Sales in an account go down. What’s the common reaction? Point at the sales rep. It must be something they did.

Not so fast.

Sales can go down, way down, quickly, in an account for a huge number of reasons.

• The account’s general business is down.
• They want to work with a greater range of vendors.
• They don’t feel the love from their main suppliers (which is often on the management and principals, not the sales rep)
• They loaded in big on a one time buy from another vendor.
• It’s just time for something new.

 

In the end, who is really responsible?

If sales are up in an account, in a territory, or in a category, everybody wants to rush to take credit. The truth is sales are up because of the collective effort of the team.

Is sales are down in an account, in a territory, or in a category, everybody wants to run from the blame, hide in corners, and hope they don’t get dragged into the office.

But who is responsible when the numbers go down? The same as when they go up: the collective effort (or lack thereof) of the team.

Nobody is working alone out there. Support your team and take the hit collectively when things go sideways or down.