Vince is the man! Love it!
Ricoh – Prepare for a talent exodus
I received a call from a Ricoh sales guy in another state who read a 2009 post on my blog.
http://theconnectedcopier.word...-the-ikon-aquistion/
We spoke for about a half an hour. He said that Ricoh just adopted the IKON comp plan for their Sales Force. He had submitted his monthly comp plan work sheet before they made the change, then had to rework it based on the new comp plan and he said it cut his commission in half! He was not happy. His manager, trying to be a good manager, and a good corporate citizen, tried to show him how to best work the comp plan to maximize his earnings. The action plan was something like if you can rub your belly while patting your head riding a unicycle up hill, whistling Dixie with a mouth full of marbles you can make an “OK” commission. The sales guy showed his manager the what the same activity would have generated under the previous plan, and that was the end of the conversation.
Don’t get me wrong, Ricoh has to do something because they are hemorrhaging cash. But there is one thing I know about sales people, they didn’t go into sales to make an OK living. Most of them have a life style that requires them to really earn! They do a very difficult job, under tremendous pressure, but are willing to do it IF THEY CAN EARN! Take that away and Katie bar the door! Ricoh should also....read more here
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