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I’ve observed something important over time about sales managers. I’ve seen that a sales manager is in a unique position to help us if we have a good relationship with them. The ways they can help us are frequently not readily apparent. Their position allows them to improve our sales skills and assist us in how to sell for our company.

“The ways they can help us are frequently not readily apparent.”

It doesn’t matter whether we think our sales manager is the best thing since cell phones or if we dislike them more than filling out call reports. They can provide real sales help if we’ve built a relationship with them. Here are some of the benefits this relationship provides:

• Territories are always being changed and/or being reassigned (once a year in many companies). The sales manager is the person who decides who gets assigned to specific territories. We all know that all territories are not created equal.

• Sales rep’s leave companies and frequently they’ll have some cherry accounts that need to be reassigned. Who do you think makes those assignments?

• They have the combination to the safe that holds the best sales leads. Do you think they give them out fairly? Of course not. They give them out to sales rep’s they like and think will best handle them.

• Who do you think is the primary influencer of budgets or quotas? There is nothing more loosey-goosey then setting sales budgets. They are very subjective. A good relationship with your sales manager will only help you here.

Sales managers are in a position to help us in many behind-the-scenes ways. The password to this sales help is relationship.

Related links: Sales Manager and Sales Representative, Working Together, Do you think your sales manager is competent?

To receive this sales blog by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

There have been many studies researching the main reason that some sales reps are extremely successful and some are less so. Virtually all of the research comes to the same conclusion and it is surprising in its simplicity.

Sales managers want to know this predictor because it can help them hire the right people and provide focused sales tips in order to teach them how to sell. Sales reps want to know in order to improve their sales skills in an area that will have the biggest impact. This quest for the magic pill is one of the reasons that there’s a new sales blog around every corner.

“This predictor of success is not one that you have any control over…but in a way you do.”

What is it? Time in territory. That’s right, the longer a sales rep is in his or her territory the more likely he or she is to be successful. In the math world they call this a positive correlation. As the length of time increases, so does sales volume.

I think the implications for this are significant:

• If you’re a sales rep and thinking about changing jobs, remember that you’ll have to start the clock over again. Be careful about throwing away the time in territory that you’ve already earned with your current employer.
• Sales managers, do you have a long term sales rep that is not performing like you think they could? Then get out there and encourage and nurture them. You don’t want to lose his or her time in territory.
• Changing jobs frequently can hurt a sales rep’s career and a high sales rep turnover in a company can hurt an employer.

The bottom line sales tip is that hanging in there with our sales job or, if you’re a sales manager, hanging in there with a struggling long term sales rep might be the best thing you can do for your sales volume.

To receive this sales blog by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

Sales Vitamins™ has subscribers from many different countries. Today’s post is meant primarily for my U.S. readers.

I’ll admit it. My eyes water every time I hear the U.S. national anthem. Here’s why.

Today is Memorial Day in the U.S. and it’s a holiday that honors the men and women that have given their lives in military service. This holiday does not honor war itself in any way, but rather gives tribute to those that have made the greatest sacrifice as a result of it. Because they have given their lives, we enjoy many freedoms. One of these liberties is the ability to pursue the career and destiny of our choice.

If you are a U.S. citizen celebrating Memorial Day today, please pause, if just for a moment, to remember what these men and women, and their families, have done. All of us are beneficiaries of their heroism.

If you’re not already a subscriber, <click here> to receive Sales Vitamins™ by email or <click here> to subscribe to the RSS feed. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

Fact: As sales professionals, we are ultimately in control of our sales career. This isn’t a good thing, this is a great thing! But it also requires us to take on certain responsibilities if we want to maximize this control.

