UnderperformingHOW TO MANAGE

SALES REPS

What actions you should take as a manager

if a salesperson isn’t meeting expectations?

Clarify Expectations1

Make sure expectations are clear

Do each of your sales people know

what you want them to do (behaviors)

And what you want them to achieve (results)

Provide Feedback2

Sales Managers often forget to point out what their sales people are doing right (performance gains)

and wait until a salesperson is performing below expectations (performance gap)

Managers should be analyzing performance on

an ongoing basis

And consistently providing feedback, both formally and informally

Focus on Performance Gains3

Focusing on performance gains is a great way to motivate and empower sales reps

and should be as specific as possible

Hollow, non-specific comments have very little impact

They don't clearly point out

what the sales person is

doing well, and the benefit

associated with that

behavior

Address Performance Gaps4

Sales managers must not assume that performance will improve on its

own

When addressing performance gaps, ask:

Are there outside factors beyond the salesperson’s control?

Is there a lack of motivation, or a deficiency in skill/knowledge?

Is the performance gap isolated to the one individual?

Are expectations clear?

Engage in open discussion to

determine the underlying cause(s)

Share what has been observed and over what period of time,

and allow the sales rep to respond

This ensures there is agreement

on the performance gap

Taking Action5

There are a number of effective

options for taking action

Including empowering, training, coaching, counselling,

discipline, and (when necessary) termination

The goal is to support the sales reps development by being

proactive in addressing performance gains and gaps

Learn how to transition star sales reps into high performing sales managers!

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By Norman Behar

@NormanBehar