This is a fable about a sales manager, a salesman, his wife and a bank passbook
Once upon a time a salesman was recruited into a commission-only sales environment by a certain sales manager.
Early signs were not good - the salesman struggled to make any real money. The sales manager did what he thought was the right thing and kept on encouraging the salesman - "You'll be OK - just keep on making the calls" etc.
Results didn't improve and eventually reality had to be faced and the salesman quit - feeling bad about himself for having let down the sales manager.
Soon after this happened the salesman's wife went to see the sales manager - in her hand she had a bank passbook. She showed the passbook to the sales manager and said "Look what you have done to us!" The passbook showed a healthy balance at the time the salesman joined the sales manager's company but the balance was now almost zero. (Clearly, the salesman had been dipping into the passbook funds to keep things afloat.) The wife went on - "Why did you lead him on for so long when it was clear that he was not going to make it!"
Whether the wife was justified in her actions would make a good discussion topic at a sales management conference however I believe that there are at least two morals to the story (you may see others). Firstly, that continual unjustified encouragement is dangerous; secondly, the sooner we face disappointing realities the better all round.
(The up-coming post for Monday 2/3 is Are questions the answer? It's about the importance of using good questions in the sales process.)
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