The Bloodsuckers Who Work With You!

Calendar October 31, 2013 | Posted by Admin9!

This post deals with a serious topic, and once again I think you will enjoy it.  Remember you are there to make goals and make money.  Relationships may be everything, but…..not this kind!

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A sales department is best when it has a vibrant atmosphere and unbridled activity.  Once it gets going, sales professionals can be fueled by this activity and a desire to ‘compete’ with their fellow sales professionals.  If the atmosphere in your sales function is electric you will ended

You work with other sales professionals; some are on your team, and some you compete with.  Know them well and know their disposition as there is money to be made out there and you don’t need anything to slow you down.vor to be a part of it, hoping that success spills over to you.  If the atmosphere is more like a funeral, you will utilize your best judgment in attempting to separate yourself from it or at least insulate yourself as best you can.

Friend or Coworker?

As you already know, if someone is on the payroll they are a coworker.  The important issue is that in the sales profession, not all coworkers are your friends.

This is not meant to be divisive, but to stand in recognition that unless your sales function is organized in a different fashion than most, sales departments or functions are designed in a way that spurs competition.  This is not bad; it is just an environment that pits employees against other employees.  In sales you probably have learned to accept it.

Situations occur when you forget that ‘Emily and John’ are the competition and you believing they are friends share ‘trade’ secrets.  This is where feelings get hurt.  Be ready to compete fairly and recognize that these are coworkers, and you owe them respect, but give no quarter from a business standpoint.  Compete and win on the virtue of hard work, and doing things smarter.  Be relentless in terms of your persistency and always be ethical.  Your friends are not the same as your coworkers even though you may be committed to them.

Treat everyone with respect and don’t expect to find your ‘BFF’ at your job because that is not the way it is meant to happen.

Don’t “Buy” Anyone to Early

You will meet a world of individuals at your job and many will be in the sales function.  You will be asked at some point to give your impression of them to someone inside or outside the organization.  The most important thing you could do is to be cordial and helpful, but to reserve judgment on anyone until you are sure.  These are coworkers remember?  When someone rushes to judgement I call it “buying someone”.

Work with them, cooperate with them, but don’t “buy” them until they prove their worthiness over time.  You can be an excellent sales coworker without endorsing someone.  You definitely will know when it is time.

The problem with buying someone too early is that you may not have an idea of what that individual is really about until you have difficult times.  Tough times do not change people, it unmasks them. If you have given a premature endorsement, you could find yourself backing a real ‘loser’.

The Vampire

I once worked in a sales department that had a variety of characters.  There were journeymen, sage veterans, hard working upstarts, and then there were those who were full of complaints and found nothing right with the manager, the company, the product or…. the world.

I call them vampires and if you know some of these individuals, your quest will be to keep away from them.  You won’t need garlic, or a crucifix, but will need to strictly avoid this person whose quest is to ‘suck the life out of you’.  These unhappy sales people have the poorest of attitudes.  To them everything is wrong with the organization and that they bear not fault or blame for anything.

  • The vampire is constantly on vigil to determine who is trying to accomplish anything new and innovative, so they can discourage them.
  • This individual is peering over your shoulder to determine if you are taking any new training or courses for self-improvement, as he or she would love to talk you out of it.
  • The vampire is trying to determine what prospect you are working on as he or she knows all of them and they want you to think it will be fruitless.
  • This individual would do anything possible to engage you in a long 3-hour lunch as he or she has nothing to do, and they want to make sure you get the same amount done as they do…nothing!

The vampire can be bright and be full of knowledge, but just does not recognize that you get out what you put in.  They may have made a decision as to how much energy they will expend, but now they want to rob you of yours.

It is Real?

I once had the challenge of working with a sales representative who was truly a vampire.  I was the regional sales manager in midwestern office with an individual who complained about everything.  His field sales manager seemed to accept that he was going to complain, but eventually it was realized that he was hurting morale.

The vampire assured us that management was sorely lacking (I did not take it personally), criticized our products, attempted to negatively influence new hires, and did everything possible to turn sales representatives against the organization.

On the basis of performance, we had to help him make a decision that he did not want to be with us.  It was for the best for all parties.  I resisted saying that we put a stake through his heart as …well you know why!  Remember, if your goals are so crosswise with the organization, read Black Sales Journal 4/7/2011 When to Consider Moving On, and think about your next station in life.

Always leave when it is wise and always, always be the professional.

Your comments are welcome.

