One of our subscribers to Black Sales Journal, a high-performing sales executive wrote a personal note to me suggesting that I cover this topic; I think you will appreciate it.

We discussed in two posts in January the act of developing deep, meaningful, and enduring customer relationships.  That was posted in Black Sales Journal – 1/13, Deepening Your Customer Relationships and 1/20, Deepening Your Customer Relationships Part 2.  Your accounts are constantly going to be a target for other sales professionals who believe that they can steal your prized customer relationships.

Know the Opportunities

There are moves you can make in recognition of your customer relationships.  One method is to acknowledge notable milestones in the business relationship with a personal note or card.  Below are a few examples of situations where this would be useful.

• A successful sale
• An unsuccessful sale
• Anniversary of the initial sale (continuous)
• The additional sale of new products with the account
• The successful satisfaction of a problem
• The termination of a business relationship
• The changing of your buyer
• Your involvement with a new account (reassigned to you)

I want to make sure you recognize the impact of this small gesture.  All of the above milestones happen in the course of the business relationship.  Business relationships have a continuity that, at some point, begins to be routine.  As a Black sales professional you need to stand out from the routine business relationships, and demonstrate the personal touch.  This will help accomplish that, and they will remember it.

A Personal Example

I once had a client who was a large water treatment provider for medical institutions, educational institutions and large manufacturers.  When I attempted to secure the business on my first go round, I was unsuccessful, even though I thought we would pull it off. References with my current customers had been checked, payment arrangements discussed and next steps made clear.

After being informed that were not successful I sent a card expressing my appreciation for the opportunity as well as my new found position as the “expert” on their operations and how that will benefit our relationship in the future.  The card was warmly worded, personal, and although there may have been a hint of disappointment, a positive message.

The following year, I was surprised to find that my buyer their was now the General Manager, and I was soliciting a new buyer.  When I contacted the customer my call was immediately returned.  The new buyer indicated that she had my appreciation card, and my business card in hand and I was going to be one of two vendors allowed to participate in the quote process.  She advised that the GM had indicated that it was his expectation that I be allowed this opportunity.

I got the order for the whole account that year, even without the low price.  Now, my appreciation card probably was not the whole reason, yet it was a good part of it.

There were a large number of sales professionals vying for their business, but in light of not being successful in securing the business on the first go round, my appreciation card help me to remain memorable.  The card left a positive lasting impression after they had to break the news to me that the business was staying with the current provider.

A Couple of Tips

I suggest you make this a personal card, and draft a short note in it.  You should add your business card if you feel it is necessary.  I always felt the more personal the better.  I did not send cards with my company’s business logo and name on it for this purpose, this was about me.

I found the best and most striking cards from Crane & Co.  The cards I use are the Engraved Gold Initial Ecru Boxed Cards in a set of 20  ($19.00 for 20 cards and envelopes).  They are hand engraved and made of cotton paper.  They stand out!  I get them from Barnes & Noble although you can get them a few other places, possibly  your local stationary store.  You can get a glimpse of them as well as purchase by clicking the Barnes and Noble ad on the left side of this page.  In the search box type “Crane & Company” to get there quickly.  There are less expensive alternatives from other companies on the site as well.

As a Black Sales professional you strive to create a positive lasting impression.  Remember, you have more near hits than hits in this business.  When you are unsuccessful at a proposal, leave the buyer recognizing that you are a solid professional and worthy of their recognition.  They will return your calls when you reach out the next time.  Believe it!

We are anxious to hear your comments.

Terminations – No one wants to think about it, yet it happens.  It does not end your quest to support your family and to move forward so think about it as what it is… a part of life.  How you handle it will be the key to what happens in your next position.

_________

Terminations happen in all occupations.  Most of what is said here in this journal applies to more than the sales profession, but the situation of a job not working out transcends sales as an occupation.

Once a termination does happen, your future is not terminated, just the relationship with that employer.  You will be seeking gainful employment in a sales position again, and your level of comfort dealing with the termination of employment from your last employer will certainly be tested, and sometimes spotlighted.

