Your outside  sales position comes with some assets that are not always thought of as benefits.

Items such as:

Company Vehicle & Company Fuel Card
Company Credit Card
Company Issued Smart Phone or PDA
Company supplied laptop Computer

There are other items as well and the premise is the same with all of these devices.  They are designed to help you be the best that you can be in the sales position, reducing the need for inside assistance, reducing administrative costs, and increasing convenience for the user.

These items present some significant opportunities for unintended neglect as well as abuse and should be managed carefully.

Most long term sales professionals know how these items play into performance evaluations, company policies, and continued employment, yet a recap could never hurt as there are always new professionals entering the workplace.

Electronic Devices – Your Responsibilities and Changing Times

The world is changing, and you have no choice but to be a part of it.  Your access to company and customer data is an important convenience, and it creates some rather interesting changes as compared with a few years ago.

Your laptop computer or even  a pocket-sized device can easily come up missing and could potentially contain the following information that you currently may take for granted:

• Privileged company information (Your company’s trade secrets)
• Customer/Client information (contact lists, phone, addresses)
• Customer Confidential Information (Credit card, financial, and other)
• Your company’s system access information

The information above, as well as  other important information that could be on drives, media cards, etc, can send your company’s IT professionals into “Def Con One” in terms of actions to protect customer’s privacy and your company’s systems and information.

Losing your laptop or Blackberry/iPhone/PDA sends into action a wave of activities designed to protect that information.  This could include “wiping” which is the remote erasing of all of the data on either device.  This falls under the category of “better safe than sorry.”

Depending on what industry you are in, there is also the possibility of federal laws being violated.  If you are in the health or medical industry, which includes health insurance, your responsibilities are even more strenuous, because of health information privacy.

Losing your brief case would be tough, and would potentially put some information in the hands of some who might read it or use it incorrectly.  Losing your PDA creates a different exposure that includes the possibility of improper access of gigabytes of information (thousands of briefcases) and a gateway to other information.

The most important action you can take if you make the mistake is to inform your IT department immediately after the problem happens.  Before that, take all necessary steps to protect it.

Company Vehicles & Fuel Card

Fewer companies provide the benefit of company vehicles now, and that is fitting.  The “tests” that qualify sales professionals, even though they are in outside sales are strenuous, and limiting.

If you do have a company vehicle, you should recognize that not only is this a company asset, but also your company is watching everything you do with it.  Fleet companies and your own HR department are doing what they can to insure that this company asset that could easily be valued up to $25K to $40K is protected and maintained correctly.  It only makes sense.

With this in mind:

• Respect and follow all maintenance schedules. These are recorded and the paper trail is easy to follow.
• Use your fuel card correctly.
• Document according to policy.  Maintain confidence by following the rules to the letter.

Above all, treat the vehicle as if it is your own.  Keep it clean in appearance and it will be noticed.

Company Credit Card

More mistakes happen with company credit cards than you might believe.  Sometimes the mistakes are harmless errors, but some are as a result of mistakes of character.

You can know your company’s expense and credit card policies to the letter, yet there is another test that is even simpler.  If you are in doubt, do not use your company credit card.  This short section is less a review of company expense policy than how you actually use the card.

Remember, if you use the card once for a personal expense that is not business related, you have crossed a boundary that breaks a confidence.  Improper use goes past using the card for personal expenses it also includes using it in the “wrong” places.  I am totally amazed at any sales professional who uses the company credit card at a “gentleman’s club” or any like establishment.  What more indicting activity can you have on your judgment than to use a card with your employer’s name on it at an establishment like this?

Be smart and careful with this valuable asset.  Many organizations require that you use the credit card for any business expenditure.  This increases control, and makes it even more necessary to be discrete.

In Summary

Always know the policies of your operation, and always use common sense.  Improper use usually comes from improper judgment and an ignorance of the ground rules.

Protect your electronic media with your life.  You don’t want to have that information floating around out there, but you really don’t want to undergo the “Spanish Inquisition” that will result from losing it when your IT department and your manager begin their query.  Care is necessary as anyone can lose one of these devices.  What happens if you lose two of them?

Your comments are always welcome.

There is nothing in this world as embarrassing as sales meeting when you don’t have your numbers! You might  as well be naked!  If you sold long enough, you know this feeling.  Read on….

____________________

As a first year sales rep I never looked forward to the dreaded sales meeting. As always, unit results would be reviewed early on in the meeting and my production, which was severely lacking, would stand out like a sore thumb. The sales meetings were also tough because the unit was not doing well, not to mention that my production “sucked”.

In front of the other sales reps, the regional sales manager, and God, they focused on the results for the month.  Quite frankly, it was ugly, I felt as if the world, and everyone in it was looking at me when they read the results.

I don’t have to go much deeper into this story as I think you get the picture.  This scene plays out in sales meetings across the globe, and will continue to do so. It may be lessened with ‘virtual’ sales meetings, but the feeling is the same.   Poor results, for even a portion of the year, affect you in the form of embarrassment and performance hampering stress.

Motivator? Yes or No?

No one wants to surrender to this condition.  Is it a motivator?  Can you use this to increase your energy level and effectively change your situation? Your ability to deliver job saving, high-level results can be at risk when you put up your defenses, or even retreat because of this condition.

There are better, more effective ways to be motivated. See Black Sales Journal Getting Motivated – What Motivates You?Just maybe it is one of those items that has a life of its own.  It might just be part of the landscape of sales that will always be with us.

Does this act as a motivator?  It probably does.  Black sales professionals consistently battle with the perception that they will have difficulty in the corporate sales world, and the bright lights of the sales meeting seems to have the effect of amplifying that if they are having some sales difficulty.  You cannot only succeed; you can make money and enjoy the spoils of a good job.  Don’t let anyone tell you differently.  If you are good, you only need to survive the difficult periods.

What Can You Do?

No one wants to be embarrassed by disappointing sales numbers.  If you are in sales for a long period of time, it will happen to you and often it is just situational, a matter of timing which will solve itself at some point.  No matter whether short or long lived, there are some things that you might want to consider:

• Look Confident – as if you know it is going to change.  If your co-employees and management can tell you are embarrassed by your performance, your customers will be able to tell also.
• Sit Up Straight and Relax - Body language is important
• Your Face Tells a Story – your expressions will make you transparent
• Bide Your Time - You will live through this…there are others just like you in the room
• Be Productive – Understand what others are doing to get results. I know, this does not solve the pain, but this is the only way to make sure that you won’t have the embarrassment in subsequent sales meetings.
• Thicken your skin – As best you can, harden your exterior as you are in the most measurable occupation out there and you will continue to be measured by your peers, your management, and yourself.

The Shoe on the Other Foot

To be sure, there are some things that you will not be able to control, and this is one of them.  Practice on your ‘poker face’, and recognize this is a ‘place in time’ and with good work ethic and some good luck, things will change.

Think about what happens when the fortunate ones that do have great sales results ‘spike the ball’ in the sales meetings as opposed to taking a nod of the head and accepting praise.  We know that this happens, and it can be embarrassing as well.  When you do sell remember to act like you have been in the end zone before.

Above all, always be prepared.  It is natural to have pride in what you do.  If the numbers are not there, it can be a fleeting moment.  You will get over any embarrassment and move forward.

Your comments are appreciated.