Category Archives: The Sales Journey

I DON’T BELIEVE IN LUCK

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Another small tip from one of my first mentors: I do not say ‘Good luck’, I say ‘Good fortune’.

One cannot control his or her luck (I personally do not believe that luck exists), but one can control his or her fortune. Simply take control, make your own world and control your destiny. God may know my destiny, it may be part of a greater plan, but I was given ‘free will’ to make my own choices and my own fortune.

An anecdote: A XEROX sales rep won rep of the month, again. This rep had a very long track record of success. As the award was announced the district manager introduced the winner with the following statement “Wow, what a surprise. Lucky for the 60th month in a row, our rep of the quarter is …”

Make your fortune. People will be amazed at how ‘lucky’ you have become.

THE DANGER AND POWER OF A FIRST IMPRESSION

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I am almost finished a very interesting (But dry) book – Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking. Blink is about the first two seconds of looking–the decisive glance that knows in an instant. It is about how people thin slice information, making decisions at a subconscious level.

It is a fascinating read / listen . Chapter 3 focuses on a car salesman, imparting what I consider a few very good lessons. This salesman sells about 20 cars a month, roughly twice the average. He has three rules of success:

  • Take care of the customer
  • Take care of the customer
  • Take care of the customer

If you buy a car from him, he will call you the next day to ensure that everything is fine (Good follow-up, building a long term relationship that drives repeat business). If you don’t buy a car, he will call you the next day to thank you for dropping by (Reinforcing relationship, and opening the door to future business). The rep shares that he has a book full of Thank-you letters from happy clients, clients who refer him new business and return years later to buy more cars from him. These are a few simple rules that everyone can learn from.

What was really interesting was how he viewed the thin slicing approach (Thin slicing is making a snap judgment based on very little information). In his case, he avoids the natural inclination to make a snatch judgment based on appearance. He heavily overcompensates to ensure that his subconscious does not allow him to make a quick decision on whether or not the person in front of him will or will not buy a car. To him, thin slicing on appearance is the kiss of death.

He provides the example of a teenager who comes in, gets blown off by one rep and attended to by another only to return in the evening with her parents to buy a car, of the men who come in waving a cheque book saying they are ‘here to buy’ (9 out of 10 do not) or the farmer who comes in dressed in overalls and is ignored, but has tons of cash and buys quickly. I blogged on this topic here.

Instead, he focuses on the individual, working to heighten his senses as he tries to figure out if the person is suspicious or trusting, naive or knowledgeable, cautious or easy going.

First impressions or physical appearance, if allowed, can drown out all other data. The author refers to this as as the ‘Warren Harding Effect’, where the US voted for a handsome and charismatic president who was, by far, the most incompetent and reckless. You can read about Warren here.

As sales reps or managers, people must be very careful about first impressions, as they can be very misleading without experience. I will provide a personal example, while in University I worked in a high end men’s store. After 2 years of being the store lackey, I finally convinced them to let me sell while still doing my lackey job. I would pick up people who the full time staff would ignore or were to busy to service. One night, on a night that was not particularly busy, a man came in who looked a bit shoddy, and he was not ‘jumped on’ like the reps normally do, so I engaged.

Shortly into the conversation, it became clear that he was there to update his appearance. $2000 later, he was out the door a new man.

In business, people often judge by appearance. But appearance is not just physical, it can be also be organizational rank or the appearance of an office. Sales people are conditioned to look down on the entry level position or middle manager, in that senior sales management quest to get to ‘the top’ (A CXO of some type). Never make that mistake. Everyone is important, perk up your other senses to determine as much as you can about the person: are they a key influencer? are they an up and comer? are they smart enough to get around in the organization (i.e. Can they help you get your deal done)? do they have a backbone to push things through? are they looking to make a name for themselves (i.e. Looking for a successful project to attach their career to?).

Now on the flip side, sales people (and managers) need to really think about how their appearance impacts others as they will be thin sliced. The author took the time to describe the rep as someone who is well groomed, looking like a banker in his suit. He dressed to make a very clear impression – reliable, trustworthy .. someone you want to buy a car from.

Recently, this was reinforced to me by a few recent personal events:

  • I was asked ‘Why do you always wear the same color shirts, it is quite boring. You, X and Y all dress the same’. X and Y are senior people in the organization.
  • I had someone come into my office the other day, sit down and start looking around. I asked ‘what are you doing?’. His response, ‘Trying to figure out who your are’.

In the world of business casual, people really need to think about how they dress – and most don’t. I see junior people walking around in jeans or untucked ‘hip’ clothes all the time and wonder .. have they thought about what message they are sending? When you go into the office next or when you go to a client, have you thought about the image you are attempting to portray? Have you thought about how you want people to thin slice you? As I have said before, you can tell alot about a person by their shoes.

PERCEPTION IS REALITY

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This is a good one to debate. One of my first mentors provided me with this statement “Perception is reality”. I can still remember saying that to my dad years ago, to his dismay. But it remains something that I believe today.

The definition of reality from  www.dictionary.com: The quality or state of being actual or true. That which exists objectively and in fact.

To me, the word ‘objectively’ is the key word. It is hard to argue with certain realities: The sky is blue, water is wet, stone is hard. That being said, beyond the physical elements of the shoe, the rock or water, reality is not concrete.

Take a simple thing like a conversation: I am talking with someone, they say something. My perception is that the statement is offensive. That forms the basis of my reality, the state of ‘actually being true’. Why? Because to me it is true. To me, that statement was offensive.

Now, from the other side – the person did not say it as an offensive thing. The speaker’s statement and reality is that the statement was harmless. To the speaker, the state of ‘being true’, or their reality is that it is not an offensive statement.

If the two people walk away from each other at that point, 2 realities exist. The speaker’s reality that nothing bad was said. The listener’s reality that the statement was rude. But then, what is the actual reality? What is the actual state of truth?

Some would argue that the reality is that it was offensive because the person was offended. Others would argue that because the intent of the statement was not offensive, the reality is that it was not offensive, maybe the speaker was over sensitive that morning.

You know what I think? I think that a single reality does not exist, that two states of truth exist at the moment. That is why they invented the word paradox ( Def’n: An assertion that is essentially self-contradictory, though based on a valid deduction from acceptable premises. An assertion that is essentially self-contradictory, though based on a valid deduction from acceptable premises.)

How do we fix this paradox? The two people could come back together, have a chat and bingo! one of them changes their perception of the situation and a single reality is created – which they now share.

