Sales Management Issue: How Do You Motivate A Lazy Salesperson? Part 2 July 3, 2009
Posted by Tom Schaber in Business Owner, Consulting, Firing, Leadership, Sales, Sales Issues, Sales Management.add a comment
Earlier this week I wrote about one of the issues that every sales manager faces-motivating a salesperson that is either lazy or has poor work habits. It’s possible that some reps have never learned the right way to work a territory or to work productively. Statistically it is possible but, from this ancient mariner’s eyes, I would say that the number of reps who never learned to work a territory are minuscule. There are too many books, blog sites, coaches, peers and good sales managers available to help people.
So what do you do with a bonafide lazy salesperson? The “benefit of the doubt” will serve most sales managers well-up to a point. The first thing I always do in these situations is sit down with a rep one on one and away from the office. Having a beer is not a bad idea! Why not. I’m not talking a world class drunk here, just a few beers to get a person loosened up. I wouldn’t start right in on the main issue either. Work up to it by talking about specific accounts in the rep’s territory, something going on at the office, family etc.
This is an approach that will work out 90% of the time. I will say to the rep something like this. ” Jim, I like to sit down with reps in a more casual setting and give them what I call an “off the record” summary of my observations about them. Are you game”? Several things happen here. One, the reps knows that you are not going to do this just with them. The word casual indicates that the rep is not going to get a major league reaming. The phrase “off the record” means that the comments probably won’t make it on the more formal review.
I’m going to come back to this topic next week but I want to leave you with this thought. Way too many managers think that they can salvage a salesperson no matter what his or her issues are. I’ve done it and so have most managers. Do not get trapped into the “hero mentality” where you think that with a little more effort you can bring a rep back from the brink of hell. It won’t work and the effort will sap you of energy.
The Final Thought: “A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.” Elbert Hubbard
Sales Management Issue: How Do You Motivate A Lazy Salesperson? June 30, 2009
Posted by Tom Schaber in Business Owner, Consulting, Firing, Hiring, Sales, Sales Issues, Sales Process, Small Business.Tags: Achievement, Humor. Sales Management, Psychology, Sales Managers, Time Management
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Maybe the better question is, can you motivate a salesperson who has a lousy work ethic? And then, where do you start the coaching process? From experience I can tell you that the hard-nosed approach will not miraculously cure the sales rep that likes to quit at 2:30PM and head for the driving range. Discovering why a salesperson is lazy is a decent first step. Why are some salespeople lazy:
- It’s in the gene pool or they never saw or learned from anyone what hard work looks like.
- They are satisfied at a certain income level and don’t see any reason to work any harder or smarter.
- They’re working two jobs or double-dipping.
- No one ever taught the rep how to write a plan and work it.
- The rep should not be in sales.
- The sales culture is lousy and the rep fits that culture. (Hard to believe but it could be true.)
The sales management position requires a fair amount of psychoanalyzing. People think and act based on certain triggers in their brain. If you can figure out the triggers then you have gone a long way in finding out what motivates people. When I managed salespeople I believed in having “off the record” one-on-ones. These conversations and what came from them did not make it on the annual review nor did they make it up the chain of command. There are times in managing when “come to Jesus” meetings should stay between just two people.
I’ll follow up this post with a second installment later this week.
The Final Thought: “LAZINESS, n. Unwarranted repose of manner in a person of low degree.” Ambrose Bierce
Enjoy Life Because You Never Know When The Bolt Out Of The Blue May Hit You! June 27, 2009
Posted by Tom Schaber in Business Owner, Cold Calling, Consulting, Firing, Hiring, Humor, Leadership, Networking, Nostalgia, Prospecting, Sales, Sales Issues, Sales Management, Sales Meeting, Sales Process, Small Business.Tags: Babies, Customers, Friends, Life, Managers, Parenting, Prospects., Selling, Siblings
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One of the things that I learned about myself is that I like to write when I need comfort. Now is one of those times. If you read my last post you know that young Jackson is our latest grandchild. Jake (my name for the little hombre) was two pounds when he was born. For three days he was doing really well. Tonight the little guy had a setback. How will that setback play out? Who knows?
If you have ever seen a 2 pound preemie you know that anything can happen. Of course, doctors will never tell you the good news; they have to tell you the worst possible outcomes. That is their job after all. But wait!! Who the heck makes this world of ours happen? It is the people who think about things in a much different way.
