Managing Underperformance

Frustration with tolerated underperformance rarely shows up as complaint. More often, it becomes withdrawal. People stop challenging what feels unfair. They stop extending discretionary effort to compensate for gaps. Over time, they begin to plan their exit quietly. There is another layer that often goes unspoken. Colleagues sometimes protect underperformance as a way of feeling safer themselves. When someone else is visibly struggling, attention feels less likely to turn toward them. This is not malice. It is a human response to uncertainty and uneven accountability. None of this reflects immaturity. It is a rational response to a system where effort and consequence no longer align. When that alignment breaks, trust erodes from the inside. What remains is an unspoken sense that standards are optional and justice is uneven.

3 months ago, a CEO called me: "Our sales team isn't hitting numbers. We need better salespeople." I asked to see their CRM data before they fired anyone. What I found shocked them: → Their top performers were closing at 22% → Their "underperformers" were at 7% Seems obvious who to keep, right? But then I looked at their sales ACTIVITIES: The "underperformers" were making - 3X more calls, - sending 2X more emails, - and booking 40% more meetings. The problem wasn't the salespeople. It was the sales PROCESS. The top performers had: - Better territories - Legacy accounts - Easier products - More support The company was about to fire their hungriest, most active salespeople because of how they'd structured their sales operation. Within 60 days of fixing their: - Territory design - Lead distribution - Product packaging - Sales enablement resources The "underperformers" increased close rates to 20% while maintaining their high activity levels. Revenue jumped 134%. As a sales growth consultant, I've seen this pattern repeatedly: Companies blame salespeople when the real problem is how the sales function is built. Your team can't outwork a broken sales system. Look at your bottom performers: If they're putting in the work but not getting results, don't fire them. Fix what's standing in their way. The fastest path to sales growth isn't hiring "better" people. It's removing the barriers preventing your current team from succeeding. P.S. If you need help with your sales, send me a message

I used to get jealous when I saw people brag about their accomplishments on LinkedIn. I understand why they do it, they're just going about it the wrong way. Highlighting your credibility helps build your personal brand which can build your bank account. But what if there was a way to show what you've achieved, while also displaying authenticity and empathy at the same time? There is, and I inadvertently created a three-step process for it. Whenever I share one my wins, I include the following: ‣ The thing I accomplished ‣ Something that occurred behind the scenes ‣ What can you learn from this experience that will help you For example: ‣ I was recently cast in a reality TV show ‣ I was told to dress a certain way for the premiere, I declined ‣ Rather than conforming to a culture, you can choose to contribute instead. ‣ I spoke at the Speak Your Way to cash event in Atlanta ‣ I forgot my belt so I had to make one out of two lanyards ‣ Being prepared is great, but sometimes you gotta improvise ‣ I interviewed Gary Vaynerchuk for Fiverr's series The Signal ‣ I was traveling at the time and had to ask ConvertKit to borrow their studio ‣ You’ll be amazed at who’s willing to help you, especially if you’ve nurtured the relationship These are all legit accomplishments. However, if I just focus on what I’ve done it doesn't help anyone but me. So try this out next time you have a big win (or even a small one) You’ll still get the acknowledgement. But if you help others along the way, you’ll gain fans and friends instead of followers and fakes. Plus, who’s going to share a post where someone else just brags about how great they are? ______ ♻️ If this post was helpful or inspiring, please share it and follow Terry Rice for more.

