How To Drive a Sales Person CRAZY

The question was asked of sales professionals, "What does your company or boss do that drives you crazy?" The following are a few of my observations, related to companies I've work for and around. I hope it gives you something to ponder.

Motivational FAIL!
Many companies place operations people over their sales organizations. Not surprisingly, they try to run it like an operations department. <> Sales people are different, maybe even a little weird (from an operations perspective).

Operationally, tell a CSR or a Field Tech what to do, the standards and expectations, then hold them accountable. With a modicum of leadership, the goals and objectives will likely be accomplished.

You want to drive a salesperson crazy? Manage him like a service person! Salespeople are never motivated by another memo to read, another report to complete, another meeting to attend, or another butt-chewing to endure! While all of these things may be necessary from time to time, none of them motivate a real sales professional. All of them will drive him crazy! (If they don’t, he’s probably the wrong person for the role.)

You want to build a successful, effective sales organization? Find out how to LEAD and MOTIVATE your sales team! Hint: Money, Recognition, and Emotion. Incentivize behavior you want. If you want this policy, service, or widget sold, make it lucrative for them. A reward or award for doing what you want will go farther than hours of yelling and belittling for doing the opposite.

Micromanaging.
This is a continuation of the above thought. Successful salespeople are typically Type-A and internally motivated. If a salesperson is effective and successful, quit trying to fix him!

Pointless or Unproductive Meetings

Pointless Reports

Assuming "Successful Salesperson" = "Successful Sales Manager"
Just because someone is a good salesperson does not mean they can duplicate their success. Many organizations shoot themselves in the foot twice with one bullet. First, they take their most successful, revenue-generating salesperson out of production. Then they set him up to fail by assuming he’s got magic techniques and pixie dust that he’ll somehow use to replicate himself.