Are you having the difficult conversations required that create and maintain a great sales team? It’s easy to be a great sales leader when things are going well. It’s much harder to turn a sales person or sales team around once the rot has set in.
That doesn’t mean that when a sales person isn’t doing well you get rid of them as soon as possible.
Noticing a decline in sales activity and performance early enough…and having that difficult conversation immediately is often all it takes to get a sales person back on track.
The issue is that many sales leaders don’t handle that difficult conversation well enough and can often cause the speeding up of a sales person’s decline in motivation, activity and sales.
Hoping they will sort it out themselves because you are uncomfortable with having the conversation is deluded…and dangerous!
So how do you do it well?
- Describe the issue, situation, behaviour as you see it. Leave out your emotions and stick to the facts. Focus only on what you have observed yourself.
- Take responsibility for your contribution to the situation. Share your desire to resolve the issue.
- Invite your sales person to share their views and perspectives…uninterrupted.
- Using your coaching skills explore the options going forward to resolve the issue.
- Help them create a plan of action going forward…and share what you will do too. Agree timescales.
- Agree when you will review the situation again
DO NOT TELL THEM WHAT YOU THINK THEY SHOULD BE DOING!!!
Going Forward
It’s important to casually check in with your sales person especially in the early days to show support and boost them when they are struggling.
If you have these conversations early enough, you’ll resolve little issues before they become rotten sales draining situations.
Not only that…these conversations are a training in themselves and show your sales people how to resolve their own small issues going forward before it becomes a big problem.
Now it’s time to schedule your first conversation 😉
Until next time,
Leigh 😊
PS If you need help with your difficult sales leadership conversation then please do get it touch.
