Once upon a time I thought they were. When I started, I suffered under the illusion that everyone would want the same things I did. We all wanted fair pricing, good service and great quality. If we had those things we would all sell like a house on fire. What else could we want?
As I put some years under my belt, I learned better. My first sales management assignment was a disaster. I put pressure on everyone, ruined the environment and managed to lose much of my own volume. I worked with formulas not with feelings. I resigned the position after a two-year struggle.
Fortunately, I earned another chance. A few years later a new employer asked me to take over the sales team. It was, in his opinion, dysfunctional. He had a great plant, better than average service and great quality.
What he didn’t have was sales growth. Sixty five percent of his volume was held by three very senior reps. The bulk of his business lived in the hands of old guys with one eye on retirement. It was not a sustainable situation.
The guy that hired me was a formula dude. He had metrics for everything. He kept personal P&L statements on each rep. He knew how long they had held each account. He knew if numbers were trending up or down. He knew what their expenses were as a percent of sales. He knew their error rate, close rate and contribution. He understood the math. What he didn’t understand was how to make them sell more stuff.
My first day on the job he took me to lunch. He shared P&L statements on each rep. He made notes on each one and said, “you’re going to want to fire these three.” Indeed, the reports supported his suggestion.
I met with the team as a group. I also met with each rep individually. I asked “what stands between you and purchase orders. Help me understand what gets in the way.”
There were some common complaints but for the most part the obstacles were personal. That is to say, the hurdles were as unique as the reps themselves. Everyone saw selling and obstacles differently. Here’s a bulletin for you. Formulas don’t motivate reps. Finesse does. You have to get involved with their individual goals. You have to help each one with what they are convinced is in the way. Good sales leadership is Situational Guidance.
Here are a few tips or takeaways for you.
1) Reps have their own goals. They see selling, opportunity and success from their own perspective. You won’t convince them to define it differently. You can only help them achieve the goals they have set for themselves.
2) Reps are convinced that their situation is unique. You won’t convince them otherwise. You can help them with their struggles. You can help them do better but you won’t change their viewpoint.
3) As a team, reps fall into one of three categories.
- There is the “we can get work anytime you need it” group. These guys bring you the best opportunities and the best relationships. They can be counted on to go find work when the chips are down. Every sales leader loves these guys.
- There is the “we can get you work if we were going to get it anyway” group. These guys sell less but do have worthwhile volume. They can come through in a pinch if the work was about to happen anyway. If their timing and your timing line up it’s a coincidence.
- There is the “I don’t have any work so I can’t help you” group. Unfortunately, most teams have some of these guys too.
As a sales leader, your most valuable contribution is to determine who fits into which group and how you might help them advance. There is always a gem waiting to be discovered. This is where your listening skills and Situational Guidance can change everything. Helping reps be the best they can be makes you invaluable to ownership and trustworthy to the sales team.
The owner that told me I needed to fire three reps had it wrong. One of the three did, indeed, get the axe. A second doubled his sales and made solid contributions to the bottom line.
The third, however, became our top rep. He got some things off his chest, agreed to put his shoulder to the wheel and set company records. His top line sales & his margins were unequaled by others. He changed his life and helped change our company. We doubled our size in five years.
Sales reps aren’t the same. Formulas don’t work. They are individual people with unique gifts and goals. Get in touch with those. Help them succeed and they’ll make your numbers happen. Formulas make sales leaders and bean counters happy but they don’t make sales happen.
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- Business Management - Marketing/Sales

Bill Gillespie has been in the printing business for 49 years and has been in sales and marketing since 1978. He was formerly the COO of National Color Graphics, an internationally recognized commercial printer and EVP of Brown Industries, an international POP company. Bill has enjoyed business relationships with flagship brands including, but not limited to, Apple, Microsoft, Coca Cola, American Express, Nike, MGM, Home Depot, and Berkshire Hathaway. He is an expert in printing sales, having written more than $100,000,000 in personal business during his career. Currently, Bill consults with printing companies, equipment manufacturers, and software firms. He can be reached by email (bill@bill-gillespie.com) or by phone (770-757-5464).