It’s no secret that in sales environments employees are evaluated and valued predominantly based on results. The main incentives offered to salespeople are either financial rewards in the form of commissions and bonuses or ego stroking rewards like the “top producer” or “best salesperson” status, which may bring some extra perks. The main idea permeating sales environments, especially highly competitive workplaces, is that as a sales rep, you must either be in the top three or squirm at the bottom or middle of the chain. Number one gets a Rolex, number two gets a free dinner, and number three gets a keychain. As for the rest, better luck next month.
Nowhere in the professional world is the discrepancy between winner and loser, first and last more brightly highlighted than in sales. The sense of professional worth for the employee becomes clearly defined. It is all in the numbers. And numbers don’t lie.
The organization, on the other hand, can benefit greatly from this arrangement. Employers invest in their salesforce by providing training courses, by mentoring and working towards their betterment throughout the process. They design programs and techniques to develop the skills of the workers and build up their resilience in the face of rejection.
At the same time, the seed of competitiveness is planted among staff. Employees must strive to be the best, push themselves to improve. After all, salespeople are expected to remain motivated in the face of relentless rejection. They must enthusiastically move on to make the next call, send that reminder email, engage more clients and do it more convincingly. That is no easy task. It takes a certain type of personality to be a salesperson. The “Go-Getter” or “Closer”.
This can foster an environment primed for growth, personal development, and achievement. But is there a way for enterprises to build a culture where all salespeople feel valued and important regardless of the number of sales attached to their name?
There is. And it doesn’t involve removing the performance ranking system.
It starts with eliminating the risk – the danger of being dismissed, fired or overlooked. Employees can always sense this type of danger and become acutely aware of it. Every action past that point is a reaction for the positive or the negative. They either work harder to get results and prove themselves as worthy or slowly resign themselves to the idea that sales is not for them or that they are not good enough. Both actions involve a soul-crushing process.
As Brené Brown describes, based on her work with some of America’s top corporations, “there can be no growth without vulnerability”. Employees need to feel safe in an environment where they can bring forth their struggles and show vulnerability without it being regarded as weakness. Peeling off the fragile make-up of projected confidence and lifting the weight of performance expectation from the employee is essential.
Acceptance and openness in the workplace set a clean canvas for meaningful engagement and stronger communication. This leads to organic professional growth. The workplace becomes a cradle for betterment, where the employee is open to learning and improving, not because he should, but because he wants to and feels safe.
The foundation of an open and embracing workplace, where leaders genuinely care about employees, fosters not just performance and excellence, more importantly, it fosters loyalty and dedication to the company. Valued employees would not leave such an environment where they feel cherished and safe. Not even for a bigger paycheck.
Whether today’s profit-driven corporations are willing to take the time and invest in all salespeople (especially average performers) is a question worth contemplating. HR turnover is too costly. The fire-hire revolving door needs to slow down.
The key factor in this approach is defining a long-term view of the people, not just the business. The “show must go on” approach and “survival of the fittest” attitude need to be left in the past, in the wolf-of-wall-street era.
Today’s young job seekers need a more complex support package from their employers. Being allowed to show vulnerability builds trust and loyalty. It forges a bond that can weather any challenge from the inside or the outside of the workplace. Building that takes time and dedication, but in the grander scheme of an organization’s journey, it’s worth it.
