C Level Sales Reps in an A Level Market (A Note to the Sales Manager)

It’s better to have an A-Level Salesperson in a C-Market than it is to have a C-Level Salesperson in an A-Market.

In a target poor environment, an A-Level Salesperson will work to find the opportunities that do exist, and they’ll work to put them over the line. In a tough economy, the A-Level Salesperson will work to make deals where opportunities are difficult to create. In good markets or bad, in roaring economies or stagnating economies, the A-Level Salesperson will perform.

But even in a target rich environment, a C-Level Salesperson won’t be able to create opportunities because they don’t have the skills or they don’t have the willingness, the desire. Even when the economy is on fire, the C-Level Salesperson turns in C-Level performance. A C-Level Salesperson is a C-Level Salesperson in every market.

Generally, an A-Level Salesperson in a C-Market will outperform a C-Level Salesperson in an A-Market.

Hiring matters. It’s not enough to ensure you have your headcount. You also have to field the very best team you are capable of putting on the field. It’s never the land that’s to blame for your sales results; it’s the man you put in the territory that matters most.

You also want to make sure you have your best salespeople on your biggest and best opportunities. It may not be fair to the C-Level Salesperson, but it’s even more unfair to deprive the sales organization of the revenue and profit that come from winning the best leads.

Your ultimate goal is to put the best people you can in every territory. It’s your goal to put salespeople who can create value in front of your clients, salespeople they will want to buy from.

Questions

How do you distribute territories to your sales team?

What’s wrong with trying to be fair to everyone on the sales team?

How do you determine who gets the best leads, the best opportunities, and biggest clients?

Can you help a C-Level Salesperson turn in an A-Level performance by giving them the right territory?