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The Seduction of Potential
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FROM THE SIDELINES
Chapter Eleven
The Seduction
of Potential
Excerpt From:
Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions (Hardcover)
By Keith Rosen, MCCCoaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
COACHING SALESPEOPLE INTO SALES CHAMPIONS
More Information and Resources
Tips from the Sidelines
About the Book
Reviews
About Keith
Buy the Book
Personal Coaching & Training
Video Interviews, Live Coaching and Training
The Executive Sales Coach Blog on AllBusiness.com
Articles
Have Keith Speak at Your Next Event
Coaching Top Producers - Overview
Subscription to The Winners Path Newsletter
More Books by Keith
Contact Keith Rosen
The Executive Sales Coach
Sales and Leadership Strategist
www.ProfitBuilders.com
info@profitbuilders.com
516-771-1444
Interim Coaching B Coach the Coach Boot Camp
Executive and Leadership Coaching B Corporate Coaching B Sales and Business Coaching
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 2Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND LEGAL NOTICE
This content is licensed to the original purchaser (individual and/or company) ONLY for his or
her own personal and limited use and does not include any ownership rights. Duplication or
distribution via email, CD-ROM or floppy disk, network, print or other means to a person
other than the original purchaser is a violation of International copyright law.
The material, content and concepts included in this handbook are proprietary information
and are the intellectual property of Keith Rosen, owned exclusively by Keith Rosen.
Developed by Keith Rosen. Copyright ©, 2008 Keith Rosen. All rights reserved. No part of
this handbook may be reproduced in any form, by any means (including electronic,
photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.
No sharing, distribution, adaptation, reselling, group use or repackaging.
You may not distribute change, repackage or resell this program without express written
authorization of the author. Any adaptation or corporate use requires express written
authorization of the author.
Express written authorization and a license to use this material is required if you lead a
workshop or develop and deliver a program such as a training program to a group or
company based on or including this material or these concepts.
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 3Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE SEDUCTION OF POTENTIAL
Potential Is the Holy Grail
There are three areas in which managers constantly
struggle. One area is deciding who to hire and where
to find good talent. The second is deciding who to
invest the time in turning around, and the third is
determining who to let go and when to do it. These are the tasks that
managers complain about the most.
When it comes to making these decisions about their employees,
the questions I hear most often, the ones that keep managers up at
night, sound like this:
"I'm not getting the production I need from my team, even
when I continually push them. How do you turn an
underperformer into a top producer or at least into an
average, acceptable producer?"
"When does it make sense to invest your time, money, and
resources into someone who you feel you can turn around?"
"How can I determine (with great certainty), based on a
defined set of criteria, benchmarks, and measurable steps,
when to cut the proverbial cord and let someone go?"
During a coaching workshop, on the first day of a weeklong
conference, someone asked a question about how to handle an
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 4Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
underperformer. While this manager was sharing in great detail the
challenges she was having with a salesperson she hired several months
ago, I noticed an interesting reaction from the audience. I glanced out
at a sea of people, their heads nodding up and down in agreement, as
if she was sharing not just her story but everyone's story.
She talked of an experience that practically every manager and
business owner in the room was able to relate to: an all too familiar tale
of a new, promising hire with incredible potential who wasn't working
out.
Everyone has a story about an underperformer. This manager's
story continued about a candidate with a wonderful resume, great
background, stellar references, and a seemingly positive attitude and
disposition. A candidate who was given the opportunity to work with
her. A candidate whom she felt had the potential to live up to her
expectations. A candidate whose experience seemed to be a perfect
complement to this new sales position.
I listened intently as she described this experience. Her once
positive level of exuberance, her hopes and dreams, evaporated
before our eyes, as she painfully explained how this promising young
superstar became one of her biggest disappointments, frustrations and
expense. And it wasn't as if she just called it quits after a few weeks and
fired this person. Like most managers, she invested precious time trying
to turn the person around. The more she invested in supporting and
training this person, the more her expectations were shattered.
Are you tripping over your own potential? Or worse, are you relying on
other people's potential to ensure your success?
This manager was stuck. She didn't know what to do. At this point,
this new hire was costing her money, time, selling opportunities, and
resources every day. This manager completed her story, sounding as
drained as if she and the rest of the audience were reliving their
personal staffing nightmares, touching what seemed to be an open
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 5Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
wound that simply would not heal. With what sounded like a desperate
cry for help, she concluded with something I hear quite regularly, "Keith,
what should I do?"