But in the end, the point of the statement is not to point out what the actual truth is. The point of the statement is to demonstrate that people’s perceptions dictate their reality – that which they believe to be true. To me, that is a valuable thing to remember in sales, management or life.

I may perceive my actions as the right actions, thus forming the reality in which I live while others who I work with or sell to may perceive my actions in a completely different way, forming their reality and truths. The key is, can you take the leap to see it from their viewpoint, understand their perceptions?  That ability breaks down barriers, changes paradigms and alters the reality in which people operate.

In the end, I think I would change the statement from “perception is reality” to “a person’s perception is their reality”.

ARE YOU PREPARED?

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Most sales people and managers do not prepare for meetings. Sure, they prepare for that really big presentation, but what about the smaller meetings? Or even a lunch?

One of my first mentors taught me that you always need to be prepared, and that every meeting is important – no matter how long or short. I often run through a quick checklist in my mind before I go into key sales meetings:

1. What is my goal? What is the next step or action that I am seeking in that meeting?

2. What are topics that need to avoid or issues that might be raised? How will I deal with them?

3. I review key data points. At a personal level (Refresh on things that are important to that person or group) and at a business level (Refresh on the dynamics, outstanding issues, etc.)

4. What are my tactics to achieve the goal?

Clients are busy. While they may give you that first cordial meeting – they will not give you a second. They need to move their business forward, and by moving toward a goal in each interaction, both parties benefit and the sales person gains credibility.

BE PREPARED.

BUSY WORK IS NOT SUCCESS

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Do you ever come to the end of a day and realize that you have looked at the same email 3 or 4 times and it still sits there? Do you feel a sense of accomplishment when you get your email down below 100 unread? Are you wasting too much time on internal process? Do you get a sense of accomplishment if you get your internal reports done on time but did not move a single sale forward?

Welcome to the world of ‘busy work’. An old boss of mine described ‘busy work’ as those non-revenue generating activities that reps would cleave to. I have seen many an unsuccessful rep talk about how they respond to email quickly, or are up to date on all of their reports or how they are ‘so busy all the time, lots to do’ – but remain at the bottom of the sales heap.

Why are they at the bottom? Chances are they are busy in the wrong way. What is the right way? It is not doing email, it is meeting customers, driving deals, generating revenue.

Earlier this year I found ‘busy work’ manifesting itself in my email and task list. I would look at the same emails many, many times before actioning them. Outlook was becoming my action item/reminder repository. I was also using Tablet Franklin Covey software, which was becoming problematic. The traditional Covey model of A, B and C was not working for me. My task list was growing, it did not match how I worked and I was getting frustrated.

A friend put me onto Getting Things Done, which he learned from a Microsoft blog. This changed my work life in a few key ways:

1. It made me realize that the source of my stress was that I did not have a trusted repository for the things I needed to do. The hypothesis of the book is that the mind is like RAM (Random Access Memory, on a computer) and that you need to flush that RAM into a trusted repository, which eliminates stress. Otherwise, the mind will just keep working and popping things up such as ‘Close that $5M deal’, ‘call that customer’ or ‘change the oil’ with no end in sight. And as the mind has no ability to remember in priority (i.e. It prioritizes ‘change the oil’ in the same way that it prioritizes ‘get your heart medicine so you don’t die’), the randomness will cause additional stress. So, first step, you need to have a system that you trust so that the mind can rest.

2. It made me realize that email is a source of stress and wasted time. I would look at the same emails over and over, either as reminders or as items that need to be addressed and this was a huge waste of time and it created stress. Every time I looked at Outlook, I was looking at hundreds of undone emails .. that nagged at me.

3. It made me realize that the traditional approach of A,B,C task lists did not work because it did not take into account how I worked. I work in the office, out of the office, on the road. I have email, voicemail and instant messenger as communications models. My tasks are not just work tasks, I need a way to figure out my life inside and outside of work. Last, I live in Outlook. Having a task list outside of Outlook that did not take into account how I work each and every day (Which changes) was not working.

So, while on vacation, I took this book and read it. To me, it made sense. I then implemented it, and since then, my productivity has shot through the roof. And you know what? I have referenced it to 20 or 30 people and I know of many who have come back and told me that it has changed the way that they work.

If you want to be more productive, I highly recommend you read the book and then implement the process (If you use Outlook – you need to buy the add-in also, it is amazing). It had a huge impact on me and thousands of others. It may free up some time so you can go out and see a movie.

SAYING THANK-YOU

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I have read hundreds of sales/management books and articles over the years and certain things stick with you, like this one: “Less than 10% of sales reps send thank-you notes”.

I am one of those 10% – not just as a sales rep, but as a sales manager and in life (In general). Why? For a few reasons:

  • We live in a fast paced world and I believe that as a society, we are going down hill. We move-move-move so fast that we don’t take the time for the small courtesies and saying thank-you is an important courtesies that people have forgotten.
  • In this fast paced world, it is easy to become lost in the crowd. I was in a furniture store the other day – one of those really big ones that all look the same and what did I see? It was a Monday and the sales rep was writing out thank-you cards. I read one, and you know what? That big box store and that sales rep will stand out in the crowd. When people win business, very few say thank-you.
  • I have walked into the office of more than one client and seen my card sitting on their shelf. That means that it meant something to them. People like to be thanked.
  • Lastly, because it is the little things that set you apart in everything you do. Recognizing someone’s good work, thanking an executive for spending time with you or thanking that administrator for helping you out. I recently thanked someone who, as I was ramping in my new role, went out of their way to help me out a few times. It meant allot to me that they helped and it meant allot to them when I sent a note to their boss recognizing and thanking them for their assistance.

I think this applies in all walks of life – be it sales, management or administration.

Say thank-you more often. It makes you a better sales person, manager and person.

CAN I BUY THAT PORSCHE?

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This story was once related to me:

A young Asian man rode a 10 speed into the Toronto Porsche dealership. Upon entering, the well dressed salespeople promptly dismissed the prospect and went about their business, except the ‘new guy’.

He decided to help the young man, who clearly was not a sales opportunity. They spoke, he asked questions and at the end of the conversation took the young man’s card, got on his bike and paddled away.

An hour later, he came back with a $150K certified check for a brand new Porsche.

I had this happen to me when I was younger. We walked into a high end boutique in Yorkville years ago after I had just received my first BIG commission check. I was there to buy two nice watches for Narda and myself. Our first ‘post graduation – we are finally making money’ treat.

