Columnists

Squirrel Spotting: 10 Things Not To Do To Your Salespeople

ColumnistsSep 08, 2020

Squirrel Spotting: 10 Things Not To Do To Your Salespeople

From not micro-managing to not making them managers, Peter Smith lists 10 things retailers should avoid if they want to hold onto their top salespeople.

peter-smith.jpg
Peter Smith is president of Memoire and Hearts On Fire. He is author of two books, “Hiring Squirrels,” and “Sell Something.” Connect with Smith on LinkedIn or at dublinsmith@yahoo.com.
I’ve written plenty about how to hire and manage salespeople.

So I thought it might be interesting to compile a list of what not to do when it comes to them.

Here’s a list of 10. Let me know if you have any suggestions to add; you can email them to me or leave them in the comments below.

1) Don’t Subject Them to an Up System
Your most talented salespeople should spend as much time as possible in front of customers.

Forcing them to take a number while less capable salespeople engage customers is frustrating for them and bad for business.

They give your company the best opportunity to make sales, and they give your customers the best opportunity to have a great experience.

2) Don’t Deny Them a Meritocracy
No matter what plan you use for compensation—base, commission, bonuses, etc.—make sure your best salespeople make the most money.

Compensation plans designed to create a level playing field (i.e., we don’t pay commission but we all share the rewards equally), however well intentioned, miss the point entirely. It’s a great way to lose top salespeople.

3) Don’t Load Them Up With Non-Selling Duties
Great salespeople should be in front of customers at every opportunity. Activities and tasks that remove them from your customers will cost you money.

It’s called lost business. Hire non-salespeople to do non-selling tasks and let salespeople sell, as that’s what drives business forward.

4) Don’t Inflict a Bad Manager on Them
Clichés are clichés for a reason. Good people don’t leave companies, they leave bad managers.

If you inflict a bad manager on a good sales team, you’re telling them you don’t really care about their welfare, their productivity or their job satisfaction.

5) Don’t Try To Change Them
Nobody is perfect and top salespeople are no different. They are, however, perfectly suited to sales and that’s what they should be celebrated for. Don’t waste time trying to fix their non-selling imperfections.

6) Don’t Paint Your Whole Team With the Same Brush
There is nothing more demotivating to top salespeople than a well-intentioned but misguided manager criticizing the entire team for under-performance.

You are, in effect, telling the best performers they are responsible not just for their own results, but for those of less capable coworkers that you hired.

7) Don’t Burn Them Out 
Even top performers need to switch off every now 
and again. They put tremendous pressure on themselves to perform, but they need a break every so often to avoid burnout.

That could be, for example, an occasional late-morning start, or a paid half day when they least expect it.

8) Don’t Micro-Manage Them
Good salespeople wake up motivated. They spend most of their time engaged in behaviors designed to make sales, and they spend most of their waking hours thinking about your customers.

Let them do what they do best and don’t try to micro-manage them.

9) Don’t Make Them a Manager
It is a rare case where salespeople step easily into a manager’s position.

The very ego that is necessary for their sales success often drives them in that direction, but they are fundamentally different roles. When making this change, you’ll more than likely be losing a top salesperson and gaining a poor manager.

10) Don’t Offer False Praise 
One of the greatest traits of top salespeople is their empathy—their ability to read people and situations. They see through false praise and inauthenticity as quickly as anyone on your team. 

Keep it real. 

Great salespeople are precious cargo and they should treated as such. 

They make up about 17 percent of all salespeople and the really good ones, what I describe as hybrids, account for about 4 percent of all salespeople. 

If you’ve got any, handle them with care.
Peter Smithis an industry consultant, speaker, and sales trainer, and author of 3 books on sales. Reach him at TheRetailSmiths@gmail.com.

The Latest

The 2025 Gem Awards
Events & AwardsMar 17, 2025
Gem Awards Honor All Facets of the Industry

From retailers to designers and the media, the fine jewelry industry recognized one another’s work and looked to the future.

Eleanor H. Yeh GIA jewelry design
Events & AwardsMar 17, 2025
GIA Names Winner of Emerging Jewelry Design Talent Award

Eleanor H. Yeh is the recipient of the eighth annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design.

 Joseph Cavalcante Tous managing director
MajorsMar 17, 2025
Tous Names U.S. Managing Director, VP

Joseph Cavalcante takes on the dual role as the Spanish jewelry brand looks to expand further into the U.S. market.

Supplier Spotlight -Recorded-Webinar.png
Brought to you by
Watch: GIA Field Gemology at the One-Hundredth Expedition: A Look Back and to the Future

Supplier Spotlight Sponsored by GIA

Continental Buying Group logo
Events & AwardsMar 17, 2025
CBG Expands Las Vegas Show to 3 Days

The trade show has also upgraded its venue to the Caesars Forum Conference Center.

Weekly QuizMar 14, 2025
This Week’s Quiz
Test your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Take the Quiz
Stafford’s Diamonds closing ad
IndependentsMar 14, 2025
Stafford’s Diamonds in Ohio to Close After 40 Years

The Dayton-based jeweler, which has been in business since 1985, was formerly known as Stafford Jewelers.