The room was silent. All the managers and business owners were
gripping the edges of their seats, waiting, anticipating a magnificent
piece of brilliance, a solution to this common and painfully eternal
dilemma.
My response was, "Do not be seduced by the ether of potential."
The Seduction Begins: The Ether of Potential
Yes, we are often seduced by the potential that we believe we see in
others. We see potential in the people, as well as in the opportunities, all
around us. We recognize the untapped potential in people who we
have a vested interest in: our children, spouse, coworkers, partner,
supervisor, and, of course, in our staff. We see potential in our new hires
as well as the untapped potential in the veterans on our team.
We believe that sometimes, if we wait, if we're patient, if we give
them just a little more time, more resources, better training, more
attention, they can finally live up to their potential. We believe our
employees when they tell us, "Just give me a few more weeks. I'm
about to close in on two big sales. Yes, I know my performance has
slipped, but as I told you, those personal problems that have been
distracting me are no longer there."
Quite often, managers are seduced by and get hung up on potential
opportunities and past defining moments.
We think, "Okay, if they really could turn it around that would
make my life so much easier. After all, it sure beats the painful and time-
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 6Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
consuming process of having to recruit someone new, let alone having
to figure out how to cover a territory with no salesperson!"
This belief is counterintuitive. Ironically, it costs you more to keep
someone like this on your team. More time, more lost sales, more money
and resources, more lost selling opportunities, more conflict, more
internal problems. Then you have less time to focus on growing your
business and on the people who are performing: the people who make
you look great, who are coachable, and who want to truly live their
potential today.
And that's when it happens. The seduction begins. Now, you
begin making decisions based on your emotions, feelings, hopes, and
unrealistic scenarios, rather than on the facts and what is best for you,
the company, as well as the person in question.
The seduction of potential clouds your better judgment. If you're
looking for evidence of this conundrum, then just glance over at the
people on your team today. Think about the people you have hired in
the past who did not work out. How many people can you think of who
you hired, when, in your heart, there was a warning sign, something
telling you that this person was not the right fit? Call it your gut reaction,
your instincts, or intuition. Your internal barometer was desperately
trying to tell you something, and you chose not to listen.
The Hard Cost of Complacency
How many times have you been in a situation with an underperforming
employee when every week you convinced yourself and others, "Just
one more week. He'll turn it around. I know he can do it. If he just follows
the program. Just let him get through this next project. I hope he brings
in some new business soon." I refer to this type of behavior as Mother
Teresa Syndrome. Signs that you might be suffering from this condition
would also show up in your internal dialogue. "I can save him. Just a
little more time. And I will sacrifice more and more in order to do so!"
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 7Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
We often hire people based on their potential rather than on
what they have truly and measurably achieved. As such, we try to
develop the potential we see in them. After all, the goal of
management is to make your people more valuable. The key here is
investing your time in making the right people more valuable.
Otherwise, it's a time-consuming and exhausting exercise in futility.
"Wait and see" is not a contingency plan. Hope is not a strategy.
You continue this internal battle, as you struggle to come up with
the right decision. "If he stays, maybe he will turn it around. If I fire him,
then what do I do? I have to start the recruiting and training process all
over again. What if I fire him and he goes to work for the competition
and becomes a superstar? Let's just wait and see what happens
tomorrow."
Creating extreme scenarios, relying on costly assumptions, and
making decisions that are fueled by hope, fear, and consequence still
keeps you from recognizing the truth. The truth is, as human beings we
have a tendency to lie to ourselves and then believe our own lies.
You Can't Build a Business on Potential
There is no potential in terms of how you currently define it or embrace
it in your life. The way managers rely on potential is more of a
smokescreen, a diversionary tactic, an attachment to a certain
outcome, a rationalization for their salespeople's performance, a
justification for their own behavior or for doing something they want to
do, or an excuse not to take certain actions.
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 8Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
Potential lives in the future; possibilities are created in the present
moment.
You don't hire people based on their potential. Here's a more
vivid and beneficial definition of potential. Potential is based on
something that you have not seen yet nor have evidence to support.
Potential resides in the future, fueled by your own personal
expectations. Besides, if you are attempting to make hiring decisions
based on people's potential, and the candidates haven't been living
their potential by the time you meet them, then what makes you think
they are going to start living it when you hire them?
Either people strive to live their potential each day or they don't.
It's that simple. It's management's responsibility to ensure each person
on their team has the systems, tools, resources, training, and coaching
that allows them to live their potential every day.
