Do You Need a Mentor? No… You Need Two!

Calendar March 27, 2014 | Posted by Admin9!

It does not matter what color you are, your sex, or your orientation, you may well need help in an organization with your sales career.  It is only natural that you look within your organization for that help.  That person can save you a wealth of frustration and help you jumpstart your sales effort.

Mentor in Action

Having a mentor is a sound move when you are in a new sales professional or if  you are just plain new to any organization.

I advocate that many sales professionals  and especially Black Sales professional might need two mentors depending on his or her tenure in the sales profession.  You might wonder why someone would need two mentors.

I am going to take a little time to explain, and hopefully you will see my angle.

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Just to level set, the dictionary definition of a mentor is:

Webster’s Online Dictionary – Mentor: “A trusted counselor or guide”

Yes…. but Why Two Mentors?

Many new Black sales professionals, have to learn sales, the sales process of an organization, as well as the learn about the organization and its politics.  All this must be done while meeting the sales objectives of activity and production quotas.  In many cases it cannot be done without some assistance.

Mentors have knowledge:

  • Know which battles to fight and which have been waged already
  • Understand the prospecting system, and its strengths and flaws as well as the prospects in the territory which are less fruitful
  • Have knowledge of the natural resistance that the Black sales professional could encounter in the sales organization as well as the organization as a whole

It does not matter whether your mentor is the same sex or color as you, you need someone who has a desire to help.  I will note that it does help to have someone who shares the same sales challenges that you perceive.  The most important thing is to find someone who will spend time and wants to help you.  I know that you have heard this before, but…”In Sales…time is money!”  Finding someone who will spend time is valuable.

Sales mentor – A sales mentor is someone who has been there.  This individual has prospected, sold, and closed accounts.  He or she has developed a personal sales strategy, failed, repositioned, and succeeded.  This individual’s invaluable knowledge of the sales process and the sales environment will help the Black sales professional in the areas of realistically evaluating his/her sales effort, style, and results.  As a result of pigmentation being a game changer, it would be good if this individual were Black, yet not always possible.

Organizational mentor – An organizational mentor is someone who is employed in your organization. This individual walks the same halls and knows the “players” and the “game” in your company. It would be good if he or she has position power (front line manager or middle manager), yet not required.  A deep knowledge of the organization and its’ politics is important.  As with the sales mentor, it would be nice if this individual were Black, yet it is more important that this individual be willing to help regardless of color.

Does that Person Exist within Your Organization?

The truth is that you may not find an individual who can serve in either of these roles within some organizations.  In that case I suggest the following:

  • Find a current or retired sales professional to act as a sales mentor or coach. This can be formal or informal.
  • Locate an experienced business manager or executive who can provide insights on organizational dynamics and how to chart a course through the turbulent waters of a complex organization.

The type of mentor you need is based on your areas of concern.  If you are trying to validate your sales style and your results, you need a professional who will act as your sales coach.

There are possibly natural barriers of resistance in your organization for a Black sales professional.  You need someone who can help you recognize this as well as help you strategize ways to deal with it. A seasoned or retired manager or executive from the business world can help you do this.

If you are lucky you may be able to find this combination of sales and organizational savvy in a retired sales executive who serves or has served, at least, on the front line or in middle management positions.

Informal arrangements can and do work.   Meet with the candidate to be your mentor and discuss your efforts.  Is it a person you could model yourself after?  Is it a person who exudes the confidence and balance that you want to possess?  It is an important decision, yet one that is not permanent.  It may take more than one individual before you find the right mentor for sales or organizational assistance.

There is someone out there who can help you. You might be surprised as to the obstacles you can avoid.  Give it a try!

Let us know your view.  Your comments are appreciated.

Category Categories: African American Sales Professionals, Black Business Owners, Black Entreprenuers, Black Professionals, Black Salesmen, Black Saleswomen, Job Advice, Racial Perceptions in Sales, Sales Strategies for Black Sales People, Solving Racial Preference, Success Tips for Black Sales Professionals  |  Tag Tags: , , , , , ,  |  Comments No Comments

Mental Toughness! Your Key to Sales Success!

Calendar March 24, 2014 | Posted by Admin9!

Many years ago (not that I am sensitive about my age) when I was playing college basketball, I was exposed to a coach named Gene Smithson.  At that time he was the assistant coach at Illinois State University.  He then went on to coach Wichita State University.

