Category: Sales Management

How To Work with Someone You Don’t Trust

Sales Management, Posts, Sales Coaching, Sales Training

Most of us don’t have the luxury of choosing who we work with and, unfortunately, not everyone can be trusted. You already know this, and you probably learned it the hard way like the rest of us. There is no magic wand that you can wave over people to make them more trustworthy. What’s baffling is that why wouldn’t someone want to be trustworthy? Do they know or even care that you, and possibly others, are reluctant to trust them? Regardless, these people do exist, and you must figure out how to work with them. No one likes to work while constantly looking over their shoulder. This creates a stressful environment where more problems are caused than are solved. 

 

There are several types of trust issues you may encounter with co-workers and supervisors. There is blatant dishonesty where you know someone is deliberately not telling you the truth. Sometimes we work with others who are so disrespectful that you constantly must keep your guard up when you are around them. Let’s not forget about the gossip mongers who can, and will, embellish just about anything and spread bad information like a virus. Perhaps you are working with someone who envies your skills and accomplishments, and you detect their resentment. What about co-workers who are obsequious (suck-ups) and who will do and say anything to get ahead? Then there are just co-workers who live to create and indulge in drama. Ugh! How can we navigate our work environment when there are so many pitfalls? If you find yourself in one of these situations, here are some helpful tips to help limit your risks and get through your day.

 

Keep it professional – Keep your guard up when you know you are around someone who can’t be trusted. Limit conversations about your opinions, personal life, and ideas in general. Untrustworthy people love to gather intel under the disguise of genuine interest for their own selfish agenda.

Avoid drama – Distance yourself from drama whenever possible. Office drama is a race to the bottom that no one wins. Remove yourself from conversations where you detect gossip. Drama is always someone else’s way of baiting you into something you know you shouldn’t be doing. 

Discuss your concerns – If appropriate, be sure to share your concerns professionally with someone else higher up in the food chain. Perhaps they can help or maybe they are getting this feedback from other people as well. The purpose is not to stir up drama, but to bring a concern to management’s attention. 

Request third parties – If there is a critical conversation that must be had with someone you do not trust, invite someone else along to be a simple impartial observer. This is not to create an audience, but to limit the amount of conjecture than can occur when there are only two witnesses to a conversation. 

Keep a paper trail – No one likes long emails, but sometimes you must cover your rear and the best way to do this is with documentation. This shouldn’t be used as entrapment, but rather to make sure that all necessary facts are on record if your character or actions are called into question. 

Creating Trust with Your Sales Team

Sales Management, Posts

Salespeople can be quite cautious when it comes to trust. Perhaps more so than other departments in the organization. It’s almost the nature of the beast since goals & strategies can change often and, frankly, it seems like customers, competitors, and even management like to change the rules of the game with or without warning. Yup, salespeople can be a cynical bunch. But this does not excuse us from creating and maintaining trust for them. Salespeople always perform better when they feel and receive trust; it’s just easier said than done.

 

Trust takes time to create. It is a mixture of experience, perception, and gut feelings. What we do as managers can either reinforce the sales team’s attitudes and beliefs (good bad and otherwise), or we can make a deliberate effort to improve this critical team dynamic. So, how do you get someone to trust you? How can we break through someone’s defense system that will allow them to contribute and communicate more meaningfully? After all, the more trust that exists, the more likely we are to achieve our goals and solve problems together. Let’s take a look at a 6-step process that you can work on together with your team.

 

Sincerity – Being sincere is your opportunity to show others what is in your heart. How can you demonstrate that you are looking out for everyone’s interests and not your own? Are your intentions clear and noble? Will your actions match your words and, furthermore, are your words believable? 

Transparency – Being transparent is the fastest way to demonstrate honesty. Are you telling the truth? Are you withholding important information? Are you sharing the same message with everyone? 

Reliability – Being reliable makes people feel safe because they know what to expect. Are you going to do what you say you are going to do? Are you setting the proper expectations? Can we count on you?

Reciprocity – This is our way of treating others as equals. Will you be vulnerable with others if they are vulnerable with you? Will you accept and keep promises? Will you strive to achieve mutual benefits? Are you willing to trust others the way you expect them to trust you? 

Consistency – Being consistent reinforces trust. Will you be equally dependable each time trust is given and expected? Will others know what to expect from you? Do you demonstrate a pattern of behavior? Are your attitudes and actions predictable? 