Besides, if you don't know whether you have made the right
hiring decision within the first 30 to 60 days, then you are in deep
trouble. If you think giving the new hire one more chance, more time, or
more training is the answer, it is not. This is a lie, a justification, and a
story that you're telling yourself (S.C.A.M.M.). Eventually the pain of
keeping that person around will become so evident that the person
either quits or gets fired. Consequently, you as the manager have
surrendered all of your power to act by choice and, instead, are now in
a state of reaction and in dire need of a new candidate. Inadvertently,
you have put yourself in the dangerous position of having to hire a new
person out of desperation; a person who you know in your heart is not
the right fit..
If neither you nor your staff are currently using and leveraging
your talents every day, then none of you are living your potential. It's
not that you cannot improve. The difference between working off
potential and lifelong improvement or building a high performance,
collaborative team of self-motivated people is this. With potential,
you're looking for something that you have not seen yet nor have
evidence for. With lifelong improvement, you're working with a known
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 9Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
quantity and have the empirical evidence (possibly from past
experiences) that supports your belief that turning this person around is
truly possible. You have the verification and evidence that the situation
can be made better.
The real problem is, managers wind up collapsing potential with
possibility. So, what truly seduces you is the potential of possibility.
What's missing for managers is certainty. It's the uncertainty, the
unknown, the fear that paralyzes managers who have to make the
decision whether to terminate someone or invest the time in turning
them around. Managers rely more on their fear based gut reactions
than on the facts.
Having certainty and confidence in their people supported by
evidence is a healthier, more productive model when creating new
possibilities. This is what I refer to as authentic human potential. The
certainty comes from having an executive sales coaching program.
Once you have a structured coaching program that holds people
accountable on a daily and weekly basis, you no longer have to make
the decision to keep them or terminate them. Now, underperformers
will make that decision for you, based on the defined set of criteria and
measurable action steps they need to take to demonstrate their
commitment to their position and to dramatically improve their
performance. A step-by-step turnaround strategy that you can employ
is covered in detail in Chapter 12.
If you are responsible for hiring, developing, and managing a
team, what process do you have in place to leverage their strengths
from the time of hire through their first 30, 60, 90, even 120 days in their
new positions? Would having a Thirty-Day New Hire Orientation Program
for every new hire based on measurable productivity steps and
objectives help you and your team? Wouldn't this simplify your life
dramatically? Now that you have a proven process documented,
either the new hire is sticking by the program and achieving the
expected results, or not. At this point, there's no room for you to be
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 10Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
seduced by the potential of possibility. There's no probation or waiting
for the year-end performance appraisals.
You can now run your business or manage your team with
greater efficiency. Once these processes are in place, you'll be able to
get back to doing what every manager is destined to do in the first
place: make your talented people more valuable.
When to Let Go
"The most rain we've had in about 80 years!" That's what the news
reported as a result of the constant rain that had been falling for days,
fully expediting my lesson about the downside of having a fully finished
basement.
In home after home in the New York area, people began the
arduous task of pumping hundreds, sometimes thousands, of gallons of
water out of their basements. Streets were like rivers, running with water
from all the basements that were being drained. And then there was
the damage, not only the structural and cosmetic damage to the
houses, but to all the possessions: miles of carpeting, furniture,
appliances, and everything else that once made a house a home.
At this point, I had been living in my new home for only about five
months, following a 15-month construction project. When we first
moved in and the movers arrived with our lifelong possessions that had
been in storage for over a year, I couldn't believe how much stuff we
had accumulated! Stuff that I've lived without for 15 months. At one
point, I asked Eddie, my mover, to take it all back. He said, "You'll
probably wind up throwing most of this out."
Well, dozens of unpacked boxes later, we found a place for
everything that Eddie was kind enough to bring back to me: in the
garage, the attic, and the basement.
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 11Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
Now ironically, not five months after moving in, this flood forced
me to throw out at least 80 percent of the boxes stored in my
basement. These were the same boxes that I paid to have in storage for
15 months, the same boxes I paid to have moved out of my old house,
into storage, and then into my new house, the same boxes that were
taking up precious real estate in my new home. The kicker is, for the
most part I had no idea what was even in the majority of these boxes!
I needed to give up. That's right, I needed to quit. Without the
flood, these boxes would probably have remained undisturbed for
years, simply taking up space and adding to household clutter. Yet,
because of this natural disaster, I was forced to clear out this clutter, the
things that I did not use or that no longer served me anymore.
