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    The Only Two Reasons Why Salespeople Fail and What to Do About Them

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    This may sound simplistic, but there are really only two reasons why salespeople aren’t successful:

    1. They don’t do enough of the right activities to get enough opportunities
    2. When they perform sales activities they aren’t very good at them

    You may say “So what?” But it is critical that the sales manager know which situation is the cause of the problem, because the each problem requires a different type of intervention. The first is more of an accountability intervention and the second requires a coaching intervention.

    Accountability intervention addresses lack of activity

    When a salesperson is not doing enough of the right activities, do the math to understand what the level of right activities should be.

    1. Start with the closing ratios
      Understanding the closing ratio makes it easy to calculate how many opportunities must be in the pipeline, especially how many first appointments with prospects are necessary each day, week or month.
    2. Define what it takes in terms of steps and time to get a FIRST appointment scheduled
      This could include cold calling, asking for referrals from clients, using LinkedIn to reach targets etc.  Working with the salesperson, create an appropriate activity plan to get those first appointments and make sure that the salesperson takes ownership of the activity plan.
    3. Insist on activity reports
      It is the sales manager’s job to ask the salesperson to report on their activity each week, every two weeks or monthly to insure they are doing the activity. If they aren’t doing the appropriate level of agreed upon activities then the sales manager can simply ask two questions:  1) Why did you not meet the activity requirements And, 2) What are you going to do differently this week If they continue to lack appropriate results and are not changing their activity level, then an obvious conversation needs to take place.
    Not doing enough requires an accountability intervention. Not knowing what to do requires a coaching intervention.
    Gretchen Gordon

    Coaching intervention fixes poor execution

    The second problem, lack of effectiveness, can more easily be identified if it has been determined that the first problem is not present.  If the salesperson is doing enough of the right activity and is still not closing enough business, then it is time to kick into intense coaching.

    1. Practice
      For starters, an increased emphasis on role playing, or practicing is necessary.  If the salesperson is lacking effectiveness in closing business then increase the practice you engage in with him or her. Do not let them practice on prospects.
    2. Pre-brief each sales call following a prescribed sales process where the possible outcomes are identified and the salesperson is coached on what to say and how to address various situations. Next, additional joint sales calls may be in order. Do not take over the call, let the salesperson do the work.
    3. Debrief each call with the salesperson. What went well What could have been improved upon Do we know enough to move to the next step in the process If the salesperson messed up, encourage them to learn from the mistake, maybe engage in additional practice so they are more comfortable the next time, then if appropriate call the prospect back and ask to try again.

    There may be situations where the salesperson is not improving even when engaged in additional coaching and practice. It is okay.  Not everyone is well suited for sales. Just like most of us will not become Olympic medal-winning sprinters, no matter how much practice we do, some people will not progress in their sales skills.

    The important thing is that the sales managers know why the person is floundering and then intervenes with accountability and/or coaching.  If the salesperson is unable to improve activity or execution, the sales manager will know that he or she has done everything possible to assist.

    Article originally published April 17th 2014 on
    Braveheart Sales Performance's Blog
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    Gretchen Gordon
    Published April 24, 2016
    By Gretchen Gordon

    Gretchen Gordon is the CEO of Boost Profits, a consulting firm specializing in sales team transformation. A self-proclaimed “Sales Nerd” with over 27 years of sales, sales leadership, and sales team transformation experience, she spends most of her time working directly with client companies and helping them improve their sales effectiveness and exceed their sales goals. Gretchen is also a frequent guest speaker for industry events and webcasts, and has been featured on the radio talk shows “Meet the Sales Experts” and "Sales Coaching over Coffee." She is also an accomplished writer, having been featured on industry-leading sites like SellingPower.com and SecurityInfoWatch.com. She authors a “Top 50 Sales Management Blog,” according to Docurated.com, and has published sales-focused eBooks, including “The 5 Essentials of Effective Sales Management” and “Cold Calling in the 21st Century.”

    Find out more about Gretchen Gordon on LinkedIn