When Trust Meets Capability
This engagement paired intensive, targeted retraining with a disciplined return-to-field strategy, resulting in a $2M close within weeks.
The Situation
A senior salesperson at a large Boston asset manager had what every firm values most: deep, trusted relationships with major clients but when the firm deployed the Maximum Impact Sales Combine to assess critical skills, he scored alarmingly low on product knowledge.
The gap was significant enough that leadership faced a difficult decision. This wasn't a junior rep who could be quietly coached on the side. This was a veteran salesperson with major client relationships and active pipeline. But sending him into high-stakes meetings with knowledge deficits risked not just losing deals, it risked damaging the firm's reputation with their most important clients.
The challenge was to address the capability gap without destroying the relationship equity that had taken years to build and do it before a critical opportunity slipped away.
TM
Our Approach
Our team and the client’s leadership team made a controversial call: temporarily remove the salesperson from client-facing activities until the product knowledge gap closed.
This wasn't punishment but protection.
Protection of Client Relationship
Preventing erosion of trust built over years
Protection of Firm's Brand
Avoiding reputation damage with major clients
Protection of Career
Preventing public failure and confidence loss
Our Recommendations
A Relationship-Capability Integration Strategy
1
Treat Capability Gaps as Relationship Risks
2
Make Trainings Intensive and Targeted
3
Leverage Relationships Strategically After Capability Upgrades
The firm committed to intensive development despite short-term disruption and the salesperson's initial resistance
The Result
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Within weeks of completing the retraining and returning to client-facing activities, the senior salesperson closed a $2 million mandate with one of America's top 5 investment firms
The senior salesperson's initial resistance transformed into gratitude. He recognized that the firm's willingness to invest in his development, even when uncomfortable, had saved a major client relationship and unlocked a deal that represented validation of both his relationship equity and his renewed capability.