The question is simple:  Should you hide a termination from a prospective Employer?  The Answer is simple: No!

The Truth Will Set You Free

If you have read Black Sales Journal, you will remember one of my favorite suggestions:“Always tell the truth!” The key in this situation is not to focus on it.

Terminations happen and there is nothing pleasing about them.  What you don’t want to do is to relive bitterness and the trauma of a termination while you are in an interview looking for a fresh start.  One simple reason to tell the truth is that it is easier to remember.  The other is that you need to start this new relationship off on the firm footing of the truth.  In the world of sales professionals, many have had terminations for legitimate reasons, even though they endeavored to make it work.  Terminations do happen.

This is the information age and that gives prospective employers an ability to “uncover” you previous work history cheaply and fairly easy.  Note, that finding your history does not mean that a prospective employer would be uncovering the facts and details of what happened such as what your reasons for leaving.  Any hiring manager knows that a sales job followed by a prolonged absence of several months may well denote that a job action took place.

If you have been let go from your previous job because of performance issues, you need to be prepared to discuss reasonable reasons why you parted company.

Your resume needs to match up with any job history investigation that an employer can conduct.  The prospective employer checks this information through a service, such as Equifax,  or other services, and certainly with any on-line information that you might post such as LinkedIn.

Consistency eliminates questions and doubts.

What Should You Say?

There are sales jobs (and any other jobs) that just do not work out.  Your objective is to be able to tell the story in a cogent fashion.  There should be no accusations or disparaging remarks, but a clear story of why selling widgets for ABC Company in Columbus, Ohio did not work and resulted in you leaving after fifteen months.

Cover the issue of what the problem was.  Whether that was pricing, marketing support, sales support, a problematic territory, or a product that was inferior.  Do it in a professional manner, and always cite what actions you took to improve your fate.  If you do not have a solid and believable story, it may appear that you just cannot sell.

If you are a sales professional selling widgets and in your last job you were terminated because you did not meet your quota/goals, you need to own up to the fact that you were terminated.  I give below an example:

“I was let go because of not meeting the quarterly sales targets in two consecutive quarter.”  You can then give clarification of the most important issues (an example)… “I had difficulty meeting the goals as we promised delivery dates that were 4 weeks to a month longer than our other competitors.”

Places You Should Never Go!

You never want to go into an interview saying that your previous employer (or any employer you have had) is prejudice or discriminatory, even if you believe it to be true.   This is a sure way not to get a second interview and a possible hire.

The “well” will be poisoned if you make statements that allude to disparate treatment, as a prospective employer will immediately put themselves in the position of the previous employers.  Remember, they do not know you!

Instead, compliment the best aspects of the previous employer as difficult as it may seem.  If it is true a compliment such as: “There is no organization that does training like ABC Corporation”, shows your respect for the company.

.Additionally, there should be no disparaging comments about your previous manager.  You are on fair ground if you cite the fact that you did not have much support, but disparaging comments are out of bounds.

Compensate For the Weak Areas

If you have been terminated for not reaching goals, you will do well to have some support from your former co-workers.  You should get letters of recommendation citing your accomplishments.

We have covered before in Black Sales Journal, that you need to fully be prepared when you go to the interview including customer testimonials and all of your sales numbers.  Don’t share proprietary information which would jeopardize your past employer’s customers or information, but do be prepared to support your effort and accomplishments.  A customer testimonial helps to illustrate your affinity for customers and the sales process but you still may have some work to do to show that you effectively prospect.  Cover all of the bases and give yourself a chance to win.

You should provide good focus on your strong points and accomplishments as well as tout your specialties.  You need to be prepared to talk about your weak points that caused you the termination.  They may not apply to the new job, and thus lose relevance, but something like door-to-door prospecting might still be a part of the job, and you need to be prepared to show how you are going to change things.

Above all, you need to walk or run the road to continuous improvement, and be prepared to enunciate this also.  Your ability to tune-up your sales career (Black Sales Journal 8/15/2011 – Tuning Up Your Sales Career) may have some relevance to a prospective employer, but it is for you.

Thanks for reading, and your comments are always welcome