Troy Harrison

Recently, a sales manager asked me an interesting question: "What do I do when my top producer simply refuses to follow our new prospecting process?" It's a common problem, and it brings us to what I call the "or what?" question. When you tell salespeople to change their behavior, they may think (even if they don't say it aloud), "Or what? What are you going to do about it if I don’t?" Here’s the thing: Sales managers have four distinct levels of control, which they should use in a specific order. Let me explain. Level 1: Authority and respect This is where you should start, and it’s more powerful than most managers realize. When you’ve earned your team’s respect through your expertise and leadership, many behavioral changes can happen through simple influence. Telling your staff this simple phrase—"Based on my experience, this new approach will improve your results”—can be surprisingly effective when it comes from a leader the team trusts. In other words, you are selling behavioral change to your people at this level. They do it because you want them to do it. But here’s the catch—you need a clear answer to the “or what?” question even at this level. You don’t have to use it proactively, but you must be ready to use it if you are challenged. The consequence here is primarily the loss of your reasonable opinion and support. Don’t underestimate this. In sales, your future opportunities often depend on your manager’s recommendations and backing. I once worked with a sales organization where the top performer had amazing numbers but couldn’t get promoted because his past managers wouldn’t endorse him. His disregard for their guidance had cost him tens of thousands in potential earnings and a different career path than he wanted. Level 2: Activity management Let’s say you’ve got a salesperson who isn’t buying in through respect alone. The next step is implementing specific activity metrics. For instance, if you need to focus more on new accounts, you might need to track daily prospecting calls. Or, if you’re trying to emphasize the investigation phase of the buyer’s journey, where the buyer’s needs and wants are prioritized, you might track discovery meetings that include technical resources. The beauty of activity management is that it creates accountability without feeling punitive. The “or what?” here is straightforward: fail to hit the metrics, and you’ll find yourself in daily coaching sessions, reviewing call logs, and having documented performance discussions. I recently saw a manager turn around a struggling rep by implementing simple tracking of the number of C-level conversations per week. Within two months, not only were the activities up, but the rep’s pipeline had doubled. Level 3: Compensation adjustments This is where things get serious, and I’ve seen too many managers jump straight to this level —usually with poor results. Changing compensation should be your third option, not your first. You might adjust territory assignments, modify commission structures, or implement specific bonuses for desired behaviors. The “or what?” is evident here: Don’t adapt, earn less money. But be careful. I once saw a company adjust its compensation plan to drive new account acquisition, only to watch its account retention plummet as its best relationship managers chased new business instead of maintaining existing accounts. They had to do a mid-year compensation adjustment to fix the problem, which created even more chaos. One of the worst things you can do with salespeople is constantly messing with their money; therefore, any compensation change should be something you’re willing to commit to for a few years, not a few weeks or months. Another company for which I worked tried to use compensation to force the adoption of their new customer relationship management (CRM) system, cutting commission rates for deals not properly documented in the system. Their top performers started looking for new jobs, and their mid-tier performers began entering fake data just to check the boxes. As I’ve noted before, CRM adoption can be made relatively easy and painless through effective management and training. Remember, compensation changes are like surgery—necessary sometimes but not your first treatment option. Level 4: Direct mandate This is your nuclear option. You simply state: “This is no longer optional. This is how we’re doing it.” Simple, direct, and usually a sign that you’ve got more significant problems than just the behavior you’re trying to change. The “or what?” here is crystal clear: Comply or face progressive discipline, up to and including termination. At this point, you’re probably dealing with either a critical compliance issue or a complete breakdown in the manager-employee relationship. I recently consulted with a company that had to take this approach with their entire sales team regarding a new pricing structure. The results weren’t pretty. They lost three reps and spent six months rebuilding their pipeline. Here’s the key point: Many sales managers start at level three or four, jumping straight to compensation changes or mandates. This is a mistake. Start with influence through earned respect. Move to activity management if needed. Use compensation changes sparingly and strategically. Save direct mandates for true emergencies or when all else has failed. Remember, at each level, you must clearly answer the “or what?” question before you start. Your salespeople will test you—maybe not explicitly, but they’ll probe to see if you’re serious about the change you’re requesting. Having your progression of consequences clearly thought out in advance isn’t simply good management—it’s survival. One final thought: The best sales managers rarely need to go past level two. If you frequently resort to compensation changes or mandates, it might be time to look at your hiring process or leadership style. Because in sales management, like in sales itself, the best solutions usually don’t require force. I worked with one sales manager who hadn’t needed to make a single compensation adjustment in five years. His secret? He hired well, led by example, and built such strong relationships with his team that his influence alone was usually enough to drive change.

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Troy Harrison

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