I was at dinner the other evening with a friend of mine who is a sales representative at one of the leading life insurance firms in the nation. He was bitter about a mandatory full work day that Saturday. He exclaimed that he doesn’t mind working Saturdays, but the fact that the company was mandating a full day on his day off was excessive. In evaluating this approach over numerous engagements, I raise the question whether mandating sales teams to work on their day off is an effective approach?
I asked my friend how his sales director delivered the hard message. The meeting was based on the differences between winners vs. losers. The speech was well prepared and professional according to my friend but ended on a sour note. The meeting concluded with an “oh by the way, we need everyone to come in this Saturday from 9-5pm.” By the end of the meeting my friend noted that the look of frustration was manifested on people’s faces across the room.
Mandating work on your peoples off days has never been an effective approach to re-align with quota. The fact is that people don’t enjoy coming in on their day off unless they want to. This approach results in lower production levels, and it sends a negative message to your staff. So as a leader, if your organization is behind on numbers and you need to get back on track with quota, here is a strategy that is proven to be effective.
Be completely honest with your sales team. Hold them accountable for their production. Tell them that you need their help and offer support to help them get to where they need to be. If more hours are necessary to achieve quota, rotate longer shifts between your staff. Adding a few hours to their days a few times a month won’t be as daunting to your staff in comparison to a full work day on their day off. Thank you reading and questions and comments are always welcome!
Related Links
How to motivate an unmotivated sales force
Sales Management – how to manage your people
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Good post and this post helped me alot in my college assignement. Say thank you you for your information.