Is Your Sales Superstar Not Shining as Bright as Expected?

Like most business owners, you can probably tell at least one horror story about a sales hire. After a great interview, fabulous references, and excellent experience, you thought your new rep was the answer to your prayers. But six months down the road, you're still not seeing results. Before long, it's clear that the superstar you thought you hired is falling short of your expectations. What went wrong? Did you hire the wrong person; or is it possible that you failed them? It's a tough question but one you have to ask yourself. When you have a failing experience with a new sales hire, it's important that before you attempt to search for a replacement, you take a good hard look in the mirror. After all, this is your company and ultimately you will be responsible for what happens. There are only three reasons why salespeople fail: Your criteria for what you wanted or needed was wrong; Your strategy for finding the right person was weak; or You failed to manage your new hire properly. The goal of this blog series is to offer you some insight and suggestions on how to approach your next sales hire so that you can have a more successful experience. Remember, whether your sales team is one person or 5,000, they are the lifeblood of your business. Treat them that way. At the same time, however, your company is your most valuable asset and you are entitled to have the best people on your team. If you raise your expectations and refuse to tolerate mediocrity – both in yourself and in those around you – you'll be one step closer to building a sales team that can and will get the job done! Stay tuned next week for solutions to Reason #1…Your Criteria. What should you be looking for and why?