The #1 reason why sales reps are performing below potential…
… an unwillingness to face uncomfortable truths.
There can be no sales improvement without discomfort.
Top performing reps and organizations want to get to the truth, right now.
One of the top distinctions I have noticed about top performing organizations and individuals, is how open they are about discussing things that have failed.
There is no shame or penalty attached to trying something that didn’t work. There is no fear that a boss will yell at them. No one is playing gotcha.
“Mini experiments” that don’t work out are viewed as learning experiences, not failures.
Out of that openness comes discovery. Those companies get to what works right away.
Organizations and individuals that are capable of performing at a higher level but are not often have a different culture.
If something is not working or if someone is not sure of what to do, there is a fear of admitting it. Maybe their boss will admonish them or embarrass them someway in front of their co-workers.
If an organization or rep is not comfortable with uncomfortable truths, they are held back.
True confession. One of the most annoying things about being a sales trainer is reviewing someones current practices, pointing out areas of improvement, and then having to listen to a 30-minute explanation about why they choose to do what is not working. Lower performing reps are not comfortable hearing uncomfortable truths.
But with higher performing groups there is no defensiveness about having tried something that didn’t work or can be improved.
Top producers want to get it right, right now. They embrace and learn from uncomfortable truths. It is part of the process of improvement.
Others, just as capable, but under-performing potential, are not able to do right, right now, as they are unwilling to face uncomfortable truths about their prospecting process, scripting or how they are conducting discovery calls.
Get “uncomfortable.” Do sales right, right now.
