Our sales team is split around the UK with everyone based from home. Had a new guy (with lots of experience/maturity/contacts) start earlier this year, but he’s achieved nothing in 6 months. Although I run another dept, my role is tied in with the whole sales process so it’s important that things keeping ticking over and we all know where we stand. But this is really getting my goat now.

I’ve been his ‘buddy’ for much of that period, coaching him around his goals and motivations, and generally fended off various snipes from Management. He talks the right stuff but just doesn’t deliver on it. My conclusion is that he has it too easy and is just plain lazy. Have put myself in his shoes (not wee’d in them) and Management’s, and I’m now getting plainly pissed off. He has to be more accountable.

I know working from home isn’t everyone’s bag when it comes to discipline, but he knew that from day one. He’s an expensive asset and has to step up.

Any tips? Cheers

I’ve been his ‘buddy’ for much of that period, coaching him around his goals and motivations, and generally fended off various snipes from Management.

A few more details about this… 😉
Surely a salesman that is not selling is fundamentally breaching the contract and will/should be fired.

Is he making sales? One thing I tell my sales guys is I don’t care where or when they work as long as they hit their sales goals everything will be fine.

so the sales person is not selling and you want advice on what to do from a forum?
Could he be unaware of the goals from a dithering management team 😉 or just rubbish at the job ? Either way sort it

He’s an expensive asset and has to step up

You can’t have people not singing from the same hymn sheet or not having all their ducks lined up can you?

He made one small sale 2 months ago, but that was an off-shoot of a renewal so was likely going to come in anyway.

We’re pretty similar RJ in that we throw micro-management out of the window and encourage people to deliver on what’s expected. We give them the tools and they go off and do the work. Sometimes we put in 12-15hr days (you know what it’s like in sales) because we ‘have’ to. Other times it’s a case of running things on tick over.

But this guy is barely updating anything on CRM. He won’t reveal the accuracy of his call list. And he seems more keen on scheduling lunch meetings with people before even qualifying them. WTF?

So the answer is no, he’s not making sales. If he had the evidence to support this then I (and some other guys) would look at other ways to support him.

Fair enough his initial target was unrealistic, but that’s offset by part of his role being to get himself out there and network with as many DMs as possible; to create exposure, understand their issues/challenges etc.

I’m convinced he’s just lazy.

Is he a sales person or a lead generator or both? The best closers aren’t always the best prospectors. Is he getting proper leads or just contacts/suspects? Or like you say, he (or the product/service) could just be crap.

I’d throw him a few decent leads and see what happens. If he can’t close them, get rid. If he closes them better than anyone else, then you need to work on your demand and lead gen activity and give the sales guys (the closers) proper leads.

Sure thing spacemonkey, set hours are meaningless and counterproductive. I know for a fact that some of my guys work 16 hour days sometimes, and other times just cruise or go and play golf – as long as they hit their targets it doesn’t matter to me. Sounds like your man needs a rocket up his backside though 🙁

jruk, he’s both a lead gen and closer, but he can bring in other resource to aid any aspect. He’s got the ability, but IMO it’s the fact he’s based from home that’s the problem. I’m convinced he would be delivering if sat in an office because his activity would be plainly visible.

Sounds like your man needs a rocket up his backside though

^^^
THIS

I don’t know if we pay his home tel bill – if we do, then I’d like to request a copy of his calls since day one. That, coupled to his mobile activity should paint a picture.

Sounds just like me in one of my sales jobs. I decided it would be best to get out before getting sacked. I’d have fired me if I’d been my boss. Much as I don’t like seeing people being sacked, he needs a rocket up his arse ie he needs to know that he’s not performing and that his job is on the line. This might just motivate him.

I worked in sales for a number of years. If you aren’t selling enough to cover the cost of you being employed you get a few chances and some help, but then then the sack. Plain and simple.

Think you need to give him another chance, but let him know that he needs to start putting some numbers up.

Have you spoken to him about it? Radical, I know.

“Look, you’ve been here six months and done precisely two things, jack and the other one. Is there a problem that you need help with, or would you prefer a P45?”

Have you spoken to him about it? Radical, I know.

This

It’s difficult as he doesn’t report to you directly but I think that you need to sit down with him and review his performance. As others have pointed out sales is a binary results type job – you’re either selling or you’re not. If he’s experienced he will know this and there is no point pussyfooting around.

Tell him that you are under pressure to justify his performance and he needs to help you do this. Get him to tell you what he’s done in the first 6 months, what’s working for him, what isn’t. Then agree some additional targets for lead generation activity, first meetings, proposals etc – try and get him to suggest them first (have some idea though of what others in the company in a simialr role think is acceptable). Get him to formally report on these on a weekly basis. Unfortunately you are going to have to put him under pressure and to a certain extent micro-manage him until the situation is resolved.

If he doesn’t believe he can succeed then he will leave as his lack of activity and results against the agreed performance plan will be more visible. Worst case is that you will have the lack of achievement against the performance based action plan as ammunition to manage him out of the company.

Surely sales is one of the most target-driven jobs out there, both for earnings and job security. You say he’s an expensive asset but surely much of his earnings are based on achieving sales targets (if not then I want his job…). Sales people are also very easy to get rid of based on not meeting targets – if he’s experienced but lazy then that’s his choice, carrying on employing him sounds a bit crazy.

