Trusted Advisor? Yeah, Right.

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  Sid Herron03/04/08 Report as spam
  1

  It's all about performance

  I've been a sales manager for a long time. The bottom line is the bottom line. If one of my salespeople can hit the numbers we expect and still play golf every afternoon, more power to him (or her). But if the numbers aren't there, we need to figure out why - and part of figuring out why is determining whether the salesperson is actually spending his/her time selling.
  
  I'm a little puzzed by your take on the contacts issue, though. If a salesperson brought his/her own contacts to the organization, of course s/he will have those contacts when s/he leaves. But if I've paid a salesperson to develop a relationship with a customer on behalf of my business, then, yes, that contact is the company's not the salesperson's. That said, if the salesperson leaves, it is the company's responsibility to engage with the customer and make sure that the relationship continues. And I'd be very surprised if a savvy salesperson didn't hang onto an extra business card and maintain a separate personal contact database. But if a salesperson leaves, goes to a competitor, and begins working contacts that I paid him or her to develop, we're going to be having some legal discussions.

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  Pizza Man03/04/08 Report as spam
  2

  RE: Trusted Advisor? Yeah, Right.

  Yoda: "Do or do not. There is no try." I don't expect to ride herd over my business development people, but I do expect full and timely reporting including the pipeline. And I fully agree with sidherron that performance speaks for itself. Gene Stevenson

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  bighit03/04/08 Report as spam
  3

  RE: Trusted Advisor? Yeah, Right.

  I agree wholeheartedly. I also wanted to weigh in on the picture. What a cunning, backstabbing looking duo. Perfect!
  
  Chuck Sink