Recommendations On How To Stop Poor Performance In Salespeople
If one of your sales peoples performance is getting worse
, it is advisable to have a dialogue with him about it to ensure that the problems can be quickly rectified. The subsequent rules, as taught on good management training courses, really should be born in mind when holding the performance discussion:
Conduct the discussion in an open way. Analyse the sales representatives outcomes along with the possible reasons for the deteriorating performance. Don't, however, create any solutions. If you try and force ready-made solutions on a salesperson, he's unlikely to be able to identify with the outcome of the dialogue.
Never make a song and dance out of it. Steer clear of summoning the sales person to head-office. Do the discussion informally.
It's not smart to tell the salesperson about your meeting weeks in advance; make it possible for him to know shortly beforehand. If there's a very long interval of time between telling the salesperson that you want to have a discussion with him and the time that the discussion actually will take place, he may become worked up about it to the extent that it impairs his performance a lot more.
Come straight to the point. A lot of managers find this straight speaking hard and so it's regularly a part of the skill development sessions for management training courses.
Inform the sales man what the purpose for your meeting is with out beating around the bush: I am not pleased with your performance and for that reason must discuss it with you today. Send out a clear I-message and no watered down We-message, for instance At head-office we feel...
Speak about behaviour. Do not talk to the salesperson about results, but about his poor behaviour. Begin the discussion with the sales persons most severe weakness: In the preceding quarter the number of monthly product demonstrations which you've carried out has dropped from an average of 12 to seven.
Let the sales representative to have his say. Provide the sales representative sufficient time to speak about his troubles and get everything off his chest. Don't interrupt, don't comment and never object to what he says. Pay attention to him. Demonstrate that you understand and you're interested in what he's explaining by asking questions.
You are likely to have met every one of the pre-conditions for obtaining a solution if you permit the sales man to get every little thing off his chest.
Lay your requirements clearly on the table. Once the sales man has told you the issues from his point of view, lay your objectives obviously on the table. Say, I know everything you have told me, but must ask you to .... Never enter into any other discussion with the sales professional once you've made your demands.
Conclude an agreement. Draw up a mutual contract together with the sales representative. For example: you demand that the sales man makes a minimum of 12 customer calls a day in future.
Encourage the sales man to ask for one thing from you in return and provide him something in return too, for instance seven joint client visits in the future, and also a promise that the situation will have no detrimental repercussions on his future pay rise.
Check that your sales professional fulfils his part of the bargain. Make out a written record of your agreement. Supply a duplicate of this to the salesperson and keep one your self. Arrange a next date to discuss the issue and check that both sides of the bargain have been kept.
In case you find it tough having these sorts of talks with your team then a good management training course might help you develop your skills and self confidence.
by: Richard Stone
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