10 Things Mediocre Sales Reps Do. That Make You Close ... A Lot Less. 1️⃣ Immediate Discounting Reps who jump to offering discounts often lack confidence in their product or don’t know how to create urgency. It’s a sign they’re relying on price as their only lever, which devalues the product and sets a bad precedent for future deals. A strategic discount can help push a deal to close faster, or get it over the line.  But it doesn’t make someone want to buy in SaaS. Almost never. 2️⃣ Not Understanding the Product This is way, way, way too common. If a salesperson doesn’t deeply understand the product they’re selling, they can’t effectively address customer needs or objections. Worse, they might overpromise features that don’t exist, which destroys trust and leads to churn . 3️⃣ Fear of Competition Great salespeople respect their competitors and use them as a benchmark to improve. Weak salespeople, on the other hand, either avoid discussing competitors or badmouth them, which makes them look insecure and unprofessional. In general, don’t hire folks into a highly competitive sales environment that have only worked at a market leader. 4️⃣ Blaming Others Reps who constantly blame marketing, leads, or lack of support for their failures are avoiding accountability. While external factors can impact sales, great reps find ways to adapt and succeed regardless of the challenges . 5️⃣ Lack of Updates or Progress A weak salesperson often has no meaningful updates to share. They’ll either ghost their manager or repeat the same vague status reports, which signals they’re not actively working their pipeline or moving deals forward . 6️⃣ Not Knowing the Buyer If a rep doesn’t understand who the key decision-makers are, what their pain points are, or where the deal stands, they’re flying blind. This lack of preparation is a major red flag and often leads to lost deals . 7️⃣ Not Believing in the Product Selling something you don’t believe in is nearly impossible. If a rep doesn’t genuinely think their product solves a problem, it shows —and customers can sense it . 8️⃣ Over-Reliance on Scripts While scripts are helpful, reps who stick to them rigidly often fail to adapt to the unique needs of each prospect. Sales is about listening and tailoring your approach, not just reciting lines. 9️⃣ Poor Time Management Weak salespeople often spend too much time on low-priority tasks or chasing unqualified leads. Great salespeople know how to prioritize their time and focus on high-value opportunities. 🔟 Lack of Follow-Up Many deals are lost simply because the rep didn’t follow up. Weak salespeople either forget or assume the prospect isn’t interested after one or two attempts, while great reps stay persistent without being pushy. 👬 The good news is that some of these weaknesses can be addressed with training, coaching, and self-awareness. But if you see too many of these traits in one rep, it’s often a sign they’re not the right fit for the role. 

Can't raise your cost prices with #Amazon? Here's a tactic worth considering: 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. If your Vendor Manager blocks cost price increases, consider putting affected ASINs into "end of life" mode. Then, relaunch the new generation of product(s) with a new UPC/EAN and optimised ecommerce packaging (SIPP or FFP). This does three things: 1) Resets your Amazon listing. 2) Creates a real USP with improved packaging. 3) Differentiates the new generation from the old one. 👍 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲: - Healthier profit margins - Lower fulfilment and handling costs - Environment-friendly marketing opportunity - You can reroute traffic from the old to the new ASIN 👎 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲: - Temporary decline in sales rank - Loss of existing customer reviews - Increased short-term marketing effort - No impact on price matching Let me be clear: Relaunching products can be expensive. But a rejected cost price increase can cost even more. If low margins threaten your Amazon business, it's better to invest in a relaunch than wait for your Vendor Manager to accept new prices. --- Have you relaunched products on Amazon before? Let me know in the comments! #amazonvendor #amazonstrategy

You think reps are underperforming. I think your system is broken. It's 2:47 AM and you're staring at the ceiling, calculating pipeline math that doesn't add up. "If we miss this quarter, I'm the one explaining to the board why our 'best sales team ever' can't close deals." Here's what's really keeping you up: It's not just missing quota. It's being the VP who "couldn't scale sales" at your next interview. It's explaining to your spouse why you might need to take a $50K pay cut. After auditing 100+ sales organizations, here are the 3 revenue leaks hiding in plain sight: Leak #1: Your ICP is fuzzy Your reps are hunting everything that moves because you haven't given them crystal clear targeting criteria. Half your pipeline is filled with prospects who don't have budget, don't have the problem you solve, and don't have authority to make decisions. The cost: Your best reps get frustrated and start looking for new jobs. Your average reps think they're failures. Your forecast becomes fiction because 60% of your pipeline isn't real. Leak #2: Your demo is generic Every prospect sees the same slides, same features, same flow regardless of their situation. What's happening: Your prospects sit through your 45-minute feature tour thinking "this is nice, but not urgent." They choose "no decision" because no one made them feel the pain of status quo. The toll: You watch deals you "should have won" go to competitors with inferior products. You start questioning if your solution is actually better. Leak #3: Your champions ghost you for a reason They championed your solution internally, seemed excited, then disappeared. What actually happened: They presented to their team and got destroyed. No one understood the value. Your champion now looks foolish for bringing you in. Your nightmare: Deals you thought were "95% closed" suddenly go dark. Your forecast gets destroyed by champions who can't sell internally. Let’s bring you back to reality: These aren't "rep performance issues." These are system-level constraints that no amount of training can fix. You can't train your way out of broken targeting. You can't coach your way out of bad messaging. The VP who figures this out first keeps their job. The one who keeps training harder gets replaced. Before you blame the reps, audit the system: What percentage of your deals fit your true ICP? Where exactly do champions go silent? Most revenue problems aren't people problems. They're process problems. And these are just 3 of over a dozen common leaks. — DM me if you're ready to audit your revenue engine instead of just training your team. Most VPs skip the diagnosis and wonder why training doesn't stick.

