Sales Booster Tips™  
By Mike Stewart, CSP

June 30, 2009

Committed, Proud, Knowledgeable and Failing
339  words. Less than 2  minutes reading time.

They are committed, proud and knowledgeable the sales manager told me when I asked him how his salespeople were doing.  He went on to tell me that his team didn't require training
or supervision because of these qualities.

My people represent the company and all that it stands for, he went on to say. And he told me how strong the brand was - which was true. He told me about their reputation for integrity and
service - which was also true. "That's good enough for me!" he exclaimed.

I don't want to insult them, he added, by suggesting that they aren't good  enough or by questioning their professionalism. The results of this attitude were:

 1. A leaderless sales organization that was not making its
     numbers, 
 2. Salespeople who thought they were doing okay although
     they were failing, and 
 3. A lost sale for me, for the time being

Persistence pays, and I stayed in touch with this situation. Not
too long afterward, I learned that the sales manager had been replaced and I followed up with the new manager. I said to him,
"I know you have great people on your team. They are committed, proud and knowledgeable . . . but I wonder how their numbers are." "Not good," he said. Then he talked about the team's lack of performance.

People who are unable to motivate themselves must
     be satisfied with mediocrity no matter how
     impressive their other talents.
 - Andrew Carnegie

How does that make you feel? I asked the new sales manager. "Terrible," he said. "These numbers are just ridiculous. I can't put
up with this." So I asked him, "What would you like for me to help you do about it?"

The successful end of this story is that these proud, committed, knowledgeable salespeople had been failing because they weren't doing the sales work required. They changed their ways by . . .
   - Eliminating excuses and accepting their responsibilities
   - Analyzing their territories and identifying their target accounts
   - Preparing territory and time management plans
   - Making sales calls and filling their sales funnels
   - Moving prospects through their funnels, and
   - Closing more sales

Good salespeople can get better!

To your success, always!
 

Mike

PS - Please pass this Sales Booster Tip™ along to others who may benefit. New subscribers are always welcome.


M I k e  S t e w a r t
Certified Speaking Professional
Registered Corporate Coach

How To Use These Sales Booster Tips To 
Increase Motivation and Grow Your Sales
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