Will young Jake make it through all this? We do not know. Regardless of what happens in this situation there is something that needs to be said. Life is chuck full of enormous roadbumps, avalanches, hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, and an assortment of other catastrophes. At this very minute there are people I know who are concerned that one of their perfectly normal kids has ADD and dyslexia. Be still my heart! What a joke!
There are mothers, fathers, grandparents, friends, classmates, salespeople, managers, CEOS, owners, presidents, siblings, young kids, old kids, old people, customers ad nauseam who are worried about something in their lives. Well, guess what folks, your worries are meaningless in the flow of life! They are the pimples on the backside of mankind!
There is a purpose to this post aside from the rantings of a father and grandfather who does not quite understand how the Big Fella plays his game. At different times in our lives or the lives of people we care about some very bad things can happen! Those bad things can range from from lost sales (at the very bottom of the “I care heap”) to enormous losses of people we care about.
Every person who reads this has to understand that there is hierarchy of worries. Some of those worries we need to cast aside; others we need to put into perspective. Things like social networking, the customer collective, closing business, not closing business, prospecting, training, competition, networking, linked in, twitter, and all the rest of the things that people think are important aren’t!!!!!
When you read this, I want you to connect with your spouse, your kid(s), parents, sibs, boss (???), customers, prospects, customer service rep, friends, acquaintances et al and either hug them, thank them or tell them that you love them. Life tends to speed by and all of a sudden the time that we think we had isn’t there. Don’t wait another minute.
Jackson, all two pounds of him, is telling you that life is short and what you had yesterday could be gone tomorrow. Don’t wait to enjoy your moments with the people that matter most-now and in the future. As of right now my buddy Jake is alive and kicking-literally. He wants to live. He told me so. (That’s another story.) I believe that Jake will live because I am a “glass half full kind of guy” and Jake is too.
And here is the point of this rather long post. My friends, life is for seeing outcomes, positive outcomes. It is for seeing past the mundane, the horrible, the problems, the frustrations, the worries, the cancer, the horrendous managers, the bad prospects, the ungrateful customers, the bad spouses, the worrisome kids, the…glass half empty inevitabilities of life. Those inevitabilities will never go away. They are what makes us strong, successful, vibrant, believers, faithful, staunch, optimistic, joy-filled, and responsive to whatever awaits us around the next corner of living.
Stop where you are right now and think about how lucky you are. I am doing just that. I have a beautiful and caring wife, two phenomenal natural born kids and and an inherited kid, four grandkids (Jake included) , a meaningful profession, several awesome clients, more good friends than I can count, a great sib, nieces and nephews whom I love as well as their kids and hosts more.
And Jake just said to me, “hey old guy, go to bed. I’m alive and kicking but I could use you tomorrow-fully awake”! Darn kids, they always keep us awake!
The Final Thought: “Love and touch someone N-O-W!” TJS
Hello, My Name Is Jackson And I Am Two—Pounds! June 24, 2009
Posted by Tom Schaber in Business Owner.Tags: Babies, Parents, Preemies
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I don’t know anything about blogs, heck I was just born yesterday but fortunately I have this O.G. (Old Guy) that likes to write so I’m gonna have him help me. I probably shouldn’t call him Old Guy, after all he is my gramps. He and I sort of have this ability to talk to one another-telekinetic something or other.
Everything was going along OK until Sunday when my mom’s cervix decided it was time to dilate. From what the OG said this is not good. Anyway, they rushed her and me to the hospital and started pumping a lot of stuff into her and me. Jees, it’s tough enough to move around in this cramped space but then to have more watery stuff pumped into you-well it’s not easy.
Everything seemed to be running smoothly until my foot slipped a little and the doctor felt it. Next thing I know they’re rushing mom and dad and me off to surgery. Pop has a worried look on his face and mom, well she continues to wonder why so many jerky women (although she called them somthing that won’t pass the censors) can go to full term and have 8 pound brutes and she has to deal with a 26 week pregnancy. Beats me although I kinda wonder the same thing.
Surgery was quick and apparently I let out a yelp, which the doctor said was rare since I was only 2 pounds. How would you feel if somone took you out of your mommy’s warm, cozy tummy? All of a sudden I could hear noise and it was really bright. I was having a good dream too! My new home is a clear box and there are a bunch of things attached to me. I really don’t like this at all!
