I Fired My Top Salesperson

Top sales are not the only thing that matters

When we were hiring for holiday last year, we had twenty seasonal sales associate spots to fill.

We worked our way through the applicants and re-hires and we filled every spot. We had one very eager, very good, very aggressive seller. He could talk to anyone and customers knew his name.

He landed the top sales spot for December.

Spoiler alert!

We didn’t keep him on as part of our core staff…here’s why.

He was too much/too soon

He acted like he knew everything straight away.?

Confidence is one thing, this was something else.

He was quick to question the management team, which I don’t even mind to be honest. I have no problem explaining the reasons behind what we do but this guy pushed a lot and at the wrong times.

Choose your timing wisely.

He complained to the other sales associates

Whoa there, bro.

We always tried to be really fair with the whole team.

When you are a cashier, you don’t get selling time.?When you have to work the door, you don’t get selling time.?We try to rotate everyone throughout the day so one person doesn’t get stuck somewhere.

When he had to work the door for one hour, he complained. When he only had a four hour shift, he complained. When you’re new and you complain it doesn’t look good.

Also, the seasoned staff will tell on you.

He talked more than listened

He asked me what he could do in order to stay on after the season was over. I told him, straight up,?“Your sales are not the only thing that matters. Support your team. Volunteer to help people. Listen to the people that have worked here for awhile”.?

He did that for a day or so but then he quickly fell back into tracking his sales and trying to be number one. A tenured associate that comes back every season even tried to talk to him about it but, to no avail.

He had one goal - be number one at all costs. That laser-focused goal was his downfall.

He didn’t ask for help

He was not a good cashier, which again, I don’t mind.

I can get you the training you need to be good but not if you don’t ask for help when you need it.

He assumed he knew how to do everything and would do things without asking. He almost gave away $100 in merchandise because he was distracted and didn’t ask for help.

Luckily an honest customer pointed out his mistake in the moment and I was able to help.

He stole sales

That sounds aggressive.

I don’t know if he did it intentionally or he was just so oblivious to others around him and single-minded that he didn’t notice.

I had a really sweet older couple that needed help. I partnered them with one of my core associates that I knew would take great care of them, which he did.

Five minutes later I look over and see the other guy walking them around the store and my core associate cleaning the store.

Wait, what?

The tenured associate confirmed that the new guy bumped him and said, “Honestly, it’s fine. I was able to help them but if he gets the sale it’s okay. The couple was happy”.

Now, that’s the kind of kid I want on my team!

It's about teamwork. Really.

Bottom line, he just was not a team player.

He was about himself at all costs. He was blind to how his actions affected his teammates.?

So yes, he was a great seller but at the end of the day you need to be able to work as part of a team. You need to observe and listen to those around. Actually listen.

Respect the staff in place, learn from all of them, and contribute the best parts of you.?That is key no matter what job you take.

As the season comes to close and you're evaluating your seasonal hires, check out the sales rank but also listen to your staff. Your management team and your associates. They'll reveal things you could never see on your own.

It's about teamwork, after all.

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Kit Campoy is a freelance writer based in Southern California. She covers Web3, travel, leadership, retail, writing, and more. She also writes personal essays on Medium. Connect with Kit on LinkedIn, DeSo, and Twitter. Give yourself a break, and join her weekly newsletter.