Sorry, don't buy it. Anyone can scan a list of severed employees and find someone to fit whatever scenario they want. It's more likely decisions are made on the profitability/potential profitability of individual territories, and staffing decisions are made based on that criteria. There's less risk of bias charges, can be sold strictly as a business decision, and allows the company to transfer/rehire displaced workers without being accused of favoritism.
The downside is, there may be many reps cut loose whose personal numbers were excellent. It gets a lot tougher to sell those remaining on the value of hard work and top performance when they see their highly successful peers being let go. The company has to know this, and it just adds fuel to the feeling that addditional reductions/restructuring/realignments are coming sooner rather than later.
