“So, how are we supposed to know if the sale came from us?” I asked the president of the organization.
“That’s why it’s really important for you to record everyone you ever speak to,” they said.
“So, you have no way of tracking if a lead comes in from our efforts? So, if you get sales you can’t attribute to us, you may decide you don’t need this sales force?” I asked.
“Well, could you blame us?” they asked.
Um….. YES! I can blame you. Here’s the deal:
A business owner or president has a responsibility to their employees. And, I was baffled to hear that this president had hired an entire sales force before they were ready for one. During that conversation, I’d learned that there would be:
- One day of training
- Brand new technology that hadn’t been tested
- No tracking system for sales
- And sales metrics goals that had never been tested
They also made:
- No use of data
- No understanding of their market
- And, no history of success in that market before they extended their reach
I immediately started looking for another job. Within a few short months, I was happy to leave the organization, in question. And, I really wanted to talk to that president and tell them why that was. I wanted to tell them that I could absolutely blame them for hiring an entire sales force, providing little training, and deciding whether they needed that sales force AFTER hiring them and that trial and error WITHOUT an actual tracking system.
But, I couldn’t… it wasn’t the right time. And, I suppose, if I really thought about it, I was just happy to be out of that place.
As we embark on the (probably) beginning of this journey into seclusion, mass shutdowns, and one of the most life changing events of multiple lifetimes, I have thought about this conversation and what it means to be a business owner.
Many of you reading this have been let go from your roles at various businesses due to the freeze as a result from the COVID-19 quarantine. And, believe me… I completely understand that small businesses are struggling. But, I have to wonder if they have done all that they can to ensure the loyalty of their employees. I am asking questions like….
- Did your workforce need to be laid off, immediately?
- Were there things you could do that would make them realistically useful to you, from home?
- Would you want your employees to sever ties with you without notice?
Yes, some are doing it, right. But, to answer the question of “Can you blame me?” The answer is “YES.”
As a small business owner, I do everything in my power to make sure that my people are and feel safe. And, I have paid them out of my own pocket on a number of occasions. When you’re hiring people, you really need to think about things like:
- Can I afford this person?
- Is this person leaving other options for this job?
- Is this something I can do myself and have the time to do?
- Is this person a profit center or loss center?
- How many months of salary can I afford for this person if I don’t bring in expected revenue?
- Is this person set up for success via training, tracking, and other variables?
- Is there role defined properly?
- And all of the “etc.” I can think of.
That’s the lesson I wanted to teach the president of the organization that I left. And, it’s the lesson I think we all need to think about, if we are small business owners amidst the pandemic.