I have worked with countless sales professionals.  Monetary success and recognition are mainstays for the best sales professionals, but even those who are not at the top of their game enjoy some of the special spoils of the position.   The next meeting, survey the room and give it some thought….knowing the benefits of the job, even though it is hard work, who is the “smartest person in the room?”

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If you were to do a little research you would find something fascinating about people and positions within your organization.  You would find that the successful sales executive usually out-earns most positions that are not considered upper management.

Let me explain it in different way.  When I was a sales manager, I expected that my successful professionals should make more than I made, and the best did so handily.  General managers, vice-presidents, even some Sr. Vice Presidents and up are at a disadvantage when it comes to the total compensation package, but there are good reasons for it.

So why do so many people believe that all the brains in an organization are in the engineering departments, finance department, and general management?  Well, because so many people don’t know the rigors of professional selling and the strategies and intelligence needed to do it.

No Logarithms Needed

Think about the sheer brainpower needed to calculate the thrust to get out of earth orbit for a space vehicle with monstrous dimensions.  If you consider the brainpower necessary to design the new generation of space vehicles you would be correct in that it takes a ‘rocket’ scientist.  Now the big question:  Could they sell it?

Have you ever considered that those skills are literally worthless when they are used to try to convince a buyer that he or she should change widget manufacturers and do business with your organization?  You don’t need sophisticated mathematical formulae or extreme logarithms to make that happen, you need the ability to:

• Create trusting and confident relationships
• Apply sales techniques to influence buying decisions
• Anticipate and answer the customer questions
• Present effectively and with aplomb

Many people have trouble putting a value on these, but a sales manager and General manager know that this individual makes their job easier.  It is obvious that we all have our calling in life, and the role of a sales professional, as I have said before is to “convince someone to do something that they would ordinarily not do.”  Frankly, not everyone can do it.  It is an art, with some technical aspects behind it.

It’s Not For Everybody

Not everyone can play this role as it requires an individual who can:

• Work with all types of people
• Analyze and anticipate buyers needs and desires
• Withstand rejection
• Counter objections effectively

The best of these individuals are compensated highly for their skills and the uncertainty of the job to the degree that their annual income, which may include salary and bonus or otherwise are enviable.   Sure it is hard work, but so many know it is their ‘ticket out’ and have provided for their family in ways that draws jealousy from people in the other functions or departments.

I have seen sales compensation amounts in sales departments well over the $1M mark, and currently know a sales professional in financial services who 5 years ago, when the getting was good cleared over $1.2M.  Now, that is rarified air, and there are many who make more than those high numbers.  I am talking about b2b sales in these examples, and I am not talking about extreme or exotic products.

Machines Will Never Take Over

The occupation of professional sales is not unique, but it does stand out.  It might be one of those occupations that will not be taken over by computers or outsourcing.  The reason is simple, customer intimacy!  The sales professional does a lot of things, but the most importantly from the standpoint of the customer, they create the confidence that the customer needs to make the switch and stay put.

Even when we are talking about a commodity, the sales professional and the value that they bring can make the competitive difference (See Black Sales Journal 2/24-Selling a Commodity – The Difference is You).

The sale professional recognizes customer lifetime value (from the sales standpoint see Black Sales Journal 2/16 – All Customers Are not Created Equal) and seeks to extend the relationship as long as possible.

When the machines can create and nurture relationships we will be in trouble, but I don’t see that happening soon.

The Smartest Person In the Room

So the smartest guy in the room might not be the engineer, the architect, the computer designer, or the aerospace scientist, it might be the person who operates closest to the person that pays the bills.  We know that as the customer.  We can’t do without them, and they need to be nurtured and fed.

This sales professional role is best done by someone who comes in with the skills that we probably take for granted.  We will call them advanced sales skills.

So the smartest guy in the room may well be the Ultimate Sales Professional (Black Sales Journal – The Ultimate Sales Professional I, II, and III).  Read this and let me know what you think.

We will ‘just ask him not to wear a cape to the sales presentations.  So when the meeting happens, who is the smartest guy in the room?

Your comments are welcome.

I can never be confused with being a Green Bay Packer fan. But…this statement is true in sports, sales, and life! Resist succumbing to the urge of letting up! Review this post and find the energy to be the best!

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Your state of mind is important in your success. It can mean the difference between success and failure, and all points in between.  The job of a sales professional is rigorous and demanding in so many ways.

The tolerance, fortitude, and energy necessary to deal with customer needs and employer demands is not a given all of the time.  You have to be ‘feeling it’ to take care of some of these tasks.

More than anything else you need to be aware of when your peak or optimal work ‘window’ is, as that is were you want to time your most taxing activities.

Mental and Physical Conditioning

Working in this occupation will result in some conditioning that makes you stronger and more ‘fit’.  This happens when you have rhythm in your routine.

There is no area where this aspect of your physical and mental ‘conditioning’ is more important than prospecting and cold calling.  This is a prime area that can ‘tax’ a sales professional.  The rejections, unreturned phone calls, and cumulative frustrations can render a fatigued sales professional incapable of being effective.  You need to be on top of your game to deal with the negatives, and stick to your routine.

I had an opportunity to write about the importance of Mental Toughness and Extra Effort (Black Sales Journal 12/29, Mental Toughness Revisited – An Asset for the Black Sales Professional).  In sales, you must be mentally tough to whether the storm.  Check this post out.

“Fatigue Makes Cowards of us All” (Vincent Lombardi, Coach Green Bay Packers)

I am as far from a Green Bay Packers fan as you can get (Yes…I am a Chicago Bear fan) but you don’t have to be a packer fan to realize the strength of this statement.

The world is chocked full of sports quotations, but this one is a little different.   It is a true and powerful statement that speaks to the fact that when we are mentally or physically tired, we will most likely not be at our best.  When we are tired, we take shortcuts, skip steps, and lose our technique and form.

If you are a veteran, you may have conditioned yourself to have endurance.  If not, I would make the suggestion that you note these short rules:

• Time your prospecting. Cold call early in the week, and early in the day when you are freshest.  You are less prone to ‘skip’ it, and there are less chance for excuses to win the day.
• Follow your own rules. Establish your prospecting routines and follow them with consistency including face-to-face and phone prospecting
• Have an audience. Include your manager on some of your face-to-face prospecting ventures if done in person.  Having your manager with you gives you the energy to do it enthusiastically.
• Train somebody. Include a trainee with you on your prospecting ventures for the same reason that you would include the manager; it adds energy to a call to have another individual with you.
• Diligently keep score. Draw energy from knowing your numbers and your success rates.

No Self-Imposed ‘Hells’

Above all, you should avoid heavy use of alcohol and late night romping at sales meetings and conventions as well as with customers.  Be fresh for customers and company interactions.  It is impossible to have the right amount of courage in today’s meeting when you are ‘ripped’ from the activities the night before.

Always be the professional and have the requisite energy to serve the role.