Risks

Risks entailed with developing a sales force include:

• Reputation risks: For example, salesperson under-performs and spreads bad feedback; unhappy customer spreads negative feedback; reputation falls on both the client and employee sides of the equation.
• Legal risks: For example,  newly hired salesperson turns out to have a checkered past.
• Risk that a new hire over promises and under-delivers.
• Relatively small client pool amplifies risks of failure.  
• Personal risk for managers of loss of income or promotion due to poor sales team performance. 

Opportunities

Developing a successful salesforce provides the following opportunities: 

• Motivates not just the most successful, but others on and around the team – and improves the lesser performers.
  
• Burnishes reputation in the marketplace.
  
• Wastes little time on regulatory and compliance issues.
  
• Results in more money and other resources for your sales team.
  
• Creates personal opportunity for managers to increase income and responsibility.