Introduction

Nothing will make it harder to get your team to take a new or different action than numbers that don’t make sense. They might not always be the most analytical group of humans, but salespeople have a way to spot an inconsistent report or metric that then allows them to undermine the whole reporting system.

It’s like a house of cards you build, where anything from a light breeze to a strong swing of your cousin’s arm will bring it down (damn you, Jeff!).

Or maybe more like any type of crack or hole in a submarine deep underwater. Doesn’t have to be something big that brings down the team’s confidence in your reporting, operational processes, and leadership ability.

It could be one KPI widget on their CRM dashboard.

“How can you tell me I am not doing well enough when _______ shows _______ and we know that’s not accurate?”

Back to the drawing board you go to figure it out. Or, you ignore it because you are overwhelmed, or end up in another meeting, or don’t know how to fix it, or aren’t analytical enough to know where to even start.

Maybe you agree with them that the numbers aren’t accurate and don’t agree with the directive you were given to institute some form of consequence. I want to help you rebuild the team’s confidence in the numbers which will allow you and them to use the numbers for their main purpose – leading and lagging indicators of activity and results that allow for intelligent, intentional adjustments to actions.

Step 1: Acknowledge the Problem

First step - you have to do the hardest part – acknowledge that the data/reporting/dashboard is wrong.

They know something doesn’t line up. They can sense that you don’t have enough evidence to show them that the data is correct. They have lost faith in you as someone who is on their side.

If you think they are right, tell them that. If you understand their argument, tell them that. You don’t have to say that the data is wrong (until you know it is) but you need to let them know that you hear them. The worst thing you can do with your team is to dismiss their thoughts, feelings, and opinions. That will slowly (or quickly) erode their trust and faith in you as a leader.

Step 2: Find the Cause

Second step - find the cause of the discrepancy, if there is one.

If you have access to the data and reports, figure it out. So many sales leaders I see – especially front-line managers who were recently salespeople – don’t like reports and data and don’t want to deal with it. Get over that and do the right thing for the company or the team.

Avoiding this step is like thinking that your check engine light will turn itself off. Things will only get worse if you don’t figure out the cause. If you do not have access to the behind-the-scenes reports, data, formulas – that is okay. Find the person who does, ask the right questions based on what you are seeing, and get the right people involved to help.

Remember this key – don’t be defensive or accusatory. Most people, if they have been in business long enough, have heard countless salespeople and sales managers complain about things that they think are the reason why they can’t close more sales. Trust me, the finger pointing theme is consistent across organizations, industries, countries. Make sure you don’t approach the people you need help and answers from in the way they are expecting you to. Ask questions, be curious, ask for help, let them know you are open to being wrong (which would mean the data/report is correct).

Your mission is to find out the truth, even if that truth means that the reports are right and the rep is wrong.

Step 3: Report Back to Your Team

Report back to your rep and the entire team. Either they were right – which you would share with them. Or they were wrong.

The key here is to have all the proof needed to help them understand what the right data/report/dashboard is. Here is the part most sales leaders don’t always like – you need to understand fully (and I mean fully…completely) the formulas that go into the reports and dashboards and the source(s) of the data and how it all works together.

If needed, bring in someone who can explain it all.

Again…like the reminder above – don’t share the data in a “I was right, you were wrong” way with the team. That won’t help improve the situation. Data has no emotion or drama to it. So don’t add any.

And do not move forward from this topic until you know that they know that what is being reported is accurate. If there is any doubt in their mind, then it will continue to fester in ways that usually lead to morale issues – within them and/or spreading through the team.

Conclusion

Your team isn’t expecting you to be perfect. They just want things to be accurate. Everyone wants to be judged based on correct information and not ‘falsely accused’ of anything. If you aren’t confident in what the reports say, which are the basis of your action steps with the team, then they will know, and you will never make progress.

One note – pretty much all this article was focused on incorrect reporting that is against the salesperson. There are also times the reporting is wrong but, in their favor, making them look better at their job than is true. You must also be able to understand the data, formulas, and reports enough to spot where someone is doing too good on paper and it’s not accurate either. In that scenario, if it goes unchecked, it will be really hard to implement anything new that the team doesn’t want to do because they will say “but look at my numbers, I am doing great.”