The following are five truths about our sales career:

1. We are our own best sales career counselor. No one cares as much about our career as we do, not our
employer, our manager or anyone else.
2. We are responsible for our own development and training. This may mean getting our employer to train us or for us to seek training on our own.
3. We must think beyond our current sales job; we are in a career, not a job. As I’ve written in another post, Sales Staff Turnover, few sales jobs are permanent.
4. We are ultimately our own best motivators; no one else can motivate us over the long haul.
5. The most successful sales professionals are those that stick with it. I’ve never met a number one salesperson that got to that position in 3 months - it took years and usually spanned over several employers.

Do we have 100% control of our sales career at all times? Hardly. The “Divine Director of Sales” in His heavenly office can grab the wheel from time to time, but our individual actions, and inactions, will have a huge impact on our sales career.

If you’re not already a subscriber, <click here> to receive Sales Vitamins™ by email or <click here> to subscribe to the RSS feed. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

In the 1973 movie, Magnum Force, Harry Callahan (played by Clint Eastwood) says his now famous line, “A man’s got to know his limitations.”

No matter how inflated our ego is or how much we suffer from low self esteem, we all have two things in common: a key selling strength that must be optimized and a key sales weakness we must navigate around. It’s how we are put together by the big man upstairs. No one is exempt.

Highly successful athletes, politicians and actors are examples of people that showcase their greatest strength and do their best to conceal their greatest weakness. The key to all of this is that they know these things about themselves.

Since sales success is so critically dependent on a number of skill sets, doesn’t it make sense that we should be aware of our greatest strength and use it to our advantage? At the same time wouldn’t it be helpful for us to be cognizant of where we are not strong?

Tiger Woods is generally considered to be one of the best golfers that has ever lived. He acknowledges that his short-irons are a weakness for him, but he also knows that he can hit a driver like no other. Guess what his game strategy is? He uses his driver (his strength) in a way to avoid as many short-iron shots (his weakness) as possible.

We might be tempted to ask, should we work on our weakest sales skill in order to make it stronger? Yes, but I have a few rules for this:

1. We must work on our weak area only after we are sure that our strongest area is razor sharp. Our strongest area is our money maker.
2. When in front of a customer we must be sure to leverage our strength to the maximum; this is not a time to be experimenting with improving our weakness.
3. We can and should use a coach (e.g., sales trainer, sales manager) to help us with our weak area.
4. We can’t always avoid exposing our weak area, so we should ensure that we have at least an adequate and acceptable strategy for handling it.

Sales professionals can be either weak or strong in the following areas: prospecting, account management, presentations, customer meetings, product knowledge, account planning, time management, record keeping, etc. This is a concept where sales management can play a valuable role in helping their individual team members fortify their strength and manage their weakness.

Now go to work on making your sales strength even stronger and your weakness manageable.

If you’re not already a subscriber, <click here> to receive Sales Vitamins™ by email or <click here> to subscribe to the RSS feed. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

The sales profession is increasingly moving toward a more scientific approach. Students of sales are demanding a more objective and scientific orientation to the science of sales. As evidence of that, there are a number of outstanding universities in the US that have top flight programs where you can major in sales.

I’ve noted in past posts (What Colleges Teach you About Sales Careers) that many university environments are not too sales friendly. Fortunately, that is changing, as evidenced by the top quality sales degree programs being offered by the universities listed below.

There are many different choices to consider when it comes to a sales career; no longer can we just say that we want to be in “sales.” Please see As a career salesperson where do you best fit? for more information. Sales degree programs can really help a young person (or even someone with years of sales experience) hone their skills in the type of sales career they want to pursue.

If you have a son or daughter that is interested in a formal sales education, one of the following universities might be a great place to steer them. Of course it’s also never too late to consider a formal sales degree program for yourself or someone in your organization.

The following list of universities offers some of the best sales education degree programs in the US. All of the following are accredited universities where students can major in sales.

Baylor University, Waco, Texas, Internship Required
Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia
University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, Internship Required
William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey

I am very pleased to see that the sales profession is becoming more academic. These university programs provide a career launching point for young people interested in a sales career. They also are an avenue for experienced sales professionals to sharpen their sales skills and earn a degree in the process.

