Jealousy, the “green eyed monster”, lives in the hearts of many sales professionals. Don’t think that it is something abnormal, it is truly human nature!

Whether it is jealousy about income, managerial attention, or one of the worst ones – jealousy regarding recognition, it exists in many professional sales departments whether it is outside sales or inside sales.

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You can be the object of such jealousy, or you may have jealousy in your own heart. I can relate as we all have been there.  I won’t be critical, but I will advise what you might want to use the jealousy to fuel your everyday activities.

Used correctly this jealousy could help you as a catalyst to propel you to do the things necessary to be the best.

There is Always a “Target”!

I once work with a sales professional, I’ll call him John L, who was flat out just better than anyone else in our sales office. He dressed the part, he had the sales training, and quite frankly even his name was associated with being the best.

There was no one that had the respect of all the different functions or departments like this individual did. He had management’s ear, and if he suggested a change or program, it was probably going to be implemented.

Alas, no one was jealous of this individual, as he was the standard.  So it is not always the best that is the target.

The target for jealousy is normally someone who is “the upstart”, the individual who is breaking away from the pack and making individuals of like tenure and abilities look bad. This individual gets to be the target of professional jealousy, in most cases whether it is deserved or not.

What Can You Do?

A quick review of some of the reasons for the professional jealousy will shed light on the issue.  Professionals get jealous because of the following:

Management Attention -In sales it is human nature to covet managerial attention, as that attention is a limited resource. Your sales manager tends to focus attention on the individuals who are getting results. Even if you are wanting for assistance, if you’re not getting results, and don’t show the potential to get results, the attention to you may be scarce.

Suggestions:

• Get Your Sales Manager Involved In Your Business – From the simple ‘ride-along’, to negotiating and pricing.  Give him a ‘franchise’ in your operations and you will be surprised the level of commitment that can take place.
• Schedule ‘status’ meetings with your manager – Don’t wait to be asked about key or major prospects, keep your manager up front and in the loop.  If you want the manager’s attention, tease out the attention by giving information and facts that provoke interest.  Always have something going!
• Review Black Sales Journal 6/14/12 – 6 Simple Ways to Manage Your Sales Manager – This post will help you ‘manage’ your sales manager.  These points will work, if you couple them with doing the other activities that requisite to the job!
• General Sales Success and Recognition– We’ve all been an office here ‘rising star’ changes the game.  This individual may put together a string of sales, land the big one, or gets the manager “knee-deep” in a string of new prospects that makes the manager feel needed. Note that the manager feels needed, not only because they’re being asked for help, but also they see potential and get a good feel for what’s going on.  Additionally, the more information the manager gets about your prospects, the more close to a sale situation he or she is in, and the more they will help you close the sale.

Suggestions:

• Be in the Top 20% - Pareto’s Principal would suggest that 20% of a sales force garners 80% of the sales production.  You have got to be there.
• Read Black Sales Journal 8/22/2013 Be in the Elite – Crack the 20%! – Realize that sales success is hard work, technique, and desire, and you need to be a sales leader, even if you are not the top producer.  Read this post and give it some thought!
• Always be the Professional! – Remember that you have got to look the part as you seek to be in the 20% (see Persona below).  There are many sales professionals who a manager believes success is imminent, and just around the corner.
• Income/Lifestyle – In this most measurable of professions, there are individuals who have been able to change their income, and resultantly their lifestyle and their family’s lifestyle in an amazing fashion.  The ability to work a compensation plan to perfection is what singles out sales professionals from many other occupations. Sales professionals used to measure success by some rather simple milestones, such as making six-figure incomes. Although this may still be a yardstick, there are many sales professionals whose six-figure incomes dwarf the theoretical threshold of $100,000.  They make enviable (notice that word) high six-figure incomes, buttressed by compensation schemes and benefits that include long-term compensation factors as well as other benefits.

Suggestion:

• Know How You get Paid! – Master your sales compensation plan. Read Black Sales Journal 9/17/2012, It’s About That Paper – Know How You Get Paid!.
• It is All About How You Manage Your Money – I was once told that a man making $25,000 could live like a man making $100,000, and a man making $100,000 could look like a man making $25,000.  It is all in how you handle your money.  You know what I mean.
• Act Like You Have Been There – Spend your money wisely with an eye toward the future.

Develop Your (Sales) Persona

John L, individual I mentioned to start the article had a sales persona, in concert with a aura of success.  In addition to looking and dressing the part, his vehicle was spotless.  There are things that you can do that will give everyone around you confidence in your ability and your decisions. When you add to it business maturity, your persona is enhanced.

