Experienced sales representatives can be a huge boon to your sales team. They don’t need a lot of training, and they can be very successful bringing in new clients and closing sales. However, there are times when it may be better to let an experienced sales rep go, regardless of their experience.
To know when it’s time to say goodbye, we asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council the following question:
Q. What is a key sign that it’s time to let an experienced sales rep go?
1. Low morale
Low morale is usually the first sign of a problem with team members, especially sales reps. If their morale is low, it can be a sign they are harboring some ill will toward the business. Plus, sales reps need to consistently maintain their passion in order to be successful. If they have low morale, it will likely result in decreased effort and lower sales. —Matthew Podolsky, Florida Law Advisers, P.A.
2. Consistently decreased sales
With salespeople, it’s basically hit or miss. If they’re not closing enough deals and making their quota, then it’s probably time to move on. It’s important to be objective about it and observe what the real issue is; make sure it’s the salesperson and not the marketing leads. —Nicole Munoz, Nicole Munoz Consulting, Inc.
3. Customer complaints
Even the most talented salespeople can lose motivation over time. One sure sign it’s time to let one go is if you start hearing complaints from customers. This typically means the salesperson has become highly disenchanted with the company or product they are tasked with selling. There will likely be many warning signs before things deteriorate to this level. Be proactive and help prevent this. —Thomas Smale, FE International
4. Unwillingness to learn
The marketing world is constantly changing. If the person who’s in charge of sales is not willing to learn new tricks and adapt to new clients’ necessities, no matter how experienced they are, the company will need to look for another specialist. —Alfredo Atanacio, Uassist.ME
5. Having bad habits
Experienced sales reps are valuable, but can also show up with habits from previous roles that can be hard to break. Also, ego is necessary in sales—it is hard to be successful without it. But our team requires having a humble attitude, a willingness to make mistakes, and being able to admit mistakes and then learn from those mistakes. Anything else is a deal breaker for us. —Alisha Navarro, 2 Hounds Design
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6. Lack of integrity
Sometimes even the best sales rep needs to go if their work lacks integrity. For example, it would be a problem if your contract documents one thing, but your sales rep tells clients something different to get the sale. A relationship that starts on lies is not beneficial for the company or its reputation. —Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
7. Bad attitude that impacts the rest of the team
Sales is a team effort and if the sales rep—irrespective of their experience—brings down the morale of the rest of the team, it is time to let them go. When the employee’s attitude starts affecting the work culture, it raises a red flag. If the sales rep isn’t able to work well with the team after repeated warnings, it is time to part ways with them. —Rahul Varshneya, Benchpoint
8. No sense of urgency
If your sales rep no longer has a sense of urgency and it not making sales, it’s time for them to go. Your sales reps should always have the drive to keep moving themselves and the company further, whether it’s booking meetings, doing research, making calls, or following up with leads. After they make a sale, instead of sitting around, they should be working on how to get another deal done. —Blair Williams, MemberPress
9. Values not aligning
We have three rules when it comes to company culture: “Do the right thing. Do the best you can. Show people that we care about them.” Whenever we have issues with any of our team members, it’s typically because they have violated one of the three rules. Give them a chance to improve and move on if they can’t. Your team is an asset and should yield profits. —Rachel Beider, PRESS Modern Massage
10. Failure of accountability
An experienced sales rep usually is experienced and motivated enough to confidently pull out and improve on their own. A veteran salesperson with lasting performance issues may need some coaching and course correction. A key sign I look for is a failure of accountability—shifting blame and asking for exceptions while resting on past laurels to justify or explain the present. —Stephen Hetzel, BidPrime
11. Lack of activity
Sales is not an easy position to hold. Luckily, everything can be tracked and measured. When you see a baseline of activity start to dip, you can chalk it up to either an aberration or a sign the sales rep is losing interest or motivation. Prolonged periods of dips in activity are a telltale sign that motivation and focus are compromised and that it may be best to part ways. —Joel Mathew, Fortress Consulting
RELATED: Simple Steps You Can Take Now to Keep Your Sales Reps From Burning Out
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