Upcoming Classes...

Attention all CEOs

Are you happy with the direction of your company? Are you happy with the culture? Are results where you want them?

Your company is a mirror reflection of you. On Monday, August 13th, we will give you some tips on getting your company moving in the direction you want and getting everyone on board with your vision.

Call 978-257-0610 or e-mail me at steve@prosperityinstitute.com for details......

Additional dates if you can't make it on August 13th are: September 17th, October 15th, November 12th and December 10th.

Why do veteran sales people hit a wall?

How to help veteran sales people stay at Peak Performance.
By Steve Lentini

Do you have veteran sales people who seem stuck at certain sales levels?

Are your sales flat? The question is: How to stay at Peak Performance? How do you continue to grow year after year? Veteran sales people, very skilled and knowledgeable, why is it that they hit the wall? How do you motivate veterans?

Flat sales are an indicator of past behaviors, not necessarily today's behavior. Helping sales people manage their behavior is paramount to their success. Do you know how they spend their time? Do you know who they spend their time with?

Have you taken responsibility for what the company's role is? Have you asked them what obstacles are in the way of their success at the company? Have you looked at your support staff honestly? Have you looked at the company performance indicators like fill rate and error rates? What behaviors does your compensation plan reward? Are you the one who shoots down good ideas and suggestions that veterans bring you?

Here are some suggestions for helping veteran sales people stay motivated.

1. Reward and recognize them. When veteran sales people hit certain sales levels it is more challenging to hit higher growth rates. I work with company owners who make this same complaint with their suppliers and yet do not recognize this as an issue for their sales staff. Find a way to reward and recognize their experience or profit contribution, not just growth rates.

2. Listen to your veterans. Give them special attention when they bring you a new idea or suggestions about new products or markets that the company could investigate. Letting them lead you into something new could be the thing that reinvigorates them and the company.

3. Look at your compensation plan. Rework it with the end in mind. Ask yourself, "What behaviors do I want to reward, which one do I want to discourage?" Change it. When you change, things change.

4. Ask the veterans to lead a sales meeting. Ask them to mentor the rookies. Make sure you ask the people with the good attitudes and those who have successfully gone through the peaks and valleys. Asking those with a long string of poor years only encourages continued lethargy. Make sure you let everyone know why you selected those that you did.

5. Review them frequently when the flat times show up. Let them know you are monitoring their performance and that you are concerned. Ask them what is going on and what their thoughts are about how to correct this decline in their sales. Keep it about "the sales" and not about the person. Keep it blame proof.

6. Stay focused on actions and not outcomes. We cannot control outcomes in life, only our actions. Ask them for their own action plan and then after your review, let them know you are there to help. Ask them what you can do to help. Support them in any way you can. What you focus on in life expands, so focus on helping them succeed. The rest is up to them.

7. Ride with them. Get out in the field. What you see in front of others could be the key or perhaps the time together will reinvigorate them. Customers like to see management too.

What ideas do you have that have worked? Write to me with them, email me. I will put them in my book.

Thanks, Steve