Lucas Price shares his insights on how to have tough conversations about performance with salespeople. He emphasizes the importance of doing thorough research and focusing on facts rather than personal opinions. By starting with the salesperson's perspective and engaging in a two-way conversation, leaders can build bridges and find solutions to improve performance. Lucas highlights the value of asking questions, creating a follow-up plan, and reminding the salesperson that they are part of the same team. These difficult conversations, when handled well, can build trust and lead to a strong, high-performing sales team.
Key Takeaways:
Thoroughly research performance data to provide accurate feedback.
Focus on facts, not personal opinions, when discussing performance.
Start the conversation by understanding the salesperson's perspective.
Ask questions to lead the salesperson to their own solutions.
Create a follow-up and communication plan to track progress.
Remind the salesperson that you are on the same team and there to help.
These conversations can be like a trap if they aren't dealt with well, they can hurt confidence, make people stop caring or even cause a valuable team member to leave. Here's the thing though, when done right, they can improve performance, deepen connections, and get your sales engine back on track. How should we do it?
First of all, do your homework like you would before an important meeting with a client. Figure out where the holes are. Learn all you can about the data. The better you understand, the more accurate your feedback will be.
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Performance can be affected by things outside of it. Try to understand what the other person is saying. It makes a world of difference. Start with their perspective. It's not a one-way talk. Let them say what they think happened. It's about getting them interested, not trapping them.
Start with their perspective, that it's not a one-way talk. Let them say what they think happened. It's about getting them engaged, not about trapping them. You may even find that they have a problem that you can solve.
Your comments should build bridges instead of walls. Is it hard for the salesperson to close deals? It might be time to review a course on how to negotiate, ask questions, to try to lead them to their own answer. Ask for a follow up and communication plan.
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Hard talk you handle well, builds trust, and brings you closer to building a strong high performance sales team.
