You hired an experienced salesperson, gave them a few weeks of ride-alongs, handed them a territory….and six months later, it's just not working. What went wrong?

In this episode of the Landscape Leadership® Podcast, Chad Diller talks with Kayla Lujan, founder of GRIT (Green Industry Talent), about why new salespeople struggle to gain traction in landscaping and other green industry businesses. Kayla draws on 17 years of industry experience, from working on a crew to leading sales for a top 25 landscape company, to explain why hiring the right person is only the beginning.

We unpack what effective onboarding actually looks like, why sales managers need to coach behaviors instead of simply managing numbers, and what owners should realistically expect during a salesperson's first 30, 60, and 90 days. They also challenge a long-held green industry hiring assumption: Your next great salesperson may not need green industry experience at all.

Key discussion points:

  • Why ride-alongs alone aren't an onboarding program

  • How to create clear objectives and expectations for new sales hires

  • Why information overload can stall a new salesperson

  • The difference between managing sales numbers and coaching the behaviors that produce them

  • Why sales leaders need to spend intentional time in the field with their team

  • How stronger personal relationships make sales coaching more effective

  • What owners should expect at 30, 60, and 90 days

  • Why industry experience isn't necessarily the best predictor of sales success

  • The traits Kayla looks for when hiring salespeople

  • What separates good salespeople from great ones

  • Why you can't hire your way out of a people-development problem

Chapters

0:00 Intro
0:42 Meet Kayla Lujan
2:20 Hiring Is Where the Work Begins
3:57 Early Warning Signs in Sales Onboarding
5:12 Why Ride-Alongs Aren't Enough
8:47 Building a Roadmap for New Salespeople
10:18 Managing Numbers vs. Coaching Behaviors
14:16 Why Sales Leaders Need to Get in the Field
16:54 Building Trust Before You Coach
19:40 Are Owners Expecting Results Too Quickly?
21:12 What to Expect in the First 30, 60 & 90 Days
23:02 Where Should You Find Great Salespeople?
24:54 Stop Making Sales a Dumping Ground
27:44 Can Great Sales Skills Be Taught?
29:23 Rapid-Fire Sales Leadership Advice
31:27 How GRIT Helps Green Industry Sales Teams
33:02 The Real Key to Developing Great Salespeople

 

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