Dave Stein has a provocative post regarding some recent poll data about sales executives.  This is excellent:

Top Five Reasons Executives Are Unhappy At Work

1. Limited advancement opportunities (12.8%)
2. Lack of challenge/personal growth (12.3%)
3. Compensation (11.7%)
4. Stress Level (7.7%)
5. Job Security (7.7%)

For sales executives, I believe there is another reason for unhappiness in their jobs: many don’t have the capabilities to perform successfully.  It’s too much of a challenge rather than lack of a challenge (indicated in number 2 above).

Here are two indicators that this is true:  First, tenure of sales executives is getting shorter year after year.   These sales executives aren’t leaving their jobs in less than two years because they’ve been wildly successful.  Second is the overall lack of performance of the sales people that work for these sales executives.

I couldn’t agree more with his analysis.  We see this fact everyday in our business as we encounter sales managers who are ill-prepared for hiring and onramping new salespeople.

Sales management is one of the most difficult positions in any company.  Salespeople, in very general terms, tend to be independent and noncompliant.  They also carry the future of the company which makes their success mission critical.  Talk about pressure on the manager.

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