Do you often get clients who want to make their B players into sales superstars, or do they focus mostly on the lower-level performers?

I see 3 trends that derail top sales teams:

1. Leadership assumes that "B" stands for "bad" and go about treating the individual as though they need to be "fixed". WAM: It’s not that they’re unwilling to do the job, but it’s got more to do with ability (training) or the manager doesn’t have the skills to manage this kind of person.
2. Allow a few people with prima dona behaviors (all show, no substance) to stick around far too long. That demoralizes the top performers who wonder "why should I" breaks my neck when I don’t get much recognition or support. They aren’t willing to bite the bullet and admit they made a hiring mistake in the first place. They put their top performers at risk.
3. Have people in the wrong jobs. Put results-oriented driver types who need to be out and about behind a desk logging bingo cards into a database.

My experience is that most salespeople are driven to excel; it’s in their blood; it’s who they are. They become demoralized "B" players (most of the time) when other issues get in their way.

Julia: Why do you think it's a mistake (if you do) to neglect the B players in training and coaching?

The most important reason: You run the risk of demoralizing the majority of your production team. MOST people live in a "B" world at some point or another…personal issues, health problems, interpersonal conflicts with co-workers, etc.. "A" performers are typically a smaller percentage of your team.

It’s a double bad whammy for your organization. Not only are you ignoring the majority of people you have spent a lot of money on (recruiting, training, establishing client relations), but now you compound that by hampering their ability to make you more money? It just doesn’t make sense economically. If you’re not going to invest in their development, why in the world would you hire them in the first place?

That’s like buying a race horse as a colt and never teaching it how to come out of the gate, then whipping it for running behind the rest of the pack.

Julia: What do you think are the star qualities that make A players who they are?

• They are driven by results
• They don’t hesitate to get their needs met; they develop the skills they need to be successful (Albert Bandura)
• They will move themselves to a new organization if need be to be successful
• They see every prospect interaction as an investment in a long-term relationship vs quick hits
• They are self-contained "think tanks" and highly creative
• They thrive on autonomy, and a variety of new and different activities
• They will rock the boat; they don’t see value in playing by the rules if it gets in the way of making the sale or getting the product to the client

Julia: What do you think are the greatest roadblocks for people who are "almost great?"

• Poor management/leadership; smart leaders know how to develop people and know whether it’s a good job fit in the first place. They also know how to get the best out of their people
• Poor job fit
• See no payoff for the price they have to pay to get to great

Julia: What advice would you give for coaching your B players into A players?

1. Get to know what makes them tick. Ask them questions like:

• What was the best motivation you’ve experienced in a job…what was the most demoralizing?
• Describe your most successful mentoring relationship. What made it so great?
• If you could pick 2-3 rewards you’d like to earn for yourself this year what would they be?
• How could I get in your way? (This is easier for them to articulate and it will tell you lots)

2. Pair them with a partner who can show them the ropes; don’t overburden your "A" players with too much of this however. Spread it around and pay attention to personality types.
3. Give them incremental goals to achieve; don’t expect them to go from 0-60 in 3 weeks. Step it up gradually and meet with them periodically to see how they’re doing.
4. Reward, reward, reward, but make it relevant to what rewards motivate them
5. Let them know how much you value them; be aware of the cost of turnover

Julia: How do you think this differs from coaching someone who is only mediocre?

If you’ve addressed the above issues and they are not able or not willing to improve performance, the best thing you can do for everyone is to help them respectfully "self-select" into another position or to another company. Have a frank conversation with the person…this job isn’t working for you, is it? Most of the time these folks are miserable because they are unsuccessful, they know it, and they’re just waiting for the hammer to fall. You can save yourself court costs if you make it an easy transition for everyone.

Julia: Can you provide examples of B players who became A players after they improved upon what was keeping them back?

They learned about themselves; what made them tick; what they need from their job; didn’t feel like they were crazy or wrong or flawed.

Julia: Any anecdotes or examples of clients who fit this case study would be great, keeping in mind that most of our readers are B-to-B salespeople and managers?

A very high profile software company had an individual who used very foul language not only around his co-workers, but also as he was putting his phone on mute while speaking with his customers.  It was very demoralizing for his co-workers, but leadership never addressed it. The person ended up transferring to another division of the company in another city.

A VP of Business Development brings in a ton of money for his organization, but he knows he can bring in much more. He’s decided that he’s found a comfortable niche that brings balance to his family, however.  He’s decided it’s not worth it to push himself any harder because he’s not getting any recognition for his hard work and the limelight is going to one of those prima-donna’s who he has been "carrying" in terms of revenue to the company.

There is a very highly paid salesperson who is itching to get out of her present job; she’s spending her time as an order taker rather than the sales work she was hired to do.