A client asks, "You
recommended a strategy for boosting sales at
year-end. I did as you advised and asked my
reps to
submit a list of the most closable accounts
for the month of December. Three of my four
reps did
an OK job (though I was disappointed by the small
number of clients on their lists). One of
the reps did not even turn in a list. When
I questioned him about it, he reluctantly
admitted to having no deals to put on a list.
He spent most of December sitting around.
Now that several months have passed, is it
too late to discuss it with him? If not,
what should I do about the situation?"
It is definitely not too late. In fact, not
discussing it at all is the worst possible
approach.
Reality Check
Let's not focus exclusively on the one
salesperson.
ALL of your reps were caught off guard by
your request. None of them had an expansive
list to bring
to the table. This situation is not uncommon the
first time a sales manager puts an 'end of
December' plan like this into place.
Meet with all of them individually. Mention
your disappointment and talk specifically about
the number of prospects and the amount of
sales revenue you will expect for the
December forecast for this year. Remind them
that they cannot reasonably expect accounts
to appear in this last forecast of
2010 if they start thinking about them for the
first time in
October.
The Guilty Party
Though none of the reps had a great list, one
rep
had no list at all. Now that 2009 is over
and you've
calmed down, ask the rep one simple question,
"What on earth happened in December?" Let
them start talking.
Resolution
The rep may admit to dogging it for the last
few months
of the year. They might talk about how
difficult the last
business quarter was for them. If
they
seem genuinely contrite and their current sales
production is at or above the group average,
give them a pass. Underscore that a repeat
performance at year-end this year will not be
tolerated. Add that if they are experiencing
difficulty in their sales territory, they
should talk to you about it long before December.
If they have no credible explanation for
their year-end
performance and their current sales
production is well below the group average,
it may be time to put them on warning. Offer
to work with them. If they take you up on
your offer of assistance and start to turn
things around, great. If not, they don't
belong in your organization.
Many managers are disappointed in the net
results the first time they put any kind of
year-end plan in place. Often they feel let
down or duped by their sales
representatives. Managers who experience this
frustration learn from it and vow to start to
take action
the next year long before late November. The
whole exercise can serve as an
important lesson for everyone in the sales
department.
