Separating Excuses from Reality
Doyle Slayton | Feb 26, 2009 | Comments 24
Reader Q & A:
Some managers get sucked into believing every excuse for why the team or an individual is struggling. Other managers refuse to listen to any feedback and sometimes miss instances where real issues exist. Examples might include questions about quality lead flow, the legitimacy of a territory or vertical, or maybe there are concerns about a current policy or process.
How do sales managers separate excuses from reality? Share some examples.
Check Out These Related Articles!
Filed Under: Blog • Featured • Leadership • Reader Questions • Sales • SalesTaxi
Individual-are they new? If they are new and have not had any success as of yet the you shouldn’t listen to the excuse. If that is the case then they are definately not a natural. If they had success at firt but have tailed off from the early success this can be attributed to trying harder than they are capable of sustaining over the long haul. If that is the case then you can overlook the excuse and figure on it being what it is. They may be one that just won’t cut it. If they have never had success they certainly are not a natural. At that point you can forget the excuse again. They just have not snapped in yet. They may never get it and may have to be let go.
Individual-Has been there awhile and has always been good-this sales rep should be listened to. Ask yourself why you think they have fallen off. Could be spouse problems or burnout or something else. You may just have to motivate them but you should definately hear them out. the excuse me be legitimate.
Team Struggles-this is one to listen to every time. One thing I have done in the past is bring it to everyones attention that they are off as a whole. Make them understand that straight away. Then encourage them to share what little is working for each individually with each other. This will help them to develop techniques that are less apt to create failure. Many times the small things that help finish a sale are forgotten when times are good. Concentrate on those recently overlooked techniques and it will help eliminate errors at whatever area their game has slipped. Sometimes they have to grind it out. Some struggles are expected and anticipated. Like every veteran sales guy knows there is a lull directly after christmas that last usually until Valentines Day. When that is the case you can’t let them use that as an excuse to be even more laid back. Instead you should use that as a catalyst by saying this period will seperate the men from the boys.
By using the word “HOW?” when asking questions instead of the word “WHY?”
If I ask a salesperson WHY she or he is always late, I get the dog/alarm clock/car/traffic/headache/grandmother dies excuses.
If, instead, I ask: HOW can you avoid being late in the future? Please give me three ways you’ll do that, in writing, by the end of the day.
Voila! I get reality.
“WHY?” BREEDS EXCUSES. “HOW?” PROMPTS REALITY. Following up the “HOW” with a request for specific steps the person will take forces a more realistic response.
Thanks for the good topic and question.
Happy Thursday! Hal
My quess as to why Sales Managers get sucked into believing excuses from their sales people is because Sales Managers kid themselves so much with their own blinders on that it isn’t easy for them to discern or differeniate their own b..ls..t let alone someone elses.
The more integrity in your management communication, directions and actions the more integrity you’ll find in your salespeople. Sales Managers who have trouble separating excuses from reality with their salespeople are probably having similar experiences personally. If it happens occasionally that’s part of the job – if it happens with any frequency as the question suggests there is too much emphasis on numbers and not enough of a personal connection between the excusor and the excusee! Why would you continue to lie to someone you have a high trust level with?
No one can read minds and managers shouldn’t have to. Accurate real-time data capture in a fully visible CRM tool takes lies and guesswork off the table. Reps enter their data not just so Big Brother can spy on them but to capture the nuances of their skills. You can tell a good closer, a good new product introducer, a strong vertical, or a sandbagger by requiring deals be entered to be true. Basic data analysis can answer the questions that until now, required mind-reading and babysitting. Data visibility benefits everyone in the long run.
I feel it is very important to develop confidence and trust in the team. Managers should be a team player and one amongst them with only differentiator being a facilitator for the team…otherwise consider one amongst thema nd you bring in accountability in the team rather than excuses.
Let’s focus more on activity. We often focus on the result – where people are against target etc. But by then it’s too late! Effective sales management is about effective activity management. And there are three aspects of sales activty to focus on – quantity, direction and quality. Quantity – “are they doing enough?” Direction – “of the the right things with the right peolpe?” Quality “In the right way?” Using these simple insights often reveals the underlying issues. If you want more on this then my recent article on “what use are sales managers anyway?” might help. Also consider the motivation theory valence. This argues that people don’t do things either because they are not able to (or don’t feel able to), because they don’t think they’ll be rewarded or because they don’t value the reward being offered e.g top performer’s vaction that they won’t be able to go on.
