Signs it is time
- conversation reviews get postponed and never happen
- the manager knows the state of the money but not what happens inside conversations
- new reps take longer to reach results than they used to
- there are more than five to seven reps
What a team lead does
- Reviews their group's conversations every week.
- Runs the short daily stand-up.
- Takes difficult deals together with the rep.
- Runs onboarding for new people.
- Watches that records get filled in.
- Prepares the group summary for the manager.
The main mistake
Your strongest seller on a full quota does not become a team lead, they become an overloaded seller. When you appoint one, the personal sales quota comes down and part of the income gets tied to the group's result.
The same applies to the owner: while they hold a personal quota, they are working in the sales team rather than running it.
How to set up the comp
- a reduced personal quota
- commission on personal sales stays
- a percentage or bonus on the group's result gets added
- a bonus for bringing a new rep up to standard on time
Does a small team need a team lead
With two or three reps the team lead role is done by the manager or the owner. Bringing in a separate person earlier makes no sense: they will not be busy and they will start inventing work.