Managing Underperformance

3 months ago, a CEO called me: "Our sales team isn't hitting numbers. We need better salespeople." I asked to see their CRM data before they fired anyone. What I found shocked them: → Their top performers were closing at 22% → Their "underperformers" were at 7% Seems obvious who to keep, right? But then I looked at their sales ACTIVITIES: The "underperformers" were making - 3X more calls, - sending 2X more emails, - and booking 40% more meetings. The problem wasn't the salespeople. It was the sales PROCESS. The top performers had: - Better territories - Legacy accounts - Easier products - More support The company was about to fire their hungriest, most active salespeople because of how they'd structured their sales operation. Within 60 days of fixing their: - Territory design - Lead distribution - Product packaging - Sales enablement resources The "underperformers" increased close rates to 20% while maintaining their high activity levels. Revenue jumped 134%. As a sales growth consultant, I've seen this pattern repeatedly: Companies blame salespeople when the real problem is how the sales function is built. Your team can't outwork a broken sales system. Look at your bottom performers: If they're putting in the work but not getting results, don't fire them. Fix what's standing in their way. The fastest path to sales growth isn't hiring "better" people. It's removing the barriers preventing your current team from succeeding. P.S. If you need help with your sales, send me a message

30 60 90 Day Plans can be a very useful and simple method to drive specific process improvement projects or initiatives I generally use them to plan out specific projects and goals within an overall Continuous Improvement (CI) approach. 💠 I start with identifying a specific issue, and then breaking down the plan into three phases- 30 days, 60 days and 90 days. That's all kept very high-level, as in the visual below. 💠 The first 30 days are usually focused on learning and planning, the next 30 days are focused on implementation and monitoring and the final 30 days are focused on evaluation and optimization. The whole approach is kept in line with Lean Six Sigma thinking: PDSA- Plan Do Study Act and DMAIC- Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. 💠 Beyond the high-level plan, it's important to get into the nitty gritty details of improvement. This involves setting specific milestones for the end of each of the 30 day periods and agreeing roles and responsibilities with each team member. 💠 It is REALLY important to have systems and processes that support scheduled check-ins. If you are using cycle planning, the team must agree how they will communicate and collaborate. It may be a mixture of daily huddles, weekly team meetings, 1:1's or something else. 💠 It helps to use simple project management tools (e.g. Trello, Asana, or Microsoft Project) to visualize progress and manage tasks. Just make sure that support is high if people are unfamiliar with the technology as technology could be barrier otherwise! 💠 I like to keep it simple and at the end of each 30-day period, review the progress made towards the milestones. Discuss what worked well and what didn’t, and use these insights to improve the next phase. 💠 Remember to recognize all efforts and celebrate the achievements at each milestone. 💠 And when it comes to evaluation, conduct a thorough review of the entire initiative at the end of 90 days. Assess the outcomes against the original objectives. Gather feedback from the team on the process and outcomes to inform future projects. 💠 Really importantly, build in a continuous improvement approach to your process management. Establish a routine of regular feedback, monitoring, and adaptation to continually improve the process. Have you any experience with cycle planning? Have you any tips for people? Leave your thoughts in the comments 🙏 #changemanagement #strategicplanning #goals #continuousimprovement #cycleplanning #projectmanagement

I used to get jealous when I saw people brag about their accomplishments on LinkedIn. I understand why they do it, they're just going about it the wrong way. Highlighting your credibility helps build your personal brand which can build your bank account. But what if there was a way to show what you've achieved, while also displaying authenticity and empathy at the same time? There is, and I inadvertently created a three-step process for it. Whenever I share one my wins, I include the following: ‣ The thing I accomplished ‣ Something that occurred behind the scenes ‣ What can you learn from this experience that will help you For example: ‣ I was recently cast in a reality TV show ‣ I was told to dress a certain way for the premiere, I declined ‣ Rather than conforming to a culture, you can choose to contribute instead. ‣ I spoke at the Speak Your Way to cash event in Atlanta ‣ I forgot my belt so I had to make one out of two lanyards ‣ Being prepared is great, but sometimes you gotta improvise ‣ I interviewed Gary Vaynerchuk for Fiverr's series The Signal ‣ I was traveling at the time and had to ask ConvertKit to borrow their studio ‣ You’ll be amazed at who’s willing to help you, especially if you’ve nurtured the relationship These are all legit accomplishments. However, if I just focus on what I’ve done it doesn't help anyone but me. So try this out next time you have a big win (or even a small one) You’ll still get the acknowledgement. But if you help others along the way, you’ll gain fans and friends instead of followers and fakes. Plus, who’s going to share a post where someone else just brags about how great they are? ______ ♻️ If this post was helpful or inspiring, please share it and follow Terry Rice for more.