We were dressed casually for a Saturday stroll, jeans, ball caps and the women at the counter treated us like we did not deserve to be in such a nice store. In minutes, I had enough and we left. We walked across the street, were treated very well and bought two very nice Tag watches.

I then walked back across the street, walked up to that snob woman and stuck out my arm with the new watch and said ‘Your aloof attitude just cost you this sale’ (They carried the same watch). As an aside, I went back to that other store a year later to buy my engagement ring, and then a year after that to buy our wedding bands … Their attitude cost them a good chunk of business.

Remember, you cannot judge a book by the cover. Treat everyone as your best client and you will always win.

STRONG RELATIONSHIPS

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A true story: I was on a business trip at my company’s head office with clients. I had 2 people from my team with me and 4 clients. One of the clients was a rather cantankerous individual who kept throwing up road blocks for us, I will call him Bob (Although, he liked to spell his name backwards). The senior most person on my team made a valiant effort to get to know this client and break down that barrier. While enjoying the company of the others, I watched in amusement as he repeatedly crashed and burned:

“So, where did you go to University?”

Bob: “I went to Waterloo”

“Really, me too! I took …. (Insert long diatribe on his own personal story)”

Bob: “Well, that is interesting. I was there long before a young pup like that” (I wince, good one Bob. Shut down the conversation and insert a put down all at once)

Insert silence, followed by the sound of a big crash followed by a burning sound. So, why did this conversation fail? Why did he not get the opportunity to build a relationship?

Because he did not LISTEN. When Bob provided the PERFECT opportunity, he talked about himself. What did this accomplish? Bob got to learn all about him, whether he wanted to or not. Bob also got the message that he was not important. The sales person’s role is to build that bridge, to understand the client at a personal level. Only by understanding what makes someone tick, can you build trust on THEIR terms. The salesperson does not get to dictate the terms of the relationship (As he tried to do by talking about himself), the salesperson must conduct a reconnaissance and, as every single relationship is different, build the bridge of trust according to the terms that the client dictates.

So, how did this end? I stepped in, asked a few questions and LISTENED. Before I knew it, Bob was talking all about himself. Unlike my counterpart I was not listening to the conversation thinking ‘Gee that is nice, but let me tell you this about myself’. I SINCERELY remained interested and found the common threads upon which to build a relationship. To the amazement of my colleague, we spent the evening laughing and talking about some very diverse topics (I learned that he was a sci-fi nut, and I love sci-fi. I also learned that he has a cool hobby that I know nothing about and now know alot about). We started building a relationship while he sat on the outside.

Over time, that relationship strengthened. Bob began sharing his concerns about our company. We built a relationship and the barrier came down. We started doing business. An additional benefit was imparted, I learned from Bob (A side benefit that most people miss and a topic for another blog).

In summary, the key is sincerity and the ability to listen. Check the ego at the door, your opinions and views are not important, what you are about to learn is. So what do you do with that knowledge? With so many daily contacts – how do you keep track of it all when you can have a bad habit of forgetting names? (A topic for another blog)

DO PEOPLE BUY FROM PEOPLE?

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In my blog on relationships, I mentioned the old sales adage that ‘people buy from people’. I do believe that this is true, but I think that the company they represent plays an important role. While the slimy salesperson can sell ice to an Eskimo or a motorcycle to a blind man, they will never be allowed to return and in the end, it will catch up to them.

To build a strong relationship in a sale, the company’s value proposition must be part of that sale – as it reflects on the individual. For example, a company that is universally know in the market for their rather interesting business practices has lead many clients to comment to me that they do EVERYTHING they can to avoid buying from that company. Why? Because they have been disappointed in the past. It does not matter if the person coming into their office is a salesperson of integrity, the fact that they work for that company instantly puts up flags. A simpler example is when you drive into ‘Earl’s Used Cars & Ice Cream Depot’, you look at that rep and instantly make a value judgment which jades your buyer’s perception.

In the age of ethical explosions such as Enron, this is something for the sales rep to seriously consider as it will impact your ability to build relationships and be successful. When I left Dell, I made a brief pit stop at a hardware company. This company is universally know for its kill or be killed sales force and huge income opportunity ($750,000 year was not uncommon). I left after only a few months because I could not do it. I was not afforded the time to build relationships (Sales management pushed hard – do whatever it took to get that deal yesterday) and I did not feel good about the company.

In the end, as you build a relationship, the best salespeople stand in-front of their clients with pride. They know that they can offer that bond of trust because the company they represent will back them up. That is why I would change that saying to “People don’t buy from companies, people buy from people who represent quality companies”.

Now, how do you build quality relationships? That is for another blog.

THE POWER OF A RELATIONSHIP

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Why do people buy that expensive suit from the same place for 20 years? Why does IBM remain the No.2 software company in the market even though it is acknowledged that their software is not that great? Why do I go out of my way to pick up my pool chemicals from the same guy when I could get them at one of 30 different places? Relationships.

There is an old sales adage ‘People don’t buy from companies, people buy from people’. I believe that the strength of this statement increases in proportion to the size and complexity of the sale. If you are buying a razor, do your really care where you get it? But, if you are buying a car or spending $1M on a new software system, the buyer wants a relationship. Why? I believe that it centers around one thing: risk. Life is filled with uncertainty, if a person purchases that new system and it fails – they could lose their bonus or even their job. The hard truth is that there is no way to create that guarantee (outside of some very strict contract that most vendors will never agree to). So, the only thing left is the relationship.

The relationship, if done correctly, builds trust and provides a sense of comfort. That trust is often hard won, but when it exists, smart sales people recognize that it transcends cost. While trust provides the buyer with the qualitative benefit of knowing that they will not be abandoned after the sale (If all heck breaks loose, the vendor will remain a trusted partner and be there to help through any bumps), it provides the salesperson with the quantitative benefit of being able to monetize that trust through a higher price (due to perceived value) and repeat business.

But do people really only buy from people? How do you build those relationships? Those are topics for the next blogs.

THE DEPRECIATING ASSET

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I do not know which book taught me this (For some reason: I believe that it was Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich), but it is around the value of a car. A car is depreciating asset. The smart person does not lease cars perpetually. The smart person buys a vehicle and keeps it as long as possible. This is advice that I have not really followed … rationalizing my new car leases by getting 1 year old cars or by convincing myself that because of my job, I cannot afford the downtime. Until now. I have a BMW 328 that just turned 7. My eyes keep getting drawn to the great ‘end of year’ deals as 2006 models come in and 2005 models get blown out. But, I have resisted and after doing a few maintenance repairs last week, I will continue to resist until next summer (At least). There is something liberating about not having that $750 per month car payment … and I like it. But, when I do change, I think that I know which car it is – the Acura TL . Why? Because of the horsepower or the handling or the body style? No, it has Bluetooth.

THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT

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I don’t gamble, the others in the party where not interested. I have known him a while so I was candid: ‘look, if you want the keys to the Expedition, go ahead and we will all go out for a nice 3 course steak dinner. But if you think that you are going to drag me to some cheese ball casino, your nuts’. Put that way, he said bugger you all, he was going. I gave him the keys and we all retired to our rooms for an hour before the rest of us would reconvene for dinner.

….45 minutes go by, my phone rings. ‘hello, this is the concierge, your customers are down here waiting for you to take them to the casino.’ … A knock at the door…  I tell the guy on the phone to wait, ‘who is it?’ … ‘Bell hop sir. Your customers are waiting downstairs for you to take them to the casino.’ I was beat, down I went and there he stood, with the other execs around him (smiling). He had rallied the troops .. We were off to the casino.

We travel an hour and during that hour he takes me through the theory of blackjack and his cheat card, a color coded card that shows you what to do for the best odds for every possible combination. We arrive and sure enough, it is a dump. After we have a REALLY bad meal we hit the casino with one caveat: when I lose my $100 (big spender), he has 1 hour and the bus leaves. If he is not with us, he can hitch a ride home.Off we go, and he explains to me his philosophy of betting which I later renamed the ‘pansy model’. Start at 5 bucks, each win grows the bet by 5 bucks until you lose, drop back to 5. To me this just means a long night at the table – so I quickly get to a $20 table and begin playing (Fully expecting to lose).Well, not tonight. I was on fire. Every time I put money on the table, I just kept winning (That cheat card was very handy). The louder I laughed at the irony – the more the people around me shook their heads. At one point, I had a string of 5 blackjacks in a row. My dealer of choice that evening – who I called Carolana bobana – (I was also having fun with the name game) was getting tip after tip (Good karma) and I hit a high of $3000. At one point, after losing a $100 hand, I can remember my executive friend saying ‘What? Remember the rule! Don’t go back at $25, start small!” .. to which I looked at him – laughed and added another $75 to the bet (I won). In the end – after tipping the dealer at least $400 through the night – I walked out with $1600 – or as I put it 16 really cool looking black chips.

The moral of this story:

The customer is always right.

THE ART OF THE FORECAST

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As an aside, he is the only boss who I have ever screamed a steady stream of profanity at that would make a construction worker blush. We did not speak for two days after that – but there were times where he truly drove me nuts.
 
Me? I was one of the top reps, I always beat my number and once clocked my forecast review at a little over 4 minutes. Know your business, be prepared, present it in a simple and clear way, don’t offer extra information and succinctly summarize bad news .. Never hide anything.
 
As a manager, he had a simple approach to management: call you once a day and cascade pressure downward. The problem is that for those at the top, that pressure always landed on our shoulders as we delivered his number quarter in, quarter out.What I did learn during this experience was the art of the forecast review. When I was first hired, I was hired with another man – Tom. Tom was from New York, he had a big swagger and could really talk a good game. I can remember through the interview process that they seriously did not consider hiring me because I was too young and when compared to a guy like ‘Tom’ – how could I compare?
 
In the end, Tom was one of those big talking under-performers who never hit his number while I was always top 3.
 
Every quarter we would get together as a team and review our pipelines. The weak performers (Like Tom) always did the same thing presenting their forecast, they would bury you in detail about deals, talk about business complexity and often go on for more than 30 minutes, invariably to explain their poor performance. The stars were up and down, comfortable in their ability to deliver.

GREAT SALESPEOPLE WATCH MOVIES

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Over my career, this point has been reinforced to me time and time again. As I matured in sales (and business), I have noticed that the best salespeople and executives are not the harried one. Yes, we all go through phases where everything is nuts and the 90 hour weeks are required, but that cannot be the norm.

Some of the best reps I have known have disappeared in the middle of the afternoon to catch a flick. At first I found it odd, but over time I came to understand. If you know your business, you do not need to be the one who works 90 hours a week all the time. I made this point when I passed on that success = 15. In the case of my first mentor, it was not movies, it was the O.J. Simpson trial (smile).

I will now provide a case in point: Last year, when I was still a client manager (I have moved back into management), I grew the business 22% and nailed every single one of my MBO’s. I also played lots of golf with clients and had a wonderful time with my family (The boys are growing very fast and pretty soon this period will be gone). I live a very balanced life – work hard, enjoy life. In my mind, that is success.

FIVE NO’S TO MAKE A YES

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One of my most valuable lessons in sales was the statement ‘five no’s makes a yes’. Paul Shearstone was one of my first and most impactful mentors. Paul taught me a valuable lesson before he even started mentoring me. While working at Canon, Paul was seen as the crème of the crop – the best rep in the company (When you are making $300K+ per year selling photocopiers in the early 90’s, that is impressive). Whenever someone would start at Canon, they would learn about Paul and invariably attempt to spend some time with him to learn. I did the same thing, I entered the company and asked that magic question: Who makes the most money here?

I approached Paul and asked him if I could shadow him at some point over the coming weeks. Paul asked me why, and I simply said ‘Because I hear you are the best’. So he agreed. He told me to call him the next day.

I called. He did not return my call. I called again, and again and again. Five times in total. Finally Paul returned my call, and agreed to let me join him. I showed up at our first meeting with a notebook in hand, ready to go.

As I spent time with Paul, he became a mentor and one day he shared why he had made me call 5 times before he would meet with me. He had a rule; he would only spend time with people who called him five times. It was his litmus test. Calling Paul multiple times, with no response – and then to keep calling proved that the person really wanted to learn, and was worth investing time (Paul LOVED to teach). I was one of those fortunate few, and to hear him tell the story, I just kept calling until he let me in (smile). He also stated that I was his only student who hung on his every word – writing copious pages of notes (I believe that is why I broke $100K in my first year at Canon, hitting 330% of plan at the age of 26).

I think this philosophy has broad implications and is one of the underpinnings of my success as a salesperson. Whether it is cold calling, building relationships or chasing a deal – five no’s make a yes. Many, many times I have been told ‘No way, don’t even talk to me about that’ or ‘We are not interested’ only to turn that around through perseverance to ‘Yes, lets sign that contract’.

No is the start, not the finish.

