Look at your field calendar for the last quarter.
Where did your double visits go?
In my experience, most of them go to two places. The top rep, because it feels good. And the rep in trouble, because it has to.
The middle gets what is left.
These are the reps close to plan. Never a problem, rarely praised. And very often the ones with the most room to grow.
Pareto's principle is usually quoted for accounts, but it works for people too. A few causes drive most of a result. For each middle rep there is usually one gap, a skill or an account, that holds everything else back.
So I look at four things:
- The middle group. Who has quietly dropped off my calendar?
- The one gap. What single fix would move the most?
- Field days given. Is the middle getting its fair share of me?
- Movement over a quarter. Did the gap close, and did results follow?
Two habits help.
I book field days with the middle first, then fill the rest.
And I tell each one what I see in them. Many solid reps have never heard it from a manager.
“Your top rep is near their ceiling. Your middle reps are nowhere near theirs.”
Lesson 4 of 6 in Step 6: Managing performance, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.