Master the Art of Giving Up
Doesn't the same philosophy apply to our business, our career, and our
life? The fact is, there are things you are doing right now that are
creating the very results you want to avoid. And you may already know
this! Yet we still hold on to things that are not working: the toxic people
or relationships that we're better off without, the strategies we keep
thinking will eventually work, the limiting beliefs we have about
ourselves ("Well, that's just how I am"), the philosophies about selling,
serving our customers, as well as developing and retaining our staff.
The most productive people on the planet have mastered the art
of abandonment, that is, the ability to let go of the stuff that no longer
works. This is not only limited to what you do but also to how you think:
the limiting beliefs that keep you prisoner and stall your progress,
preventing you from moving ahead.
The Top Trigger Points of Seduction
The seductive ether of potential can show up in many areas, not just
when determining whether to turn around or terminate a salesperson.
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 12Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
Potential can cloud your judgment and overshadow what would be
considered more prudent and productive choices.
Here are 10 additional areas that have been known to seduce
managers who become tainted and corrupted by the ether of
potential. Even though it is critical that salespeople possess many of the
following characteristics, they do not replace the salespeople's inability
to reach their performance goals and maintain a certain level of
acceptable production.
1. Loyalty. Loyalty is essential, but is it paying the bills?
2. Skills. They may be talented, but are they using their talents to
produce the results you expect?
3. Efforts and Commitment. Sure, they can put forth the effort
and possess an unwavering commitment to you and the
company, but do they have the innate ability to perform at
an acceptable level?
4. Passion. Their enthusiasm can be contagious but ineffective in
posting higher sales numbers.
5. Product Knowledge. No one may know more about your
product and service. However, since this person has trouble
even closing a door, your competition thanks you for keeping
this salesperson employed.
6. Overcompensating Qualities. A gregarious, outgoing, and
warm personality certainly makes for a pleasant atmosphere,
in spite of the low numbers this salesperson continues to post
each month.
7. Perceived Additional Value. They told you they know who and
can bring in more business from which company, association,
or organization? Are their people connections, networks, and
what they say they can do for you (which has yet to
materialize) that is keeping them around a bit too long?
8. Fear. Nothing is more seductive and paralyzing than allowing
your decisions to be governed by fear as you ask yourself
questions like, "What's worse, not having a salesperson or
having an underperforming salesperson who might be able to
turn his sales numbers around? Hmm, let me chew on this one
for about seven months."
9. Ego. Allowing yourself to be driven by your ego prevents you
from learning some valuable lessons, especially as you
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 13Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
continue to sell yourself on the idea that it's not your fault.
10. Mother Teresa Syndrome. The hard reality is, it is not your job to
try and save every salesperson nor does it mean that if you
can't, you're a failure. If you can't let this one go, then you
might be better off working for a charitable organization.
Here's something I would encourage you to do. List 10 things that
you can abandon either in your behavior, actions, or in your thinking.
List the things that you are holding onto that are either no longer
working or not generating the results you really want. Learn to let go.
Who or what can you give up on today?
_________________________________________________
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Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 14Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KEITH ROSEN, MCC
THE EXECUTIVE SALES COACH
Keith Rosen is the President of Profit Builders and the executive sales coach that top
managers, sales professionals, and executives call first. As a prominent, engaging
speaker, Master Coach, and well-known author of many books and articles, Keith is
one of the foremost authorities on assisting people to achieve positive, measurable
change.
For his work as a pioneer and a leader in the coaching profession, both Inc. and Fast
Company magazines named Keith one of the five most respected and influential
executive coaches in the country. Software Sales Journal named Keith's company,
Profit Builders, one of the Top Nine Best Training Firms. Keith also sits on the advisory
board for several technology companies that are leading the Sales 2.0 evolution.
A best selling author, Keith has written several books including, Time Management for
Sales Professionals, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling, The Complete Idiot's
Guide to Closing the Sale and Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions.
Keith is one of the first out of only a handful of trainers and consultants who has
earned the distinguished Master Certified Coach designation and most important,
walks his talk.
Keith's articles can be found in Selling Power and has appeared in feature stories in
the New York Times, Inc. magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The
Washington Times, TheStreet.com and Entrepreneur radio. Keith is also a frequent
contributor on Selling Power Live, CBSNews.com, Sales and Marketing Management
and has been appointed as the Expert Sales Advisor for AllBusiness.com.
Keith lives in New York with his wife and three children.
If you're ready for better results quickly, contact Keith about personalized, one-to-
one or team coaching and training at 516-771-1444 or email info@profitbuilders.com.
Visit Keith Rosen at www.ProfitBuilders.com for Podcasts and videos and be sure to
sign up for his free newsletter The Winner's Path here.
