Much has been written and studied concerning the allocation of resources in marketing, especially in managing a sales force.
It's common to want to support the weaker members of the team, especially as resources become scarce, it's compassionate, and generous, but it almost always the wrong business choice.
As ad dollars dry up, or the market tightens, or competitors make a move, or customers wobble, a good manager (especially one who is managing with one eye on potential "upset conditions") will almost always go with his top producers.
1) NCOS (Net Cost Of Sales) The top guys typically produce 2 to 3 times the lower group, and they only require one car, one phone, one desk.
2) CE (Conversion Efficiency) Top sales people usually close a higher percentage of their deals, fix more problems, open more future opportunities, parlay little deals into bigger, and generate greater margins, often selling service over price.
3) Exposure. Your top people are the first to be recruited by the competition, within or without your industry.
ONE CAVEAT: Top salespeople cannot always be identified by volume alone; the big sales numbers may be generated by a guy asleep at his desk, sitting on the best territory in the company. Look at several criteria that identify success in your business. That's your job as Sales Manager. That's what the 'big bucks' are for
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