
It could be the work environment or other factors out of their control. It could be their hard-wired
behavioral traits; their DNA if you will. Their DNA will not allow them to perform the task for which
they were hired. They may have the greatest desire in the world to perform but absolutely were not
given the correct chromosomes to perform the task at hand.
For example:
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A four foot basketball player can receive all of the training possible and possess the
motivation, desire, and positive attitude to dunk a basketball; but his DNA says it will
never happen. Luckily for basketball scouts and coaches, the DNA in this scenario is
pretty easy to identify simply by looking at the player. But determining who on your
sales team is capable of really selling is a whole other story.
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Today we look deeper into the first piece of the puzzle…PEOPLE.
So what happens when a salesperson under performs? They either get tired of the situation or you get
tired of them. They leave you or you leave them. Now you must replace them with another unknown
person who may or may not perform to your and their expectations. The merry-go-round of recruiting.
Any idea how much it costs to replace a salesperson? OK, so I won’t point the cost out to you…you
already know it is ridiculously high.
I have spent nearly two decades diagnosing why salespeople underperform and why they leave good
companies. My conclusion...most people don't leave companies, they leave the job they are in or the
role they are playing; or worse yet, the manager to which they are reporting. A respected colleague
recently told me he read that over 35% of people in the USA are in jobs they don’t like. Not sure about
you, but that scares me. How can this be true?
Here is another scenario for you to consider:
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You have two salespeople one is at 120% of quota and the other is at 80%;
circumstances demand you fire one of them. Which one do you let go? Duh!!
You say it’s not rocket science to figure that one out. Well, what if, with a different
manager, the one at 80% could actually be at 140% and the one at 120% has reached
their maximum potential…now which one goes?
This is now a more difficult decision, isn’t it? Are you making hiring decisions based on what someone
HAS done or what a person WILL do in the future? What does your “gut” tell you to do? Really, you
are making this decision based on intuition! Decisions regarding your most valuable asset, your people,
should not be based on “gut” feeling and instinct. I know you are a great judge of people…but wouldn’t
it be better to substantiate your intuition with scientific evidence? I think so too. Watch the movie
“Moneyball”… or ask the new coach of the Boston Celtics if predictive analysis is important in winning.
Could sales managers be the problem?
Earlier, I wrote about people leaving because of the manager to which they report. Sales
Managers…could they be the problem? Research shows managers generally hire people who are equal
to or less able to perform certain tasks than themselves. Why would a manager hire someone less
capable than themselves? There is research to explain the exact reasons for this habit.
Sales managers have an incredible amount of influence on the performance of their salespeople. Are
they asking the right questions to drive behaviors? Are they reinforcing the company’s sales
philosophy and methodology? Are they positively motivating their salespeople when the situations call
for it and honest with constructive criticism when necessary? The DNA of a sales manager is very
different from the DNA of a successful salesperson. How often have you “promoted” your best rep to
manager and it failed miserably? First, you took your best rep out of the revenue generation column
and possibly ruined a couple of good reps in the process.
Management’s ability to consistently drive the right types of behavior can make an incredible impact of
the performance of salespeople. I could go on and on about leadership but there is too much to
discuss in this session…so stay tuned for another paper titled - “Leadership – The Missing Link” coming
soon to an inbox near you!
Warstler Consulting LLC – All Rights Reserved – © 2013
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So what is the answer?
There is hope. Today, technology exists to help companies reduce turnover and increase employee
satisfaction. There is an approach to managing a company's most valuable resource, its people. This
approach was designed for forward thinking people and companies who are frustrated with underperforming people and are tired of losing good people.
When I created my consulting company, I did a lot of research intent on choosing a select number of
strategic relationships I would like to form. The first relationship I searched for was, in my opinion, the
first link in the chain of sales performance. PEOPLE. Do you have the right people in the right roles
capable of doing the job they are being asked to do? It didn’t take me long to figure out BestWork
DATA was heads and tails above all the rest. Why?
BestWork DATA is a Disruptive Innovation in the assessment industry.
Did you know there are over 8,000 talent assessments available today in North America alone? I have
personally taken 6 assessments over the last three years; low and behold, EVERY one of them defined
me perfectly. How is it possible? Well after being educated on the different reports, I reviewed each
one for contradictions and, can you believe it, I found several. Here is one example. “CJ will motivate
those around him to achieve greatness.” In another section of the same report it said, “CJ is often
feared by those who work closely with him due to his direct and task oriented approach.” I am sure
one of those fits me…but both?
Another company has an eleven page profile interpretation manual. Really, it takes eleven pages of
instructions to understand how to read and interpret a report, ouch!
Oh and how many times, post assessment has the answer to the problem been TRAINING! Wow, who
would have thought they would suggest training on how to deal with people different from you?
Most of the 80,000 assessments on the market today are based on 40 year old concepts and
philosophies? So let’s see…would you rather have a flip-phone or a smart phone? Hummmm.
BestWork DATA has developed a technology to maximize Human Capital…through decision support
analytics. Their new technology explains why people do what they do; what can they do and what
can’t they do.
BWD measures how people think, learn, and behave. Businesses use that DATA to make decisions. It
could be about hiring the right people; it could be about answering questions about why certain
employees are not performing as expected. It could be about making sure people are happy in their
role; or it could be making sure they are matched with the right manager to maximize their motivation
to do an outstanding job for both their manager and the company.
Have you ever worked with anyone whose performance was not what you expected? Well our DATA
can tell you why that is happening and if it will ever change and what you can or can't do about it. It’s
all in a person's DNA, how their hard wired traits will pre-determine their abilities to perform.
Top level psychometrics, measuring both cognitive abilities and Big 5-based personality traits with the
latest science and technology, drive the DATA.
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BestWork DATA typically costs only a few dollars per use. The unlimited license allows
businesses to extend their use throughout the enterprise.
BestWork DATA reports do not require expert interpretation or special training. They
are easily understood by anyone.
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BestWork DATA does not depend on profiles of top performers. Today’s business
environment is far too dynamic for static performance models. DATA Job Reports are
specifically descriptive of any position in any company.
BestWork DATA is more than a hiring event. BestWork DATA has a full suite of talent
management tools that extend the value of the DATA through the life cycle of each
employee, from onboarding and training to career planning and management.
SO, IF YOU HAVE GREAT LEADERS REINFORCING THE RIGHT BEHAVIORS AND…
The Right
People
Simple Systems
Relevant
Metrics
Great Sales
Tools
Knowledge,
Skills, &
Abilities
Sales &
Marketing
Connected
Buyer & Sellers
Aligned
…THEN YOU CAN INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SALESPEOPLE PERFORMING
TO YOUR (AND THEIR) EXPECTATIONS.
Over the next several weeks we will dive into the other six issues, look at the probable causes, and
suggest ways to address each of them. Stay tuned!
If you missed Part One of “The Performance Series” here is a link to our website where you can
download. Once on the home page, click on the Thought Leadership Tab and look for White Papers.
www.warstlerconsulting.com
Warstler Consulting LLC – All Rights Reserved – © 2013
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