12 Signs It's Time to Let a Salesperson Go

There are a lot of factors that go into sales. But most importantly, you need self-motivated and personable people to encourage clients to use your great product or service.

So what happens when you find that one of your sales agents is underperforming? How do you know whether it's a short-term issue or a sign the employee is no longer a good fit?

To find out, we asked members from Young Entrepreneur Council this question:

Q. What's one telltale sign it's time to let a sales representative go?

1. Customers Are Complaining

Salespeople who can't close deals is one problem; however, customer complaints are another. Once you start receiving continued negative complaints on a salesperson, it's time for them to go. Never let someone else's problems ruin your company or brand's reputation. —Zac Johnson, Blogger

2. You Are Disputing Their Commission

If a sales representative is not bringing in value, it becomes evident when it is time to issue commission. If you are disputing their earnings, it is a sign that the salesperson is not worth the money. If, on the other hand, you are happily paying them their commission, it is a sign that they are worth every penny you are paying for them. —Diego Orjuela, Cables and Sensors

3. Intervention Isn't Producing Changes

The expectations you want your salesperson to meet should be clear and measurable. If they fail to meet them, direct intervention is necessary to figure out the problems, and leave the representative with solutions or tools to deal with problems in the right way. If no effort is made after that, it's time to consider a staffing change. —Matt Doyle, Excel Builders

4. They're All Talk and Don't Follow-Through

Don't get sold by a bad sales representative. They should be selling to customers, not trying to prove their value to the company if they are not producing. A good salesperson going through bad times will at least be objective and introspective, seek ways to improve their sales, and actively work with you or management to do so. —Andy Karuza, FenSens

5. Follow-Up With Clients Is Inconsistent

I equate consistent follow-up with effort. When a salesperson loses this, it means that they are no longer committed to the sales lifestyle. Sometimes, a salesperson may be off and not be able to convey your company story in a compelling manner or they may forget to ask good questions; however, consistent effort can usually get someone through tough times. —Lawrence Watkins, Great Black Speakers

6. They Consistently Oversell the Company's Product

It's problematic when your salesperson oversells your company's product or service to a client whose expectations are already misaligned with your ability to provide value. Sales reps who consistently oversell may also have a character flaw—they are willing to bend the truth if it personally benefits them while disregarding the consequences to others. —Firas Kittaneh, Amerisleep

7. They Give Up Trying

It's never fun letting people go, but it's an inevitable part of growing. Numbers aren't everything in a sales position—what's really important is how sales reps react to bad numbers. If a sales representative is consistently coming up empty-handed but fails to take a step back, learn, and iterate, that is a character flaw that will be difficult to get past. —Christopher Swenor, East Coast Product

8. They Lack Self Motivation

Salespeople need to be self-motivated. If they seem enthusiastic but aren’t getting results, it could be that they just don’t have the tools and information they need to do better. But if they aren’t actively learning new things, tweaking their schedules, and creating systems for themselves, they aren’t going to be effective over the long haul. —Thomas Smale, MageMail

9. Customer Cancellation Data Shows a Problem

It's simple to look at incoming revenue over the past few months and make a decision based on that alone. But to really understand who your great (and not so great) reps are, look at cancellations or downgrades, and upsells by sales reps. That data will show you who is focusing on the correct or incorrect things during a sale. —Andrew Saladino, Kitchen Cabinet Kings

10. They Don't Believe in the Brand

A good salesperson is someone who believes in his brand. Once he believes in his brand, he can come up with many ways to sell his products or service. But if he doesn't believe in the brand, he won't do the task well. Passion for a brand comes from knowing that a product or service works, helps and is needed by everyone—and everything else will follow. If an agent doesn't believe in a brand, then there's no sense in keeping him. —Daisy Jing, Banish

11. They Blame Others

As soon as a sales rep starts blaming their poor performance on "problems outside of their control," it is time to let them go. Obviously, from time to time, the rep may be right and things like a site update or product revision may be needed to make sales happen, but once the excuse for lack of performance becomes the company needs to change something, cut the ties. —Laura Land, Marketplace Valet

12. Initiative Is Lacking

If you are having to push a salesperson to be proactive, it is time for them to go. If there is one thing you need from a salesperson, it is initiative. If they aren't the type to take the first step and get out there, it is going to be a tough road. —Erik Huberman, Hawke Media