Doyle;
I employ my questioning skills through Situation; Behavior and Impact – and lead the individul through the process.
Becoming a student of tone and body language (which represent 93%) of the message is important in determining fact from fabrication.
Good sales managers who are actively engaged, don’t get excuses, simply because they can’t. If the manager is getting excuses, its because he/she lets it happen. It’s about time he/she level sets the team as to what is acceptable and what is not. Further, the manager must take 100% of the responsibility for fostering and environment of excuses versus action. Let’s get real, this is about who is accountable, not who to blame.
Effective management means regularly vetting the sales person’s position regarding their forecast and pipeline. An EFFECTIVE manager constantly reviews his or her team and either coaches/trains where necessary or exits the “C” performers. Accepting poor behavior after coaching indicates a managers own weakness. Regular mentoring and training as well as having a robust candidate list, should it be needed, should be standard operating procedure. Work hard to keep the team well trained but since it’s a managers job to deliver the numbers each Q there is no room for c players.
Margret is on base with the questioning. If you question, you can get to the root of the problem. If someone is new, it may mean they mean more training. If someone is a past producer, it could be burnout, personal poroblems, or even training. Unless you ask questions and get to the root of the problem you don’t have a chance of fixing it. Sometimes there is nothing you can do, but you have an investment in your salespeople and all reasonable effortts should be made to help them get back on track. It is cheaper to fix the problem than it is to retrain a new salesperson.
Thanks for your lengthy reply Sam. I know it took a lot of thought and time to do it and it is encouraging to see your enthusiasm for your job as a manager. I don’t believe that I have had the pleasure of working with a person who has the insight that I gpot from reading your post. If I did then perhaps I would have stayed at companies longer or excelled for a longer time. This thought this morning has changed my day. Thanks again.
To separate the legitimate performance issues from the excuses, the three criterion I use are: “Skill, System and Will”. “Skill” – can the performer in question do the task – have they ever demonstrated the proficiency before? “System” – Are other performers in a similar situation able to perform the task – is something broken so no one can be successful? and (by the process of illumination or elimination) – “Will” – if they CAN do it / have done so in the past and others ARE doing it / it can still be done, it is most likely a lack of will, focus, motivation or desire. By knowing the source of the performance gap you can now better manage it.
Call to ask me about a free demo for our unique, cost-effective, easy to implement, system of collaborative training with daily motivation, weekly communication and monthly skill development; to keep all of your sales performers at peak performance. 770 822 2827
Thank you for your post Sylvia. I just read Sams comment (First one in the thread) and it inspired me to have more hope for the human side of a sales manager as I have unfortunately not had in my career.
After reading your post, I started to have the opposite effect. I mean, how do people get better at something if they don’t practice it. If the software does it, then how can we expect ourselves to get better at it. Your post has brought a new a new outlook to my view of software in general. I have never been a big fan of CRM software, and honestly, I barely type-(Still use Hunt and Peck) and now I know why.
Thank you for your Post Mike.
As a sales person and an executive recruiter, I often wonder about this “C” player mentality. Why was this “C” player hired in the first place? Over the past 8 years, I have placed people that last in a job and a few that didn’t. I have seen profiling, multiple phone screens, group interviews, and the like done. I must say that, however difficult it is to identify the sales candidate, the Recruiter is still key in the equation. If you take your time and invest in a good recruiter, I think you will not have this “C” player in the first place. Consequently, I go back to Sam’s comment as valid in that you deal with the people as a “forever”/family (My interpretation on Sam’s comments) and work it out. I don’t think many people have been conditioned today to “work things out” It’s just “hire and fire” or Marry and Divorce. I can tell you from my experience that being fired is probably up there with the most traumatic experiences in my life (Along with a divorce). Although I understand mistakes can be made, I still believe that we can make better decisions from the very beginning and then stick with them.
Thank you Doyle for encouraging us to share this morning with a wonderful topic.
It is experiences like I have had on this blog this morning that help me better understand the value of social media and social networking.
At 47, I felt that I needed to delve fully into grasping SN before I get too dissinterested in the latest trend. However, now I am getting the idea that this medium has been what I have been looking for for sometime.