Category Categories: African American Sales Professionals, Black Business Owners, Black Entreprenuers, Black Professionals, Black Salesmen, Entrepreneurs, Job Advice, Success Tips for Black Sales Professionals  |  Tag Tags: , , , , , , , ,  |  Comments No Comments

Courage – It’s Often the Difference!

Calendar October 3, 2013 | Posted by Admin9!

Everyone does not have it, and it will come to light in a time of need.  Courage is the intangible that you must have to achieve your potential.  Those that have it waste less time, exercise more effectiveness, and create better more trusting relationships.  Read and find out why!

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We don’t talk about courage as the most important trait that a sales professional might need, but I will say emphatically that it is in the top traits you need.  We might term it as ‘guts’.  It is the trait that keeps the sales professional in the game.

It is an ‘automatic’ in the careers for many of the best and because of that it is often taken for granted, but it is one of those traits that some professionals are born with, but it also can be developed.  Yes, sales professionals can develop this important trait, and many do.

Whether it is fairly natural, or developed over time, it is essential if you are in this business for the long haul.

What is Sales Courage?

We are not talking about going into burning buildings to save lives; we are talking about the situations that our profession places us in every day.  Sales couragemanifests itself in so many different ways.  I think it is more easily characterized by asking a few important questions.

You will enhance your career if you have the sales courage to:

  • Ask the tough, difficult, and penetrating questions
  • Clarify who is making the decision
  • Make the next 10 cold calls (then the next 10)
  • Walk away!
  • Recognize and display your value
  • Always be ethical and do the right thing!

Ask the tough, penetrating, and difficult questions – Example, “If we are successful in satisfying the questions you have posed, will we be awarded the contract?”  So many cannot bring themselves a question like this.  If the customer says yes, you can leverage it, and if they say no, you have some more questions to ask.  Ask!

Clarify who is making the decision – There is a way to do everything.  Feel some comfort in having the courage to ask who is going to make the final decision, and what in the product or service is going to make the difference.  Recognize that if you ask it correctly, you will find out whether your ‘buyer’ is gathering the information for his or her manager, is a party involved in the process, or the sole decision maker.  You might say, “Mr. Johnson, is the final decision yours, or are there others involved?”  You might also ask, “I know that price is important, but what other factors are going to determine the outcome for the winning proposal?”

Make the next 10 cold calls- You already know that you will not survive in sales without sourcing prospects.  Making the next 10 calls is a commitment to your trade, and the way you will stay in the game.  Have the courage to make them.  Why 10 calls?  A good reason would be that if you are making your calls in batches of 10 you can easily track your success ratios and keep your statistics on the basis of percentages.  This will help you generate your formula.  After several batches of 10, you will see patterns, your own patterns, which are the only ones that count.  You might take a look at BSJ – 2/28/2011 How Many Prospects do I Really Need.

Walk away! – Yes, you need the courage to say “no” and to walk away from situations that do not fit you or in the end will not work for your and your company.  Do it as early as possible in the process after you recognize the problem, and do it like the professional that you are.  There is no pride in wasting your time.  You might check out BSJ – 11/3/2011 Wanted Sales Professional to Work for Free!.

Recognize and display your value – As a Black sales professional you will be used and abused even when you do your best work, or have the best price.  Some buyers will still not work with you or buy from you no matter what you do.  But many will, and you are doing it for them.  Always display your value as a professional and work through your situations.  Everyone is not a good candidate to work with you!  Never lose the perspective that you have pride and plenty of it, and deserve your chances for success.  If you do the right things, you will have it.

Be ethical and do the right thing! This one is important as it embodies a courage that touches your customer, employer, and even your family.  You cannot run from this one in any aspect of your existence if you are going to be a consummate sales professional.  Have the courage to tell the truth and always do the right thing!

It Will Feel Right!

Seasoned sales professionals learn that when you do these things, you should feel ‘right’.  Courage in the face of the daily sales activities is a necessity.  It avoids the wasting of time, promotes clarity, assures agreement, and just makes sense.

Black sales professionals need to exercise courage, as it can be a perpetual struggle, especially early in their careers.  I will explain that by saying that as long as preference, negative perceptions, and prejudice exist, courage is the word of the day.

This is what gets you through the day, and takes you to tomorrow while you face the fact that your close ratios may be lower than your peers.  Knowing the techniques and the landscape you can be as, or more, successful than all of them.

Always exhibit sales courage.

Your comments are welcome.

Category Categories: African American Sales Professionals, Black Business Owners, Black Entreprenuers, Black Professionals, Black Salesmen, Black Saleswomen, Sales Strategies for Black Sales People, Success Tips for Black Sales Professionals  |  Tag Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  |  Comments No Comments