What'd Ya' Get?

A couple weeks ago I had a conversation with a frustrated sales person

You see, she brings in more sales than the total sales of the other sales staff combined, but her boss doesn't want her to do it her way.

He wants her to make cold calls and if she goes to a networking event, he wants to know what "she got" from the event.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM?

He has a successful sales person bringing in more than quota, a lot more, and he wants to reform her into something that doesn't work.

IF YOU ARE A SALES MANAGER READING THIS, please, instead of trying to mold the wildly successful sales person into your mold, how about finding out what they do that is very different from what you think works.

Gosh, you might even have to change your mind about what works.

And for those of you sales managers who don't want to engage in conversation, good sales people don't "get anything" from a networking event. That is, we don't get sales. Or if we do, it is because of the relationship that we've developed already with the person who gives us business at such an event. It's not because we sell.

So get off your super star's back. Let her do what is working. Support her in helping your success. After all, the over-ride that you get from her sales ain't so bad.

Okay - got that out of my system.