It’s the eve of 2025 MLB playoffs and the Boston Red Sox will play their arch rival, the New York Yankees in a best of three series.  The top brass for both teams will finalize their rosters for the first round of the post-season games and some players who were on the team in September, might not earn a spot on the playoff roster.  In a short series, they only need three starting pitchers, leaving room for additional position players that can serve in a specialty role, like pinch running.

Let’s pivot to sales. Many companies have salespeople that are representative of dead wood.  What if companies could create the sales version of a playoff roster as well?

Wouldn’t that be fun to consider?

What if the wild card round of the Sales playoffs required you to create a roster consisting of only those salespeople who drive revenue growth?  That would make you look at your sales team differently, wouldn’t it!  If you can hunt, build pipeline, and close, while doing it better than anyone else, you’re in!  If you can take existing accounts, build relationships, both horizontally and vertically, and substantially grow them, you’re in!  Everyone else, you’re out – at least in this round.

You could actually dump the worst performers because there isn’t a place for them!

You could finally distinguish between those who simply manage revenue, versus those who grow revenue.

But why can’t you look at your salespeople through that filter when it isn’t playoff time?

Why can’t you dump your under performers during the regular season?

Over the past forty years, I’ve consulted, trained and coached sales teams in more than 200 industries.  From Goose Shooters to Capital Equipment for Counter Terrorism, SaaS to Storage, and Play Sets to Windows and Doors.  You name it, past or present, and I’ve helped a company sell more of it.  And the one commonality among all of those products, services, sales teams, companies and industries is that less is more.

Fewer salespeople FREQUENTLY results in more revenue.

For companies with a complex sale, expensive, longer sales cycle, fierce competition, etc., then 50% of your salespeople totally suck, 25% are serviceable at best, and only 25% of your salespeople are making you feel the earth move under your feet.

If you have a transactional sale with a shorter sales cycle, it’s commodity-based, inexpensive, price driven, etc., then all of your salespeople are order takers and it doesn’t matter that most of them suck.  That is, it doesn’t matter until you tire of being in a low margin, price-driven business and would prefer to sell your value, decommoditize, differentiate, and increase your profits.  Then, and only then, will it be important.

From experience, I can tell you that our Sales Team Evaluation provides objective, science-based data to help shape your sales team.  While you know who the historical contributors are, a sales team evaluation places less importance on history and answers the questions: “Which of your salespeople are part of your future, how much better can they be, what is required, and how long will it take?” Answers like these require several analyses, and these are some that come to mind:

• Sales capability analysis
• Sales pipeline analysis
• Messaging analysis
• Sales DNA analysis
• Sales motivation analysis
• Sales process analysis
• Role analysis
• Strategy analysis
• Sales management effectiveness analysis
• Sales coaching analysis

Most executives can’t easily determine which 25%, 50% or 75% they should retain, or how to properly get their team trained up to be more effective and efficient.  Ready to build your playoff sales roster? That’s where we come in. If you want our help, let’s discuss the improvements you would like to achieve.

Image created by Grok4 (only five fingers!)