Welcome to another Front Line Friday with my remarkable guest, Bridget Gleason. On this week’s episode, Bridget and I discuss, among other topics, employment-related questions people have asked Bridget, the sales team characteristics of companies in different stages of growth, whether personal growth or employment stability is more important to a sales professional, and how a manager should make the decision to terminate an underperforming rep.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[1:24] Andy sets the topic: employment questions that sales reps and managers have asked Bridget.

[2:39] How does a rep, who is being recruited by other firms, know when it’s time to leave their current company?

[3:45] Questions to ask yourself when considering an opportunity to jump to a new job at another company.

[6:14] When will I look like a job hopper? Is there an appropriate length of time to stay at a position? How long is too long?

[10:26] Boards and CEOs tend to project company development through stages. What do CEOs want to know about a salesperson’s skill set, career history and goals?

[12:42] Bridget talks about different types of salespeople choosing to work at companies in different stages of a growth.

[14:38] When the corporate environment changes around you and loses its appeal, what do you do?

[16:35] If the opportunity to keep learning from people you respect goes away, do you look for a better place to learn and grow, or do you hang on?

[18:55] Reps tend to prioritize opportunities to learn and grow. Is an offer of more money a good substitute for growth? [20:55] Do people coming into the profession see sales as a great career path in itself, or as a stepping stone to something bigger? Is one view more appropriate?

[24:14] If you’ve crushed your quota, and there are days left in the month, is it time to take it easy?

[26:14] Should you put a salesperson on a performance improvement plan once you are certain that they’re not a good culture fit?

CONTACT BRIDGET GLEASON

Bridget is the VP of Sales at Logz.io. Prior to that her recent experience includes being VP of Corporate Sales for SumoLogic, VP of Sales for Yesware and SVP of Worldwide Sales for Engine Yard. She can be contacted at bridget@logz.io.