Delivery – Delivering on trust is our moment of truth. Were promises fulfilled? Was the sensitive information guarded? Was your communication honest? Was the work completed accurately and on time? Did you treat everyone fairly? 

Trust Issues in The Workplace

Sales Management

When someone on your team tells you that there is a trust issue, that can mean a variety of things. Not all trust issues in the workplace are the same, and there is no magic bullet for addressing these dynamics. The word ‘Trust’ means a lot of things to a lot of different people. It can bring thoughts of honesty, reliability, judgment calls, or even just a gut feeling we have about someone. The problem when a team doesn’t have acceptable levels of trust is that it creates all kinds of issues including performance, efficiencies, stress, and most importantly results. It takes a long time to build trust with co-workers and teams because we willingly or otherwise put one another through various tests that raise or lower our confidence regarding the level of threat someone may or may not possess. The volatile nature of trust makes it so easy to destroy in 10 seconds what may have taken 10 years to create. 

 

Trust is how we, as people, intuitively protect ourselves, but we like to trust others, and it greatly expands our positive emotions and opportunities. Without trust, we would live in a small bubble and make little to no progress. But there are different types and levels of trust and, even though the emotions we feel when the trust is broken are equally strong, we must look at each situation on a case-by-case basis because there is a variable called intent. Was the trust intentionally or knowingly broken? Can the action be forgiven, and the trust repaired? There is a process to heal infractions of trust, but we must first understand each level of trust and why it is so important.

 

Level 1 Performance: Someone is either not meeting expectations or is not doing what they are saying they are going to do. Either scenario could be intentional or unintentional. These issues can be easy to work through by communicating and monitoring the proper expectations. 

 

Level 2 Communication: Someone was dishonest; they didn’t tell the truth. Or perhaps they withheld or misrepresented information. This can be difficult because truth and communication are so subjective. The key is to have the right conversation with the right people in the right way. 

 

Level 3 Interpersonal: This is where we dislike someone with or without cause. Perhaps it is because of an experience you had with someone or an experience you heard about them. You can see this in the form of drama, gossip, and general dislike. Oftentimes the best solution is to create a common and achievable goal for the parties to work on together to slowly build trust over time.

 

Level 4 Integrity: This is one simple word; betrayal. This is the willingness, if not nobleness, to do the right thing under any circumstance. In fact, integrity is found in all levels of trust because it is most closely tied to intent. But we isolate integrity as an issue in the workplace because once it has been damaged, it is difficult to restore. People observe and believe in behavioral patterns and that is why it is so difficult for us to change our minds about someone. The question is whether or not someone wants or deserves a second chance. If you can answer ‘yes’ to both of those questions, then a trust-but-verify relationship must be established to repair the integrity.   

Why Salespeople Struggle with Trust

Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training

Salespeople tend to be either the most undermanaged or overmanaged people in the entire company. In some ways, this makes sense because their roles and responsibilities require a lot of autonomy, judgment, and duties that are executed outside the view of management. Naturally, there are bound to be trust issues from both salespeople and management. Let’s not forget the intense level of stress and competition that exists for salespeople as well. Their opportunities are always under constant threat from internal and external forces whether it is a competitor or a production team that can’t deliver on the salesperson’s promises. Salespeople struggle with trust every day, and the more they struggle with trust, the more their performance and results suffer. 

 

Salespeople can develop trust issues with a variety of people they deal with. Co-workers, supervisors, production, and even customers at times. A salesperson that can trust the team they are assigned to can, and usually does, become a high-powered sales machine. One of the main reasons that a salesperson struggles with trust is that they believe that either no one really understands the issues they face, they don’t care, or they are unwilling to help. That’s just how salespeople are wired and, for the most part, they must develop their own coping mechanisms to deal with those issues. However, there are some issues we can mitigate for them to help reduce stress, create transparency and focus on their sales goals. 

 

Inconsistent & ineffective leadership – Make certain that whoever leads the sales team does so with integrity and consistency. Once salespeople stop trusting their managers, they usually start seeing everyone and everything else with suspicion. 

Lack of engagement – Don’t be aloof with your salespeople. Let them know that you are aware, interested, and understand their needs. 

Broken promises – Do what you say you are going to do and don’t play games with compensation. 

Micromanagement – Spend more time coaching the salespeople than managing them. Salespeople always respond better to coaching than management. 

Gossip – Treat your salespeople with respect and do not engage, foster, or indulge in gossip.