How can you overcome the strict Net PPM targets of your Vendor Manager? By giving #Amazon what it wants (but not in the way you think). ❌ Don't sign a cost support agreement ❌ Don't guarantee Amazon's margins ❌ Don't even agree with the narrative Vendor Managers threatening to suppress ASINs want only one thing: 𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸. Net PPM targets act as a proxy for these discussions, as they are visible to both you and Amazon. But what's critical to remember is that Net PPM does not reflect any supply chain initiatives that reduce costs for Amazon (e.g. Vendor Flex, Direct Import or Direct Fulfilment). However, it does include inefficiencies caused by Amazon itself (e.g. over-ordering of products leading to overstock markdowns affecting Net PPM). This requires you to do two things: ✅ Record and quantify the impact of Amazon-led issues on PCOGs and Net PPM ✅ Define a plan that increases the sales share of your accretive assortment. Every dollar you spend on promos and advertising should be directed to items that stabilise your net margins and Amazon's Net PPM. If you want to go the extra mile, highlight the possibility of any supply chain initiatives your teams are willing to implement to unlock cost savings for both parties. And if all fails, escalate to Amazon's leadership teams. --- How do you engage in Net PPM discussions with your Vendor Manager? Let me know in the comments! #amazonvendor #amazonstrategy

Deadlines keep slipping, mistakes pile up - your once-reliable teammate is suddenly underperforming. What now? First: Pause and Diagnose Underperformance is rarely intentional. Possible causes: → Personal struggles or burnout. → Skill mismatch or unclear expectations. → Low motivation or disengagement. Step-by-Step Game Plan 1. Start with Empathy “I’ve noticed you seem swamped lately—how are you doing?” An open question signals you’re there to listen, not judge. 2. Deliver Clear, Constructive Feedback • Share specific examples of missed targets. • Focus on behaviors, not character. Co-Create a Recovery Plan • Set small, measurable goals and weekly check-ins. • Offer training, resources, or a mentor. Be Patient but Firm • Celebrate incremental wins. • Keep timelines realistic, yet hold accountability. Last Resort: Tough Decisions If performance doesn’t improve despite support, you may need to reassign or part ways, but only after every avenue is explored. Great leaders balance results with humanity. Often, a dose of empathy plus a clear roadmap turns an underperformer into a top contributor. Over to You How have you handled underperformance on your team? What’s one tactic that actually turned things around? Drop your insights below! 👇 #leadership #peoplemanagement #teamperformance #workplaceculture

"Improve your discovery" isn't coaching. It's lazy leadership. 'Generate more pipeline' is absolutely worthless advice. And it's why your rep is still struggling. Sales isn't about big moves. It's about tiny adjustments. Aim small. Miss small. Yet most leaders give advice so broad you could drive a truck through it: "More revenue" "Better discovery" "Handle objections" "Close more deals" Cool. HOW? I had a rep scoring 95% on their call reviews. Crushing discovery. Building rapport. Creating urgency. Still couldn't close a deal to save their life. Why? They scored 0% on the close. Zero. Everything else was perfect. But they'd get to the end and freeze up. Stumble. Rush through it. One tiny miss. Entire deal dead. That's sales. A game of inches. You can nail 47 minutes of a call and blow it in the last 3. The fix wasn't "improve your closing." The fix was specific: - Stop rushing when you sense hesitation - Ask "What questions haven't I answered yet?" before ANY close - Use silence after pricing (count to 5 in your head) - Never end with "Does that make sense?" Four tiny adjustments. Close rate went from 12% to 31% in 6 weeks. Here's what real coaching sounds like: ❌ "Improve discovery" ✅ "Ask a second-layer question after every pain point" ❌ "Handle objections better" ✅ "When they say 'too expensive,' respond with 'compared to what?'" ❌ "Build more pipeline" ✅ "Add 10 connects on LinkedIn before your first call block" ❌ "Be more confident" ✅ "Stand up during your cold calls and smile when you dial" Specificity wins. Your rep doesn't need motivation. They need a microscope. Because in sales, millimeters matter. Miss the small things? You'll miss everything. Aim small. Miss small.

