Who did better?

Sales rep A and sales rep B have the same account list. They joke about how they should carpool to their accounts.

Sales rep A walks in, does the normal discussion and tasting with the buyer, goes through the inventory and starts to take the order. Ten wines get ordered, a case of each. A little talk about the wines they just tasted leads to two more cases. The sales rep feels that pushing harder would take the conversation into an uncomfortable or annoying zone, and that it’s time to wind up the sales call. He leaves with 12 cases in the notebook.

Sales rep B walks in, does the show and dance of wines, takes inventory, and starts the taking of the order. Five wines get ordered, just three bottles of each, and a little talking leads to buying two of the wines just tasted, so seven different wines in total, but under two cases. But she feels good, feels that is enough, and it’s time to finish the sales call. Handshake, see ya next week, and then off to the next account.

Who did better?

Often times the numbers don’t tell the story. By simply tracking placements and cases it’s easy to miss what is important. This is the downfall of many sales managers, for a report or a spreadsheet is easy.

Here’s how this story ends.

Sales rep A sold twelve cases of commodity-driven plonk that is price shopped all over town and had to deal with an incredibly angry buyer the next week because the wines showed up on the cover of a national chain’s flyer in the Sunday paper.

Sales rep B sold many of the wines to the neighboring restaurant as well, and in the pre-shift training, that week emphasized that the store next door carries all of them. Please, she told them, let all of your customers that order it by the glass know that they can buy it next door. One week later, over half the wines had sold and she got the reorder on the successful new placements.

Who did better?