Some Sales Managers are Still Living in the Dark Ages.

I’m going to do my best to make this as educational as possible, without turning it into a rant (this is gonna be tough).

The things I hear from sales professionals around the world would make your stomach turn.?Some of the abhorrent practices still being conducted by sales managers would shock you.?

Let’s just start with the good ‘ol “end of the quarter push.” ?Some of you companies call them “push weeks” or “power weeks” or some other antiquated and misguided B.S.

And the point of these ridiculous and out-of-touch with reality processes?

I have no clue.

What they’re trying to do is “incentivize” their salespeople by forcing them to sell as much stuff as possible, to hit some arbitrary number or quota, probably created by someone who’s never set one foot in the field.

Moreover, they want to show everyone (not for real, just for show) the company is hitting its “goals” and exceeding their projections (which are made up anyway).?

I know of a rather large company that does this every quarter, to specifically impress investors and Wall Street, to manipulate the stock price.?Ya, that sounds legit and full of integrity.

What the hell is going on??Are these companies insane??Do they have any semblance of common sense??Do they give one crap about their customers, relationships, employees, etc.?

Let’s just keep adding immense stress and pressure to the lives of our salespeople, that should really do them well in the long run.?Let’s force them to work even harder than they’re already working, then, when they barely miss the made-up quota you gave them, you can make them feel like garbage, but you keep all the added profits without bonusing them.?Sounds awesome.?When can I start?

For the prospects.?Let’s jam them into buying our stuff when they don’t want to or don’t need to.?Let’s arm-wrestle them into a purchase because “it’s the end of the month” and they’ll somehow get a better deal now.?Let’s create so much buyer’s remorse, terrible experiences, and perpetuation of the ABC garbage that’s set salespeople back for decades.?Sounds like a great business practice for long-term growth, relationship-building, and referral generation.

I swear, this stuff happens in most companies.?It happens in the U.S., it happens in Europe, it happens in Australia…

It happens in B2B, B2C, SaaS, medical devices, and every other industry on the planet.

This HAS TO STOP.

Wake the F up.

Why would you ever think strong-arming prospects into buying when they’re not ready would be a good thing?

Why would you ever think your salespeople will be better off being forced to work harder only at certain times of the year, just so they can hit the fake quotas their “leaders” created for them?

Why would you ever think normal everyday people enjoy being “sold”, manipulated, and forced into buying something at the end of the quarter?

It’s time to come out of the Dark Ages and join the rest of us in 2021, who understand the concepts of honesty, integrity, respect, and common sense.

I wonder why salespeople have a horrendous reputation…