As I thought about our finish and overall recruiting efforts for 2016 I draw parallels to sales in the business world. I have been in sales for 32 years as both a sales rep, a first line sales manager and higher level positions running a large sales organization, which is my present responsibility. I work for a fortune 500 technology company. I am not here to talk about me but I do see certain things I find interesting. I invite others to comment as I know people on this board who have been in sales even longer than me. Mike in Houston, for example, has been in sales a sales leadership for a very long time. I won't give away his age but lets just say that Mike a very "seasoned" !!!
At Bob's first press conference he said he would run a " no excuses" program. I loved that comment and even used it when I got into my current position in 2010. I see a lot of excuse making on this board ( conference strength, early playing time, facilities, etc) and even from coaches either directly or indirectly. First rule of sales is you are what the numbers say you are and there are no excuses. I have heard every excuse in the book... the customer is a nut job, the economy is bad, the energy business is down, etc. Well its the same for everyone and the people who consistently produce seem to avoid excuses and find a way to get it done.
Many people in sales simply cannot close deals. Closing should the natural outcome of a process where you excel above the competition but you at some point you MUST FIRMLY ASK FOR THE ORDER. I see many sales reps that are smart, hardworking, likable and execute complete work. When it comes time to close, however, they just cannot get over the hump. Sometimes they lack the mustard to ask for the order, sometimes they are not passionate enough. I could not imagine allowing my team to approach closing by saying to the customer, "just let us know when you are comfortable moving ahead with the deal". That simple does not work in the majority of cases. You have to ask and get an answer and if its no you have to go back in the process and address where you went wrong. It's very clear that our staff is a low pressure staff. Well, that has not worked at the level that is needed if we want to win National Championships. I have also learned through the years that you cannot coach or improve personality but you can teach people how and when to close. Our staff needs someone who can teach that to the others. Tee Martin out closed us on Velus, plain and simple. He did not take no for an answer.
I also laugh when people say, well these are 18 year old kids. Trust me there are many people in my world who act just like 18 years olds when it comes to doing business.
Bottom line is we are lacking in our ability to close. Verbal commitment are not a close. I laugh at reps when they come into my office and tell me the customer verbally told them they would do a deal. Closing is a skill that must be taught and committed to with passion. Nice guys who work hard are not enough. We need to improve in this area from what I see.
At Bob's first press conference he said he would run a " no excuses" program. I loved that comment and even used it when I got into my current position in 2010. I see a lot of excuse making on this board ( conference strength, early playing time, facilities, etc) and even from coaches either directly or indirectly. First rule of sales is you are what the numbers say you are and there are no excuses. I have heard every excuse in the book... the customer is a nut job, the economy is bad, the energy business is down, etc. Well its the same for everyone and the people who consistently produce seem to avoid excuses and find a way to get it done.
Many people in sales simply cannot close deals. Closing should the natural outcome of a process where you excel above the competition but you at some point you MUST FIRMLY ASK FOR THE ORDER. I see many sales reps that are smart, hardworking, likable and execute complete work. When it comes time to close, however, they just cannot get over the hump. Sometimes they lack the mustard to ask for the order, sometimes they are not passionate enough. I could not imagine allowing my team to approach closing by saying to the customer, "just let us know when you are comfortable moving ahead with the deal". That simple does not work in the majority of cases. You have to ask and get an answer and if its no you have to go back in the process and address where you went wrong. It's very clear that our staff is a low pressure staff. Well, that has not worked at the level that is needed if we want to win National Championships. I have also learned through the years that you cannot coach or improve personality but you can teach people how and when to close. Our staff needs someone who can teach that to the others. Tee Martin out closed us on Velus, plain and simple. He did not take no for an answer.
I also laugh when people say, well these are 18 year old kids. Trust me there are many people in my world who act just like 18 years olds when it comes to doing business.
Bottom line is we are lacking in our ability to close. Verbal commitment are not a close. I laugh at reps when they come into my office and tell me the customer verbally told them they would do a deal. Closing is a skill that must be taught and committed to with passion. Nice guys who work hard are not enough. We need to improve in this area from what I see.