If you’re not already a subscriber, <click here> to receive Sales Vitamins™ by email or <click here> to subscribe to the RSS feed. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

I received an email from Courtney of Seattle, Washington asking the following questions, “Scott, can you share with everyone your feelings about using our faith in God to help us in our sales job? Is this a cop-out?”

Courtney,

Sales can be an extremely rewarding career for all kinds of reasons. At times it can also be incredibly stressful. I’ve directly managed literally hundreds of sales professionals over the years and I’ve found that many of them rely on their personal faith in their sales careers.

Some might think that relying on faith smacks of desperation instead of determination. Before we throw out faith as a possible legitimate aid to our sales career, let’s consider just some of the challenges that we have to contend with, many of which are out of our control.

1. Sales budgets to reach each month/quarter/year. Sales success is measured by one metric and one metric only, total sales. Nothing else matters to employers. Worse yet, at the end of each month/quarter/year we have to start all over again. A sales career is the poster child for, “What have you done for me lately?”
2. Rejection, rejection, rejection. I know we’re supposed to be thick-skinned sales professionals and all of that, but, at some level, we have to feel accepted by others. If we are in a heavy prospecting mode over an extended period, the avoidance behavior of prospects can take its toll.
3. Competition. Have you ever tried to explain to someone who works at the home office what it’s like to have people (i.e., competitors) trying to take your job on a daily basis? I don’t think I’ve ever found anyone outside of sales who understands the pressure this puts us under.
4. Work hours. We can’t even imagine a 40 hour workweek. A hard hitting sales professional knows that we must contact customers and prospects during the day and attack the colossus of administrative tasks at night or on the weekends.

We all like to come across as tough and capable people in our sales jobs, but most of us need help that extends beyond what our sales managers and employers can provide. Sales is a very demanding profession and, quite frankly, it scared me when I thought about the goals that were expected of me when I was a salesperson.

I have no problem in admitting to you that my faith has helped me to feel more complete and confident with many things in my life, including my sales career.

Courtney, use your faith; it’s a valuable tool. I think that if you shared these thoughts with your sales peers that you would find that you are far from being alone. Thanks for your question.

If you’re not already a subscriber, <click here> to receive Sales Vitamins™ by email or <click here> to subscribe to the RSS feed. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

We all know the Pareto Principle, which broadly states that 80% of the effects comes from 20% of the causes. Countless sales organizations have gotten themselves into deep trouble by mindlessly applying this principle to their sales organizations. I call it the Pareto Protocol.

Sales management thinks something like the following, “We’ve done an analysis and find that 80% of our sales comes from only 20% of our sales force. We need to fire 80% of our salesforce, which will lower our overhead and increase our profits!”

They think that if they can increase the sales of the 20%-super-producers by just 25% they won’t see any decline in revenues, while simultaneously realizing an 80% reduction in their base sales payroll. It sounds too good to be true, because it is.

I’ve seen the results when the Pareto Protocol is applied to sales organizations and it is consistently a disaster. I am fully aware that every sales organization has salespersons that need to find another career, or at the least be encouraged to work for a competitor.

I am also fully aware that every sales organization has its high producing heavy lifters, but to think that they can and will do even more lifting, all the time, is an ill-advised sales strategy.

Before your sales organization is tempted to partially or fully implement the Pareto Protocol, please consider the following:

1. Your top producers are in that position because they are already working at high capacity. Do they really have an additional 25%+ of bandwidth to give you?
2. You have salespeople at differing levels of development. Firing 80% of the sales force will undoubtedly nip many future super stars in the bud.
3. After applying the Pareto Protocol your sales force is now theoretically comprised exclusively of superstars; you’ve unintentionally created headhunter heaven. Be prepared for your superstars to be rapidly and easily gobbled up by your competitors.
4. Sometimes sales management tends to put their heads in the sand and pretend that everyone on the sales force has exactly the same opportunities. Not true. Accounts, products, geography, experience, sales management, etc. are variables that have to be accounted for and leveraged for each salesperson.

