| Tagged in: Sales Training , kate dunn , Digital Innovations Group , dig , conditions of employment , Company Culture , 100% commission | Aug 24, 2010 |
| Posted by: Kate_Dunn | Comment (0) |
I spoke with a company today who is in the process of providing training to their sales team. Margins have been shrinking in this industry for years due the commoditization of the product and increased competition. This trend was exacerbated by the recession and many sales reps have seen their incomes drop anywhere from 30% to 50% in the last few years. The management team decided to spend a bundle on training to help the sales team learn to position their products as value generation tools and not commodities. During the first weekly session one of the reps opted out of the rest of the training.
Management in relaying the story to me wasn’t surprised. They didn't want to expend resources on a person who wasn't receptive so they were glad to see him go. Leave the training I mean, not the company. The rep is on 100% commission so he is sleeping in the bed he made for himself. However, let’s examine this further. Why isn’t he worried about his dwindling income? Why isn’t he afraid of losing his position? Why isn’t he afraid of trying to find another job in the midst of record unemployment?
Why isn't his company worried about how this attitude will manifest itself with customers and other employees? What's the value of the lost opportunities he will fail to develop as he continues instead to sell the old fashion way by quoting and hoping?
Even if he didn’t plan to learn anything, why wasn’t it easier to just go with the flow? He certainly could have sat there during each session, feigning interest and day dreaming about his next yard project as millions of sales reps have done before him. Had he chosen this more frequented path, he would not have called attention to himself and at least maintained the illusion of a team player, a committed employee. He might have actually learned something too, albeit by accident. But he chose to renounce the training rather than participate apparently without fear of reprisal.
Is this just total disregard for his employer, his job, his family, himself? Or is this what happens when there are no conditions of employment?
Management in relaying the story to me wasn’t surprised. They didn't want to expend resources on a person who wasn't receptive so they were glad to see him go. Leave the training I mean, not the company. The rep is on 100% commission so he is sleeping in the bed he made for himself. However, let’s examine this further. Why isn’t he worried about his dwindling income? Why isn’t he afraid of losing his position? Why isn’t he afraid of trying to find another job in the midst of record unemployment?
Why isn't his company worried about how this attitude will manifest itself with customers and other employees? What's the value of the lost opportunities he will fail to develop as he continues instead to sell the old fashion way by quoting and hoping?
Even if he didn’t plan to learn anything, why wasn’t it easier to just go with the flow? He certainly could have sat there during each session, feigning interest and day dreaming about his next yard project as millions of sales reps have done before him. Had he chosen this more frequented path, he would not have called attention to himself and at least maintained the illusion of a team player, a committed employee. He might have actually learned something too, albeit by accident. But he chose to renounce the training rather than participate apparently without fear of reprisal.
Is this just total disregard for his employer, his job, his family, himself? Or is this what happens when there are no conditions of employment?