Suggestions:

• Always be the professional!
• Be a Lady or a Gentleman
• Help other sales professionals – Be a mentor.  See Black Sales Journal 3/28 – Being a Mentor – Can You Help Someone Else?

In Sales, Some Jealousy is Healthy

Many of us are motivated by jealousy, even if we don’t know it.  If you are burdened by jealousy instead of motivated, then endeavor to use it to your advantage.

Just like in a good relationship, some jealousy is healthy.  I am talking about the healthy jealousy that pushes you to be the better (or even the best) and seek the appropriate levels of attention and recognition.

Your comments are welcome.  You can reach me at Michael.Parker@blacksalesjournal.com.  Always be the best.

Are you objective enough to give yourself an accurate evaluation about your last sales call? In the end, your customer will give you the most important evaluation, but your ability to be true soon after the moment is a big part of continuous improvement. Don’t take it lightly!

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I once finished an important sales call at an important client with my manager.  I thought the sales call went well, but after the call, on the way back to the office, my manager said to me, “How do you think it went?”.  I quickly responded, “I thought it went well.  How do you think it went?”

My manager looked at me and said, “I thought you did a good job.  We will know what the customer thinks soon.”

He was right, we would know soon, but by then, the sales call might only be a memory.  We needed to do our sales post mortem (BSJ 9/22,The ‘Successful’ Post Mortem) then as an individual, you need to evaluate your performance as you look for ways to continuously improve (BSJ 4/19 Continuous Improvement – Get Better or Lose You Job).

I thought about it for a while, and envisioned a report card to use after major sales calls.  I just thought about it, and did nothing other than that.  I told a coworker about it, and he actually used the elements that I thought about and constructed something that I eventually re-developed and will show you.

The most important thing is to keep it as simple as possible.

To the Point

This is as simple as it gets.  A word document that scores some major categories and gives a letter grade of A, B, C, or D.  This simple scoring allows a numerical grade to be levied in this fashion:

A = 4

B = 3

C = 2

D = 1

What are you measuring?  Well we will define the categories shortly, but the important thing is that you self-grade based on your opinion of your performance in the following areas:

• Preparation & Organization
• Presentation
• Relationship Development
• Close
• Follow-up

Preparation and Organization– Did you do your homework, gather your information, and research the client, as you need to do?  Were you organized by having all of the information at your fingertips?

Presentation – Did you do a good job presenting to the prospect including the presentation documents, including sales collateral that you left behind.  Did you support your claims and offer proof statements, references, and testimonials as was necessary?

Relationship Development – Every touch to the prospect should enhance the relationship!  Did you enhance the relationship today?  Did you find out any more about your customer’s business than you knew before? Did you make yourself even more memorable?

Close – The close is obviously an important portion of the sales process.  Your technique, timing, and effectiveness are all important.  How did you technically do on the close?

Follow-Up – Did you close this out with a letter, card, or perhaps an email?  Did you complete any takeaways from the meeting quickly and responsively?  The job is not over until the takeaways are done.

Being Objective

So now that you have a system, you need to be objective.  You have 5 categories, but you can add more.  Remember, you need to keep it simple.  Grading 4 – 1 for each category and totaling your points cumulatively, and you will show a total score fore each self-evaluation.

Here is an example:

Preparation & Organization    4 points

Presentation                               3 points

Relationship Development      2 points

Close                                            3 points

Follow-up                                    2 points

Total                                            14 points/out of 20 Points

Clearly, your self-evaluation shows that you have some work to do, and you know it.  If you are willing to lie to yourself, you will never improve.  If you will remember the BSJ post on continuous improvement (Black Sales Journal 4/19 – Continuous Improvement – Get Better or Lose Your Job!), here are the weak points that you can focus on.

You may think this is overly simplistic, and will not work; yet I will disagree.  Any time you can focus on getting better, you are changing something!

Black sales professionals have significant challenges, and have much to do.  So why should you add to that?  Yes, it is the continuous effort to be the best.  Being the best comes from continuous improvement.   How do you know if you are improving?  You measure it.

If you are able to get consistent self-scoring of 18-20, you are maximizing your situations. Knowing that you are improving in the ways that will increase your future sales is important.  Yes, the ultimate measure is whether you make your sales goals.  This is meant to help you evaluate your weaknesses so you can consistently reach that goal.

I know several people who are using this or a similar grading system, and they like it.

Evaluate yourself and ‘keep score’.

Your comments are welcome. You can reach me at michael.parker@blacksalesjournal.com.