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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

I used to find that some salespeople would inexplicably go into a “blue funk” for an indefinite period and then snap out of it and be fine. During this period their sales would suffer and they seemed unhappy with their job and even their personal life. I looked for a long time to identify the cause of this “blue funk” and eventually figured it out.

Depression. Yes, the common cold of mental illness that afflicts 10% of the U.S. population each year. Once I learned more about depression I could see possible signs of it in some of the salespeople that I managed.

Most importantly, this knowledge helped me to get help for some of them in order to get them back on their feet. Job stress is one of the most common triggers of depression. Sales can be a very stressful job. Sadly, 80% of those that are depressed don’t seek help even though it’s commonly just a chemical imbalance that can be successfully treated with short term medication and counseling.

I know this is something we don’t like to talk about but I’ve seen it as a real issue in countless sales organizations. An issue, by the way, that can effectively be dealt with and once resolved can get the salesperson firing on all cylinders again. Win-win.

Sales management frequently misses this not-so-uncommon cause for sales performance issues. What are some of the common signs?

1. Loss of joy in one’s life and career
2. Weight gain or loss accompanied with a lowered level of energy
3. Trouble concentrating and lowered self esteem
4. Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
5. Irritability

As you can see, all of these common symptoms are going to hinder someone’s sales abilities.

A smart, experienced and knowledgeable sales manager knows to consider all possibilities when it comes to performance issues with a salesperson, including depression. If we feel one of our employees might be struggling with depression, then we need to get them help. Obviously we would want to confidentially work through our HR organization before approaching the salesperson.

If you feel you are personally struggling with depression, then get help for yourself.

We don’t have to live with this problem; it’s not permanent. Those wrestling with depression are not alone. We don’t need to let this get in the way of our, or anyone else’s, 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

“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

Sales would be so much easier if all customers were the same. But we all know that we are paid to discern and act on the subtle differences between people.

One of these key differences is how people like to communicate. Our customers normally have a preference for one of the following types of communication and we would be smart to know which they prefer:

1. F2F (Face to Face Communicators). These are individuals who like to talk person to person. This is by far the most effective type of communication because it allows for all the subtle, and important, nuances of the interchange to be observed.

F2F requires a bigger time commitment from our customer, but the time investment is worth it to them in order to increase the quality of the communication.

2. EC (Email Communicators). People who prefer to deal indirectly with people usually prefer email. They like it because it allows them to control when they communicate and it provides a permanent record of the transaction.

Email communicators can frequently feel overwhelmed by salespeople whom they perceive as too aggressive. This is a way for them to feel in control of any communication they have with us.

3. PC (Phone Communicators). While many people consider the phone intrusive on their time, it is less time consuming than F2F and still provides a fairly high level of communication quality.

Customers who prefer the phone are trading off some of the quality of F2F communication for a smaller investment of their time. They’re usually busy individuals who want more than an email.

When we use the communication mode that best fits each of our customers, it can be amazing how positively they respond. We are appealing to their unique personality and isn’t that what the sales game is all about?

We have to be sensitive to the communication preference of every person we deal with and leverage this subtle, yet amazingly important and overlooked customer preference.

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

Peggy (not her real name) recently submitted a sales career related question and asked me to answer it in Sales Vitamins™.

“I attain my sales goal almost every single month and have done so for many years. I told my boss during an annual review that money doesn’t motivate me that much. He couldn’t believe that anyone in sales would want to be in sales if they felt that way. Am I wrong to feel this way? I love sales, but money is not the main reason.”

Just because many, if not most, sales professionals say they are in it for the money doesn’t necessarily mean they really are. In some sales circles it would be considered politically incorrect to enjoy a sales career for anything other than compensation.

This kind of one-dimensional view of our sales careers can rob us of some of the joys of selling.

Lots of research has been done as to what motivates people at work and, surprisingly, compensation does not come in as number one in most of them. Furthermore, most studies of sales contests indicate that the majority of salespeople prefer tangible awards instead of money.

What motivators are there in a sales career other than money? They include, but are not limited to:

1. Ability to develop significant relationships inside and outside of our company.
2. Outside sales positions provide significant freedom and mobility.
3. Real feeling of accomplishment and contribution, and one that is measurable.
4. Develops personal confidence because we work for a very important department at our company while we simultaneously interface with important decision makers at our customers.

Peggy, I think it’s commendable that you are aware of what does and doesn’t motivate you. Everybody has different motivators and you appear to be tuned into them and obtain your sales budget on a regular basis as a result. I would urge your sales manager not to ruin the soup. Don’t question good results.

Sales can certainly be financially rewarding, but there are many other factors that can make it a fun and rewarding career. Carry on Peggy.

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 following post is not intended as a political commentary about any candidate, but rather a sales analysis that uses a public figure as an example.

On January 7 while campaigning in New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton was asked the following question by Marianne Young, “My question is very personal. How do you do it?” She was referring to the challenges that Hillary faces in campaigning for public office and managing her personal life. During her answer Hillary became emotional and began to cry.

Senator Clinton admits that this tear-up may have helped her win the New Hampshire election. Was it contrived or was it real emotion?

In January of 1993 her husband, Bill Clinton, became President of the United States and served until 2001. She undoubtedly had to deal with a lot of stress regarding her husband’s “extracurricular” activities before and during this period.