Inequality– Are you playing favorites with the sales team? Or is there a family member present on the team that appears to be getting special treatment? Be sure everyone is handled the same no matter what.

Mistreatment – Don’t be abusive with salespeople. Sometimes management sees them as easy targets because they are a front-line response to customer issues but stop taking everything out on them. Once a salesperson feels like they are being abused, they almost always stop performing for a period due to a lack of motivation and, in some cases, retribution.

The Trust Spectrum Of A Sales Team

Business Analysis, Sales Management

Can I trust you? Sounds like a simple question that commands a simple answer. Well, it depends on what you want to trust me with, I guess. Are you sharing a secret? Do you need me to carry out a critical function? Would you like me to hold your purse or wallet? Trust is fragile; hard to earn and easy to lose. Trust is essential for the sales team for a variety of reasons including loyalty, dependability, honesty, predictability, integrity & communication. But why do some sales teams function very well with trust while others struggle with it year after year?

Distrust has interesting ways of playing out with sales teams. It can manifest itself in several ways. Drama, gossip, and blame are all telltale signs of distrust that ultimately lead to a decrease in productivity and an increase in attrition. Understanding where your team is with trust ultimately is found on the Trust Spectrum and the source is usually identified with leadership (but not always). Let’s have a closer look at the Trust Spectrum and see where you might find you and your team.

Micromanagement: Micromanagement is the opposite of trust, and this always comes from the leader. It could be for good reason because perhaps someone on the team or the whole team is not meeting expectations. Or perhaps the manager has a hard time letting go of control or is even instructed to micromanage by senior leadership. Whatever the case, this is ineffective if for only the amount of waste it creates and the stifling impact it has on performance. Micromanagement also creates more distrust just by its very presence, and people within the team will look for ways to work around the micromanagement, which also manifests itself in less than trustworthy behaviors.

Trust, But Verify: Not a bad policy, even though the phrase itself is a contradiction. This is the widest part of the spectrum and where most teams will find themselves. It is filled with good intentions and often is quite functional. But verifying anything means that trust is absent in some fashion. So, we need to have some checks and balances with the sales team to make certain that we are mitigating risks. The goal should be to establish the maximum amount of trust possible to create better efficiencies, productivity, and creativity.

Total Trust: All people must accept some degree of trust in their lives. Otherwise, we would be trapped in indecision. But there are some sales teams that operate on a high level of trust with one another. This is usually achieved with strong and noble leadership, proper team selection, clarity of goals, and rock-solid processes. Sales Teams with total trust operate with an awesome amount of power that captures a lot of new business and leaves the competition stunned. It can take a long time to achieve this status, but the more you focus on establishing trust instead of micromanagement and verification, the stronger your sales team will become over time. 

The Sooner You Have Goals…

Business Analysis, Sales Management

Why are some companies bashful about sales goals? Did I say some? I meant lots of companies. Is it because they don’t want to scare off the new talent? Is it because they don’t really know what good goals are? Is it because we are not used to measuring our team in this way? Or maybe we are concerned that we are starting them on a fast path to failure because they will instantly see something that is out of reach and give up before they even try. Perhaps you are hurting your salespeople more than you are helping them by not giving them goals? And why is that? Because the sooner you have goals, the sooner you get results.

 

Look at it this in a different way. How will you know that your salesperson is or will be successful? Better yet, how will they know whether or not they are being successful? Imagine sports teams without nets, hoops and goal posts. You would see a bunch of players running around everywhere with the ball. It might be fun to watch, but no one would get anywhere and soon grow tired of their efforts. The same is true of your sales team. They are just our running around on the field and they don’t even know where they are supposed to take the ball if they are lucky enough to even find it. Here are some helpful hints to create goals for your salespeople.

 

  1. Simple – Goals for salespeople (or anyone for that matter) should be simple. It could be a number that measures units or revenue related to a specific target.

 

  1. Logic – The goal should make sense in that you don’t just pull numbers out of thin air. We base them on past performance, similar salespeople, market trends, etc.

 

  1. Time – Each goal needs to have a timeline as well as checkpoints built in to make certain that people are staying on course.

 

  1. Achievability – Can other salespeople of like kind and quality accomplish this goal or are we setting that salesperson up for failure. Allow for small victories to allow your salespeople to develop confidence. 

 

  1. Process – Can you show your salespeople the path to success or do you expect them to figure this out on their own? Give them a process that shows them step by step how to reach success and they will be more receptive to the goal than ever. 

