Salespeople versus the rest of us?

[jim_p]

So the story is making the rounds about how, despite being in the financial crapper, AIG went and threw a big expensive bash for its top salespeople at a tony resort. Their defense was something about "rewarding and retaining" their best performers.

I'm reminded of a similar thing back when I was working at DEC. They, too, had an annual Hawaiian bash for their top salespeople, and there was some outrage when they continued to hold it in times of mass layoffs and belt-tightening. Again, the line was spouted about the need to reward good performance.

Excuse me, but are salespeople really cut from such different cloth from the rest of us that they need to be coddled in this manner? Down here in the trenches, my reward for good performance is keeping my job. In a good year I might even get a pay raise. Do salespeople really need the carrot of a Hawaiian junket dangled in front of them in order to perform? (To be fair, DEC salespeople were paid salary but no commission, so some *might* say that this reward for exceptional performance was deserved, but still it's a far better reward than mere mortals received).

What is it about sales culture that they don't even think twice about doing this kind of thing even as Rome burns?

Comments

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

Perhaps they're such good salesdroids that they were able to sell their bosses on this idiotic idea in the first place?

[dajt.livejournal.com]

This may have something to do with the widespread perception (it may even be true) that salespeople regard what they're selling and who they're selling it for as utterly fungible, ie while they're selling computers to large enterprise customers today, they would sell snack foods to gas stations tomorrow if there were more money in it.

[nokidsdammit.livejournal.com]

It might be something about the personality type. My FIL and his SIL are salespeople in FIL's business. They wouldn't be people I'd choose to spend time with.

[marmota.livejournal.com]

Every salesman I've ever met, from worst to best, has this in common; first and foremost, they market *themselves*. So, if they're at the top of their game for selling their employer's product or service, they've put at least as much effort into convincing their employer they Rock and must be Coddled. Have I ever mentioned that I consider all forms of push marketing to be types of assault, and therefore the 'best' salespeople to be essentially just thugs?

[madbodger.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I noticed this effect at the company I just left. I got a fairly insulting raise, and poked around to see who got the big raises. The business development folks, it turns out. Although they had failed to develop any business (their job, unlike mine, has an obvious metric), they had gotten glowing reviews and healthy raises. Even as the company was failing due to no new business in two years.

Apparently, to hire and retain the "good" BDs, you have to offer them huge salaries, in the hopes that they'll bring you business.