Yesterday in popped dad, the OG and gramma. That’s when I realized that the OG and I had this connection. He said something about me being Irish and German, whatever that means. Anyway he said that this meant I was a tough little hombre (???) and that I needed to fight and be strong. He also told me that there are a lot of people praying for me. That really made the OG happy.
I think that’s enough for now. I’m getting kinda tired. I’ll be back though to give you an update on what it’s like to be a preemie.
The OG here has a request for everyone who reads this. Please send it along to people you know. I want as many people as possible praying for Jackson, Sara and Chad. Their road will not be easy to be sure but I know that prayers work. And thanks from the OG.
Sales Management Issue (SMI): Fear of Calling at C-Level-Part 2 June 18, 2009
Posted by Tom Schaber in Business Owner, Cold Calling, Consulting, Leadership, Networking, Prospecting, Sales, Sales Issues, Sales Management, Sales Process.2 comments
Earlier this week I wrote about the rep who has bone-chilling fear of talking to the person in the corner office or the ultimate decision maker or the person two steps up from their contact person. The pundits on the blogosphere can quip about tactics and cure-alls but the bottom line is how do you coach a salesperson to overcome their fear of the dreaded “Big Chalupa”?
Coaching tip #1: Bring value into the equation. When I sold a product that provided value I felt that I could and should talk to any decision maker. The theory was that if I didn’t talk to the decision maker I would be doing him or her a disservice. Think about that! It is powerful! What provides value with my product, me, the company, customer support, R & D, industry standing? Dissect all of these and discuss these with the salesperson.
Coaching tip #2: What we do is separate from who we are. We all perform multiple roles every day. We are also individuals with a strong sense of purpose and identity. Separating those two is key to losing fear. I worked hard to teach salespeople that they were all perfect tens on their identity side. Hell, we were born tens! On the role side we fluctuate between ten and one depending on how we perform those roles. Role performance is an objective exercise that can be evaluated and then improved by technique. No prospect can get into my identity and change the ten status. I can perform poorly in my role but I can change that! This is a ridiculously hard concept for people to understand but separating identity from role helped me and a whole bunch of salespeople deal with fear. (Thank you Sandler Systems.)
Coaching tip #3: Research, research, research. Do any of us buy anything these days without researching the options? Why don’t salespeople do the same thing prior to calling on accounts? One of the best tools on the planet is the book written by Sam Richter called Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling. In my world (as in Sam’s) knowledge equals confidence. If a salesperson knew that the CEO of a company was active in Big Brothers or Big Sisters and the rep had a Big Brother growing up how do you think that would affect the rep’s ability to make an appointment with that person? Done deal folks!
Coaching tip #4: Listen, listen, listen. One of the best questions I ever asked a rep was, “My gut says that something might be holding you back from seeing certain people. What do you think that is”? I stumbled on that after I tried to “convince” a rep to do uncomfortable behaviors. Sometimes you have to get inside someones head and that takes listening skills.
The Final Thought: 
“The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get.” Jim Rohn
Sales Management Issue (SMI): Fear of Calling at C-Level June 16, 2009
Posted by Tom Schaber in Cold Calling, Consulting, Leadership, Networking, Prospecting, Sales, Sales Issues, Sales Management.2 comments
Let’s face it, everyone at some point in their life has fear about calling on the person in the corner office. I had it until 1978 0r 1979. How I overcame it is worth noting. I was working in the medical device world at the time. I was trying to convert business at St. Mary’s Hospital (The Mayo Clinic) in Rochester Minnesota. I brought three key Cardiologists from the hospital to our company headquarters in Billerica, Mass. Due to excessive amounts of socializing on the night I arrived with these physicians I was without a hotel room for that night. Digging deep into my “guts bag” I called one of the physicians from the lobby and asked if I could bunk with him for the night. The time was 2AM and the doctor in question was the director of the medical department! Can you say trepidation?
Everything worked out for the best but making that call took some serious mental effort. So how do you deal with a salesperson who has this fear of calling or seeing the owner, president, CEO type personality? I don’t think that you can just invoke the Nike tag line-Just Do It. Not going to work for most people.
