Keeping Poor Performers Beyond Their Expiration Date?

Posted by James Obermayer on Apr 29, 2014 10:42:00 AM

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Weed_out_low_performing_sales_repsIt's a Problem for Sales and Marketing!

“Weed the garden,” I said to the company president. “You have people who haven’t made quota in over a year and you’ve kept them employed, listened to their excuses, and accepted an inflated pipeline. Each week they knock themselves out telling you about everyone they spoke with and how the future will be better, but they give you little or no sales.”

Non-producing salespeople drain cash and precious support resources, and take up valuable sales management time. “Cut’em loose,” I tell the president. “Let’s hire someone who can produce.” Most of the time the salesperson isn’t a good fit for the company and they go on to do much better elsewhere. At the same time the company itself may be the cause of the poor productivity (unpopular products, lack of marketing, bad leadership, and poor management practices).

This is a common discussion as companies deal with poor performance. Keeping non-productive salespeople past their expiration date is one of the biggest mistakes a sales manager and the company president make in running their company. But, it isn’t just reserved for the sales ranks. This expiration date issue also applies to marketers.

Expiration dates also apply to marketers

If you’re a marketing manager reading this, you’re now likely hearing a voice in your head scream, “How can this apply to marketing? What are the triggers for marketing as far as reaching an expiration date?” When I work with companies’ marketing departments, I look for tip-offs that marketing needs work or replacements, such as:

  1. Marketing management doesn’t know the sales quotas for the sales channel.
  2. Marketers who don’t forecast and measure the ROI for lead generation programs.
  3. Marketers who refuse to believe that quality of sales leads trumps quantity.
  4. Marketers who don’t have a sales lead management policy in place.
  5. Marketers who don’t have a CRM and marketing automation tool set in place and working together.

Need I go on? As marketing assumes control and direction over substantial areas of the sales pipeline in providing education, technical specs, proof sources, testimonials, articles about users, etc., they are exposing themselves to withering criticism if they do not walk the talk about creating qualified leads and revenue.

Weeding the garden applies to marketing as much as to sales and sales management. Both are generators of revenue. Both should be measured on results. Both are subject to the laws of gardening. If you aren’t productive in creating revenue, you’re at risk of being replaced by someone who is.

jim_obermayer_140This blog was submitted by James Obermayer, Executive Director and CEO of the Sales Lead Management Association and President of Sales Leakage Consulting. James is a regular guest blogger with ViewPoint.


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Topics: B2B Marketing, Marketing & Sales Alignment, Announcements


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