When an owner steals a sales rep’s leads

Dear Bob …

I’m looking for your advice, or advice from anyone else who has been through this before.

I work in a small/medium-size company as a sales rep and report to the two co-owners. I feel at times as though they don’t want me to be a happy and prosperous sales person.

One of my bosses stole the full list of sales leads I had and sarcastically thanked me for it on his way home. Every time I run into a good money-making account he claims he already has an indirect relationship with the account or something along those lines.

I’m sure all sales reps can relate to me when I ask why this boss is stealing my accounts. I work for him and any accounts I bring in are for the good of the company and the greater good. All he has to do is pay me a small commission on them.

Which leads me to believe he probably has a strained relationship with the other owner and somehow undermines me or is paranoid about his business.

The more I think about it, the more it makes me nuts to think I have nothing to do with any of this. He never provides me with any information I ask him for, just gives me the ya ya ya and does nothing.

I don’t want to turn into a whiner or a rat by telling my other boss I don’t like his partner’s attitude towards the business. Why do I feel like I’m in competition with the owner of the company? He’s taken a couple of my accounts and says he will have it brought in through a third party and then I receive no updates, no commission, nada. When I ask for updates with the owner I report to he just says he will look into it, and again nothing comes of it.

I want to quit, but don’t feel much like going through the job hunt all over again. I enjoy everything else about my work, flexible hours and all and get to travel, but I am a sales rep for a reason … because I like money … and right now he keeps digging his claws into my work. What to do? I am,

– Sad and Bitter

Dear SaB …

What do do?

First, let me challenge one of your operating concepts.

You said, “I don’t want to turn into a whiner or a rat by telling my other boss I don’t like his partner’s attitude towards the business.” Imagine that instead of stealing your sales leads you learned the guy was stealing computer equipment and selling it on eBay. Would telling the other owner turn you into a whiner or a rat? My opinion is that not telling the other owner turns you into an accessory after the fact … perhaps not legally, but as a practical matter, you’d have known of serious malfeasance and hid the fact.

Let me add, though, that there’s no percentage in your telling him. From your description of the situation I’m guessing he already knows — if not the specifics, certainly in general. The two have, after all, been partners for quite awhile. If they don’t understand each others’ character it’s because they’re each practicing willful ignorance.

The partner who is stealing your leads can’t help himself. There is a class of entrepreneur for whom part of the game is figuring out how to break the rules without getting caught at it.

I’m guessing Mr. Leadstealer is a member of this class. If he ran a publicly held company instead, he’d be the kind of guy who has $100 million in the bank and tries to turn $25,000 in profit on an insider trade.

The other partner doesn’t want to know, probably because Mr. Leadstealer makes him a lot of money … more, because he steals your leads, theoretically preserving sales without the expense of paying your commissions.

What should you do? This is obvious. Whether you want to or not, it’s time to find an employer who doesn’t pick your pocket. You certainly aren’t going to change your current situation.

– Bob