THE CULTURE OF MESSAGING AT MICROSOFT

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From Fortune’s article with Gates and Ozzie:

Gates on email in meetings: Around here people are thoughtful about this. For example, during which meetings are people allowed to read email? You have to create protocols around these things. There are three kinds of meetings at Microsoft: where it’s a free for all and you can do whatever you want; where people at the table have to pay attention but the others don’t (if you sit in a chair in the back. that’s a signal that you’re half paying attention); and meetings where we want your total attending. The default really is: If you’re sitting at the table, you’re supposed to focus on what’s going on.

Gates on IM: … instant messaging has been hard to get used to. How many people am I going to let me interrupt me? If I don’t let them, what kind of a signal is that?

In the January 2005 Harvard Business Review they write about ADT – Attention Deficit Trait, an organizational disorder not unlike ADD which is “turning executives into frenzied underachievers”. A fascinating read – and it will provide a new perspective on those meetings where 20% of the people are paying attention and the other 80% are chiming in randomly while doing email on their wireless laptop or Windows mobile device.

The definition of ADD (HBR, January 2005, Overloaded Circuits: Why Smart People Underperform):

Attention deficit trait is characterized by ADD ’ s negative symptoms. Rather than being rooted in genetics, however, ADT is purely a response to the hyperkinetic environment in which we live. Indeed, modern culture all but requires many of us to develop ADT. Never in history has the human brain been asked to track so many data points. Everywhere, people rely on their cell phones, e-mail, and digital assistants in the race to gather and transmit data, plans, and ideas faster and faster. One could argue that the chief value of the modern era is speed, which the novelist Milan Kundera described as “ the form of ecstasy that technology has bestowed upon modern man. ” Addicted to speed, we demand it even when we can ’ t possibly go faster. James Gleick wryly noted in Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything that the “ close door ” button in elevators is often the one with the paint worn off. As the human brain struggles to keep up, it falters and then falls into the world of ADT.

The article goes on to describe how this new culture negatively impacts the brain by pushing us into survival mode, which prevents fluid learning and nuanced understanding – counterproductive.

Ways to cope: promote positive emotions, take care of the brain (Studies show that exercise, eating right, sleep and fine tuning the brain (reading, learning, etc.) keep the brain healthy and reduce the impact of memory loss or onset of dementia in old age), prepare for the day (don’t get sucked into the email and firefighting vortex) and protect your frontal lobe (don’t get into survival mode) … you also may want to kill the Windows mobile or blackberry device (smile).

Order the article at www.hbr.org.

GO ON VACATION

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I am on vacation this week and read an interesting stat from Fortune about staying healthy. A survey by a staffing firm Hudson says that 34%of employees check in with the office so frequently while on vacation, they come back ‘either more stressed than, or just as stressed as, when they left”

When I was younger, I used to call in on deals. During all these years, I never lost a deal while away on vacation (Christmas time was different – that was end of year).

I am taking this week off, and I was asked to come on 2 conference calls – I said no. Why? Because to truly recharge, you must unplug from work – I firmly believe that. I know a number of people who do not believe that … and I also know that when I come back, nothing will be unrepairable (Or changed).

THINKING OF SALES? THOUGHTS TO PONDER

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My boys are getting older and as time passes I find myself thinking of their entry into the workforce. These thoughts are punctuated with a desire to protect them as long as possible, but in the end it is inevitable.When I entered the world of sales it was not a conscious choice. I was in university and needed a part time job. I applied all over the place including a high end men’s wear retailer. I was given the job of ‘Chief lackey’ doing everything from cleaning closets, to folding sweaters and fetching customers drinks (We served coffee and pop). As time passed, I watched the sales team and began learning .. slowly understanding what separated the good from the bad while acquiring that competitive spirit (Which I attribute to one Gordon Gecko ‘want-to-be’ who got me into reading business books). From that point on, I shunned what most business school students seek – the ‘marketing’ job – and sought out sales jobs.

In retrospect, I ask myself would I enter sales again? The answer is a resounding YES and if my boys seek my guidance on their career paths I will lay out the pros and cons from my pragmatic viewpoint. That viewpoint:

The Pros of being in sales:

1. Salespeople are always needed. You can build the best product in the market and not be successful. The best companies in the world have great sales people and they remain in high demand. In the June 2005 Fortune (Salespeople in the catbird seat), they note that in a recent poll of 65 Fortune 500 companies:

  • 80% think they have cut costs about as much as they can and are now looking to grow revenue
  • 77% are hiring more field sales reps
  • 50% are adding telephone and web sales people
  • 56% are boosting base pay to acquire talent
  • 34% are raising commissions

One executive stated “we never laid off any salespeople during the tough years”

2. Sales is the best way to make money. If you are motivated by money, there is no better way. In that same survey they noted that at 90% of these Fortune 500 companies, top sales people earn more than their direct bosses and 19% earn more than the CEO. I can still remember coming out of school and everyone talking about that coveted IBM or XEROX marketing job that paid $40,000. After a few false starts, I really began my sales career at Canon selling faxes and copiers. I was earning $1000 per month in salary and in the first year, I grossed $105,000. In the second year I earned $145,000 and from there it continued to grow. At 29 I broke $200,000 and never looked back.

3. Flexibility: I caveat this statement as it is for outside sales people. Salespeople are measured – at all times – by one simple benchmark: revenue. If you earn your revenue (or gross margin – depending on how the business measures it), you are afforded flexibility. Salespeople are allowed to work the hours that they want, in the manner that they want with a healthy dose of autonomy as long as they hit the number. I often refer back to one of my first mentors: he was earning $350K per year selling photocopiers while spending more time watching the O.J. Simpson trial than making calls. Why? Because he was very good at what he did and he made his numbers – his way.

I provide one other caveat: I also know salespeople who continue to work 75 hours per week to make their numbers due to many factors. This could be because of the fact that they are bad at sales (And should do something else), they have a poor territory, they are given an impossible quota or they work for a company that has built a culture where this is expected. This is the case for EMC, where their sales culture is built around working hard, playing hard, making big money and never spending time with the family. I always remember when I went to EMC (I only stayed a few months – morally, ethically and personally – I was the wrong fit for that culture and was not interested in lowering myself to ‘fit in’. There are lots of ways to make big money, despite EMC’s assertions). My brother-in-law handed me a Fortune article that had just been published about the sales culture, profiling a salesman who left his daughter’s christening to make a call and try to close a deal. I cringed … and left soon after.

4. The sky is the limit: With sales, the traditional constraints of the corporate office are often left behind. Sales people have the ability to innovate and be entrepreneurs. How much time you put in, how you use that time and how much you earn is often limited internally – not externally. As I noted, I was able to join that 2% of workers who earn more than $100K per year in my second year due to hard work, passion for learning and great mentors.