I have spent the last month (Probably 2 months by now) exploring the level of satisfaction and accomplishment I am getting from spending this inordinate amount of time sharing with strangers.
So far, the major theme I get is that Social Networking is actually a way to change selling all together. I mean, why be limited to buying from the clerk at the local store, or guy in the shop, or even just the kids in school, when you have the world to choose your network from?
From the way someone speaks, I can tell if I ever want to do business with them and I don’t need to be sold the product as much as buying the person or product I choose(accomplishment).
And the thoughts come from places and environments that I don’t know or understand…So consequently, the perspective is fresh and dare I say, untainted by my local and daily surroundings (Satisfaction).
It’s gotten to the point where if someone tries to sell me- Note Jeff Thrutchley with his handy phone number and call me rerquest- I am immediately turned off.
Is Blogging, replacing Selling?
Thanks to all and I’ll see you on the blogs.
P.S. No spell checking either- let it come out as you did it…Naturally, with imperfection.
I have a really simple view of sales and sales management – and that’s there shouldn’t be any surprises! The sales manager needs to build up sufficient trust and relationship with the team to understand the strengths and weaknesses of his/her team, through regular interaction and accompaniment. How else will a manager really know what they are capable of and what development to undertake. So no excuses from sales manager or sales exec. Teamwork is the word.
Personally I think it’s about focus. I have found that many sales managers hear what they want to hear and often don’t look any further into it because they don’t want to know the truth. It’s kind of like Jack Nicholson telling Tom Cruise that he can’t handle the truth in the movie A Few Good Men. A lot of managers are in a CYA mode and they take what they get.
Sales managers who get sucked into excuses are those that lack an intimate knowledge of the buying process. Once you understand the buying process of your buyers, real issues verse lame excuses will raise to the top.
First you should always listen, but listen more to your market. As the leader you must know the market.
If the feedback you hear is about the buying process do ask why. Getting to the true why is essential and I really do not want to know how. If you hear this feedback enough go out to the market yourself, leave your selling hat on that executive sized desk and only bring your ears, and listen to your market.
Markets change and evolve all the time, particularly now. Today’s buyers and the buying process are different;
• Longer sales cycle
• Greater need for ROI
• Buying budgets have lowered
• Discretionary purchases are all being reviewed( or eliminated)
• Buyers are more knowledgeable due to the internet, your value as their salesman has changed from information to being the ambassador of how to work with the company you represent
• There are more people involved in the purchase approval, in one study, the sale needed 3 approvals and now requires 11
• Competitors are doing irrational things with price and terms
Examples? At one point in my career I led a sales team that sold vehicles that were modified for consumers in wheelchairs. One of my salespeople failed to meet quota for three months in a row and I asked why he thought his sales were off. Very quickly he said; “have you see the price of gas lately? People cannot afford to buy the gas for our full sized conversion vans.” This salesman was so convinced that an environmental issue in his market was the reason he was failing that he stopped selling this type of vehicles and went on to the easier minivan conversion product. He was no longer doing the basics like visiting rehab centers and hospitals and building awareness because of his perception that gasoline prices to fuel a full size van is making consumers not want to purchase this vehicle. As I challenged this “why” I found in the last sale he lost the dealer told him the reason he lost the sale was the cost of fuel and the poor MPG our large full-sized vans had. One dealer sales rep had shaped this salesman’s view and given him an out.
So I brought him back to the basics of why consumers buy this particular solution; this vehicle is ideal for large families, it is the only solution for consumers who sit high in their wheelchair, this is the only solution for consumers who’s chair and body weight exceed 600 lbs….
I needed to hear the “excuse” to help reframe the product and the problem it solves for this salesperson. Within 30 days he was back on track with quota. In addition I shared this exercise with the entire sales team. Most sales teams “talk” and they build a “group think” so by taking one salesman’s seemingly irrational excuse I was able to be a better leader for my te
Sales managers who get sucked into excuses are those that lack an intimate knowledge of the buying process. Once you understand the buying process of your buyers, real issues verse lame excuses will raise to the top.
First you should always listen, but listen more to your market than your salespeople are saying. As the leader you must know the market.
If the feedback you hear is about the buying process do ask why. Getting to the true why is essential and I really do not want to know how. If you hear this feedback enough go out to the market yourself, leave your selling hat on that executive sized desk and only bring your ears, and listen to your market.
