Our top-producing salesperson was promoted to VP of Sales five years ago. He is a company legend and has been here since the beginning, but as we prep for a clean exit, we realize he does not manage the team, build processes, or look at data. He hates the management side. How do we run a GWC check on this long-tenured leader without destroying his motivation to sell?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To solve this, you must separate the salesperson seat from the VP of Sales seat on your Accountability Chart. In many growing companies, the top sales producer is automatically promoted to leader of the department. This is a classic mistake. Selling and managing are two entirely different skill sets. Your legendary salesperson likely gets and wants the relationship building and the thrill of closing deals, but they do not get, want, or have the capacity to manage people, hold team members accountable, or analyze pipeline data.

If you run a GWC™ check on him for the VP of Sales seat, the honest answer is probably no on all three. However, if you run a GWC™ check on him for an Elite Account Executive or Rainmaker seat, he is a perfect three for three.

Your recommendation is to have an open, honest conversation using the GWC™ tool as your framework. Explain that the VP of Sales seat has evolved. It now requires building a scalable sales machine, training reps, and managing CRM data to prepare the business for an exit. Ask him if he truly wants to spend his days in management meetings and performance reviews, or if he would rather focus on what he loves: winning major clients. Create a highly compensated, prestigious individual contributor seat on the chart that reports directly to the new VP of Sales. This keeps him motivated, protects your revenue, and allows you to hire a true sales leader who GWC™'s the management seat.