Do Blind Squirrels Find Nuts?

Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training

You have all heard the phrase, “Sooner or later a blind squirrel finds a nut” and we are all amused (or pretend to be anyway). I ask you, when have you ever seen a blind squirrel find a nut? For that matter, when have you ever seen a blind squirrel? Chances are slim to none. And why is that? Because blind squirrels die in the wild. And yet, we send our blind squirrels into the wild in the form of new salespeople figuring that sooner or later they are bound to bump into a sale. But what is true in nature is also true in sales. Blind squirrels die in the wild and ill-equipped untrained salespeople die in the field. Unlike the blind squirrel, this doesn’t have to be so for the salesperson. The question is, why is the squirrel blind, and whose fault is it?

 

If we want salespeople to be successful, then a partnership must be created in order to achieve that success. Almost all salespeople early in their careers need help whether they admit it or not. They want to find the acorn, in fact they want to find lots of acorns, but only a few are true naturals when it comes to sales. The rest of us have to work hard at our craft. So, instead of having a bunch of blind squirrels running around representing your company, products and services, here are a few key things you can do to help make them successful.

 

  1. Give them training – There are so many training platforms available that it’s hard to imagine an untrained salesperson, and yet the world is full of them. They are responsible for your revenue so make the investment.
  2. Give them process – What are the best practices for success in sales with your organization. Prevent salespeople from reinventing the wheel if you can help it.
  3. Give them goals – Sales people without goals will wander around aimlessly. How will you know if they are being successful and, more importantly, how will they know if they are being successful. The sooner you have goals, the sooner you will get results.
  4. Give them KPIs – What are the most important 3 things that your salesperson should do that is strongly linked to success? Is it meetings, phone calls, demonstrations, quotes? This is just as important as goals for the same reasons.
  5. Give them coaching – Coaching and managing are not the same thing. Coaching provides valuable skills, feedback and learning for the salesperson. Help them work through their issues and celebrate their victories.

Sales Suffering From Home Run Syndrome?

Business Analysis, Posts, Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training

If a baseball player doesn’t hit a home run every time he steps up to bat, then what was the point of the swing? That’s a silly question for a number of reasons, but sometimes we adopt this mentality in sales. It’s called Home Run Syndrome. If we are not great every time we try, then the effort was a waste of time. For example, your team went to the trade show that was ill-attended; far from a home run. It was a wasted swing (strike). We spent a lot of time and got close to closing a nice deal, but they went with a competitor. We wasted a swing (ball) We landed a new customer, but it’s not a very big account. We should have put that effort into a bigger opportunity. A wasted swing (first base). No swing in sales is truly wasted if you learn from it, and if you don’t swing, then you learn very little.

 

Not everyone suffers from Home Run Syndrome, but if you have a sales manager who’s really pressuring you, or you are having a hard time achieving your goal, sometimes we don’t care about the little victories that get us to home plate and we assume no one else does either. But in sales, we have to swing the bat often just to get to first or second base. If you just sit and wait from the home run pitch, chances are you will seldom swing at all. The more you swing, the better you can become. Not everything in sales can, or will be a home run, so manage your expectations and continue to put in your time and effort. It’s worth it. Here are some helpful tips if you feel that you or someone on your team is suffering from Home Run Syndrome.

 

  1. More strikes equal more experience – A strike is, or at least should be, a lesson learned. But unlike baseball, you’re not out after 3 strikes. I know many salespeople who get countless strikes before they finally get on base. But once they are on base the first time, they increase and improve their odds of doing it again. Learn from what you are doing and make the experience your wisdom.

 

  1. More swings equal more hits – Your average and scores will go up almost by virtue of your effort. Now, that said, if you are really lousy at swinging, then you need to improve your technique. But persistence and perseverance go a long way in sports and sales. 

 

  1. Get to home plate one base at a time – What is the point value between a home run and someone who gets across home plate one base at a time? Nothing. In the end, the goal was achieved with or without the pizzazz (no I didn’t mean to say pizza). Home runs are great, but they don’t always win games. Getting across home plate as many times as you can is how the game is won. The same is true with sales. Keep swinging and keep getting on base. You will get there. 

