Black Sales Journal

I worked for a sales organization that believed in having sprint contests as well as sales incentives.  It was the nature of the beast to have a contest that had incentive trips, as many organizations have, as well as to have a contest to introduce, or spur the sales of slower moving products.

But this contest was different; it involved a sprint contest that would ‘pay’ on the basis of activity and not actual sales of the product.  In other words, you could get paid on the basis of working on something as opposed to the success of selling it.  Quite strange that an organization would be so desperate to get its sales professionals to work on a new product that they pay on the basis of working on it as opposed to the norm of selling the product.

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Here is what I witnessed:

Sales reps in our office were buzzing as they talked about this new ‘program’ that they would be paid to deliver quotations on a new retirement product for small businesses and entrepreneurs.  You got paid for selling it, and if you did not sell it, you got paid in prizes and merchandise for getting to business owners to sit down and discuss it with you even if you did not sell it.  What could be better than that?

The unintended consequence of the contest was that unscrupulous sales professionals could easily augment their real activity with false activity in order to walk with some valuable prizes. As a matter of fact they could totally fabricate enough activity to walk away with stereos, televisions, sporting equipment, and gift certificates.  And that is just what happened.

Sales staff was tempted to ‘pad’ activity and those without morals did just that with a bounty of electronics and other items.  As a sales manager and a manager of sales managers for that same organization later in my career, it was clearly the example for what program never to undertake again.

Play Fair… Everywhere!

I would prefer even to fail with honor than to win by cheating.
Sophocles

Yes, companies can decide what programs not to implement again, but the bigger story here is not that there was a ‘dumb’ program; it is that when the moment availed itself, these sales professionals ‘cheated’ for trinkets.

They took the opportunity to ‘fudge’ their activity sheets for some items that they could already afford!  That is the problem with cheating.  Sales professionals work by a system, and the system can be ‘gamed’.   Even more, in most cases no one is watching many of the activities.

Mr. and Mrs. Clean

The impression that you will want to leave on your employer will be based on a squeaky clean image, which negates any perception that you might cheat.  The perception that you may cheat is as damaging as cheating itself.  You need to be Mr. or Mrs. Clean.  I have had this conversation with Black sales professionals on numerous occasions while mentoring.

With that in mind, you should note that if I were your sales manager, perception of your propensity to cheat would be based on some important points:

• If you will cheat your fellow sales professional or co-employee, you will cheat me!

• If you will cheat the IRS you will cheat me!

• If you will cheat on your wife, you will cheat me!

Cheating obviously occurs in more than the workplace.  In the areas that are above we must consider the possibility that if it is known you violated the truth, you can possibly do it to your employer.  You may have no intent to do it to your employer, but the perception that you could do it is what can damage you.

Your personal life is yours, but says a lot about you.  It helps you establish your credibility (Read This - BSJ 4/16– Credibility …You Can’t Buy it, You’ve Got to Earn It!) as well as build a positive perception of yourself as I stated BSJ 4/9/2012 Build a Positive Perception.

Cheating in the workplace includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Expense management
• Handling of company property (cars, computers, etc.)
• Your time management (while you are supposed to be working)
• Your sales prospect data

Protect you future and your career.  Put your energy into maintaining credibility and winning the right way.  Remember, it is always easier to tell the truth! (Read it in BSJ 6/30/2011 Telling the Truth…It Works Wonders for a Relationship).

Be the Best.

I welcome your comments.

Sales professionals are known to have an edge.  Sometimes that edge is what makes them the success that they are.  That edge is often the feeling that they can and will succeed and they will put any amount of effort in to see it happen.  The problem comes when they have an inappropriate attitude that accompanies it.  Read on…

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People get their impression of your attitude from your appearance.  I believe that can be good or bad.  A manager who thinks you appear aggressive might automatically perceive that you are that way to clients also.  Likewise, a manager who thinks that you have a conflict problem might think that will show on a sales call as well.

Most often we are talking about good or bad attitudes. It might be said, “Jim has the best attitude of anyone I’ve ever seen.” It might also be said, “Chris has a God awful attitude and does not show well!” Let’s define attitude and go from there.

Attitude – 1. Manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc with regard to a person; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind; a negative attitude; group attitudes.

Attitude – 2. Position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.: a threatening attitude; a relaxed attitude…

From dictionary.com.  Click attitude to take you there.

This is interesting, as we are talking about the second meanings of attitude in.  For the purpose of this journal we are using to attitude as a trait normally associated in the negative sense, and speaking of what an employer or customer is able to see regarding the position or posture of your body, your facial expressions, and gestures.  Gestures like rolling the eyes or leaning over in an aggressive manner, as well as appearing relaxed and confident are all displays of posture and deportment that can enhance or can doom a managerial or a customer relationship.

Lose the Display

Customers, and even managers, judge your reactions from the faces and gestures you make.  You probably are expert in reading the expressions and gestures your customers make; someone is reading your negative display as well.

After being told that you did not get the business, but your pricing and program was very good you might feel cynical, believing that your price was shared with the competition.  Rather than show the attitude, just professionally ask the customer the question!  You may doubt honesty, but I don’t see anything wrong with asking in a professional manner.  You might say, “My team worked hard on our numbers and we did it without any knowledge of the competition.  Were we were all on even ground in that regard?”

That is far superior to rolling your eyes or other facial gestures that we acquaint with the word ‘attitude’.  It is also honest.  Obviously, it is even more important to ask the most important question before hand regarding how the bid/quote process will be handled.

It is very difficult to mask how you feel about something over a long period of time.   A roll of the eyes, or a quick smirk will give you away at some point.  It is even more difficult when you feel that you are new or racially different than the other sales professionals.  Any display that is negative will be interpreted as a display of a ‘bad’ attitude.

Keep the Edge

So a quick analysis tells us that sometimes the attitude is present because you have an ‘edge’. This edge is your sharp point…what drives you!

My edge was always to prove that I could sell in a market that was not always friendly to minorities.  I guess that I could also say that my other edge was survival as I was raising three small children.

It presses you and often gives you a positive impetus because of the amount of effort you will put into a venture.

Your edge presses you to:

• Demand and expect equal and fair treatment
• Get answers and assistance to make you successful
• Not accept ‘no’ without good reason
• Be successful

Keep an ‘edge’ for life, but always be in control.  It will serve you well.  Every sales call, every prospecting visit, use that edge to fuel you.  Employers and customers will understand you are driven, even if they do not know why.

Be the professional and always be the best!

Your comments are welcome.