Five Star 5 – You Are Not Alone!
I was attending my first trade show with a company many years ago. I had just committed to move to a new city and was very nervous. Everyone was friendly, but I felt alone, and was unsure if I had made the right decision.
A fellow sales rep then approached me unexpectedly late in the first day, and took me under his wing for the rest of the event. He made me feel welcomed, and instantly put me at ease! For the next four days I had somebody that I was comfortable around, and could ask them any questions, no matter how silly they seemed at the time.
That event inspired this list, and I have always remember my colleague fondly for helping me out!
#1 Ride-A-Longs With Top Performing Sales Reps – I was just there to observe, nothing more. I once flew across the country and spent one day each with the top two performers in an organization.
#2 Working With A Mentor – It was great to have somebody to go to when I needed them, and not feel like I was being a bother. Helping me when necessary was part of the “mentor-newbie deal”.
#3 Joints Calls With A Sales Manager or Senior Sales Rep – I may have taken the lead on a call, but it was comforting to have them there if I needed any “back-up”. In the event a call was more complex, they would take the lead, and I would be there for support
#4 Guaranteed Salary and/or Commission As A New Rep – This was a game changer for me! It took all the pressure off at the start of a new role, and I could focus on learning the complete job for the foreseeable future. I had a guaranteed salary in one role for the first year and my results far exceeded budget!
#5 I have several other thoughts, but wanted to leave this one up to you. In your experience in sales, or what you have witnessed being involved in business, what else has assisted new sales reps to get acclimatized in their role?
Posted on May 23, 2013, in Five Star 5, Leadership, Sales, Sales Manager and tagged Compensation, Mentor, New Sales Reps, Sales Training, Selling, Training. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
Sell, Lead, Succeed! 
That is an interesting take on the guaranteed salary. I think that they work in some cases but in others, with the wrong people obviously, the fact that the pressure is not there stops people from worrying. This is where a great HR Director or VP will arrange for the pay structure and the needs of the ideal candidates to align. Too often the decision seems o be set by a dinosaur CEO with an attitude that their preference is right and little to no attention is paid to the nuances of the sales role (i.e. is it a new product or a new market, are they looking for experienced reps or rookies etc).
Interesting post.
Thanks Rupert! I will certainly be having more content on guaranteed salaries for new reps to get their feet wet! I am facinated by it. My best example is in one role, it was a very low salary and a highly commissioned position. For the first year, I received a higher salary, but was still able to achieve the overage if I exceeded my numbers. I felt very at ease growing in to the role, and actually exceeded my numbers handily, and got an awesome end of year cheque.
The following year, I went back to the much lower salary and did not miss a beat.
Of course it does not always work that way, and guarantees can be misconstrued as a ticket to slack off.
Thanks again for your comments. I appreciate it as always.