I used to fire non-performing salespeople 60 to 90 days late, because retention felt like hope. It cost a quarter of revenue and time each time. Founders are not indecisive — they just do not have evaluation bands.
Without bands, you run on emotion
"She is trying hard." "He had a tough quarter." "Let us give it one more month." Six months later, 30% of your sales capacity is locked in salespeople who were never going to hit quota — and the data was already there at month three.
Sunk costs are real. Stop hoarding the chips
Three bands to set before you need them
The Three Evaluation Bands
Quota band
Where a fully ramped salesperson should land, and the range that counts as on track.
Ramp band
Where a new hire should be at each month of ramp, so month three tells you something.
Improvement-plan band
The level below which a defined, time-bound improvement plan starts — automatically, not by mood.
Set the bands before anyone is measured against them. Then a firing is not harsh and a retention is not hope; both are the band doing its job. That is what 22 years of hiring and letting people go taught me.
Related: You built a hiring funnel, not a training system — make sure the system gave them a chance first.