How To Have Tough Conversations About Sales Performance

Sales Coaching, Sales Management

Did you ever put off a tough conversation with a salesperson because you weren’t sure what you should say? Or maybe you were concerned about upsetting them and you don’t particularly like to be confrontational. What if they respond back with something you weren’t expecting or capable of addressing? Perhaps they might even try to turn the conversation into a referendum about how there are other things wrong, if not much worse, about everything else at the company including you. It’s no wonder you’ve been putting off this difficult conversation because what happens if they get so mad that they quit and everyone thinks that it’s your fault? At the end of the day, you find yourself being held hostage by a poor-performing salesperson and you have no idea about what to do now.

 

Having difficult conversations doesn’t have to be so difficult if you know how to have the right conversation with the right person in the right way. You really have to make this more of a process than an art if you want it to become one of your skills. Instead of trying to avoid the person that you need to confront or even losing sleep over the looming discussion, you can tackle the issue in a respectful and professional way without being either too abrasive or too passive.  The good news is that the process isn’t really that hard if you follow these simple tips.

 

  1. Be direct, honest, and compassionate – Don’t beat around the bush or sugarcoat the issue that needs to be discussed. People will respect you more if you address the issue straight ahead. Telling the truth should be a no-brainer, but always bring a sense of compassion to the conversation. Remember, you don’t have their side of the story yet, so give them the benefit of the doubt.
  2. It’s about the performance, not the person – Never never never make the issue about someone’s character including personality, attitude, or behaviors. This will instantly make the person defensive. It should only be about the performance. The person you are speaking with can and will connect their own dots about how they, as a person, are causing the performance issue. 
  3. Only use the facts – Avoid statements that begin with ‘I think’. Use actual data to support your concern. This will help to reduce the level of emotion tied to the conversation. 
  4. Ask if everything is okay – This goes back to being compassionate. Once you have presented your case, the best way to let them respond is by asking them if everything is okay. This is their chance to present their side of the story without feeling threatened. It also gives you a cushion in case you were missing vital information such as a divorce you didn’t know the person was dealing with. 
  5. Listen, but be resolute – People are won over when they feel like they have been heard so be sure to listen. When you present your concerns with this process oftentimes the person will receive the information with grace and offer their own solution. Be sure to listen, but also be resolute. Being compassionate doesn’t mean that you have to bend on the issues that are affecting their performance, but when you make your case based on facts and spend more time listening, many people are inclined to correct themselves. 

How To Fire A Salesperson

Business Analysis, Sales Management

I don’t enjoy writing on this topic any more than you enjoy reading about it because the thought of anyone losing their job for any reason upsets my stomach. It is a highly disruptive and stressful moment in someone’s life where desperation, anxiety, and low self-esteem have a tight grip. But sometimes it’s just not meant to be for whatever the reason. The good news is that if you have to fire a salesperson, it usually doesn’t come as a surprise because it is almost always performed base and great salespeople rarely get fired.

 

When I talk about firing a salesperson, I mean someone who is really trying their best but things just aren’t working out. Issues of gross misconduct and disobeying company policy are another matter altogether. If a salesperson is not meeting performance expectations then it should not be a secret to anyone, least of all the salesperson. If it is a surprise, then much of the blame should be on management for not doing a better job of communicating and developing the salesperson. Either way, the moment of truth is here and you need some help with a difficult conversation. 

 

  1. Direct, honest, and swift – Don’t drag someone through what is going to be difficult for everyone involved. Get right to the point. Firing someone in normal circumstances should take less than 10 minutes.
  2. Address the performance, not the person – As much as you may want to, do not make comments about the salesperson’s attitude, behaviors, and personality traits. This can be misleading, upsetting, and perhaps get you in hot water with HR. Make it about the performance only. The reason someone is not meeting their sales goals at this point really doesn’t matter and entertaining these conversations will almost certainly cause you more trouble.
  3. Stick to the message – No feelings, just facts. When someone gets fired, they are understandably emotional and they will use aspects of anger, pity, or empathy to take you off your script. Don’t take the bait. Stick to the message.
  4. Provide instructions – Don’t forget to cover the need-to-knows about termination including final paychecks, leftover vacation days, company property and health insurance options. If possible, it would be good to offer a letter of recommendation to help the salesperson transition to their next job.
  5. Take a different direction – If you’re really in a tight spot with delivering your message of termination and you don’t have sufficient performance data to support your decision, then you can use your reasoning as “we are taking a different direction with position”. Explain nothing else beyond that lest you create more problems. Every question that comes after that is answered with, we are just taking a different direction. We don’t have other information to share at this time.” It’s kind of a catch-all for difficult firings that leaves the fired salesperson without leverage and no legal risk exposure to you.