Hiring "Low Maintenance" Sales Personnel

By Dr. Larry Craft

At the beginning of each of my workshops, the lights are dimmed as I ask the sales managers to close their eyes and go back in time to dwell on the last salesperson they had to 'fire.' I tell them to ignore the voluntary terminations that decided to leave on their own and concentrate instead on the one individual who couldn't produce enough to justify his or her salary. I watch their faces as their smiles turn upside down and their emotions express their obvious frustration. I then ask them to reduce their frustration to the single characteristic or trait that they believe caused the salesperson's failure. I have them open their eyes, and we list each of the behaviors on marker boards at the front of the room.

I am amazed that no matter where I am in this country or abroad; no matter whether they are in the financial services industry, the personnel industry, advertising or any other industry, they list the same ten to fifteen traits nearly every time. And the majority of those traits relate directly or indirectly to the salesperson's lack of motivation or drive. The most common behaviors listed are: lazy, no sense of urgency, noncompetitive, no 'fire in the belly,' unmotivated, unable to leave their comfort zone.

I then ask the managers to close their eyes again and reflect on the problems that resulted from these behaviors. Their problems and frustrations are universally the same: "They take too much time away from the other salespeople;" "Their negative attitude is contagious;" "I have to spend all my time trying to motivate them." The common theme is that these 'high maintenance' salespeople cost the organization much more than just their lost sales. The productivity of the manager and the other salespeople suffers significantly when these easy-going, laid-back 'Plow Horses' are hired and maintained in a position that requires a dynamic, proactive, 'make things happen' temperament.

Too often you find these Plow Horses walking up and down the halls looking for other salespeople who might join them in a ten to fifteen minute conversation about their favorite football team, movie, or restaurant. If it's anywhere near lunchtime, they'll seek out another salesperson to take a two hour lunch break at 'that great restaurant' on the other side of town. Coffee breaks turn into Coffee Hour. If they have a sense of reliability and work ethic, they'll simply turn the break into a twenty minute discussion about their latest sale with all the details. If a manager is around, these Plow Horses break the monotony of making phone calls by repeatedly asking questions that disrupt both their routines.

Astute managers catch on quickly and redirect these interruptions; demand activity accountability; and employ external sources of motivation-like threats that they'll lose their job if things don't change. But the managers can't ignore the bottom line: if you have too many Plow Horses in your stable, there isn't enough time in the day to supervise them and keep them from affecting your productivity and the productivity of your other salespeople.

What's the solution?

Over 20 years ago, CraftSystems developed a personality questionnaire that was specifically dedicated to measuring an employee's drive and motivation. Today, it has been used over 1,000,000 times by managers in five countries to separate their Plow Horses from their Racehorses. Using the test results, the Plow Horses are given salaried, structured, customer support or administrative positions (Order-takers) that do not require an intense, make-things-happen temperament. Racehorses, on the other hand, are given positions that reward them based on their sense of urgency and their results-orientation (Order-makers). Once your Plow Horses are separated from your Racehorses and both receive their due respect, high maintenance employees will be a thing of the past and you'll have the time to focus your efforts on success rather than failure.

Does it work?

You can ask our clients who have used our personality test for 15-20 years to hire their Racehorses and Plow Horses. Or you can simply 'test the test' yourself free of charge and receive our Resource Guide that describes our research and validation that is second to none. You'll quickly discover how "We Predict Success." For more information, call (800) 228-5866.

Assess the Assessment! If you are a manager with 10 or more employees, business owner, or a consultant, we invite you to complete our complimentary 10-15 minute CPQ personality profile and receive its personalized reports as well as a copy of Dr. Craft's "Developing HorsePower" audio cd. All information will be kept confidential and will not be distributed without your written permission.