Picture walking into your favorite coffee shop, a new boutique, or a busy hotel lobby. Who welcomes you? Who keeps things running smoothly & ensures you receive excellent service? 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 & 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽. The connection is undeniable. Gallup polling shows that 73% of workers are less likely to feel burned out when their employers recognize & care about them. And 26% of frontline workers say a lack of recognition negatively impacts their productivity. For businesses that depend on frontline workers, recognition isn’t just a nice-to-have - it’s a performance driver. ❌ Unfortunately, frontline workers often don’t receive the same recognition as office-based employees. ❌ With limited face-to-face time with managers & HR, their contributions can be overlooked in traditional recognition programs. ✅ Working in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, they need a recognition approach that’s immediate, relevant & impactful. Anyway, let’s get to the point. 𝟰 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹: 1️⃣ Celebrate achievements in real time  Recognition should be immediate & visible. Call it out as it happens. Practical Tip: Equip managers with a tool like Beekeeper that makes it easy to spotlight accomplishments in team chats, newsletters & company-wide announcements - all from a single mobile app embedded in the frontline worker’s flow of work. 2️⃣ Encourage peer-to-peer recognition  Create a peer recognition program where employees can nominate colleagues for going above & beyond with instant recognition posts on your Employee App. 3️⃣ Tailor rewards to individual preferences  Not all employees want the same type of recognition. While some value financial incentives, others prefer additional time off or career development opportunities. Practical Tip: Integrating Beekeeper with a rewards platform like Snappy or Bucketlist Rewards, managers can instantly deliver personalized rewards to employees, all with just a few clicks. 4️⃣ Make recognition part of everyday conversations Practical Tip: Implement monthly or quarterly recognition initiatives, such as “Frontline MVP” awards or milestone celebrations. Small, frequent acts of appreciation have even greater influence than one-time ceremonies that could feel scripted or lack authenticity. Recognition isn’t just a feel-good gesture - it’s the key to higher engagement, stronger retention, & better performance of your frontline sheroes & heroes. A culture of recognition starts today. ➡️ 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮? 🍯

Confronting an underperforming employee is never easy. Here’s my guide to make sure it doesn’t go off the rails. Schedule a one-on-one meeting with the employee. Send the invite at least one day in advance via email, using a generic title like “Discussion”. Write detailed notes on what you plan to cover in the meeting. Meeting tone: Once the meeting starts, avoid small talk and get down to the matter at hand immediately. Maintain a positive and constructive attitude.  Focus on the facts, the impact, and the solutions. Do not focus on the personalities, the emotions, or point fingers. The beats of the meeting: Open by stating that this is going to be a difficult conversation about their performance issues. Make it clear that the goal of this meeting is to find a way for them to improve. This sets the tone. Next, describe the circumstances that have made this discussion necessary. Be specific about actions, dates and times, and tell them what the impact of their underperformance has been on the business and other co-workers. If applicable, tell them exactly where they’ve violated your policies. Get the employee’s perspective: Do they feel they have the necessary time, support, and resources to perform their job? Has anything changed in the business that has an impact on the employee’s performance? Has anything changed outside of the business, like a personal issue or health problem? Be clear about your expectations: Be specific, e.g. “Your job starts at 8 a.m. from Monday through Friday. You should be at your desk and available to answer client calls by that time every business day.” Together with the employee, make a detailed action plan you both understand and agree on. Set specific steps, deadlines, and targets. Include what you will do to support them. You should both sign and date the document. Schedule several followup meetings to check in on their progress. Once you’re done, update your meeting notes to include everything you discussed. Follow up: Send a recap of the meeting and your agreed upon action plan to the employee immediately after the meeting. If you have any to-do items on your side, get through them ASAP. You want them feeling the urgency of the situation. From there, things will go in one of two directions: Hopefully, the situation will improve. If it does, give that employee recognition. Refer specifically to what they’ve accomplished. Sometimes, things don’t get better. At that point, it’s time to move towards parting ways. — I hope this helps. Thoughts on this process? Comment below!