His mantra was  “MTXE” or “Mental Toughness Extra Effort”.  What the heck was he trying to do with this term “MTXE?”  It was his effort to bring resolve and a take-no-prisoners attitude to his players at both schools.  It is amazing how something sticks with you, but this one stuck with me. Mental toughness is not just important in athletics, it is extremely important in sales.

You should recognize that attitude could make the difference between winning and losing, or even walking away from an  occupations.

A Definition of Mental Toughness

According to a qualitative study by three individuals from Australia, Jones, Hanton, and Connaughton (2002) entitled Discovering Mental Toughness: A Qualitative Study of Mental Toughness in Elite Athletes, mental toughness is:

“…having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables you to:  1.) Generally, cope better than your opponents with many demands (competition, training, lifestyle) that sports places on a performer; and 2.) Specifically, be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident, and in control under pressure.”

They went on to publish what they identified as attributes of mental toughness.  I will include a few here:

  • Self-belief
  • An Unshakeable focus
  • High Levels of Desire and Determination
  • An Overall Consistency of Effort and Technique

There is no doubt that these translate to the sales arena as well.Meta

Mental Toughness in Sales

Whether it is B2B or B2P, there is much to break you down in the world of sales.  Competition is tough, pricing is difficult, and the economy affects how people and companies spend their money.  Now, throw into the mix that the 3Ps (Perceptions, Preference, and Perceptions) sometimes play a role.

Facing adversity and winning is what all good sales professionals seek.  As a matter of fact, many do it all of the time.  Those who have strong self-belief, unshakeable focus, and consistency of effort while maintaining professional technique and high levels of desire and determination are who we interpret as winners. Sales professionals who win consistently are usually examples of mental toughness.

When you are mentally tough, nothing stops you from doing your routine; nothing stops you from your 10 or 20 calls per day.  It is what you do, and if they all result in a “no” answer, you realize that there will be more yes answers tomorrow.

Mental toughness in sales is attainable, and when coupled with Extra Effort it creates a significance force.  When coupled with a good sales plan and solid preparation you have a star.

Extra Effort

What is Extra Effort is in the avocation of professional sales and how does this apply to you?  It is essentially doing over and above what is necessary so that success is assured, and doing it better than most other sales professionals.

In prospecting it is making the additional five prospecting calls per day, with the recognition that the next call could be the “pay dirt” that moves the day from the normal success of scoring on 1 for 10 calls to the very successful 2-3 appointments. There is no area that extra effort will have the more impact than the process of sourcing prospects.

In customer service, it is the extra effort of treating each customer as if they are the only customer.  Giving this level of customer service is more time consuming and requires consistent awareness and forethought.

In prospecting it is treating each relationship as your focal point.  This can be a game changer in the long run.  It builds confidence and relationships.  There is no doubt that it takes extra effort to make this happen.

In your sales career it is getting the credentials that will make you a product or industry expert, giving you some degree of preference over other professionals that populate your industry.

Are You Mentally Tough?

Mental toughness is exemplified by many of the attributes that were illustrated in the beginning of this post.   As we apply it to what you do everyday, if you do not have these attributes, you can get them.  There is nothing magical about these attributes, they are what happens when you are mentally prepared, and realistic.

If sales is an occupation for you, you probably are outgoing, and probably not fragile.  You have personality and you are willing to have some income at risk.  You can accept coaching and have an ability to form strong relationships.  You need to be able to accept the rejection and disappointment that comes with the turf.

Now you need to build your mental toughness.  If you can recognize that much of the ‘rejection’ that comes during the sales process is not personal.  It just may seem hard to believe this when it is happening to you.  Mental toughness will get you there.  Frankly, you know you are good at what you do, and you know that you, and your company, have something to offer.  Be undeterred and keep calling more and more potential customers.  They do not know you or your qualifications.  They are not aware of your ability to provide solutions and solid customer service.

Your toughness focuses on the fact that you will have many rejections during prospecting, and some customers will leave you because of pricing, economics, and other varied reasons.  If you are calling potential customers as frequently as you can, you will not feel the pain of a few calls going bad.  It is a numbers game as was discussed in Black Sales Journal 2/28, How Many Prospects Do You Really Need?

We will talk more about mental toughness and extra effort in a future post.  Realize that you probably have it but do not recognize it.  Be the professional!

We welcome your comments.

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