Inside Sales Lead Management Featured Article

What is the general opinion of your highest performing sales rep? Is he or she well respected within the organization or viewed as the necessary evil that produces the high numbers you need with a level of arrogance you really don’t want? The former appears to greatly outweigh the latter when it comes to inside sales lead management, so you tolerate the behavior you can’t stand.

But is this a healthy approach to inside sales lead management? A recent Business2Community post by Peter Ostrow asks the million-dollar question – would you fire a high-performing sales jerk? Too many executives would quickly answer no simply because they see the bottom line sales revenue these so-called jerks produce. Their performance is measured in sales numbers only and if they’re hitting it out of the park each time, so why change?

If the only factor for consideration was the revenue number at the end of the month, quarter or year, there wouldn’t be much more to say on the topic. Hitting those numbers is important for the rep and the company as a whole. But if you examine that particular number only, you are actually missing a much bigger and much more important picture. The big number, for instance, may come at a big cost.

Ostrow’s example hits this challenge spot on – if the million-dollar producer is costing the company $900,000, but the $800,000 producer only costs the company $600,000, wouldn’t the lower producer be more valuable? Looking only at the sales number leaves out too much information to make an educated decision. The jerk performer may not actually be making the company any money. In fact, if his or her behavior extends to the customer base and loyalty is never achieved, you have to spend too much time and money replacing fleeing customers – which is not a solid, long-term plan.

To truly glean value from the sales team and the tools put in place to sustain inside sales lead management, you have to examine the value the sales rep brings to the organization as a whole. Taking a step back, you also examine how the under-performer may be coached into a top-performing role. The individual on the sales team struggling to hit numbers may be dearly loved by his customers and they never leave. How can you help him improve his skills so he can expand his reach?

Likewise, the underperformer may make the sales experience positive for all involved, from the customer to the installation rep to the service tech. His approach to the job makes it fun for everyone – what is he missing to hit that next level and turn him into a top performer? The right training may be just what is needed to help him channel that positive energy in a way that leads to more closed deals.

The point is, you don’t have to settle for supporting the jerk if he or she isn’t actually adding enough value to the organization. Look at the bigger picture and how your sales reps can contribute to long-term success and profitability, not just a closed deal today.