There is a normal distribution of sales capabilities within all sales organizations. Please see Sales Managers, Invest in Your Average Performers.

Sales management needs to focus on improving/removing the bottom 15%, improving the middle 70% and rewarding the top 15%. Sales management also has to look at its own skill levels at managing the sales force most effectively, but that’s for another post.

If you’re not already a subscriber, <click here> to receive Sales Vitamins™ by email or <click here> to subscribe to the RSS feed. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

“It’s not about you.” That’s the first sentence in Rick Warren’s 2002 book, The Purpose Driven Life.

While that comment has profound implications for our lives in general, it is also a necessary frame of mind for a successful sales career. We can get so obsessed with earnings, sales budgets, reports, internal meetings, schedules, etc. that we sometimes take our eyes off the elements that are most important, our customers and support team members.

The need to be respected and elevated by others is a primary human need. If we focus on ourselves we can’t effectively meet this need and it will penalize us in the long run.

All of us have unfortunately seen salespeople that treat home office support employees like trash. These salespeople believe that they are the axis of their company. Without them, everyone starves.

When salespeople have an “it’s all about me” attitude with fellow team members they are guaranteeing themselves future problems. For starters, the home office people who support them will consciously or unconsciously put the needs of these prima donnas on the back burner.

These same salespeople who don’t have a clue how to work as a team are on a short leash with sales management too (and usually don’t know it). I’ve seen it a million times. When a sales manager has a problem child like this, he or she thinks, “Mark is really not able to work with the people here at headquarters and quite frankly he’s been a pain in the neck for me too. As long as he keeps his numbers at 100% or better we’ll put up with him, but the second he starts to falter we’ll get rid of him.”

The “it’s all about me” mindset doesn’t work too well with our customers either.

Customers are offended when their salesperson thinks that customers are not the most important person in the customer-salesperson relationship. Customers are never stupid; they pick up on “it’s all about me” cues such as being chronically late to appointments and a general lack of respect.

We honestly have to feel in our heart of hearts that we are subordinate to our fellow team members and our customers. Taking ourselves off the pedestal frees us to meet the needs of our customers and team members, who will then be more open to helping us further our own careers.

A classic win-win.

If you’re not already a subscriber, <click here> to receive Sales Vitamins™ by email or <click here> to subscribe to the RSS feed. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

“Life is difficult. This is a great truth; it is also an ironic truth. Because once we truly understand and accept it, we no longer view life as difficult.”

These paraphrased words were written by M. Scott Peck, M.D. in his 1978 book, The Road Less Traveled, one of the greatest books ever written about leading a full and complete life.

His words apply to all of us in professional sales careers. Sales is a challenging, frustrating and intense career to pursue. Those outside of sales think all we do is play golf and cash big paychecks. We know differently.

Just as Dr. Peck suggests, once we accept the fact that everything isn’t going to be easy in our sales career, we are then free to stop expecting things to be perfect. Our careers will never be ideal; we should never be surprised, or even annoyed, by problems.

The definition of frustration is a blocked goal. If we give up our goal of a problem-free sales career we automatically reduce our frustration level. We are then free to use our emotions and energy on more productive things like customer relationships and relationships within our company.

What aspects of our careers do we unrealistically think should be perfect? The short answer is people (i.e., sales managers, customers, prospects, department heads and corporate executives).

Just like us, everyone struggles with the desire for their life to be flawless too. The reality is that we all waste a lot of time and energy waiting for paradise on earth. It is not to be found…here.

Rx: Know that we are going to face problems every day and that virtually 100% of them will be generated by people. Since we know this, we can choose not to waste any of our personal resources on frustration. We can instead choose to channel our energy, intellect and emotions toward improving ourselves, our company and our service to our customers.

If you’re not already a subscriber, <click here> to receive Sales Vitamins™ by email or <click here> to subscribe to the RSS feed. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer