I was walking a team member through our Fabricator CRM when she paused—staring at the screen like something didn’t compute.
“Is this right? There’s a $30,000 quote sitting here from February and… no one’s followed up?”
Yep. You read that right.
Turns out, Terry (let’s call him that) had a conversation with Sue (we’ll call her Sue) months ago. She was waiting to hear back on whether a unique stone slab would arrive that week. She even followed up with a little frustration the next week when Terry ghosted her the first time. He apologized, said he’d call in a day or two because it would arrive any day.
Spoiler alert: He didn’t.
My team member looked at me, confused and a little heartbroken. “This looked like a slam dunk. Why didn’t he call her back?”
My answer? “Because there was no quality control… and no consequence.”
Let’s break that down.
When Quality Control Is Everywhere—Except Sales
If your CNC operator runs the wrong program or cuts the wrong slab?
That slab’s going in the remnant yard.
If your Templator screws up the measurement?
You’re cutting another top.
If your Installer hits a stop sign and then a wall?
You’ll see the dented truck and hear from the angry homeowner.
If your A/R forgets to invoice your biggest builder for a month?
You’re not making payroll.
(Sorry for the PTSD—just keeping it real.)
But Terry? What’s his quality control? What’s his consequence for leaving $30,000 on the table and making Sue feel like she didn’t matter?
NOTHING
You Can’t Improve What You Don’t Measure
We’ve solved this with AI—every sales conversation is reviewed, flagged, and scored.. But I get it—not everyone’s ready for AI. So here’s the EASY BUTTON.
The Simple, Sleaze-Free Fix: Commission
Before you go all “ick” on me, I’m not talking about slimy car salesman tactics. I’m not suggesting your rep screams,
“If you sign in the next 10 minutes, I’ll take 60% off because I worked soooo hard for you.”
BARF.
I’m talking about honey, not vinegar. Motivation, not manipulation. Because here’s the deal:
You either let Terry keep breaking $30,000 promises with zero accountability…
Or you motivate him to call Sue back—maybe even twice—by letting him share in the pie.
Commission Isn’t the Enemy—Complacency Is
Look, your installers, your fabricators, your accounting team—they have immediate, visible feedback when something goes wrong. Sales? It’s invisible. Unless you’re tracking it.
So let’s start tracking. Let’s start rewarding performance. Let’s stop pretending that “just being nice” is a sales strategy.
If you want Terry to care about that $30K quote as much as you do, give him a reason to.
AI Insight #8: Help me come up with a commission policy for my sales team. I am a stone fabricator with XX sales people that are currently paid XX. My website is {www.website.com}. What questions can I answer so you give me a great answer?