There is something deeper that will not allow some people to comfortably call on top executives. My guess is that some people are programmed from a very early age not to do certain things. The mental tapes that are running probably say, “don’t bother important people”, “go through the chain of command”, “they’re too busy to want to talk to a salesperson.” We all were taught to act a certain away by parents, teachers, friends and a host of others. We tend to merge our actions into neat little boxes that fit other people’s expectations for us. If you act in a way outside the box there exists risks that we are unprepared to face comfortably. How much different is this than being programmed not to touch a hot stove?
Before a sales manager can deal with this salesprson’s fear it is absolutely necessary to have a serious one-on-one with the rep to discuss why the fears exist. Providing techniques to deal with the fear is pointless. Nine times out of ten the salesprson will not execute the technique until the deeper issue is addressed.
More on how to deal with this in Thursday’s post.
The Final Thought: 
“If fear alters behavior, you’re already defeated.” Brenda Hammond
Sales Management Issue (SMI)-How To Control The Sales Motormouth? June 11, 2009
Posted by Tom Schaber in Business Owner, Consulting, Leadership, Prospecting, Sales, Sales Issues, Sales Management, Sales Process.add a comment
I have always been a fan of series. They keep people interested as well as provide a bit of anticipation that something good is in the offing. With that said here begins a series I will call Sales Management Issues or SMI. Since I spent three years in the Army I have grown fond of acronyms.
I have managed a fair amount of salespeople who run on at the mouth. The main reasons theydo that is:
- They want to prove that they know the product.
- They want to please the customer.
- They want to please the manager.
- They are infatuated with features and benefits.
- They think that knowledge transfer will close business.
- They desperately need approval.
This approach to sales makes me really cranky! I’m inherently against using hammers to get my point across so I’ll offer a technique the rep can use to eliminate the demo craze. “Jim, I could talk about my product for the next three hours but I’m guessing that would drive you nuts so let’s hear a bit about your situation and then I’ll share more about how we might be able to help.” You can adapt this approach using a variety of words and phrases to get the prospect to talk first.
And then (I love this) I tell reps that you cannot (under penalty of death) talk about the product until the prospect has identified 2-3 key issues that in some way, shape, or form affect them in an adverse way. Brother, does this change the dynamics of the sales call! It also makes it almost impossible to do the dreaded double D-Data Dump, which as we all know is the crutch of the sales wounded.
And what’s wrong with offering a little reward for good behavior? If I see a rep do this I’ll take him or her out to an upscale place for lunch or stop by a liquor store and buy a nice bottle of wine for them. People are more apt to change if the change seems fun, there is structure in how to change, and there is a spiff attached to the effort.
The Final Thought: 
“There is nothing so annoying as to have two people talking when you’re busy interrupting.” Mark Twain
What A Golf Infomercial Taught Me About Qualifying! June 9, 2009
Posted by Tom Schaber in Business Owner, Cold Calling, Consulting, Hiring, Leadership, Prospecting, Sales, Sales Management, Sales Process.Tags: Cold Calling, Prospecting, Qualifying, Sales
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About a year ago I was consulting with a client who had absolutely no problem generating leads, in fact I could have made the case that they were getting too many. Leads are great but if they aren’t being closed or closed fast enough then what worth do they have?
I looked at their pipeline and the number of days on average it took to close and I kept scratching my head. I could not get my brain around why it took so long to close. Until a month after I started with this company I discovered how they were qualifying. And they weren’t-qualifying that is.
They gathered information about the account, what I would call the cold facts. Size of the organization, who makes the decision, what departments are involved in the decision etc. Don’t get me wrong, these are all good things to ask but they do not give you the reason why these people are interested. Someone in the organization saw a webinar, visited the company’s website, or saw some other marketing blurb and found something of interest that might help their organization. Bingo-LEAD! Hallelujah brother-we got one! Not so fast lead breath!
What no one in this company thought about was the reason why the prospect showed up at the door. Let’s look at this through the eyes of an avid golfer. About 6 years ago I was playing to an 8 handicap and for a 57 year old geezer that ain’t shabby? I was also demonically possessed to lower the handicap to 5. Enter the infomercial for a golf club that would help groove the swing. I wrote down that 800 number so fast my hand cramped up! Why did I buy it? Because I had an emotional commitment to lowering my handicap. There was nothing intellectual about this sale. And, really, isn’t that the point here?