Picture walking into your favorite coffee shop, a new boutique, or a busy hotel lobby. Who welcomes you? Who keeps things running smoothly & ensures you receive excellent service? 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 & 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽. The connection is undeniable. Gallup polling shows that 73% of workers are less likely to feel burned out when their employers recognize & care about them. And 26% of frontline workers say a lack of recognition negatively impacts their productivity. For businesses that depend on frontline workers, recognition isn’t just a nice-to-have - it’s a performance driver. ❌ Unfortunately, frontline workers often don’t receive the same recognition as office-based employees. ❌ With limited face-to-face time with managers & HR, their contributions can be overlooked in traditional recognition programs. ✅ Working in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, they need a recognition approach that’s immediate, relevant & impactful. Anyway, let’s get to the point. 𝟰 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹: 1️⃣ Celebrate achievements in real time  Recognition should be immediate & visible. Call it out as it happens. Practical Tip: Equip managers with a tool like Beekeeper that makes it easy to spotlight accomplishments in team chats, newsletters & company-wide announcements - all from a single mobile app embedded in the frontline worker’s flow of work. 2️⃣ Encourage peer-to-peer recognition  Create a peer recognition program where employees can nominate colleagues for going above & beyond with instant recognition posts on your Employee App. 3️⃣ Tailor rewards to individual preferences  Not all employees want the same type of recognition. While some value financial incentives, others prefer additional time off or career development opportunities. Practical Tip: Integrating Beekeeper with a rewards platform like Snappy or Bucketlist Rewards, managers can instantly deliver personalized rewards to employees, all with just a few clicks. 4️⃣ Make recognition part of everyday conversations Practical Tip: Implement monthly or quarterly recognition initiatives, such as “Frontline MVP” awards or milestone celebrations. Small, frequent acts of appreciation have even greater influence than one-time ceremonies that could feel scripted or lack authenticity. Recognition isn’t just a feel-good gesture - it’s the key to higher engagement, stronger retention, & better performance of your frontline sheroes & heroes. A culture of recognition starts today. ➡️ 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮? 🍯

The best managers are terrific detectives Imagine this scenario: Two employees, Sam and Sarah, both failed to meet several goals last year. Seems like they're in the same boat, right? Well, not necessarily. Behind the scenes, their reasons for underperformance could be worlds apart. Now, picture yourself as their manager. You want to be fair, but you also need to hold your team members accountable for their performance. So, where do you start? It's important to begin with few questions: ·     Is the employee new to the organization? Or Function? Or Role? ·     How was his / her performance in the past? ·     What has changed in the ecosystem – both internal and external? ·     What’s happening in his / her life outside work? ·     How has his / her relationship been – with me and others in the team?   Underperformance can happen due to several reasons: 1.    Lack Fitment to the role. I remember my first job in key account management, I disliked it and didn’t do too well. The reason was not my lack of knowledge or hard skills, but the personality mismatch. A person may also not fit the culture of the organization or function or the team (every team has a subculture with nuances).   2.    Ambiguity Overload that naturally comes with many roles today, or simply unclear on the expectations and deliverables.   3.    Lack of Capability to deliver the role, be it knowledge, critical cognitive or behavioral skills. While with right mindset and resources, anyone can develop the capability, it is important to identify the mismatch and address it.   4.    External Environment can significantly influence performance of an individual, be it dwindling customer pool, entry of new competition, regulatory pressures, difficult terrain… the list can be endless. Within the same organization, people are likely to face varying external pressure.   5.    Interpersonal Issues either with the manager or rest of the team or peers. Does the person feel valued? Recognized for his / her contributions? Or empowered to deliver results? It’s important to reflect on this as it needs effort from all parties to rectify interpersonal issues.   6.    Personal Battles can be varied: ranging from workplace stress and burnout, boredom with the job, to personal issues at home, poor health, or crisis at home. Sometimes life throws a curve ball and all we can do is keep our head above water.   So, here's the bottom line: The root cause of underperformance isn't always obvious. That's why it's crucial for managers to play detective and get to the heart of the matter. Only then can we strike the delicate balance between accountability and fairness. #performanceappraisal #managers #performance #performanceimprovement

