“Make decisions on people — selection, placement and evaluation — your top priority.” — Peter Drucker
In my recent travels, one issue I have noticed is companies that did not “right-size” because of last year’s hot market are just now coming to grips with the fact that 2010 will be challenging. One Top Ten lender is faced with a 50 percent reduction of sales staff. It is interesting how companies have not been more aggressive in their planning. In my view, the paradigm for the financial industry has already shifted to a “less is more” mentality. Executives are challenged to get more from better and fewer people.
Similar to sports teams who must determine if they have the right combination to compete for a Super Bowl or World Series, culling the talent pool will be a frequent activity for sales managers. What is the sales talent make-up of your current team? Do you have the sales talent in place to ensure that your team is a winner?