Attention all Sales Leaders: when is a Salesperson a wrong fit for your business?

As a leader, it’s not only our job to coach our salespeople to improve their skills & techniques, it is also our duty recognize those team members who are just not the right fit for our team & organization.

No matter what the reason is for someone to not gel, you have to accelerate their exit strategy asap for both their own & the team's benefit. Flush them out!

Below are some sure signs that a person doesn’t belong in your team or indeed in sales, period. If you have someone who ticks even one or more of these boxes, rethink their future with you – they are holding you back & could be upsetting the entire team or even worse, Customers.

Too often we wait too long before making the tough call. I have most certainly also been guilty of hanging on to a dead dog for too long. In that time, the damage has already been done & business may have been lost.

1) Taking things personally

Sales is competitive & emotionally challenging. It is not a profession for sissies or whingers. If someone on your team is easily offended, they should resign immediately. Not only will they unable to handle rude Customers, they probably won’t be able to take your constructive criticism either. It’s not personal, just flush them out!

2) Rejection issues

Of all prospecting calls made, we receive a YES on average only 20% of the time. A professional salesperson will merely shrug it off & persist in claiming the business. Facing & overcoming objections is very much part of the salesperson’s job. In fact, more often than not, it is a Customer’s way of seeking out more information. Someone who suffers from stage fright when being rejected should be ejected; from your business! Let them know you reject them & flush them out!

3) Can’t say NO

Some Reps simply can't bring themselves to say no to a Customer. Instead they over-commit, leading to impossible stand-offs, even to the point of losing the account. Selling isn’t always being smiley & sweet; sometimes a salesperson has to step up & have that difficult conversation. If you have someone on your team who is unwilling or unable to do this, they will ultimately cause tears & should not be in your team. Tell the NO more & flush them out!

4) Procrastination

Nothing is more irritating to me than a salesperson who does not follow up on leads given. Surely, anyone who is keen & dedicated will be on it like a shot to secure the business. After all, it is in their interest to grow their business. But when you find someone making all sorts of excuses why they just haven’t got to it yet, it is a sure sign they are fearful of prospecting. This person should most definitely not be in in your team & probably is not suited for sales at all. Don’t procrastinate, flush them out!

5) Lack of urgency

That smoking balcony – how I hate it! Why is it that so many of today’s salespeople smoke? Standing on the balcony & hanging out at the water cooler is not for the sales professional. Interestingly, the top sales earner at the last company I worked with, is a smoker. But guess what, I never ever saw him on that dratted balcony! Why? He was too busy preparing for future calls or getting in contact with Customers with feedback. Top sellers are more interested in getting the job done, not hanging around chatting about the deals they are going to do! Stub out that cigarette & flush them out!

6) Backbiting

In sales, team spirit is critical. To have one of your team continuously speaking badly about other members of staff, disrupts all you are striving for in motivating the team. They are clearly unhappy in this environment & will not be able to perform with such a negative attitude. Flush them out!

7) Interest in earnings

Sales is a competitive & tough profession. So what attracts people to it? The prime reason should be that they see an opportunity to earn more, being commission or incentive based. When you come across a salesperson who is not motivated or striving to earn more, your alarm bells should ring. Most often, these people have entered sales because they have not been able to find employment elsewhere. Action? Flush them!

8) Negativity

When you have a team member that continually blames everything & everybody around them why they themselves cannot succeed, help them along their way. Remember the Henry Ford saying “if you believe you can’t, you are right. But if you believe you can, you will”. Sales professionals always see a glass being half full. When they get it wrong, they learn from the experience & strive to get it right the next time. True sales people are not losers! Flush the loser!

 9) Natural curiosity

A salesperson is your company scout. They should know every back alley in their sales territory, seeking out any opportunities that may exist. My very first boss taught me a valuable lesson. The first time he went out with me, he did not stop asking me questions about businesses we passed. I didn’t have the answers & was mortified. Guess what I did every weekend after that? I explored my territory & to my delight, found endless sales opportunities that I would never have guessed existed. If a team member has no idea of what is in or happening in their patch, set a deadline for them to find out. If you see little interest from them in bothering to find out, guess what – flush them!

10) Timekeeping & deadlines

It astounds me that many of the new breed of salespeople do not bother to reply to requests for information from their sales Managers or even senior Executives in their company. This casual attitude & lack of common courtesy is surely taken forward to their Customers. No Customer wishes to deal with a Rep who is sloppy in getting back to them. Trust cannot develop & the Customer will naturally move off to a competitor who shows more care & appreciation of their needs & custom. And what about those who NEVER appear for sales meetings on time. Note, it is NEVER the performers, always the bottom dwellers, who have had issues with traffic or some other excuse. This is not someone you want in your organization. Action? Tell them not to bother coming to the next meeting, because you are flushing them out!

Yup, sales is a tough environment. And, as a Sales Manager, you want to not just survive, but thrive, you have to be equally tough. If you have any of these hangers-on in your team, & I BET you do, FLUSH them out.

They are toxic to your organization & will drag your overall performance down.

To be the best, surround yourself with the best, without fear or favour.

Happy selling!

Richard