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 15
Chapter Eleven
The Seduction
of Potential
Excerpt From:
Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions (Hardcover)
By Keith Rosen, MCCCoaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
COACHING SALESPEOPLE INTO SALES CHAMPIONS
More Information and Resources
Tips from the Sidelines
About the Book
Reviews
About Keith
Buy the Book
Personal Coaching & Training
Video Interviews, Live Coaching and Training
The Executive Sales Coach Blog on AllBusiness.com
Articles
Have Keith Speak at Your Next Event
Coaching Top Producers - Overview
Subscription to The Winners Path Newsletter
More Books by Keith
Contact Keith Rosen
The Executive Sales Coach
Sales and Leadership Strategist
www.ProfitBuilders.com
info@profitbuilders.com
516-771-1444
Interim Coaching B Coach the Coach Boot Camp
Executive and Leadership Coaching B Corporate Coaching B Sales and Business Coaching
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 2Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND LEGAL NOTICE
This content is licensed to the original purchaser (individual and/or company) ONLY for his or
her own personal and limited use and does not include any ownership rights. Duplication or
distribution via email, CD-ROM or floppy disk, network, print or other means to a person
other than the original purchaser is a violation of International copyright law.
The material, content and concepts included in this handbook are proprietary information
and are the intellectual property of Keith Rosen, owned exclusively by Keith Rosen.
Developed by Keith Rosen. Copyright ©, 2008 Keith Rosen. All rights reserved. No part of
this handbook may be reproduced in any form, by any means (including electronic,
photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.
No sharing, distribution, adaptation, reselling, group use or repackaging.
You may not distribute change, repackage or resell this program without express written
authorization of the author. Any adaptation or corporate use requires express written
authorization of the author.
Express written authorization and a license to use this material is required if you lead a
workshop or develop and deliver a program such as a training program to a group or
company based on or including this material or these concepts.
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 3Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE SEDUCTION OF POTENTIAL
Potential Is the Holy Grail
There are three areas in which managers constantly
struggle. One area is deciding who to hire and where
to find good talent. The second is deciding who to
invest the time in turning around, and the third is
determining who to let go and when to do it. These are the tasks that
managers complain about the most.
When it comes to making these decisions about their employees,
the questions I hear most often, the ones that keep managers up at
night, sound like this:
"I'm not getting the production I need from my team, even
when I continually push them. How do you turn an
underperformer into a top producer or at least into an
average, acceptable producer?"
"When does it make sense to invest your time, money, and
resources into someone who you feel you can turn around?"
"How can I determine (with great certainty), based on a
defined set of criteria, benchmarks, and measurable steps,
when to cut the proverbial cord and let someone go?"
During a coaching workshop, on the first day of a weeklong
conference, someone asked a question about how to handle an
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 4Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
underperformer. While this manager was sharing in great detail the
challenges she was having with a salesperson she hired several months
ago, I noticed an interesting reaction from the audience. I glanced out
at a sea of people, their heads nodding up and down in agreement, as
if she was sharing not just her story but everyone's story.
She talked of an experience that practically every manager and
business owner in the room was able to relate to: an all too familiar tale
of a new, promising hire with incredible potential who wasn't working
out.
Everyone has a story about an underperformer. This manager's
story continued about a candidate with a wonderful resume, great
background, stellar references, and a seemingly positive attitude and
disposition. A candidate who was given the opportunity to work with
her. A candidate whom she felt had the potential to live up to her
expectations. A candidate whose experience seemed to be a perfect
complement to this new sales position.
I listened intently as she described this experience. Her once
positive level of exuberance, her hopes and dreams, evaporated
before our eyes, as she painfully explained how this promising young
superstar became one of her biggest disappointments, frustrations and
expense. And it wasn't as if she just called it quits after a few weeks and
fired this person. Like most managers, she invested precious time trying
to turn the person around. The more she invested in supporting and
training this person, the more her expectations were shattered.
Are you tripping over your own potential? Or worse, are you relying on
other people's potential to ensure your success?
This manager was stuck. She didn't know what to do. At this point,
this new hire was costing her money, time, selling opportunities, and
resources every day. This manager completed her story, sounding as
drained as if she and the rest of the audience were reliving their
personal staffing nightmares, touching what seemed to be an open
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 5Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
wound that simply would not heal. With what sounded like a desperate
cry for help, she concluded with something I hear quite regularly, "Keith,
what should I do?"
The room was silent. All the managers and business owners were
gripping the edges of their seats, waiting, anticipating a magnificent
piece of brilliance, a solution to this common and painfully eternal
dilemma.
My response was, "Do not be seduced by the ether of potential."
The Seduction Begins: The Ether of Potential
Yes, we are often seduced by the potential that we believe we see in
others. We see potential in the people, as well as in the opportunities, all
around us. We recognize the untapped potential in people who we
have a vested interest in: our children, spouse, coworkers, partner,
supervisor, and, of course, in our staff. We see potential in our new hires
as well as the untapped potential in the veterans on our team.
We believe that sometimes, if we wait, if we're patient, if we give
them just a little more time, more resources, better training, more
attention, they can finally live up to their potential. We believe our
employees when they tell us, "Just give me a few more weeks. I'm
about to close in on two big sales. Yes, I know my performance has
slipped, but as I told you, those personal problems that have been
distracting me are no longer there."
Quite often, managers are seduced by and get hung up on potential
opportunities and past defining moments.
We think, "Okay, if they really could turn it around that would
make my life so much easier. After all, it sure beats the painful and time-
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 6Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
consuming process of having to recruit someone new, let alone having
to figure out how to cover a territory with no salesperson!"
This belief is counterintuitive. Ironically, it costs you more to keep
someone like this on your team. More time, more lost sales, more money
and resources, more lost selling opportunities, more conflict, more
internal problems. Then you have less time to focus on growing your
business and on the people who are performing: the people who make
you look great, who are coachable, and who want to truly live their
potential today.
And that's when it happens. The seduction begins. Now, you
begin making decisions based on your emotions, feelings, hopes, and
unrealistic scenarios, rather than on the facts and what is best for you,
the company, as well as the person in question.
The seduction of potential clouds your better judgment. If you're
looking for evidence of this conundrum, then just glance over at the
people on your team today. Think about the people you have hired in
the past who did not work out. How many people can you think of who
you hired, when, in your heart, there was a warning sign, something
telling you that this person was not the right fit? Call it your gut reaction,
your instincts, or intuition. Your internal barometer was desperately
trying to tell you something, and you chose not to listen.
The Hard Cost of Complacency
How many times have you been in a situation with an underperforming
employee when every week you convinced yourself and others, "Just
one more week. He'll turn it around. I know he can do it. If he just follows
the program. Just let him get through this next project. I hope he brings
in some new business soon." I refer to this type of behavior as Mother
Teresa Syndrome. Signs that you might be suffering from this condition
would also show up in your internal dialogue. "I can save him. Just a
little more time. And I will sacrifice more and more in order to do so!"
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 7Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
We often hire people based on their potential rather than on
what they have truly and measurably achieved. As such, we try to
develop the potential we see in them. After all, the goal of
management is to make your people more valuable. The key here is
investing your time in making the right people more valuable.
Otherwise, it's a time-consuming and exhausting exercise in futility.
"Wait and see" is not a contingency plan. Hope is not a strategy.
You continue this internal battle, as you struggle to come up with
the right decision. "If he stays, maybe he will turn it around. If I fire him,
then what do I do? I have to start the recruiting and training process all
over again. What if I fire him and he goes to work for the competition
and becomes a superstar? Let's just wait and see what happens
tomorrow."
Creating extreme scenarios, relying on costly assumptions, and
making decisions that are fueled by hope, fear, and consequence still
keeps you from recognizing the truth. The truth is, as human beings we
have a tendency to lie to ourselves and then believe our own lies.
You Can't Build a Business on Potential
There is no potential in terms of how you currently define it or embrace
it in your life. The way managers rely on potential is more of a
smokescreen, a diversionary tactic, an attachment to a certain
outcome, a rationalization for their salespeople's performance, a
justification for their own behavior or for doing something they want to
do, or an excuse not to take certain actions.
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 8Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
Potential lives in the future; possibilities are created in the present
moment.
You don't hire people based on their potential. Here's a more
vivid and beneficial definition of potential. Potential is based on
something that you have not seen yet nor have evidence to support.
Potential resides in the future, fueled by your own personal
expectations. Besides, if you are attempting to make hiring decisions
based on people's potential, and the candidates haven't been living
their potential by the time you meet them, then what makes you think
they are going to start living it when you hire them?
Either people strive to live their potential each day or they don't.
It's that simple. It's management's responsibility to ensure each person
on their team has the systems, tools, resources, training, and coaching
that allows them to live their potential every day.
Besides, if you don't know whether you have made the right
hiring decision within the first 30 to 60 days, then you are in deep
trouble. If you think giving the new hire one more chance, more time, or
more training is the answer, it is not. This is a lie, a justification, and a
story that you're telling yourself (S.C.A.M.M.). Eventually the pain of
keeping that person around will become so evident that the person
either quits or gets fired. Consequently, you as the manager have
surrendered all of your power to act by choice and, instead, are now in
a state of reaction and in dire need of a new candidate. Inadvertently,
you have put yourself in the dangerous position of having to hire a new
person out of desperation; a person who you know in your heart is not
the right fit..
If neither you nor your staff are currently using and leveraging
your talents every day, then none of you are living your potential. It's
not that you cannot improve. The difference between working off
potential and lifelong improvement or building a high performance,
collaborative team of self-motivated people is this. With potential,
you're looking for something that you have not seen yet nor have
evidence for. With lifelong improvement, you're working with a known
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 9Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
quantity and have the empirical evidence (possibly from past
experiences) that supports your belief that turning this person around is
truly possible. You have the verification and evidence that the situation
can be made better.
The real problem is, managers wind up collapsing potential with
possibility. So, what truly seduces you is the potential of possibility.
What's missing for managers is certainty. It's the uncertainty, the
unknown, the fear that paralyzes managers who have to make the
decision whether to terminate someone or invest the time in turning
them around. Managers rely more on their fear based gut reactions
than on the facts.
Having certainty and confidence in their people supported by
evidence is a healthier, more productive model when creating new
possibilities. This is what I refer to as authentic human potential. The
certainty comes from having an executive sales coaching program.
Once you have a structured coaching program that holds people
accountable on a daily and weekly basis, you no longer have to make
the decision to keep them or terminate them. Now, underperformers
will make that decision for you, based on the defined set of criteria and
measurable action steps they need to take to demonstrate their
commitment to their position and to dramatically improve their
performance. A step-by-step turnaround strategy that you can employ
is covered in detail in Chapter 12.
If you are responsible for hiring, developing, and managing a
team, what process do you have in place to leverage their strengths
from the time of hire through their first 30, 60, 90, even 120 days in their
new positions? Would having a Thirty-Day New Hire Orientation Program
for every new hire based on measurable productivity steps and
objectives help you and your team? Wouldn't this simplify your life
dramatically? Now that you have a proven process documented,
either the new hire is sticking by the program and achieving the
expected results, or not. At this point, there's no room for you to be
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 10Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
seduced by the potential of possibility. There's no probation or waiting
for the year-end performance appraisals.
You can now run your business or manage your team with
greater efficiency. Once these processes are in place, you'll be able to
get back to doing what every manager is destined to do in the first
place: make your talented people more valuable.
When to Let Go
"The most rain we've had in about 80 years!" That's what the news
reported as a result of the constant rain that had been falling for days,
fully expediting my lesson about the downside of having a fully finished
basement.
In home after home in the New York area, people began the
arduous task of pumping hundreds, sometimes thousands, of gallons of
water out of their basements. Streets were like rivers, running with water
from all the basements that were being drained. And then there was
the damage, not only the structural and cosmetic damage to the
houses, but to all the possessions: miles of carpeting, furniture,
appliances, and everything else that once made a house a home.
At this point, I had been living in my new home for only about five
months, following a 15-month construction project. When we first
moved in and the movers arrived with our lifelong possessions that had
been in storage for over a year, I couldn't believe how much stuff we
had accumulated! Stuff that I've lived without for 15 months. At one
point, I asked Eddie, my mover, to take it all back. He said, "You'll
probably wind up throwing most of this out."
Well, dozens of unpacked boxes later, we found a place for
everything that Eddie was kind enough to bring back to me: in the
garage, the attic, and the basement.
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 11Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
Now ironically, not five months after moving in, this flood forced
me to throw out at least 80 percent of the boxes stored in my
basement. These were the same boxes that I paid to have in storage for
15 months, the same boxes I paid to have moved out of my old house,
into storage, and then into my new house, the same boxes that were
taking up precious real estate in my new home. The kicker is, for the
most part I had no idea what was even in the majority of these boxes!
I needed to give up. That's right, I needed to quit. Without the
flood, these boxes would probably have remained undisturbed for
years, simply taking up space and adding to household clutter. Yet,
because of this natural disaster, I was forced to clear out this clutter, the
things that I did not use or that no longer served me anymore.
Master the Art of Giving Up
Doesn't the same philosophy apply to our business, our career, and our
life? The fact is, there are things you are doing right now that are
creating the very results you want to avoid. And you may already know
this! Yet we still hold on to things that are not working: the toxic people
or relationships that we're better off without, the strategies we keep
thinking will eventually work, the limiting beliefs we have about
ourselves ("Well, that's just how I am"), the philosophies about selling,
serving our customers, as well as developing and retaining our staff.
The most productive people on the planet have mastered the art
of abandonment, that is, the ability to let go of the stuff that no longer
works. This is not only limited to what you do but also to how you think:
the limiting beliefs that keep you prisoner and stall your progress,
preventing you from moving ahead.
The Top Trigger Points of Seduction
The seductive ether of potential can show up in many areas, not just
when determining whether to turn around or terminate a salesperson.
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 12Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
Potential can cloud your judgment and overshadow what would be
considered more prudent and productive choices.
Here are 10 additional areas that have been known to seduce
managers who become tainted and corrupted by the ether of
potential. Even though it is critical that salespeople possess many of the
following characteristics, they do not replace the salespeople's inability
to reach their performance goals and maintain a certain level of
acceptable production.
1. Loyalty. Loyalty is essential, but is it paying the bills?
2. Skills. They may be talented, but are they using their talents to
produce the results you expect?
3. Efforts and Commitment. Sure, they can put forth the effort
and possess an unwavering commitment to you and the
company, but do they have the innate ability to perform at
an acceptable level?
4. Passion. Their enthusiasm can be contagious but ineffective in
posting higher sales numbers.
5. Product Knowledge. No one may know more about your
product and service. However, since this person has trouble
even closing a door, your competition thanks you for keeping
this salesperson employed.
6. Overcompensating Qualities. A gregarious, outgoing, and
warm personality certainly makes for a pleasant atmosphere,
in spite of the low numbers this salesperson continues to post
each month.
7. Perceived Additional Value. They told you they know who and
can bring in more business from which company, association,
or organization? Are their people connections, networks, and
what they say they can do for you (which has yet to
materialize) that is keeping them around a bit too long?
8. Fear. Nothing is more seductive and paralyzing than allowing
your decisions to be governed by fear as you ask yourself
questions like, "What's worse, not having a salesperson or
having an underperforming salesperson who might be able to
turn his sales numbers around? Hmm, let me chew on this one
for about seven months."
9. Ego. Allowing yourself to be driven by your ego prevents you
from learning some valuable lessons, especially as you
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 13Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions - Keith Rosen
continue to sell yourself on the idea that it's not your fault.
10. Mother Teresa Syndrome. The hard reality is, it is not your job to
try and save every salesperson nor does it mean that if you
can't, you're a failure. If you can't let this one go, then you
might be better off working for a charitable organization.
Here's something I would encourage you to do. List 10 things that
you can abandon either in your behavior, actions, or in your thinking.
List the things that you are holding onto that are either no longer
working or not generating the results you really want. Learn to let go.
Who or what can you give up on today?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KEITH ROSEN, MCC
THE EXECUTIVE SALES COACH
Keith Rosen is the President of Profit Builders and the executive sales coach that top
managers, sales professionals, and executives call first. As a prominent, engaging
speaker, Master Coach, and well-known author of many books and articles, Keith is
one of the foremost authorities on assisting people to achieve positive, measurable
change.
For his work as a pioneer and a leader in the coaching profession, both Inc. and Fast
Company magazines named Keith one of the five most respected and influential
executive coaches in the country. Software Sales Journal named Keith's company,
Profit Builders, one of the Top Nine Best Training Firms. Keith also sits on the advisory
board for several technology companies that are leading the Sales 2.0 evolution.
A best selling author, Keith has written several books including, Time Management for
Sales Professionals, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling, The Complete Idiot's
Guide to Closing the Sale and Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions.
Keith is one of the first out of only a handful of trainers and consultants who has
earned the distinguished Master Certified Coach designation and most important,
walks his talk.
Keith's articles can be found in Selling Power and has appeared in feature stories in
the New York Times, Inc. magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The
Washington Times, TheStreet.com and Entrepreneur radio. Keith is also a frequent
contributor on Selling Power Live, CBSNews.com, Sales and Marketing Management
and has been appointed as the Expert Sales Advisor for AllBusiness.com.
Keith lives in New York with his wife and three children.
If you're ready for better results quickly, contact Keith about personalized, one-to-
one or team coaching and training at 516-771-1444 or email info@profitbuilders.com.
Visit Keith Rosen at www.ProfitBuilders.com for Podcasts and videos and be sure to
sign up for his free newsletter The Winner's Path here.
Copyright ©, 2008 ù Keith Rosen, ù 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com ù www.ProfitBuilders.com 15
