Performance Improvement Plans (PIP) can be an amazing process for struggling sales people. Unfortunately, they’re hardly ever executed properly and simply waste everyone’s time. Typical approach:
Sales Manager to Sales Person: You’ve had two straight quarters at less than 75% of your goal. We’re putting you on a PIP, and if you don’t close 125% of your goal this quarter, we’ll have to consider letting you go.
Really? Why? Just let them go now. Stop wasting their time and yours. If they improve from 75% to 125% overnight, then they got lucky or decided to start working – both of which will result in future struggles and PIPs. All you’re really doing is paying someone to find another job. If that’s your intent, great – but don’t call it a Performance Improvement Plan.
If you’re going to put someone on a PIP, then think hard about the acronym – Performance Improvement Plan. It’s your job to build a plan to improve the sales person’s performance. We’ve developed a list of five best practices to executing a PIP.
To access the list, please click the button below:
