I’m pretty lucky—I get close with my fabricator clients across the country. Real close. I see what they’re good at… and what they suck at. Some shops are solid in some areas—and surprisingly bad in others. And it’s different for everyone. No one’s got it all figured out.  But patterns emerge.

Lately, one’s been impossible to ignore:  “I can’t keep salespeople.”

It’s almost like an affliction—either your salespeople stick… or they bounce. And there is a reason.

I’ve hired my share of sales reps over the years, coached plenty more, and studied the teams that crush it. And there’s one key difference:  The winners build turn-key systems for their reps.

Let me take you back to 2009.  I was the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) for a 40 million import/export business.   One week I’m putting in software, the next week I’m being told to confiscate computers, change passwords and help escort people to the door because we were filing bankruptcy.

Suddenly jobless, scraping by on my $300 unemployment a week-  my wife looks at me and says, “Well, you’ve always wanted a business… maybe now’s a good time.” So I did what any owner (and sales rep) does—I started at the end of my street, where the HVAC business was and went door-to-door selling. Ten times over.

“Hey—I’m a CTO. Need help?”  They typical response – “What the hell is a CTO?!”.  One guy asked if I could help him clean carpets… I’ve never felt so rejected in my life. Looking back now, it’s funny. Kind of.

But what I remember most was how much that sucked. That raw rejection. The confusion. The awkwardness. The hopelessness.  I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.  And guess what? That’s exactly how most of you are setting up your salespeople.

You bring ‘em in, give ‘em a phone – maybe a CRM login, and basically say,
“Alright… go get me some sales!”

No plan. No leads. No guidance. Just vibes. But here’s what I’ve learned—mostly by screwing it up myself:  Salespeople aren’t builders. They’re hunters.  They don’t build systems. They use them.

The best shops today? They don’t send sales reps out to “figure it out.” They hand them a system.  A process.  A GPS.  Because the moment your sales rep feels like I did in ’09—wandering around, clueless and hopeless—you’ve already lost them.

If you want to stop sales turnover, build something turn-key.  You’ve already done it for your shop floor. Why not your sales floor?

P.S. Not-So-Subtle Plug: If you need a system to win new Builders, Interior Designers, or K&Bs — that’s our MASON Approach.
If Retail or In-Home Sales is your jam (or needs to be), we built the Amethyst Method for that. Pick your lane. We’ve got the map.

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If you can’t keep Sales People this is for you.

I’m pretty lucky – I get pretty intimate with my dozens of customers across the country.  I get to see what they do well and what they suck at. Some shops are really good at some things and applorably bad at others. And trust me – NONE of them are perfect. But we all have something to learn from each other.  Hence the Onyx Edge was born.

A big one lately has been “I can’t keep sales people.”  It’s almost like an affliction either shops keep them, or lose them often.  There is a correlation.

I’ve hired my share of Sales Teams and have studied the successful ones, and the ones that need help. And here is the key to success….learned the hard way.

Let me take you back to ’09. My previous company where I was the Chief Technology  Office, went belly up and I was on the street collecting my pitiful $300 a week.   I always wanted to start a business and my wife said now was a great time.  So as an ‘IT Guy’, I’ll never forget starting at the end of my street (at the first strip mall) and literally going Door-to-Door -10 times in a row mind you saying – “Hey – I’m a CTO, I do IT Stuff.  Need help?”  I’d never felt so reject in my life.  Looking back on its pretty comical.  I always think of the Carpet Cleaner saying ‘What the hell is a CTO? Can you help me clean carpets?”

I eventually figured out how to create a community reputation – that built my business for me but I’ll save that story for another day.  The point I’m trying to make here is HOW MUCH GOING DOOR-TO-DOOR SUCKED.  I did it, and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.  And as a tried to grow my businesses – I experimented with many new methods and study marketing savants like Dan Kennedy, Aaron Ross, Alex Hormozi and Russel Brunson.  I even hired one for one-on-one coaching.

I wont go into details – but they all had one thing in common. Sales People need a system that generates them leads.  They aren’t systems people, they don’t want to create one or build one.  They want to be in front of customers, not keyboards.  The most successful shops of turn-key systems for their sales people.  Think about it, you have one for your shop?  Why not sales?

So instead of kicking your Sales People out the front door saying “Go Find Me Some Sales”, give them a system to follow.  Its like my blog post about how planet fitness’s gym machines relation to fabricator sales.