Markets change and evolve all the time, particularly now. Today’s buyers and the buying process are different;
• Longer sales cycle
• Greater need for ROI
• Buying budgets have lowered
• Discretionary purchases are all being reviewed( or eliminated)
• Buyers are more knowledgeable due to the internet, your value as their salesman has changed from information to being the ambassador of how to work with the company you represent
• There are more people involved in the purchase approval, in one study, the sale needed 3 approvals and now requires 11
• Competitors are doing irrational things with price and terms
Examples? At one point in my career I led a sales team that sold vehicles that were modified for consumers in wheelchairs. One of my salespeople failed to meet quota for three months in a row and I asked why he thought his sales were off. Very quickly he said; “have you see the price of gas lately? People cannot afford to buy the gas for our full sized conversion vans.” This salesman was so convinced that an environmental issue in his market was the reason he was failing that he stopped selling this type of vehicles and went on to the easier minivan conversion product. He was no longer doing the basics like visiting rehab centers and hospitals and building awareness because of his perception that gasoline prices to fuel a full size van is making consumers not want to purchase this vehicle. As I challenged this “why” I found in the last sale he lost the dealer told him the reason he lost the sale was the cost of fuel and the poor MPG our large full-sized vans had. One dealer sales rep had shaped this salesman’s view and given him an out.
So I brought him back to the basics of why consumers buy this particular solution; this vehicle is ideal for large families, it is the only solution for consumers who sit high in their wheelchair, this is the only solution for consumers who’s chair and body weight exceed 600 lbs….
I needed to hear the “excuse” to help reframe the product and the problem it solves for this salesperson. Within 30 days he was back on track with quota. In addition I shared this exercise with the entire sales team. Most sales teams “talk” and they build a “group think” so by taking one salesman’s seemingly irrational excuse I was able to be a better leader for my team
My success as a manager has come from developing and then monitoring consistent and effective activities based on realistic goals rather than focusing on just results. If the proper goal driven activities are the focus, excuses won’t stick. When employees are held accountable to daily activities and the skills required to conduct those activities are demonstrated, assessed and developed, positive results will follow. I believe this is true in any job, not just in a sales environment and, of course, we all know that success breeds success.
I agree with many comments: set expectations, track reported results and compare with hard figures; if the effort and the skills are there and well applied, look deeper at product, territory and competition. My own experience as a manager was that objective and measurable information was the only accurate and fair way to judge performance. Sometimes circumstances may be such that even your best performer cannot make it happen. What happens next is not always within the purview of a sale manager to decide. It can get interesting.
Another big challenge is simply getting your reps to actually use the CRM tool provided. I continue to struggle with this. Does anyone have some unique ways to “motivate” reps to actually use the tools we have spent millions on?
The greatest and most effective leader I ever worked for used to listen attentively to all issues and concerns brought forth by his management and sales staff. Yet his philosophy was simple, there would never be any excuse for not achieving the number. The roof could be collapsing and your industry could be taking a year off, but somehow you would achieve your number. This may sound hokie to some of you readers, but he was deadly serious in his tone about this. I remember one specific case where I approached him with an issue that I framed as follows. I have x issue with our existing circ system that is impacting our efforts in several ways. Now, regardless, of whether you help me fix it or not I will make my number. But if you fix it there is a good chance I will hit 120%of my quarterly goal. Fast forward a month and he did fix it. Three months later I delivered 120% of my group quota. Though In hindsight I believe only part of it was because of the fix to the circ system. A good part was most certainly because I had commited to deliver.
Maintain Perspective.
Every sales manager that I have ever had who misunderstands responses for excuses has lost perspective of the sales/buying process, and how I complete that process. If you, the sales manager, are not willing to experience my day without waiting to comment before the day is up does not really want to improve my process. That sales manager just wants me to stroke their ego, and tell them how “great” they are. I have found that when my sales managers do ride along, after a few hours more often than not I get told, “your doing great, I am going back to the office”. If the sales manager is not willing to experience my perspective as a sales person-and be engaged, they really do not have a right to qualify any answers that I give. To find the fact from the fiction, you have to maintain perspective. Therefore, when someone says “the market sucks”, and in your ride alongs you find that this is not the case, then you can help the person improve their process. Likewise, when someone says that the way they are trial closing-is not working for them, you know their process, and can recommend some solutions.