The Day We Got Rid of America’s #1 Salesperson
Written by Jim Vickers

I stared at his sales numbers. #1 out of thousands of salespeople in the entire country.

‘You can’t even think about touching him,’ our president warned. ‘He’s too valuable.’

But I knew ‘Marcus’s’ secret. While he dazzled leadership with record-breaking deals, he was quietly destroying my team:

  • Hoarding accounts
  • Orchestrating backroom deals
  • Bribing teammates to quit for their accounts

The evidence was buried in the data. This ‘star performer’ wasn’t growing the business… he was cannibalizing it. My analysis showed that removing him could double our revenue.

It was a HUGE leadership test. Risk everything to get rid of America’s top salesperson?

Long story short: After ‘Marcus’ left…

  • We doubled revenue
  • Then doubled again. And again.
  • I was promoted again. And again.
  • That team became our largest division

True leadership isn’t about managing what exists. It’s about having the vision – and the courage – to confront what stands between your team and greatness.

Facing a ‘Marcus’ or another massive challenge in your organization?

I help executive leaders solve their toughest challenges.

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