Whether you call them a Diva, Maverick, or Lone Wolf, sales organizations often encounter star consultative selling rainmakers who do not always toe the company line.
As a sales leader it can be tricky to manage and retain these revenue superstars without upsetting the rest of your sales team or losing their trust.
Here are a few tips we have learned the hard way through the years:
- Do Not Tolerate Jerks. Anyone, regardless of their financial contribution, should be let go if they do not abide by the core values of the organization. Otherwise your values become a joke and your true culture becomes centered only on making money, not helping your customers and employees succeed. If you do not fire “jerks” in the short-term, your company will pay a far greater cultural price in the long-term.
- Protect the Rest. Assuming that the Divas live the team’s vision, mission and values, you should shield these high-performing nonconformists by creating clear and agreed-to boundaries within which they can perform, by providing targeted coaching to minimize problems and frustration, by recognizing and rewarding action and results, and by encouraging creativity and prototyping.
- Stay Flexible. While it can be easy to get frustrated and bogged down in the “one-off requests” and “hassles” that Divas create with different (yet often innovative) approaches, the rewards can be well worth it.
