Measuring Motivation

Members of the ISP-Marketing list share methods of measuring the effectiveness of individual members of your business's sales force. What the ISPs do with the measurements varies as much as the metrics themselves.

[April 15, 2002]

On the ISP-Marketing list in March, LA inquired,

"I'm trying to develop a system for our sales team which will give the top positions a significant bonus, but will also help the weaker people to move up from the bottom positions. Any ideas?"

A number of respondents suggested that the people at the bottom aren't worth worrying about:

[EG offered] "How should you help people to move up from the bottom? Reward the top positions far more, and simply replace those who aren't hitting their mark, swiftly, with those that will. Don't waste time and effort helping people to be weak: help them to be strong!"

[AS agreed] "Generally, you don't want the people at the bottom of the sales list to stay anyway."

[RL advised] "Just cut the bottom 10 percent. It will be the best thing for you and the individual involved: it's not a comment on them as a person, just on their match with the position."

[AS added] "Actually, I would recommend cutting the bottom 90 percent."

Others recommended helping the weaker people to develop their skills:

[EA warned] "If you keep cutting the people at the bottom, you'll wind up firing everyone, because someone is always going to be at the bottom!"

[BH agreed] "To simply say that you should get rid of the salesperson at the bottom is a tad radical in the short run. After all, even the best salesperson in the world started at the bottom: it does take some time to learn, develop, and grow into a successful salesperson."

[CC added] "If you set quotas, goals, and metrics that keep all elements of sales in mind (dollar revenue, quantity, upsells, new customers, customer service surveys, cross-selling, etc.) then only those that truly fail the metrics need to have some type of action (training, reassignment, firing, etc.)."

PW contended that such compassion may be unnecessary, since skilled help isn't too hard to find:

"I don't know about the market you are in, but there are a lot of very good people looking for work these days. I have never had an easier time finding qualified, motivated sales people than right now. Still, sales is a numbers game, plain and simple. If a person isn't making the necessary effort to sell, or at least working darn hard at improving, it's time to move on for all involved."

—End