New Home Sales Leaders: How to Get More from Your Mid-Level Performers
We’d like to think that all of our salespeople are superstars. Alas, it is not so. Even the most accomplished sales leaders will have to address mediocre performers at some point. We find ourselves in a red-hot new home sales market and you might be seeing every one of your sales pros crushing their numbers. So why talk about mediocrity now?
I’m glad you asked! I sat down with Mike Wise on our team for a quick interview about how sales managers can and should be recognizing mediocre performers even when the market is hot.
Mike: When you say “mediocre performer” what do you mean?
Jeff: As sales leaders, we must first understand what’s going on in the minds of our sales pros, especially in a really hot market. They might be a mediocre performer but they are probably looking at their results and feeling like a superstar.
Herein lies a fundamental problem. We have mediocre performers who have superstar numbers because the market is carrying them along. It’s very difficult to solve a problem when people don’t realize it’s a problem in the first place.
Mike: If that’s the case, how can sales leaders be proactive in helping their people recognize this?
Jeff: I believe you must begin by separating the behaviors from the results. In a hot market, there is a tendency for us to get a false read on salespeople’s performance. Everyone is selling well but that doesn’t mean everyone is practicing phenomenally strong sales behaviors.
As a sales leader, if you’re not evaluating the behaviors and you’re only looking at the results, you’re going to get false reads all day long.
Mike: When you talk about evaluating behaviors, what specific behaviors are you looking for?
Jeff: When the market is strong, it’s almost always the fundamental selling skills that are set aside. Specifically, I’m thinking about our discovery – how deeply we understand the buyer’s pain; how strong is the communication with buyers who are ready to buy; what does the follow-up effort look like, etc.
These behaviors are not market-dependent. They are behaviors that sales pros should be doing in any market. If you’re a sales leader reading this right now, ask yourself, do I know my people are doing these activities? Do I know they’re being done well?
Mike: If I’m a sales leader, how can I measure this? What are some ways to evaluate this beyond simply asking my sales pros if they’re doing them?
Jeff: Major League Baseball teams hold spring training every year before their season starts. One of the first things coaches evaluate is bunting skills.
Bunting in the MLB is often overlooked. Both the players and the fans would much rather see line drives and home runs. However, bunting is a fundamental skill in baseball and when executed well can mean the difference in winning and losing games. Therefore MLB coaches will take time to observe and work with their players to ensure they can perform the skill when they are called upon to do it. Coaches watch for even the smallest detail in the technique.
The equivalent to this in sales is role-play. This means carving out time with your sales pros to provide real-life scenarios with buyers. This should be concerning for sales leaders everywhere but the amount of practicing and role-play that we’ve seen in the last few years has diminished to the point, in many cases, to be nonexistent.
If you can’t watch them in a simulated environment and you can’t see them in an actual environment because you’re not in the field, then you really have no way of knowing if the behaviors are there.
Mike: Are you saying all I need to do is schedule practice time with my people?
Jeff: Absolutely. That’s it. There has to be regularly scheduled practice sessions to work on the fundamental behaviors that need to be executed in any market.
I recommend starting with discovery practice. Not knowing your buyer well enough is likely the number one sign of mediocrity and will also be the number one reason your reps aren’t closing more deals in any market. Make time to talk with buyers. Pick up the phone, call two buyers in backlog each week to ask them about their home buying experience thus far. Does it align with what your sales pros are telling you? When you have an opportunity to listen in on sales conversations your people are having, by all means, use that time.
Spending time with your sales pros to consistently develop and refine fundamental sales skills often determines the difference between “good” and “great” sales leaders. The time you spend here will pay huge dividends in the long run.
You’re in the business of changing people’s worlds. The ripple effect is huge. When you help your people to be better at sales, they in turn make it that much better for your buyers!
