How to Keep Sales Reps in Check

After 16 years of running a church youth group, I can quickly spot the difference be-tween the teenage stars and those who will stay on the sidelines. It’s not difficult, and it comes down to one word: accountability. In training and coaching salespeople for 10 years, I have used what I’ve learned as a youth group leader to apply that same principle (or is it a value?). Accountability is the key ingredient to managing salespeople. Apply it and win. Deny it and you will keep hiring reps, testing them out, and firing them after a year only to repeat the process again. Here are some ideas for adding accountability to your sales force.

First, set some activity goals. Salespeople need to achieve a balance of new business appointments, account management and administrative work. Without specific goals, they’ll likely gravitate toward their want-to’s (mothering orders) and away from their have-to’s (prospecting).

Back to parenting for a moment: If you tell your kid he’s responsible for mowing the lawn, what are the odds that it will get done? But if you tell the kid to mow the lawn by Friday and you’ll be home at 6 p.m. to check on him, you’ll probably see some action. Likewise, your salespeople need to know what is expected of them in no uncertain terms—and the repercussions for missing the deadlines you impose. They need numbers to hit each week. (How many new prospects? How many existing customers to call? How much time out of the office?) And, finally, they need some accountability to make sure it all happens.

Second, meet with your salespeople on Monday mornings. The most important part of time management is planning. It is critical that the salesperson have a week mapped out in advance. Unless you have a regular meeting at the beginning of each week, you cannot be sure that they are operating with a plan. Tell the rep you want to see his or her weekly planner and I promise you that either the person will show up prepared—or you’ll know there’s a potential problem.

Third, add a Friday meeting for your new reps. Just to get them started, you’ll want to make sure they are getting the work done. By holding a late Friday meeting, you can check their schedules against what they said they’d do and look at how they spent their time. If they know what you expect, the chances of them being ready and organized increase—and the chance of fluffing their numbers decreases. Sales is a measurable profession, so measure everything!

If you’re going to have expectations for your reps, demand accountability and repercussions. Kids quickly learn when a dog has teeth: no teeth, no need to do as they’re told. Make certain your salespeople understand the penalties for not meeting your expectations. No beheadings, but some form of punishment (tongue-lashing, double-secret probation, etc.) keeps the minions in line.