Since her husband has left office she has been very visible as a New York Senator and has been vigorously campaigning for the Presidency over the last year. In this entire time and through all of these events, is there any record of her crying or even showing any significant emotion in public before January 7 of this year?

On February 4 in New Haven, Connecticut Hillary welled up a second time while speaking to a small group of women at Yale. For at least 15 years Hillary has been in the global spotlight and we had never seen her cry, yet in a one month period she teared up twice in front of the cameras.

I feel confident in assuming that the crying was orchestrated. That kind of craftiness can get you in trouble with your customers and it may ultimately cause problems for Hillary. When we do things in sales that are not consistent with who we are, it ultimately turns our prospects and customers off. People resent being manipulated in any way.

What are some examples of ways we try to manipulate customers that almost always backfire?

1. Trying to exude a personality that is not our own, but one that we think the customer will prefer.
2. Pretending to deeply care about a customer’s personal life when we really don’t.
3. Acting like we are really having a bad month, when we’re not, in order to get a mercy order.

While Hillary won the New Hampshire primary she hasn’t done so well since. I can’t help but believe that one of the reasons is the lack of emotional authenticity that she has recently demonstrated.

Ironically - or maybe not - Marianne Young did not vote for Hillary in the primaries.

You’ve got to be real with your customers. Any time we are less than genuine or authentic our customers can tell and we lose credibility. Sales is a relationship game and the foundation of relationships is honesty.

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

Summary: First impressions are exceedingly important in sales. You can learn to better manage these initial interactions.

I wish I had a nickel for every time my mother made me comb my hair or put on a nicer shirt when I was a kid. She did that because she wanted me to make “a good first impression.” As it turns out she was right. First impressions are extremely important because they set the stage for the duration of the relationship.

Sales professionals know the importance of first impressions. Because of this we tend to be a little self conscious and nervous sometimes when it comes to meeting important decision makers for the first time. Anxiety like this can make it harder to express our real personalities, which can ironically hinder our capability to make the kind of first impression we’d like to make. Sound familiar?

Lucinda Bassett of the Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety has the following rule when meeting people. Twenty percent of the people you meet are going to immediately like you and always will, twenty percent aren’t going to like you and never will, and sixty percent are up for grabs. What is the sales application here? You aren’t going to click with all prospects and customers. Don’t take it personally and move on to the next opportunity. Give yourself permission not to be loved by everyone; it’s unrealistic.

Depending on whose research you look at, it takes about 5-20 seconds for someone to form an initial impression about you. Most people trust their first impressions so they almost always believe they have accurately assessed you. As a result, people are resistant to letting go of their first opinion of you - even if it later proves to be inaccurate. This is great if you make a good first impression, but not so good if you make a bad one.

First impressions are an art and a science. Here are some thoughts on how to manage them:

1. Relax and be yourself. Nothing is less endearing than someone who is not being themselves. Remember that the person you are meeting wants to meet you and is probably a little anxious about how they appear to you.
2. Ask open ended questions about the person you’re meeting and then listen to their answers.
3. Be in the moment. Don’t be thinking about what you’re going to have for lunch; be thinking about them.
4. Make eye contact. When first meeting someone it is appropriate to make eye contact. It communicates that you are open, interested in them, and forthright.
5. Capture, remember and use a person’s name during your initial conversation. Dale Carnegie taught that “a man’s name is music to his ears.” Nothing could be truer.

Do you feel like you’re good at first impressions? Is this an area you could improve upon?

If you’re not already a subscriber, click here (salesvitamins.com) to subscribe and automatically receive Sales Vitamins™ as new posts become available.  © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

I’ve been on the giving and receiving end of sales training for my entire career. Let’s face it folks, sales training is a soft science. Every practitioner of sales training has their own spin on things. True, there are some absolutes when it comes to sales. However, there are sales training charlatans who claim that if you deviate from their sales scripts whatsoever you are nothing short of incompetent. Some of these charlatans might even work as sales trainers at your employer. To them I say balderdash!

When I am facilitating (can’t say “teaching” anymore) a sales training course I constantly am reminding the participants to use the concepts I am presenting but not my exact words. Why? If you use another person’s words when talking with a customer it can sound shallow, insincere or stilted. It’s important that you use good sales principles, but it’s equally important that they are played out through your unique personality. Sales concepts, yes. Exact duplication of words, no.

My wife and I bought a new mattress recently at a well known mattress retailer with stores throughout the US. I’m always interested in seeing how salespeople conduct themselves and what sales techniques they use. It was obvious from the first second that our salesperson had been heavily coached on the sales techniques that his employer wanted him to use. After spending an hour with this guy I don’t think my wife and I had a single clue about his personality because virtually every word that came out of his mouth was lifted right from the sales training scripts he had learned. It was awful. He came across as canned, insincere and indifferent.

Every year the US produces millions of college graduates who start a career in sales with energy, enthusiasm and a fresh outlook. Their employers spend billions of dollars on sales training to ensure that their conversations are scripted and loaded with the silly business jargon du jour. The corporations they work for want all these salespeople to look the same and say the same things. “It’s for control and standardization,” they’ll tell you.

But what do customers want? They want sales professionals that have a unique personality, that are real and can partner with them. Have you ever had a customer or prospect tell you that they didn’t want to do business with you because you weren’t cookie cutter enough? Being real with your customers is incredibly disarming and endearing. Corporate America has their reasons for trying to “standardize” you, but don’t let them steal one of your best selling assets, your personality.