Student Question
Good day, Master. I was previously in an HR/administrative role at my company, but my manager felt I had potential in sales. So I recently applied for and was moved into a sales position, leading a small team. I’ve been running into some management issues.
The employees are quite close with each other. The methods and plans I propose are difficult to execute. When I set sales targets, they push responsibilities onto each other and don’t give their best effort. Recently three new recruits joined, and I feel the team’s energy is quite low. I’d like to ask for Master’s guidance.
Master Chi’s Response
Elevate Your Own Level, Play Both Sides, and Keep Them in Line
Since you recently moved into a sales position, your first priority is building real expertise in sales. Use your knowledge and competence to command respect from your employees. In your spare time, read books and resources related to sales in your industry.
Play both sides and become the biggest winner.
Have you ever noticed this phenomenon: why do some departments have strong subordinates who harbor so much resentment toward each other, each looking down on the other, convinced the other isn’t up to par?
This is actually something a good leader engineers deliberately. You need to create competition among your people through the right situations.
For example, if you want to design a sales plan, have everyone participate. See who can generate the most ideas and get people competing to outdo each other. Of course, once you select someone’s plan, reward them for it.
After that, move closer to Employee A — the one with the strongest sales performance. Once they believe they’ve become your trusted confidant, pull back and distance yourself, then move closer to Employee B, another solid performer. Keep them in a constant state of uncertainty.
These top performers will then throw everything they have into their work. Of course, this is quite different from simply dangling empty promises.
- Keep them on their toes — make your subordinates have no choice but to respect you.
When new employees first arrive, establish your authority from day one. Make them feel genuine awe.
Consistent, subtle pressure — applied quietly and without fanfare — earns you real respect from subordinates.
For example, have new hires write training reflections on their sales learnings. Reject the poorly written ones entirely and make them start over. This instills a mindset across the team: don’t dare cut corners.
Also, during new hire training, there are many specific benchmarks to cover — sales scripts, product and company knowledge, how to close clients, and more. Occasionally, ask new employees unexpected questions — for example, in a given scenario, how exactly would they respond to a specific challenge? After this kind of sustained pressure, new hires develop a clear sense that there is still so much they don’t know, so much left to learn. A new employee who genuinely wants to grow in sales, when kept in this environment over time, will naturally discipline and adapt themselves.