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Super Star Salesperson

ddavis

Boss
Jun 28, 2011
1,491
496
First Name
Doug
Being back in Dallas, I really enjoyed catching up with one of my best friends and his wife. My friend had invited me over for pizza and beer but was running late having been called back to deliver a car. His wife had worked for me and we are also good friends. While we were waiting for him to get home, she told me that the previous Saturday, he had sold and delivered ten cars. That is a first for me. I have never known of anyone selling a delivering ten cars in a day. He is old school and still has paper files and a manual system for keeping track of his customers. He works in used cars and isn't part of the internet department.

His success is dependent on repeat and referral customers. He has been Salesperson of the Year, for seven straight years, at that store, and is well on his way to deliver over 400 vehicles. Being retail, he makes gross on what he sells. I have tried to recruit him but he has no interest in a management job. He works his schedule, makes more than all but two at this store, and values his time off.

You would think that the managers would embrace having someone, like this, in their organization but this is far from the case. He has become so successful, that most of the managers resent him. He told me that he has learned to cope with the situation by staying in his own lane. He avoids any unnecessary conversation with the managers and most of the other employees. Obviously, he stays busy and doesn't have time for much idle chit chat.

I am still amazed that he is such an asset to this organization and feels alienated by it.
 
Doug,

Managers have to manage all the sales people and not just the superstar. If one guy sales 10 cars but it burns the other 5 sales guys's heads you got a problem.

12 years ago I sold cars while in college and I was one of the few sales people that spoke Spanish in an area that was getting a huge influx of Hispanics. I worked only FR to SUN because I was going to college during the week and I sold as many cars as the best sales guy they had just because the business came to me. Hispanics would come and ask for my name. It became a huge problem for the owner of the place.
 
Yago, are you supposed to get rid of a great salesperson because other employees are jealous of his success? There is no mystery to what this guy does. He doesn't have an unfair advantage. He has developed a huge customer following. He keeps in contact and asks for repeat and referral business.
 
You would think that the managers would embrace having someone, like this, in their organization but this is far from the case. He has become so successful, that most of the managers resent him.

Yago, are you supposed to get rid of a great salesperson because other employees are jealous of his success? There is no mystery to what this guy does. He doesn't have an unfair advantage. He has developed a huge customer following. He keeps in contact and asks for repeat and referral business.


Doug,

I didn't say they need to get rid of him, but you post the question of why he may be rejected instead of loved and the hard reality is that often times is better for a manager to have 2 guys that sell 15 cars instead of 1 that sales 30.
 
Yago, it is true but anyone can manage a green pea. You tell them to stand on their head, in the corner, and they will be there an hour later. Some of your best salespeople offer the greatest challenges. A Sales Manager that can attract, retain, motivate and control quality people sets them apart from the average.
 
I agree with Doug and with Yago.

Not that this is the case with Doug's friend, but I did work for many, many years with the top-grossing guy in a big organization.

Problem was, he was a showroom-killer. Sure, he sold his 20-25 cars per month (and averaged over $50K in gross per month), but he was so toxic to the other people that you could never build a decent "team" in the showroom. As a result, the store actually suffered.

Upper brass could never really understand -- they see units and dollars and kiss his ass. But they could never really answer the question: how can we have the Top Guy around, and still get our asses kicked by the guy up the street every month??

On the other hand, I worked with a 30-unit a month guy forever too. Helped everyone who asked for help -- preached to anyone who wanted to listen.

That store was the BEST in a wide, wide area -- competing with metro's.

Moral of the story: sometimes there's more to the numbers.
 
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John, nice to see you around. We worked together at a couple of stores, for a period of over 6 years, without any issues. He was very well liked at both stores. The managers loved him because he held gross, had a positive attitude and all of his deals were tight. When you filled out the check sheets, everything was there. If F&I lost something, he always had a copy.

Yago, John and I don't usually agree. I think that the theropy and medication are working.
 
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Purple tie & green dots? hmmm...

The top dog at my dealer was untouchable...if he looked at a customer it was a half deal, never had the CRM enforced, disappeared for hours...

Is noting he would be the idea person of which to make an example, I was told I just didn't understand how the business really works.

Well, he quit after 6 years on the 2nd of March - Last month might not have been a record month, but it was a good month - AND a peaceful one too! More CRM usage, less whining, more teamwork, less drama.

Brooming 3 average deals out the door, never to return, to get 1 big deal was bad for everyone-but the problem fixed itself.
 
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