Your salespeople need training. And if you’re reading this as a seller, let me be clear. This isn’t because you’re underperforming! It’s because the job you do is harder than most people realize. Most sellers are smart, driven, and deeply capable. They manage pressure, rejection, complex buyers, internal chaos, and aggressive targets (often with little more than instinct and grit.) That’s not a talent gap. That’s a support gap. We hire great sellers and then ask them to perform in high-stakes conversations without ever teaching them what their brain does under pressure OR how to stay grounded, confident, and influential when it counts. So when deals stall or confidence wobbles, it’s not a character flaw. It’s just biology. Untrained behavior defaults under stress, even for elite performers. Neuroscience isn’t about fixing sellers. It’s about UNLOCKING what good sellers already have. When talented sellers understand trust, influence, and decision-making at a brain level, they don’t just close more deals. They control the conversation. They stay calm when buyers get emotional. They become consistent instead of streaky. When we invest in sellers like professionals with real training for the reality of the role revenue follows. And it's not because sellers suddenly got better, but because they were finally equipped to perform at the level they were always capable of.

If you want stronger fundraising results this year, start with how you recognize your team. Research shows when employees feel valued, it leads to increased motivation, performance, and retention. In one of my favorite studies, fundraisers who received personal thanks from their manager increased their outreach by 50%. In advancement, recognition leads directly to increased fundraising outcomes. The good news: Recognizing your team doesn’t require extraordinary expense or effort—but it does require intentionality. Here are 15 ways you can put this into practice with your team: 1. Send a handwritten thank you note to your team member. 2. Acknowledge your team member’s accomplishments at an all-staff meeting. 3. Don’t miss the moment, such as after a meeting or presentation, to recognize what a team member did well and how it helps the organization. 4. Ask a senior academic leader (President, Dean, Provost, etc.) or advancement VP to personally thank a team member. 5. Start a team meeting by asking team members to acknowledge someone else on the team who helped them recently. 6. Extend access by inviting a team member to attend a strategy meeting or board meeting—a seat at the table they might not otherwise have access to. 7. Nominate your team member to lead or participate in a cross-functional committee that advances an important initiative for the organization. 8. Make a meaningful introduction to a trusted mentor in your network. 9. Create clarity on growth within your organization through a career pathways document. 10. Include learning and development goals as part of the performance evaluation process, not just fundraising metrics. 11. Acknowledge work anniversaries with university swag or a balloon at their desk. 12. Build a ritual to celebrate as a team when fundraisers close an aspirational gift. 13. Surprise a team member by sending a $5 Venmo for coffee to cheer them on when they’re en route to an early morning donor meeting or speaking at a conference. 14. Set up a thread (text/email/Slack) to celebrate your team’s Win of the Day (WOTD) where they can chime in with their progress and work wins. 15. Before you move on to the new fiscal year where the efforts start all over again, celebrate your team’s progress and accomplishments for the year. One of my favorite work memories was dreaming up and implementing a New Year’s Eve party (with party hats and confetti) in June to honor all of the work that went into a successful fundraising year. You don’t need to do all 15 at once. Start somewhere. Recognition builds connection, community, and culture in your advancement organization. What’s one of your favorite ways to recognize your team members?