This is my first year with a small family owned company and I had my 11 month review today and it didn’t go very well.
The company has a small sales staff of about 6 people and currently there is a lot of stress being put on the sales staff for a number of reasons. Being short staffed is a company problem but particularly a problem for the sales staff. I am constantly dragged away to help my coworkers clients and it’s not so much a lot of time per client but so many clients that I have to stop what I’m doing and help and then I don’t get what I need to get done.
During my meeting today it was strongly alluded that my job was in danger because my sales were below the quota I’m asked to hit. My quota is also the same as several other sales members who have been employed at the company for several years and have extensive books of business.
I feel it is unfair to compare me to the volume of which these salespeople do. I have no book of business and know almost nothing about the industry in terms of experience. I’ve taught my self everything I know and do daily supplemental research but there is a lot of repeat business and a lot of these workers want to continue working with the same sales staff they have been working with to get the best price.
Is it fair that my owner compares me to tenured staff? Am I just underperforming?
I also can’t really imagine them running with less people so I really feel like he’s just trying to scare me. Other coworkers in the last have consistently not met their quotas and we’re not reprimanded or fired.