Alan Zimmer
Events & AwardsMar 14, 2025
JVC Reveals Recipient of Stanley Schechter Award

Reeds Jewelers CEO Alan Zimmer will be presented with the honor at JVC’s annual luncheon.

Facets-of-Fire-Difference-You-Can-See.jpg
Brought to you by
Natural Diamonds Should Mean More

Natural diamonds mean more than lab-grown, but when every cut is ideal, they all look the same. Customers want more—Facets of Fire delivers.

Sorellina’s Aries Zodiac Pendant
CollectionsMar 14, 2025
Piece of the Week: Sorellina’s Aries Zodiac Pendant

The piece, celebrating birthdays from March 21 to April 19, debuted with Sorellina’s new line of astrological pendants.

Tanishq Atlanta store
MajorsMar 13, 2025
Tanishq Opens 2 New Stores in the U.S.

The Indian jewelry brand recently opened stores in Atlanta and Seattle.

Woman wearing Brilliant Earth jewelry
FinancialsMar 13, 2025
Brilliant Earth’s 2024 Sales Struggled Amid Engagement Recovery

CEO Beth Gerstein shared its most popular price points, what’s trending in non-bridal fine jewelry, and its holiday performance.

Chopard Insofu emerald collection
CollectionsMar 13, 2025
Chopard Unveils High Jewelry Collection Created From 6,225-Carat Emerald

The 15 pieces were crafted from the “Insofu” emerald, discovered in Zambia in 2010.

Chris Anderson
MajorsMar 13, 2025
Jewelers Mutual Names New CFO, Treasurer

Chris Anderson is joining the insurance provider as the new chief financial officer and treasurer.

Jewelers of America’s new natural and lab-grown diamond brochure
Lab-GrownMar 13, 2025
JA Offering Some ‘Counter Intelligence’ on Diamonds

Jewelers of America is distributing a brochure for retailers to use when discussing the differences between natural and lab-grown diamonds.

A rough diamond and a polished diamond
SourcingMar 12, 2025
5 Factors That Will Impact the Diamond Industry in 2025

The industry is changing as it grapples with new realities around distribution, supply, and the need for consistent, effective marketing.

New Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council Chairman Kirit Bhansali
SourcingMar 12, 2025
Q&A: New GJEPC Chairman Kirit Bhansali

Bhansali discusses the potential impact of U.S. tariffs, demand for diamonds by market, and the “cautious confidence” in India right now.

Limelight Lab Grown Diamond store in India
Lab-GrownMar 12, 2025
Beyond Jewelry: Possibilities in the Lab-Grown Diamond Sector

As lab-grown diamond brands pop up across India, academics are researching how to grow demand outside of the jewelry industry.

Diamonds Do Good honoree Govind Dholakia at medical camp
SourcingMar 12, 2025
Indian Leader, Retailer Among 2025 DDG Honorees

Govind Dholakia and Tanishq will be recognized for their contributions to the industry at the Diamonds Do Good Awards in Las Vegas.

Marla Aaron Liberty London Shop-in-Shop
IndependentsMar 12, 2025
Marla Aaron Migrates to London

The New York City-based brand has opened its first U.K. location with a permanent shop-in-shop at Liberty in London.

Medieval sapphire bishop ring
AuctionsMar 12, 2025
A Medieval Bishop’s Sapphire Ring Is Going Up for Sale

A metal detectorist discovered the ring that is believed to have belonged to a bishop in the late 12th to early 13th century.

JA New York sign
Events & AwardsMar 12, 2025
JA New York Announces Education, Live Demo Lineups

Organizers looked to new partnerships and interactive experiences to enhance the spring show, set for March 16 to 18.

Jewelers Vigilance Committee annual luncheon 2025 logo
Events & AwardsMar 12, 2025
Bogolo Joy Kenewendo to Speak at Annual JVC Luncheon

Kenewendo, Botswana’s minister of minerals and energy, will discuss the future of diamonds.

Jaythan Lawrence Gilder and body scan
CrimeMar 11, 2025
Man in Florida Swallows Allegedly Stolen Tiffany & Co. Jewelry

The suspect allegedly stole almost $800,000 worth of diamond jewelry from a store in Orlando and then swallowed it during a traffic stop.

Marco Bicego 25 Years Campaign Isabeli Fontana
CollectionsMar 11, 2025
Marco Bicego Celebrates 25 Years With Collection, Campaign

Founded in 2000, Marco Bicego is commemorating its milestone anniversary with a “25 Best” collection and campaigns honoring its heritage.

Hill & Co The List
TechnologyMar 11, 2025
Hill & Co. Launches New B2B Buyer Database

Those attending the company’s upcoming Zoom workshop will receive early access to “The List,” its new resource for finding buyers.

Amy-Elise Signeavsky GIA
Events & AwardsMar 11, 2025
JSA to Honor GIA Employee at Annual Luncheon

The organization will present an award to Amy-Elise Signeavsky, law enforcement and diamond recovery manager at GIA.

Picture of Terry Chandler, president and CEO of the Diamond Council of America
MajorsMar 10, 2025
Terry Chandler to Retire After 24 Years as Head of DCA

Chandler started his jewelry career at Michelson Jewelers, joining the Diamond Council of America as president and CEO in 2001.

×

This site uses cookies to give you the best online experience. By continuing to use & browse this site, we assume you agree to our Privacy Policy