Yes, I have spoken with him about this – more and more over the last month or so. My bottom line is “If you’re not delivering results (sales) then you need to show evidence of activity etc.”

And I’ve taken the coaching approach (asked questions, listened on all levels, encouraged him to explore his own motivations/goals/methods etc) and he comes out of that on a real mission. But IMO he simply gets off the phone and adopts the easy life because he can.

Have given him leads but don’t get nearly enough info by return. Have gone through the CRM process with and asked him to substantiate weekly activity. And guess what? Last week’s activity was nigh on nothing. Same leads with pretty much the same notes as the week before … and the week before.

I was giving him the benefit of the doubt prior, but now I’m just getting pissed off.

Am going to find some way to diplomatically tell him the pressure is on. Hmm

He seems like bike with a puncture, you can still ride it, but its slow and wobbly, you need to fix or replace the tube, eg the salesman.

It would actually appear to me that as you don’t rightly know what to do with this guy you are hardly in the position to be giving targets and instructions to the salesman.

Am going to find some way to diplomatically tell him the pressure is on. Hmm

You’ve gone through the coaching, whatever that’s supposed to be, and now you want to find a diplomatic way to tell him. Have the hints you’ve been dropping him regarding his targets been too subtle?
You actually sound like a very wooly manager, even coming onto an internet forum to ask the question points at a failure on your part to take decisions and actually do your job of managing.
All IMO of course.

Maybe he has a case of salesman’s block – I know it’s happened to me in the past, fail to make some sales, lose confidence, this affects your next pitch, confidence drops again, it’s a vicious circle.

don, I am not responsible for him. My dept merely works hand in hand with the sales team and as a result I encourage productivity and communication etc. It works for everyone else except this one person. As I’ve said before, he is IMO not ‘the home worker type’ and therefore finds it too easy to slack.

Coming onto a forum to ask the question hardly points at failure. I’m merely looking at what other people have to say and mixing that up with ideas discussed inhouse.

don, I am not responsible for him.

As a salesman, if a manager from another dept came sticking their nose into my business, I think the reply would be to jog on. it’s his boss’s job to motivate and maybe not yours. Speak to his line manager because it might be possible that his line manager has charged him with something you’re not aware of. You talk about throwing micromanagement out of the window, then embrace it when things start going wrong..
It’s your office, your company, your colleagues, don’t you think it would be a better idea speaking to them to get the full picture?
EDIT:

Coming onto a forum to ask the question hardly points at failure.

To me it does, it demonstrates that you don’t have the self confidence to make decisions on your own or lead your (or other people’s) teams.

What does the Sales Manager say about his performance? Seems to me this is not your problem and you should cut him loose, stop giving him leads and give them to more capable sales folk. By giving him sales leads that don’t get converted you are hurting the whole business.

Edit: beat me to it DS

Who is responsible for him? Surely it’s their job to put the pressure on him? Especially if it’s having an effect on your work. If he’s experienced in sales but his cv doesn’t cover the working from home part and he’s struggling why not implement a structure for him? Timetable a day and see how he copes. Sounds like he’s either struggling or has it cushy, I’d find out which and act on it.

Spacemonkey – I work for this company: Richardson We specialise in developing sales teams capabilities and improving performance.

If you want to have a chat drop me a mail and we can speak on the phone. No obligation, happy just to give some free advice.

Manging under performance is pretty simple really but it is a job for his manager. You role if any in this would be to speak to his manager and ask him what he is doing to address the issue. If it is having as major impact on you and your people as you suggest if you don’t find the answers forthcoming you need to take it to those above you.

His SM is a good manager – plus he and I get on really well (professionally and personally). But he’s also starting to wonder if this guy just won’t cut it from home.

As mentioned already, part of my role is tied to sales activity so I’m given free reign to support the team where necessary. Hence I’ve been happy to do my bit above and beyond, but I’m now going to change tact.

When I say I’ll have a diplomatic word with him, I don’t mean pussyfooting around in a softly softly manner. I’m talking about putting the (lack of) evidence in front of him and laying it on the line, while asking him to recall his goals and motivations. This is something the SM and I can do together.

The guy is very capable and we want him to succeed. We just need to add and manage more accountability.

id rather stick to pencils up my nose and head but a desk than work in sales maybe he feels the same way and is taking the piss and getting paid for doing nowt until you fire him.. that’s what i would do any way…

does your company not have a probation period??

Mine does and it is very useful to nip these sort of issues out early on and get rid of recruitment mistakes without too many issues.

I would work on what his contract states his job role entails and do it to the letter, if he’s not doing anything he agreed to,then a disciplinary tack can be taken, this may give him the jolt he needs!!

get a real job…

Cheers guys. Plenty of valuable comments. Having a chat with the SM later today.

geetee, I’ve made a note – will drop you a line if things don’t improve. Cheers.

valleydaddy, yes we have a PP, but they’re not always heeded to. Management prefer to ‘de-formalise’ certain things and see where support (within reason) can be given. I think the problem here is that we all expected him to hit the ground running.

EDIT: have just had a chat with another sales person who said this guy admitted he doesn’t have the discipline to work from home. He’s always been office-based but thought this was the right move for him. Oh well …

He talks the right stuff but just doesn’t deliver on it

What’s his user name?