The Cons of Sales:

1. There is no where to hide. You are measured on your number – miss the number too many times and you are gone. Simple. There are very high highs, but there are also very low lows … this job can be very stressful on many fronts (Not hitting your number puts your job at risk, hurts your pocket book and for those who let their external environment get them down – be very demotivating).

2. Driving for the number creates competition. Attaining your number will be at the expense of someone else losing the deal. You must be prepared for ruthless competition.

3. Not everyone will like you. Some customers will hate you because you are in sales, not willing to give you a chance based on their previous bad experiences with some slimy sales person (We have all had this experience!). This can be tough for people who are very sensitive. In sales, you cannot be friends with everyone.

4. Not everyone is good at sales. I never considered myself a natural – I really had to work at it. I read books, I had mentors, I went to courses, I practiced, I made mistakes and I listened to tapes. It is a skill that just will not happen, the best people work at it and are always improving. But even after all of that effort, you can still suck as a salesperson. Look inside yourself, you will know if this is right for you.

I am often approached by technical people, consultants and marketing folks about what it takes to get into sales. My coaching is always the same, there are great rewards for the successful sales person – but there is also great risk. Thought should be put into the decision, before you jump (smile).

 

In the end it is a personal decision, there are many choices beyond sales. As the judge would say “Well Danny .. the world needs ditch diggers too”

MS OFFICE IMAGE WRITER

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Do you have an online subscription? Do you have a document that you want to send someone (Word) in a format that is universal (In case they do not have word)? Is there a web page that you want to save and share with someone electronically?
Well, a little know product that is part of Office 2003 is the document image writer. I use it all the time.
My most common use is for a business magazine. This magazine gives me access to their articles online, but the access expires. So, each month I go to the site and if there is an article that I would like to keep long term, I simply use the print function with Office. It exports the document to a proprietary format (That can be viewed in the Office Viewer). If you use the ‘save as’ function, you can change the format of the document to a TIF which is viewable on any computer.
A VERY handy feature.

STAY YOUNG, STAY FOOLISH

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I just read Steve Job’s address to the 2005 graduating class of Stanford. It is an inspiring read. “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”

My children used to love the Magic School Bus cartoon, and Mrs. Frizzle used to say something very similair: “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!” … I agree.

Steve Jobs at Commencement

http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505

SUCCESS = 15 (Part 2)

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All companies talk about work life balance, but we all know it is a bit of an oxymoron. The company wants you to take the vacation and spend time with your family, but loves the guy who works 75 hours a week, will take that Saturday conference call and gives his life to the company (As evidenced by email activity at 1AM).

I don’t buy it. In fact – when I see someone working really really hard, all the time, I start to wonder about that person’s skill level. What are the compensating for?

Using the Success=15 model, if you do invest the time then the effective person begins building skill. If skill grows over the years to an 8 and the person is still putting in an 8 in time, then one of two things is going to happen:

1. They are going to be **wildly** successful and march up the corporate ranks (Or in the case of sales – make a ton of cash).

2. They are going to burn out and then time & skill plummet.

That being said, the top two alternatives do not represent the majority of cases. In my experience, the person who puts in that ‘8’ in time year in, year out is compensating for a skill level that has plateaued. That plateau in skill can be attributed to many things: not becoming a sales expert or good sales manager, not being able to prioritize work (i.e. spending countless hours doing unproductive work), etc.

So, be wary of the time investment. If you remain at the “8” level, ensure that you are on the path to **wild** success. Ensure that you do not need a reality check around the plateauing of skills (Questions to ask: Is this the right job? Am I doing the right things? Am I productive? What training do I need to get on the right track?) or that you are on the verge of burning out.

Shooting stars go from very bright to black in a shockingly short time.

SUCCESS = 15 (Part 1)

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My first and greatest sales mentor once taught that success can be thought of as “15” in sales. We break the sales job up into 3 component parts, each worth “5” points, with success being obtained when you reach 5 in each category (5+5+5=15).

In sales, we can think of the three components as:

  • Territory: Everyone gets a 5 for this. We must assume that the company that we work for is fair and therefore, everyone gets a 5. We must assume that everyone is set up for success.
  • The other two components: Skill& Experience and Time – each worth 5 points.

So, in the words of a successful rep: I know what I am doing – I am quite good at what I do. Therefore, I would rank my skill at an 8, which means that for me to overachieve (Go higher than a total of 15), I simply need to invest a 3 or 4 in time (Meaning: I can work less and still crush my numbers).

The lesson was then focused on me (As a new rep): You however are a 1 or a 2 skill level, so you better be investing a 9 or 10 in Time if you want to succeed. As you learn, your skills will increase and you will be able to adjust the skill to time ratio. But you cannot avoid investing the time if you want to be successful.

This lesson has stuck with me through my 16 years in business – as I believe that it can be applied to sales or management. When I take a new position, I make it a habit to remember that I am back in the learning stage and need to compensate for what I don’t know in the only way possible: investing more time to secure success.

I also review my progress continually to ensure that I am learning and growing my skill – so that my time can shift back to something that allows me to a) be very successful while b) attaining work life balance. That review becomes my plan for success.

image

 
 

TONY ROBBINS: GURU

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I had a friend tell me a funny story. He was interviewing sales people and asked one lad: “What is the best sales course you have ever taken?”

The response:  Tony Robbins. End of interview.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I think he is great. But he does not teach sales, he teaches personal motivation. What that interviewee did not realize was that … he was being sold.

Quick fact: Did you know that Tony Robbins owns many of these $14,000 USD exercise machines because he is a time maximization guru. Yes, for only $14,000 you too can stay fit in only 4 minutes per day!

http://www.fastexercise.com/

Like this 4 minutes work out – people believe that motivation is something that can be quickly fixed – the 4 minute motivator – and in my experience, that is not the case. Most people come out of these events pumped, and for a short period change until their situation brings them back down and they settle into old habits.

For me, motivation ebbs and flows, that is normal. But when it is ebbing more than flowing, I don’t look to a guru – I look at myself and say what is going on. I heard this the other day and believe that it is something we should all ask ourselves:

Do you get up in the morning excited about going to work? And when work is done, do you go home excited to be getting home?

Something to ponder.