Why do 95% of entrepreneurs struggle with accountability? Because they think setting a goal is enough to achieve it. No goal is achieved without ongoing effort and a feedback loop. No entrepreneur gets excited about the idea of chasing a goal indefinitely without milestones. Restructure your approach to goals as “accountability sprints” to help you stay on track and achieve more. You create urgency and build commitment by starting with a defined sprint timeline. So, here’s the formula: 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙭 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙎𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙨 My pro-tip? Think in 2-week or 1-month sprints. Make sure you can allot 1.5 hours a day to the goal. By focusing on accountability, you concentrate on effective steps, not just the end goal. So, when planning your approach, here’s (generally) the form it should take: • 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹: What are you aiming to achieve? • 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: What steps will you take? • 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 2 weeks to 1 month • 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗶𝗻𝘀: Regular accountability sessions • 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿: a reward for meeting milestones Here's an example: Instead of “Increase revenue,” aim for this: • 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹: “Boost revenue by 10% in the next month.” • 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Execute focused marketing campaigns and enhance your sales process, broken down into manageable 1.5-hour tasks to tackle each weekday. • 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 1-month sprint broken down into weekly milestones. • 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗶𝗻𝘀: Hold weekly reviews to monitor progress. • 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱: a personal treat for hitting the target 📌 Use time constraints to leverage the best strategies for achieving the goals By embracing accountability and structured planning, you set yourself up for success. Now go find an accountability buddy who will hold you to it! 👉DM if you'd like to receive my checklist on selecting the ideal accountability partner and how to conduct effective accountability reviews. --- Enjoyed this? Follow me Tanya Alvarez Or share it with a friend ♻️,

I’ve coached over 700 tech sellers, trained teams at Salesforce, Xerox, and SAP, and ran Pavilion’s Enterprise Sales School. And after all that… I can tell you the 3 things most AEs blame for failure (territory, timing, and talent) are complete nonsense. Here’s what actually kills sales careers + how to fix it: Everyone wants to believe they’re one reorg, one lucky territory, one “hot account” away from hitting quota. But the truth is far simpler... and way harder. I’ve seen reps inherit dead patches and turn them into top-performing regions. I’ve seen others, with “dream accounts,” miss by 50%. Same company. Same product. Same playbook. Different habits. Because success in sales rarely comes down to skill. It comes down to 5 disciplines most sellers never master: 1. Lack of discipline Most AEs only spend 2–3 hours a day on revenue-generating activities. The top 1% do 4–6. That’s the difference between $250K and $500K. Discipline isn’t working hard once a week. It’s doing the right things daily, even when it sucks. 2. Lack of focus Your company will pull you in 100 directions (campaigns, reports, random Slack pings). You need to say “no” 10x more often. Focus means knowing your top 5 accounts and living inside them. The 80/20 rule isn’t theory. It’s survival. 3. Self-centered selling When you focus on “closing,” you lose the buyer. When you focus on helping, you win the deal. The best sellers don’t chase. They serve. They walk into meetings genuinely curious about what their buyer cares about. 4. No plan If you can’t tell me what accounts you’ll close this quarter, who the decision-makers are, and how much pipeline you need to hit your income goal… You’re not in sales. You’re in hope. 5. No support system Most sellers try to go it alone. But elite performance isn’t built in isolation. You need community. Every top performer I’ve ever coached surrounded themselves with others playing at that level. I’ve built that exact community with Untap Your Sales Potential A mastermind of elite sellers who are doubling their income by fixing these 5 areas. If you’re tired of blaming your territory, your manager, or “bad timing”… And you’re ready to build the habits that make success inevitable. Join us for a free LIVE training next week (11/3): “How To Have the Best Q4 of Your Entire Sales Career” I'm showing you the exact system I used to close $1.2M in Q4 starting when I was 50% behind plan. This is our last workshop of 2025. Don't miss it. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gcd8APTr