Post on 14-Aug-2015
UnderperformingHOW TO MANAGE
SALES REPS
What actions you should take as a manager
if a salesperson isn’t meeting expectations?
Clarify Expectations1
Make sure expectations are clear
Do each of your sales people know
what you want them to do (behaviors)
And what you want them to achieve (results)
Provide Feedback2
Sales Managers often forget to point out what their sales people are doing right (performance gains)
and wait until a salesperson is performing below expectations (performance gap)
Managers should be analyzing performance on
an ongoing basis
And consistently providing feedback, both formally and informally
Focus on Performance Gains3
Focusing on performance gains is a great way to motivate and empower sales reps
and should be as specific as possible
Hollow, non-specific comments have very little impact
They don't clearly point out
what the sales person is
doing well, and the benefit
associated with that
behavior
Address Performance Gaps4
Sales managers must not assume that performance will improve on its
own
When addressing performance gaps, ask:
Are there outside factors beyond the salesperson’s control?
Is there a lack of motivation, or a deficiency in skill/knowledge?
Is the performance gap isolated to the one individual?
Are expectations clear?
Engage in open discussion to
determine the underlying cause(s)
Share what has been observed and over what period of time,
and allow the sales rep to respond
This ensures there is agreement
on the performance gap
Taking Action5
There are a number of effective
options for taking action
Including empowering, training, coaching, counselling,
discipline, and (when necessary) termination
The goal is to support the sales reps development by being
proactive in addressing performance gains and gaps
Learn how to transition star sales reps into high performing sales managers!
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