YOU CAN TELL A LOT ABOUT A PERSON BY THERE SHOES

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When I was in University, I had the good fortune to get a part time job at a high end men’s wear store. I started out as the store lackey – painting, folding sweaters, fetching customers drinks and over the next couple years gained credibility to the point where they made me the first part-time sales employee. During that year I sold $75,000 worth of men’s wear part-time (Without selling a single $1500 suit) – not bad considering the full time guys were selling $300-400K annually.

One experienced salesman there (Who was a great guy, very classy and a strong father figure type – he was also an amazing gardener) gave me the following advice:

Always keep your shoes polished and be careful in your choice. You can tell allot about a man by his shoes.

Through the years, I have realized that as a rule of thumb – this is sage advice. It is interesting, when I first meet someone – I do glance at their shoes, as I try to figure out who they are ….

GOALS AND $100K

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When I was a new sales puppy, I read a ton of sales books. Many books suggest that without goals – you will not achieve success.

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever   seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way and who will be sharing the adventure with them.      Denis Watley

Early in my career, I set upon one goal: To earn enough money so that money was not relevant. I grew up in a family that was always struggling for money. We were well taken care of, but went through some very tough times. To me, my goal was simple: Make enough money so that I don’t have to worry about money – ever.

In the early stages of my career (When I was 24/25) that became a simple goal: break the $100,000 income barrier. To ensure that I understood my goal every single day, I taped a big sheet of paper to my desk with the numbers $100,000 in a big bold font. Every day, I would get up and look at that number, every evening I would close out my work with a final look at that number. Everything I did was focused on that one goal – breaking $100,000.

This had a very concrete impact on my actions: I prioritized, I worked harder, I built a very big pipeline so that if I closed 1 in 3 deals I would make my $100K number.

That year, I made $103,000. The next year, I made $176,000.

That same philosophy can be applied to many things. For example, two years ago I wanted to break 90 as a reasonably new golfer. It was a big psychological barrier and required focus – but I set my sight on the goal and built a plan on how to attain it (practice, reading, lessons, etc.) That year, I broke 90.

I often ask people that one question: What are your goals? If you don’t know your goals, how are you going to figure out what needs to be done to attain them? In the end, it is goals that make the difference, we make our own fate …. The below should say ‘Those with goals get to be an astronaut’.

THE PERSONAL SERVICES CORPORATION

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In the latest Fortune (May 16, 2005) they discuss the unfortunate turn of events that 50+ executives face when they are forcefully retired, or fired.

They speak to the way our society is changing. In the past, society viewed older people as wise – experienced and of value (Think of the village elder and the value put on their wisdom in traditional societies). In today’s society, companies are looking at the cost of a seasoned executive, the pace of change (technology change, business change) and wondering – should I hire the older exec or the younger one who will work 7 days a week and is a lower cost?

A short sighted view in my opinion. The topic reminded me of a valuable lesson that I was given early on in my career: the lesson of the personal services corporation. What this article ultimately points to is that corporations don’t care – if the business justifies it, companies will discard at will. Look at IBM this month – bad quarter – 14,000 jobs gone.

Early on in my career I was taught two things:

1. I am a number to a company. I am expendable. If I don’t delivery – I am gone (Especially true in sales).

2. I must look at myself as a personal services corporation. I am selling my services to the company I am working for. As long as both companies are on mutually agreeable terms – the business relationship continues. That being said – if those terms change and one party is not benefiting, the relationship terminates.

For me, this is one of the key learnings of the article. People often mistake the relationships that they have within the office environment as characteristics of the corporation. By understanding that this is a business relationship, one is able to see past personal loyalties and bias, avoid an attitude of “entitlement” and align their personal corporation with the business goals of their client: the company they are working for. That leads to success.

As another boss once said to me: Remember, loyalty to companies died in the 80’s – to a company you are just a number. The only loyalty you should have is to the people that you trust.

LOOKING BACK: MY BEST SALES STORY TO DATE

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As part of the renewal of my subscription to “Selling Power” (www.sellingpower.com) I recieved a book called “The Top 60 Sales” – a series of anecdotes on selling.I sent in my best story. We will see if I get published (smirk). This is it ….

When I first started selling I worked for Canon selling copier and fax machines. I was fresh out of University and was fortunate enough to convince the top sales person in the company to become my mentor (Sales author Paul Shearstone) and had a great boss. Through that process I learned the foundation to what has made me successful today: tenacity. They taught me to always be learning (Reading, listening to audio books, learning from those around me) and to never give up.
During my 2nd year I moved into the number 1 position in the company at 330% of plan, turning a $30K per month territory into a $100K+ per month territory and I did that on deals like my most memorable.
The deal was memorable from the start. At that time, color copiers were new and very expensive – we had a demo model that we could all use. I did something no one had done before, I created my own copier flyer and convinced the company to pay for a mail drop into my territory (A mass mailer to all businesses within the postal codes that I managed). A week later, I received a call from a lady in purchasing at TransAmerica – asking about our copiers. I promptly returned the call, made an appointment and during the appointment found out that they were buying $200,000 worth of copiers and fax machines! The caveat being that TransAmerica had a world wide contract with Pitney Bowes and I was primarily being used only as a benchmark for quality and price.
Over the next 8 months, I spent countless hours building a good working relationship with the purchasing manager, the office manager and staff in the branch. I pushed past the benchmarking status and convinced them of our value proposition, quality and industry leadership. I convinced them to short list to two vendors and do a product bake-off (I knew that our products were far superior to the competitors). During the bake-off, I camped at their office baby-sitting the machines, holding training sessions to show off the advanced features and how it could make the staff’s life easier and having services proactively service the machines to demonstrate our attention to detail.
Our machines sat at the customer site for 2 months ($100K of demo equipment) and the purchasing manager gave me the verbal – they were going to go against the world wide contract (At a premium) to select our products. I dropped off the contracts for the VP to sign and she told me to be patient, that it would get done by the end of the month. It was the last day of the quarter, I still did not have the paper and I was sitting in my boss’ office when he dropped the bomb “The branch manager does not think that you are going to get this deal. They are pushing me to pull the equipment”. I knew that if we pulled the equipment now, that paperwork would never get signed so I responded “We can’t do that. This is my deal. What do I do?”.
My boss gave me the kind of advice that you usually read in one of the old style Zig Ziglar type of sales books that I have read 100 times, he said “Go to that office, ask to see the VP and sit there until he sees you and you sign this deal”. I was stunned, but it was either do that or watch 8 months of work and my first really big commission check go out the window. So it did it. I called the purchasing manager, explained my predicament and told her I was coming over (She was very tentative). I went to their office, asked to see the VP and waited. A few minutes into my wait, the purchasing manager came out and stated that the VP was not happy that I was here, that I had the deal, come back in a couple of days. I stood my ground, appealing to her with regard to my predicament and their commitment to closing the deal before the end of the month.
She left. I waited.
A half hour went by and I noticed the purchasing manager talking to someone (that someone was hidden from view – just around the corner). She approached me and again stated that she was sorry that the paper work was not done, that she understood my frustration but that we would just have to wait another few days because it required several signatures and was not complete yet – and the VP had to leave for the day. At that point, the VP bolted past me with a nod and headed for the elevator – I excused myself from the manager and jumped into the elevator with him.
To say that he could not believe his eyes was an understatement. I politely talked to him about what a great experience it was working with his company, how I was looking forward to servicing them, how I was ready to go that extra mile to make them happy and closed out with their commitment to sign the paper by the end of the month and how that had put me in a really tough situation. This conversation went on from the elevator out to the parking lot in front of his car with the occasional objection such as ‘I know, but you will just have to be patient’ and ‘If I didn’t have to leave right now to pick up my son downtown, I would do it”. I  answered each objection “I understand, and know that you are going to follow through” and “Is there anyone who can sign upstairs on your behalf?”.
Standing in front of his car door (So he could not enter) he looked at me, smiled and relented “Go upstairs, I will call one of the other VPs to sign it on my behalf”. I smiled, thanked him and went upstairs. I stood at a filing cabinet while a VP signed those documents, the whole time commenting that he “could not believe that he was doing this”. I thanked everyone and drove back to the office yelling at the top of my lungs about the paper that I had in my hands and my first really big commission check.
After the deal was closed, I sent each person a hand written thank-you note, took key people out for a thank-you lunch and followed up to ensure that we also won the second part of the deal (15 fax machines – we did). I would not recommend this to everyone (That was a one time event for me), but due to 8 months of hard work, service and relationship building – when push came to shove I had a strong foundation on which to push that deal to close.
One of my top 5 most memorable deals. I have more (smile).