Prospects are attracted to a product because they think that it will cure something, organize time, improve output, eliminate waste, eliminate confusion, save money and a host of other maladies and pain. Salespeople need to qualify the prospect for the impact on that person or organization if the pain isn’t remedied. It is great to have a new widget but it’s more important to know what emotional issue the widget will address.
And, no, the golf club did nothing to lower my handicap. Why? Tune in Thursday.
The Final Word: “The dread of evil is a much more forcible principle of human actions than the prospect of good.” John Locke
If You’re Just “Selling” Stop; If You’re Finding Buyers Have At It! June 1, 2009
Posted by Tom Schaber in Business Owner, Cold Calling, Consulting, Leadership, Prospecting, Sales, Sales Management, Sales Process, Small Business.Tags: Cold Calling, Prospecting, Sales, Sales Management, Salespeople, Selling
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I absolutely love my clients-past, present and future! In one of my not-too-distant posts I will share with you how many of these folks have impacted me and their marketplace. It has been great fun for me to have been a part of their lives. But that topic will hold for another day.
I had coffee today with one of those people and his name is Tom. He will write for this blog within the next couple of months. We were talking about his business and where he and his partner have brought the business. Tom is the rainmaker and he is the only rainmaker for the company. Our discussion turned to how he brings new clients on, which is by cold-calling. He does not network, the company does little if any advertising, but they do get referrals from current clients.
Tom is highly ethical, compassionate, and has a strong empathic nature. His view on cold calling is that it is a hassle and intrusive. In short he doesn’t like making the calls. Whoa! Okay, what is wrong with this picture? A lot! Cold calling the way most people do it is intrusive. The methods used by most people are overbearing, rude, and inconsiderate. So how does Tom grow business?
He does it by altering his “mind-set”. He considers it his job to find buyers, not to sell his services. Hmmmm! According to this very gifted salesperson finding buyers allows him to approach the initial phone call not with the idea that he has to sell someone. His mind set is to start a conversation in a way that allows both Tom and the prospect the freedom to continue or discontinue the conversation! (Tom will explain more about that when he posts to the TSM.)
The distinction between just selling and finding buyers is as wide as the chasm between night and day. The chasm between those two will never be bridged; the chasm in mind sets can be bridged.
The Final Thought: 
“Just remember all…that words are powerful, so very powerful, that it can change attitudes (for the better or for the worse), with or without provocation. They can be triggers, reminders, movers, and emotive.” Unknown
When Is A Sales Manager Not A Sales Manager-Part Two May 28, 2009
Posted by Tom Schaber in Business Owner, Hiring, Leadership, Sales, Sales Management, Sales Process.add a comment
In the last post I was emphatic about the fact that a sales manager’s role is to develop salespeople. However (the most common word used when someone is about to present an alternative way of approaching a problem) there will always be times when the sales manager will have to bail a salesperson out of a sales call that is going south.
That situation is decidedly different than the one my friend Eve and I discussed. The question I have is why have salespeople at all if the sales manager is supposed to take responsibility for negotiating contracts? Stay in contact with your customers/distributors via blogs, marketing programs or other methods and then send in the negotiator every six months to negotiate new contracts. Hey, way to save overhead without all those pesky salespeople!
I don’t blame Eve for being frustrated. Her issue, though, shouldn’t be with the sales managers as much as it should be with the VP of Sales. The question Eve should ask is why doesn’t the VP hire more effective salespeople or train the existing ones to be more effective negotiating contracts?
This may sound inane to the casual observer but the majority of companies are clueless about the hiring process. Hey, candidate A has high tech experience and seems to know the tech language-hire him or her. Or, better yet, let’s align ourselves with people who know the industry and the potential customers and we’ll let them demo the product! Come on people!!! Why do you think so many bloggers write about “corporate culture” and finding the right fit for a sales organization? Because they are critical issues when hiring.
Here’s a novel approach. List out the top 5 key characteristics that the sales position requires and then define how those characteristics play out in the sales call or sales process. When you hire a salesperson put their feet to the fire of these 5 characteristics.
I am intrigued by this topic even though it has been written about ad nauseam. More next week on how to identify these characteristics.
I try not to repeat quotes for the final thought but this is too good not to.
The Final Thought: “If you think hiring professional salespeople is expensive, try hiring amateurs.”
