Pete started the conversation with 3 Theories I'd like to Prove About Selling. (You need to read the article AND the comments. BTW, although there are other commenters, Pete and Trish were the only ones that engaged with me. There's a lot of brain power in the comments.)
Then he, Trish and I had this Twitter exchange.
@pc4media @RainMakerMaker There is no one bar is the problem. Some can jump high. some can only jump low - no two sales athletes are alike.
— Trish Bertuzzi (@bridgegroupinc) January 24, 2014
and this....
@bridgegroupinc @RainMakerMaker Yep. I don't expect my whole team to step up and do this. Their # is their first priority.
— Peter Caputa (@pc4media) January 24, 2014
So, before I ask my questions, I need to remind you that I LOVE Pete Caputa and Trish Bertuzzi. They are thought leaders for me in sales, marketing and other areas. I learn from them regularly.
So, here are my questions.
If I am a center of influence, why would I refer anyone that I care about to a company that may not have an "A" player work my lead. If the sales rep cares more about making his number than finding a perfect match between customer's needs and company's abilities, couldn't they ruin my reputation by making a bad sale to make their quota?
If I am on your marketing team, why would I want any of my hard earned leads going to anyone other than and "A" player? If a mediocre sales rep screws up a lead and sells where they shouldn't or reads a situation wrong, couldn't that cause social media to go negative and make my life more difficult?
If I am on your board of directors, why would I want any sales rep that needs a discount, needs a lot of their manager's time, needs a longer sales cycle, and has a higher lead to happy customer ratio than a rock star? Don't all of those things negatively affect our bottom line and the value to our investors?
If I am one of your sales rock stars, why do I want any leads going to someone that can't handle them as well as I can? Isn't it better for me to have a waiting line? Doesn't it make prospects want me more?
If I am one of your mediocre reps, do you really think that you're doing me a favor by hiring me if I can't do the job if you don't have a hiring process and on-boarding process that holds me accountable to move from newbie to rock star or not be hired?
Think about all the sales conversations that didn't end in a sale that would have if the mediocre rep was replaced by a rock star. How much money is that? How much bad publicity is that? How many of those leads bought from a competitor?
Seriously, is there any excuse for less than excellent?