BUBBLE GUM FOR THE BRAIN

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Ever sit in your car while commuting home, listening to the radio and thinking “My mind is going numb, I am so sick of the radio”. Well, the radio was once described to me as “bubble gum for the brain”. This was when cell phones were still really expensive (so not everyone had one). The time in the car was truly dead time – you could not use the time to return business calls, check voicemail or chat with friends.
I was told – either listen to the radio and melt your brain or do something with that time: so I started listening to sales tapes (I just threw them out finally, I had hundreds). I attribute that attitude to my success and now – it is even easier. You can download books at a fraction of the cost.
I personally subscribe to the following (I have been a member for 2+ years):  www.audible.com
For $14 per month I get 1 book and 1 periodical (I listen to Harvard Business Review) and a free MP3 player (I gave it to my kids – I listen on my tres cool Pocket PC phone).
Bubble gum for the brain or leverage the time to learn? Your choice. PLUS – this way, when I get home and after the kids are in bed, I don’t feel the need to read, I can watch TV …. (LOL)

THE RAT RACE & MOVING BACK TO MANAGEMENT

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I recently got back in touch with one of my greatest mentors. This is a guy who in the early 90’s was making $300K++ selling photocopiers. I learned from one of the true sales masters (He worked 30 hours a week and spent more time watching the OJ Simpson trials than working .. because he was that good). You can go to his web site (he is now a public speaker) http://www.success150.com/

I am considering a career change – the move from Sales to Sales Management (I did sales management previously, but this would be a long term change in career) and have spent a year thinking about it. My conundrum is simple: I look at that 45 year old sales person and the question pops in the head “Why didn’t he become a manager or VP? Is he ONLY a sales rep?”

Over time I have come to realize that this is a ‘rat race’ mentality. There is a different perspective; maybe these are the smart one? They make more money than the managers (Another good litmus test for sales: Does the top rep make more than the VP of sales? At good companies – they do). They don’t have sales reps and paper work bogging them down, they take care of their customers, their virtual team and themselves. They get recognized as valuable corporate assets. They control their own schedules.

Now the manager: At the beck and call of the sales rep. Very little direct control over their own fate as it must come through their reps. Constantly being put in the middle between rep objectives and corporate objectives and the good manager is the one who steps aside to let the rep have the glory during a success but is ready to step in and take a bullet for that rep when it goes bad.

As I ponder this decision (It has been a year of hard thinking), he told me this story:

The irony of the rat race explained:

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.  “Not very long,” answered the Mexican.  “But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?”  asked the American.  The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”  “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife.  In the evenings, I go into the village to see my  friends, have a  few  drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs…I have a  full life.”  The American interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!  You should start by fishing longer every day.  

You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise!

“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.

“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.      “And after that?”

“Afterwards? That’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing.

“When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?”

 “After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, fish a little, play with your grandchildren, and take a siesta with your wife.  In the evenings, you could go into the village to see your friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs…and have a full life ….

Is it so bad that I have great relationships with my customers – a flexible schedule – am well paid and get to golf? That is the quandary.

So had lunch with a Senior VP at my client, who I have come to know very well and laid out my dilemma, my thoughts and sought his viewpoint. His statement to me: “You can always go back. Take the step, get the experience and have it on your resume. It is all about choices – and you can choose to go back in the future”. I know lots of people who have done this – gone from sales to management and back to sales (then sometime back to management).

So, I made my choice: To ensure that I have the option of the “beach” in the future (Although in my case – the “course” is more appropriate *wink*)

THE SALES JOB RULE: A MAGIC QUESTION

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Like I said, I am not sure if this blog thing is for me (Golfing season is upon us and a big time consumer). Of interest – appears I had 1 hit yesterday and even a comment!

That comment provides the blog note for day 2. A piece of advice that was given to me when I first started in sales has always stuck with me (Or maybe it was from Swim with the Sharks or some other sales book?)

When you interview for a job – as a key question: What does the top salesrep make? And if that dollar value is not what you want out of life when at the peak of your performance, move on.

When I first started, I was desperate for that first job – I sold corrugated cardboard (triple wall) and other packaging material. Hey, it paid the bills and even $24,000 seemed like a good start then. After a couple months of grinding away, I asked the “top” rep that question (He was an ex hockey player – even made it to the NHL for a few games). He said that he works hard, long hours and topped out at $45,000.

2 months later, I had a job where the top rep was making $200K. Life is about goals, and if I achieve achieve the corporate goals – I wanted the $200K pay out, not the $45K.