I have decided to deviate from my Fundamentals Matter series to address a matter I see frequently (yet it is something I consider Fundamental).  I will continue the Fundamental Series soon but I felt this is more important to address at this point in time.

Over the years, I have seen hundreds of job posts for sales positions.  In fact, I have posted several myself as a hiring manager.  In this time, I have noticed a pattern in these postings.  Sure, they promise a huge upside potential, a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the last step in your career path because you will make so much money that you won’t have the need to look any further.  What most lack is the details of what is expected day to day…..the fundamentals.  A broad description is provided that says you must “be a people person” or “a proven closer” but most other details are so general it is hard to diagnose what the position really is.

Does the company provide the leads or do I have find them?  How many calls does it take to get a meeting?  How many meetings does it take to generate a proposal?  What is the close rate of proposals?  How is my activity tracked?  Do we have data to establish what you (the hiring manager) have said?  Is your forecast and annual goal the same number?

I will grant you that it is a job description and probably will not contain all the information of a position that I have asked above.  However, would you agree with me that it might be a symptom of a larger issue?  Most organizations are only focused on outcomes instead of the activities (fundamentals) that will add up to long term success.  What I find most interesting is that most businesses only have this perspective as it relates to sales.  Operations have a different set of guidelines.  Why is there is different set of standards?

If you doubt that Operations is held to a different set of expectations consider this:  They are expected to perform a number of units produced per hour, a certain number of hours for an activity, or a specific procedure for a patented product…etc.  Operations/Service people are very well trained and it is explained in painful detail what is expected in job performance and the job description is written to reflect these items.  I have never experienced a situation where an Operations position is advertised as “we trust your skills….go get ‘em”.

Sales is a different discipline to be sure but I will argue that they should be held to standards as well.  A focus should be put on what the day to day activities are and what a recipe for success (based on real data from a successful sales person).  Therefore, a clear expectation of what you require should be documented and requested in a sales position.  What types of activities did your most successful sales people do?  Track it in a Contact Management System, analyze it, and then hire to replicate it.

Sales is a hard job.  It is even harder without any sense of what works for your business/industry.  Give your new hire a goal to hit that is not solely based on closes (outcomes).  Encourage them with a report to demonstrate that they are doing the right things (activities) and results (outcomes) should follow.  If the outcomes do not follow then you have to make a decision.  Is it a training issue, are they contacting the right people, etc.  At the very least, you will have a sense of what might not be working and be able to focus your effort as a manager/owner into coaching or finding a better fit for the position.

In Fundamentals We Trust,

Larry Mohr – Commit2Grow