Death by Non-Production

Non-production in any department of a company can produce detrimental effects that cannot only demoralize the individual members of that department, but the entire company. These effects often spill over to management and can cause many a sleepless night for those involved. In an attempt to spur production, however, department heads and managers often attack the problem from the wrong direction which can cause statistics to crash further and send morale levels deeper into the gutter.

In a downfall when salespeople aren’t closing deals, getting contracts signed, and getting new business into the pipeline, increased pressure to perform places larger burden on ineffective closers. This often leads to infighting between the marketing and sales departments as well as all of the other departments that depend on the sales department getting products or services out and into the hands of consumers. This pressure often leads to price discounts and similar practices that yield less than optimal profit margins which further place salespeople at a disadvantage in their attempt to produce numbers that satisfy.

When sales lag and non-production occurs, it is important to address the exact factors that led, or are leading, to the problem so they can be immediately handled and corrected. Steering efforts into a positive direction as soon as possible should be management’s number one priority. Cracking the whip, however, on the salesforce or the marketing division and demanding they “sell more widgets” does not aid in further production; it only causes further non-production. And the longer this cycle of non-production persists, the longer and more difficult it is to regroup and gather the staff to a productive state.

People are happy only when production occurs. This applies not only to those in business, but to all who engage in the game of life. Look at any company, country, or individual and you can tell immediately if they are producing or not; you can read it on their faces and you can see it in their posture. You can see it in the batter who has struck out his last six at-bats just as you can see it in the child that has thoroughly prepared for an examination at school and passed with flying colors. Producers, by their very nature and achievements, contribute a great amount to the world and society should roll out the red carpet and let the producers walk the aisle.

The following list highlights the most common factors that lead to non-production in your company, your city, and even your household.

Lack of a defining common goal or purpose. After review and tabulation of numerous surveys of under-performing salespeople, it was discovered that a very high percentage of those surveyed had no idea of what their actual product was nor did they have a common goal or sense of purpose. They revealed that they come and go without any larger purpose than to acquire a paycheck. This alarming discovery sheds light on the fact that one cannot get somewhere if he or she doesn’t know where it is they are going or why they are doing something. Just the same, a company that has no clear purpose is no different that an individual who has no purpose; no direction leads to no production. When your “why” is not bigger than the task at hand, you’ll be left wandering hopelessly among the masses only to serve those who are focused on a much larger, more significant purpose.

Lack of accountability. When people are left to roam with no authoritative figure to answer to, non-production is the result. The actions or inactions of a person must be recorded and monitored via statistics so they may be rewarded or immediately corrected. People, especially salespeople, are often the initial contact the public has with a business so it is imperative that they are held accountable for their conduct. Life tends to discipline those who fail to correct themselves just as a company cannot afford to let people do as they please without being accountable for their production or lack thereof. Accountability is the element that spurs production and provides the extra “push” that helps guide individuals towards higher standards.

Low standards of living among personnel. The basic human instinct is that of survival. It is this instinct that keeps salespeople under-performing and settling for only what it takes to get by. Most people do not have the drive to excel to the highest standards possible just as most are comfortable at moderate levels of production and could care less about reaching their true potential. Many business owners that employ sales teams will notice that the same individuals are always at the top of the production board while the majority of the staff struggle month after month. The non-producers are comfortable with their mediocre lives while producers constantly strive for more. Unfortunately, true producers are few and far in between. Just as one man’s Mazda is another’s Mercedes, salespeople that have higher standards tend to be more effective because of their higher self-image and ability to bypass the excuses of those less aware of the truth.

Lack of continuous exposure to positive influences. Whether lack of sales training, personal development, or “product” training, deficiency in any of these areas leads to low production. It comes as no surprise that when someone is continually exposed to certain stimuli they bear likeness to that stimuli. It would make sense, therefore, to continually expose your personnel to things that inspire, motivate, and compel them to achieve more on a daily basis. Not just once in a while, but every day. Likewise, many sales are not closed simply due to a salesperson’s limited belief in themselves; not just the product or service they sell. Read that again; the salesperson’s limited belief in themselves. Defeated salespeople begin to buy into all the negativity they are exposed to and this can only be corrected by continual exposure to the truth. Often times, companies will go to extremes in advertising or the like only to leave the traffic they do generate in the hands of lethargic, beaten, and under-trained staff which is certainly the kiss of death. One cannot maintain a sun tan without continuous exposure to the sun.

Rewarding non-production at the expense of production. Everyone has seen the son-in-law promoted to executive status or the secretary who spends more time under the desk than behind the desk being promoted or given special treatment. Rewarding non-production while scoffing at production is probably one of the most overlooked factors that lead to the demise of businesses and entire countries. The only way to level the playing field within the walls of an organization is to advance and compensate only by statistics. Stats do not lie. When non-producers are rewarded just because they know the boss for example, it penalizes and demoralizes the very people who actually get things done. A coach placing his son at starting quarterback when there are others more well suited for the job has killed many a dream and has often led to below average results for the team as a whole. The same may be said for those who continually extend their hand for government assistance; they do so at the expense of those who are already heavily taxed and we, as a nation, continue to wonder why morale suffers and social decay is commonplace.

By examining these factors and realizing the presence of any of these problems, leaders will be relieved to know that something can be done to correct these production killers. Morale will be increased by taking immediate action to correct any stall or hinderance to rising statistics in any organization. Inability to do so simply reflects that management is not willing to look and act; which, unfortunately, is the topic of another completely different article.



This post is copyrighted material from Michael Malone's forthcoming book entitled "Mindspeak"

For more information on improving production, visit www.innovativeperformancegroup.com