How To Increase Sales Performance: Get Your People Back in the Game

Nothing is more perplexing to a manager than having a bright and knowledgeable sales person whose productivity level is subpar.   They exist in every organization.  Some managers lose sleep at night trying to figure out why they don’t produce more, take more initiative, or exhibit a greater desire to succeed.    I know I have.

But then one day I had a blinding flash of the obvious --  everyone’s performance is controlled not by what they know, what product they sell , the economy , or the competition,  but by their internal achievement drive.   Achievement drive is the foundation upon which every CONSISTENTLY successful sales professional’s career is built.   The hard part is that people with low achievement drive can be very good at masking it.   They run in fits and starts; going along for weeks, even months selling just enough to get by and sometimes even meeting or exceeding goals.   They want us to believe they’re just days away from hitting their stride and we WANT to believe them! 

Now, you’re probably saying to yourself, “yes but there’s nothing I can do to motivate someone with low achievement drive. “ Or, “how do I know if achievement drive is even the problem?”   I have an easy formula that addresses both issues.  Why do so many managers use it?  Because it allows people to self-discover their strengths and weaknesses AND ENABLES THEM TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THEIR OWN ACHIEVEMENT-DRIVE.   Here is the formula:

First.     Have a brief one-on-one discussion with the underperforming salesperson.   Keep it focused and limited to not more than 30 minutes – that means listen more than you talk!   Praise them for the talents and skills you see in them (regardless of how insignificant they may seem).    Ask them, “what  have you done during your life, specifically, to enrich that talent or build that skill?”  In other words, ask them to reflect on their strengths.    Listen to their answers.    Next, share with them the vision and goals of the team/office/department or organization and ask them to tell you what NEW action they could take to help be a part of it?  Keep the discussion positive . . .  don’t allow it to wander, become a complaint session or a time to place blame.   Ask, “if you could make progress on any one goal that would improve your own success and  support the organization’s vision,  what would that be?”  Ask, “what additional tools, skills, or resources do you need in order to make progress on the action?”  Ask them to make a commitment to looking within to discover strengths that will help them and areas they may need to develop.   Before you end the session:

Second.    Introduce a powerful discovery tool:  The Achievement Drive Self Assessment.  (Note:  There are a number of good assessments out there on the net . . .be sure you use one that helps your sales person "self-discover" strengths and weaknesses in this area.   The best ones are valuable development tools your salespeople complete on their own and review with you on a specific date – preferably within 3 days of the first session.   Don’t forget to set the date and time for the next session and remind them to commit to completing the Assessment before they arrive.

Third.    Conduct the next session – again keeping it focused and limited to about 30 minutes.  Briefly review the results of the Achievement Drive Self Assessment.  Ask the person to tell you what they discovered.    Pay particular attention to how they answered the last two questions.  Ask them to expand upon their answers.  Ask them to tell you how they could use the results of the Assessment to achieve their goals . . . and this is key . . .ask them to commit to taking the step(s) necessary to achieve their goals.    Praise them for taking the time for look inward and discover areas where they could increase their effectiveness.   Believe in them and see more potential in them than they see in themselves.  Challenge them!  Say, “I know you will do whatever it takes to accomplish your goal – and I’m counting on you!” 

Is that it?  Almost.  For ongoing success, I’ve found that today’s manager needs to continuously coach their people.  That’s what these 30 – minute sessions are all about.   Coaching people to higher success.

 So, make a commitment to coaching your people on a regular basis.  Consistent coaching, using the same process I’ve outlined above, will get your people back in the game.