How long should I give my new employee to improve?

Dear Aunty B,

I am an insurance adviser, so key to my business is selling insurance in the context of offering broader advice. I hired a new staff member about three months ago and she has not had much success in selling so far.

I've been trying to assist her and work with her to improve the advice she is giving and her success in selling insurance products but it is taking up a lot of my time. How long do I devote to turning someone around?

Time Poor

Hobart

Dear Time Poor,

All new staff take a while to settle in and get the hang of things. You may find this hard to believe but even I was not immediately brilliant at my role when I started in it.

On the other hand, if you are spending all of your time working with this new employee and therefore working in your business rather than on your business, with little hope of reward, then you are going to run into trouble.

I look for two things in my sales team: an ability to sell and a positive attitude. If this new employee has one or the other then you have something to work with. However, if she can't get her head around sales and has a negative attitude, perhaps it is best to start looking for someone new. Your time is precious.

Be smart,

Your Aunty B

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