The A+ sales person

Struggling with the ability to turn highly technical production people with great personalities into A+ sales people.  It was my strategy initially and this is what it looks like down the road.  It just made sense to me.  In short, in order to open a new branch, the company was just not going to hire dedicated production and sales people to start.  So my idea was to have a split role to get it out of the gates.  Someone who could do it all.  How did I come up with this?  It's what I did and to an extent it worked.  Some question this strategy at this point. Maybe the company would have committed to sales people and production at the start.  Maybe, but that's certainly not what it looked like then.

It's actually a lot to manage.  I find myself constantly guiding and advising.  A role I like but I find works best when in limited segments at the right time.  Long inspiring speeches make for great phone calls but I don't think will turn people into great sales people.

Anyway here we are.  And this is the situation.  Great technical people but not great sales people.  Or even just good sales people.  Something interesting happened in one of the long advising sessions.  And I was asked 'What is an A+ sales person to you?'.   Great question. Had to think about this one.  A few days later I wrote the following on the bus ride home. 

So, to me, an A+ salesperson::: 

-        Knows the difference and value between selling hours and non-selling hours of the day (9-4 is selling hours).  Therefore research or other side projects are not done during this time.   This is time to follow up on leads, calls, meetings, think about next step, plan a next step, update CRM, etc

-        Knows who is going to spend money and who is going to waste their time.  It’s not that the relationship with someone who is not going to spend money isn’t valuable, but at a certain point there is a difference between a relationship and a client.  Clients pay our bills and give us a career and allow us to build financial peace, relationships give us hugs and handshakes.  Of course relationships with people may turn into clients, but we need to measure our time in these investments and ensure our time is spent wisely.  Spending time with ‘relationships’ that may or may not have potential, undoubtedly takes away time from interactions with potential or existing clients.  An A+ salesperson will know this difference and be able to make the right decision whatever it may be for that particular scenario.  He’ll know too.  Because if the proposal or pricing didn’t get done quickly or on time and instead time was spent in a variety of other activities, this would be seen as a mistaken decision that should be learned from.

-        They plan their day before they walk in the door.  An A+ sales person will never check their email as the first thing they do, they will always be clear about what today’s mission is and make sure that that mission gets achieved.  (ie develop 5 new prospects for equipment, catch up on all my data into CRM, ensure I get back to a specific client with a proposal, etc)

-        They take the time to learn how internal paperwork works.  It’s not a chore, rather it’s a way for things to run smoothly so they don’t have to deal with it every day.  If it’s done right, the paperwork will work for them in the long run.

-        Doesn’t complain about internal resource issues.  Always working to find a way around it to make it right for the client.  Internal resource issues are everywhere and are always at best a distraction from moving towards goals.

-        Knows that each meeting with a potential client should be moving that sale 1 step closer to being closed.  If the client meeting ended and it’s not closer to closing the business that’s on the table, the meeting was questionable in its value.  Maybe the relationship got better, but if it was a business meeting, then tangible business value must come from it.  If it’s not clear, than it’s because its not wholly there.  Maybe in some form or another but it’s not crisp, it’s not powerful, its not focused. 

-        If they know a particular client needs their product or service they will find a way to get a meeting.  Regardless of how many no’s they receive.  They will write a poem, knock on the door, call different people, they will get in the door.  With respect and persistence, professionalism.  They love the hunt.

-        Driven by dollar signs.  I couldn’t imagine that an A+ sales person was not driven by money.  It would be so perfectly clear to them that this is the ultimate purpose of being in sales.  To make more money.  To make as much money as you decide.  Sales provides a career where you can make, literally, as much money as you want.  There is no cap.  Most jobs on the planet are not this way.  An A+ sales person knows this and knows that if his product or service is exciting and people want it, he’s going to sell it to as many people as he can.  Because that’s the opportunity he has in front of him.

-        Will not get wrapped up in internal politics.  They will take an ego slap and not react.  At least not to a group.  They will realize how little internal politics will increase their sales revenues so therefore it’s just completely avoided.  Not because they are trying to avoid it, but because they are literally functioning in way, in a mode, where internal politics are irrelevant to them.  They are so focused on the goal that this fades into peripheral vision.  And no one can change the priorities of an A+ sales person except themselves. 

-        Never miss a follow up call.  When the reminder says its time to call, they call.  Maybe its bad news and the client isn’t interested anymore, maybe its something else, but the A+ salesperson wants the info because they don’t want to waste their time on a prospect who’s not interested in buying what they are selling.  Not interested at all, not interested right now.  Great thank you.  I appreciate that, ‘would it be okay to touch base in 6 months?”  client says yes / no and they move on.  They put a note in the crm to call in 6 months.  Next. I’ve got things to do. 

-        An A+ salesperson will makes cold calls, warm calls, they will develop relationships with everyone, always good relationships, but they will know how, when, where to spend their time.  They know that selling time is valuable and there are many distractions to it.  The world at large wants you to get stuck into paperwork, online reading of news articles, playing with new technology, etc.  The A+ salesperson sees right past this.  He knows that’s what everyone is doing, to varying degrees of success without a doubt, but he knows and therefore he’s not going to get stuck.  He knows that to be A+ is rare, and is definitely the road less traveled.  He doesn’t mind walking alone when everyone else is doing or going along with something else.  He sees the target dollar number he needs to hit.  And knows there is only one way to hit it and be the A+ salesperson.  Dedication and commitment to achieving it.  He’s not mad, he’s not impatient, it’s a decision.  Where is spend my time is valuable.  My time is valuable.  My time is more valuable than I will ever truly know.  I want to spend my time as wisely as I can. 

-        He knows that most people drop their goals.  Some for good reasons and some for bad.  He knows.  I’m not letting go.  Like Tom Cruise in Top Gun ‘I’m not leaving my wing man’.  No matter what.  I know what the mission is and no hero stuff.  I’m on this.  I got it.  No silly hill will stop me or get in the way.  This is a goal that I set.  This is important.  Way more important than anything that temporarily jumps in front of me.  The A+ sales person knows that real commitment is something you do every day.  Just like marriage.  You don’t get married once.  You get married every single day you’re with your spouse.  It’s a recommitment, every day.  Every day.  That’s a commitment.  This is what an A+ salesperson is thinking about.  I committed to being in sales yesterday and I’m going to commit again today.  I see the opportunity and my commitment will get me there.  Everything else will work itself out without me.  I’m married to my goals right now.

-        How do I make my life significantly exceptional?  How is it possible for me to have financial peace? Financial success?  An internal feeling of what I’m doing and where I’m going is correct?  Yes building communities and building people up in their lives is important.  It brings a lot of meaning and value to life and to what the A+ sales person does.  But it’s categorized.  It has a time and a place.  If it’s all the time or takes a priority over business goals that were agreed on than this is not balanced.  This is off balance.  The A+ sales person would see this as the priorities are mixed up. Number one is to achieve the business goals for my job.  Along the way he finds peace, flexibility, free time, loyalty, learning, meaning, build people, build communities, etc.  But it’s earned.  It’s not always.  It’s the reward, it comes later in the process.  Why? Because it should.  That’s the order that it should and needs to go in.   Responsibilities come first, than play time.