There is legendary story about NFL Hall-of-Fame Coach Vince Lombardi’s first season taking over the Washington Redskins. Lombardi had coached the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships, including victories in the first two Super Bowls, and was known as a vicious disciplinarian. As he entered that first season with the Redskins, the media and fans were buzzing about whether starting quarterback Sonny Jurgensen would wear a tie when traveling to games. The quarterback famously wore an open collar, as opposed to every other player in the league and Lombardi, who seemed to wear a thin black tie everywhere.
When the first opportunity approached for the coach and player to be seen in public, the media was anxiously awaiting. They were certain that Jurgensen would be sporting a tie – Lombardi would never allow such rebellious behavior. As the team was leaving their facility, not only was Jurgensen not wearing a tie but neither was Lombardi, walking right next to him.
Salespeople love hearing stories like this because it removes them from the rules, if they sell. Sales managers like them too because these stories remove the pressure that comes with conflict. If only it was this easy. It’s not. Your company is not a professional football team and these stories are usually not accurate. There are two things I believe when it comes to managing strong salespeople:
- Strong salespeople should be treated differently than the weak performers.
- Everyone, including the superstars, must follow the same set of minimum standards.
It’s a balancing act. If your 200% salesperson needs an extra day of vacation, then give her two days. However, there are certain minimum standards that she must follow, and many times those minimum standards are neglected. This is where it’s hard. This is where the great managers separate themselves. What do they do? How do they have this conversation? I’ve listed a five step process to having this type of difficult conversation with your superstar:
- Use a transition statement to make sure the superstar knows that you’re about to be critical. I call these permission statements because they give you permission to inflict a little pain with your words. I like using “This is going to sting a little bit.” Or “This is going to be a bitter pill to swallow.”
- Let them know that you realize how small this issue is compared to their performance. I like the words silly and foolish. “I feel a little foolish even bringing up this topic. The fact is that your production supports our team every month, so it’s a little silly to bring up your lack of CRM input.”
- Remind them of the status they’ve earned. “You know that I’ll always bend for you … if you need an extra day off, if you’re two weeks late with your expense report, whatever. You’ve earned the right to have flexibility on those things.”
- Explain the importance of the menial task. “But we need you to update your pipeline. Since your sales are usually the highest, we especially need your numbers so operations can prepare their resources and buy the right materials, etc.”
- Ask for their commitment. “That’s it. I don’t want to make a huge deal out of this, but I need your help. Is there any reason you can’t get these reports updated every Tuesday? I know you’re busy … which is why I’m asking.”
One last thought: make sure your minimum standards are just that – minimum. If you bother your people with every little detail, you’ll lose them – figuratively or literally.
