That did it. All Bill needed was recognition, and he had not been getting it. The change was remarkable. Bill continued to have occasional problems with his drinking, but these episodes became less frequent and of shorter duration. He has since retired, but was at the top of the sales force when he left the company. Had we attempted to treat the initial symptom, all would have been lost.
Another man in the district (Pete) was on the opposite end of the sales ladder from Bill. I arrived in his hometown the evening before we were to start making calls, and had made arrangements to take him and his family to dinner.
Pete's records showed a borderline volume. When I saw him, the reason seemed obvious. His chin was almost on his chest, and his eyes looked about as happy as a basset hound's. Who would buy from anyone so morose?
At dinner, Pete's wife mentioned that this was the first evening meal they had all had together in months, except on weekends. Pete was working 14 to 16 hours a day, and arrived home after the children were in bed. As a result, his home life was miserable, and his low sales volume added to his woes.
When we made the next day's calls, I noticed that he was in such a rush to keep his schedule he seldom gave the customer or prospect a chance to talk. At my suggestion, we stopped early and went to my hotel room. We went over his record book, account by account. I asked him how often he called on each of them. Some, he said, he contacted every week, some on alternate weeks, some monthly.
Obviously, he had too many small accounts and was spending more time with them than the volume or potential could justify. This left him no time to develop the large profitable prospects in the area.
We drew up a new list of priorities. Some accounts were to be contacted by telephone or just an occasional visit. Nearly all were to be called on no more frequently than monthly. We initiated a daily reporting system for him (replacing the long weekly synopsis report). I also told him to spend more time with his family. In short, work smarter and not so many hours.
At the next sales meeting, Pete was all smiles. His head was held high as he accepted an award acquiring the most new business. Pete's morale problem originated from a lack of communication and direction. He did not know what the company expected of him. Nor had anyone shown him how to reach his goals in a normal working day. It was ruining his family life as well as his mental and physical health.
