Separation day and…Double the effort…

Separation day and…doing it with care

So the day you’ve been regretting (and delaying) has arrived. You’re facing the unpleasant task of terminating a team member. But first is today the right day? If it’s Friday, the answer is almost certainly no. Cut that person loose then and they now have a long weekend to stew in that unpleasant feeling. Yep, better to do it on Monday or Tuesday so they can immediately get on with the important task of starting a new job search.

Beyond timing, there’s also the message we want to send. Obviously if that separation is driven by a bottom line issue – like having lost a big customer (through no fault of theirs), we want to be as positive as possible.

But even is their subpar performance is the cause we can still be upbeat. Perhaps we can advise them to look at a new position that plays to one of their strengths and avoid ones that do just the opposite.

Of course we need to avoid saying anything that may come back at us legally. And finally unless the reason for their separation precludes it you can offer to provide them with a letter of recommendation.

You might also want to let them know that you’ll be as supportive as possible in the event a prospective employer contacts you to confirm their employment history.

Next up: Dealing with that call carefully.

Double the effort…and the effect

Those ride along days are a lot more than a chance to engage in some team selling. Double teaming on some prospect calls is certainly valuable and can dramatically increase the chance of success. But there’s one more benefit and that’s providing the opportunity for (especially) the better customers in that territory to become acquainted with more than one face of your organization.

That last one is particularly beneficial when there’s an emergency that the lead representative can’t handle because he’s away or just isn’t available. But perhaps you are. And because you’ve been there, you and that customer already know one another. That’s a big upside – especially if the situation is hectic. Moreover you’re familiar with the layout and some of the staff making for an even less stressful event.

Yep, occasionally spending time together can be beneficial to sales growth as well as adding a layer of service flexibility that can make the best use of time and resources. But it also affords an especially valuable training opportunity to bolster both selling and technical skills.

Next up: Who’s in charge?