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4 Reasons Your Sales Team Is Not Performing—And What to Do About It

SalesSales & Marketing

Is your sales team not performing? The first step to fixing any problem is to recognize that you have a problem, and then figure out what the problem is. Here are four reasons your sales team is not performing and how you can help.

4 reasons your sales team is not performing

Reason #1: You haven’t provided a sales process

I recently heard about a salesperson who had been working for a company for a while, never sold anything during that time, and is just now starting to make some sales. What took so long? Management finally realized that she didn’t know how to sell. They didn't know that it was their job to show their salespeople how to sell.

You would never send someone to work on an assembly line and tell them to put the objects together any way they want. So if you're in sales, why would you tell someone to simply go sell? That makes no sense. Yet, that’s how too many sales organizations operate. Over the years I've heard sales managers say, “We only hire people who can sell.”

Let me be the first to tell you: Your sales process may be different from another company's. It is management’s job to explain and teach the sales process. If your sales team is not performing, it may be because you need to walk them through the process.

Reason #2: You have made the sales process difficult

It’s a sales manager’s job to get rid of any obstacles in a salesperson’s way. That means you have to know what is working and what’s not working for your sales team. Your job is to put a stop to anything that's not working and to improve on what is working.

How do you figure out what's not working? To improve sales, simply ask your sales team what’s not working and ask them to share any problems they're having. You also should be with them on sales calls to observe firsthand what’s not working. Sometimes salespeople may not even know there is a problem.

Reason #3: You are not providing feedback

What kind of feedback are you giving members of your sales team? Do you provide frequent feedback or only when it's time for a performance review? It's important to pay attention and recognize good performance. This will help motivate your sales team and ultimately improve sales. Showing you are aware of what your team is doing and complimenting them also provides positive reinforcement.

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Reason #4: A team member is not suited for sales

How do you determine whether someone is suited for sales? One way is to look at their attitude. Compare their attitude when they first started to what their attitude now. Were they enthusiastic in the beginning and now they're not? Did they start out willing to learn, and now that’s no longer the case? Have they made an effort to fit in with the rest of the sales team? A change in a salesperson's attitude shows me they aren’t selling, and unless there’s an intervention, they are not going to make it in sales.

I have a rule: too many red flags and the person isn’t suited for sales. For example, salespeople have to be good listeners, so I should only have to say something once. If I have to tell someone the same thing twice, then either they’re not listening, they’re disorganized, or they’re choosing to ignore me. All three of these reasons are sales killers.

I’ve made another observation about people who are not suited for sales. Their first day is their best day and it’s downhill from there, or their performance on their first day is unacceptable and they will not improve. However, someone who is suited for sales is different: They show enthusiasm. They are looking to learn. They’re team players. These observations are all evident from the beginning.

Realize that if a salesperson isn’t selling, then it's either because they aren’t implementing your sales process (see reason #1—you supplied it, right?) or they aren’t incorporating your feedback (see reason #3—which you’re giving, right?) Either way, it means the person is not suited for sales. Once you realize this, your best options are to either find a different job for them or cut them loose.

To improve sales, don't create barriers

Managing salespeople is a very important part of successful selling. To help your sales team perform, be sure you’re doing all you can to support your salespeople and avoid creating barriers to the selling process.

RELATED: How to Become a Successful Sales Manager Who Gets Results

Profile: Maura Schreier-Fleming

Maura Schreier-Fleming is president of Best@Selling, a sales training and sales consulting company. She works with business and sales professionals to increase sales and earn larger profits. She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results and Monday Morning Sales Tips. Maura focuses on sales strategies and tactics that lead to better sales results. Maura is a sales expert for WomenSalesPros. She is part of their group of top sales experts who inspire, educate, and develop salespeople and sales teams.She speaks internationally on influence, selling skills, and strategic selling at trade association and sales meetings, demonstrating how her principles can be applied to get results. She successfully worked for over 20 years in the male-dominated oil industry with two major corporations, beginning at Mobil Oil and ending at Chevron Corp. She was Mobil Oil’s first female lubrication engineer in the U.S. and was one of Chevron’s top five salespeople in the U.S. having sold over $9 million annually. Maura writes several columns to share her sales philosophies. She's been quoted in the New York Times, Selling Power, and Entrepreneur.