| A friend of mine was hired as President of a | | | | Sometimes going back to the basics is part of the |
| building supplies distributor in the Midwest. The | | | | answer to rekindling the passion. That means |
| company was profitable but they seemed to | | | | revisiting best practice in all areas including |
| have run into a brick wall once they reached the | | | | targeting, goal setting, customer profiling and |
| fifty million dollar mark in sales. This can be quite a | | | | action planning. Some of your sales people may |
| challenge for any management team. It is not an | | | | have forgotten and some of them may have |
| uncommon problem. Sales in many companies | | | | never known the principles |
| may from time to time hit a brick wall and | | | | Selling is a profession that requires Professional |
| become stagnant regardless of the overall size of | | | | Leadership. |
| the revenue stream. My friend told me that his | | | | Managing a group of professionals with the type |
| entire sales team seemed to have lost their | | | | of personalities required to succeed in sales is no |
| passion. | | | | easy task. So if you have done everything |
| Rekindle the Passion | | | | possible to support, educate and train your sales |
| Sounds easy but exactly how you rekindle | | | | manager and you just can't rekindle that passion, |
| passion. Is there really such a thing as rekindling | | | | you may have to change sales managers. |
| passion? The answer to that question is yes. | | | | Sales management holds the key to meeting |
| Passion is a result of doing something you love to | | | | company objectives. Effective sales management |
| do. It means becoming really good at it. If you | | | | must build the platform for success. Sales people |
| love doing it, you become committed to being | | | | are not the easiest group in the company to |
| successful at it. | | | | manage. If they were they would not be sales |
| You might scoff and say; "Rick, we had that | | | | people. Selling is not easy. It takes a special talent, |
| passion in our sales force but we seem to have | | | | self motivation, self discipline, a passion to succeed |
| lost it." | | | | and the ability to accept rejection. The reality of |
| Surprisingly, that does happen which brings us to | | | | the situation is simple. The majority of sales |
| the first question; how do you rekindle passion? I | | | | people are not managed well. |
| certainly can't downplay this. It is difficult. But, it | | | | Today our sales environment leans toward a |
| starts with having the right sales leadership in | | | | more multifaceted atmosphere; salespeople must |
| place; a leader that has excellent people skills. Not | | | | become strategists with a plan. This plan requires |
| sales skills but people skills, leadership skills that | | | | more knowledge about the business, better |
| make people want to follow them. They make | | | | relationships and better solutions. Someold school |
| people want to release discretionary energy and | | | | salesmen may believe they know what it takes. |
| give that extra. That may mean an extra call | | | | They have the experience. They've been around |
| everyday or working till 5pm on Fridays or doing | | | | a long time. They also may have lost that passion. |
| whatever it takes to provide solutions to | | | | The world has changed. To rekindle the passion |
| customers problems. | | | | that has been lost may mean doing things |
| If our Sales Manager has lost it, how do we get it | | | | differently. You can't afford to be complacent. |
| back? | | | | Complacency destroys passion. |
| The answer to that question begins by asking | | | | Sales is a profession that requires professional |
| yourself another question; do you have the right | | | | sales people and professional leadership. |
| person in the job of sales manager. Are they a | | | | Every company needs aggressive, creative and |
| leader or were they simply your best sales | | | | resourceful salespeople to have their products |
| person. Do they have real leadership skills? | | | | specified, accepted and used by customers. |
| Sometimes rejuvenating your sales force requires | | | | Without informed and capable field salespeople, no |
| a change in leadership. It may even require a | | | | company could hope to compete in the |
| change in the sales force; the development of a | | | | marketplace today. But they have to have a |
| documented sales strategy or even just a simple | | | | passion for success a leader they look up to that |
| territorial restructuring. | | | | shares that passion for success. |
| However, before you get radical, ask yourself the | | | | I believe that good salespeople, the kind who can |
| following questions;o Have you supplied leadership | | | | help a company really grow, don't just happen to |
| training for your sales managero Have you | | | | come along by chance or fate. Just as there is no |
| provided any coaching or mentoring to support | | | | such thing as a "born leader"; there is no such |
| the sales managers effortso Do you get involved | | | | thing as a "born salesperson," because selling ability |
| in supporting the sales strategyo Does your | | | | is much more than an intangible given that a |
| human resource department support a formalized | | | | person either has or doesn't have. Granted, selling |
| program for new sales recruitso Do you show | | | | does require certain attributes in a person and |
| participative support in quarterly or semiannual | | | | some people are naturally born with these |
| sales meetingso Is the sales force held | | | | attributes and some aren't. Also, the person must |
| accountable - do they have scorecardso Is the | | | | be intelligent, able to grasp ideas and details easily, |
| sales manager held accountable beyond what I call | | | | retain them and recall them for use whenever |
| the statistical disappointment review via e-mailo Is | | | | necessary in selling situations. These factors and |
| your sales force trained in value sellingo Do they | | | | many others relating to personal and emotional |
| really understand what it means to be a total | | | | characteristics are contributing elements in the |
| solution provider | | | | makeup of the professional salesperson. However, |
| Nowadays, salespeople must be problem solvers | | | | these attributes alone do not make a sales |
| able to generate solutions for customers in their | | | | person nor do they guarantee success. It takes |
| time of need. Therefore, they must possess a | | | | more than that. A sales person must have a |
| great deal of knowledge about your customers' | | | | leader they can look up to, a leader they can |
| business. They must actually define what those | | | | respect, and a leader that can rekindle their |
| needs are because the customer may not know, | | | | personal passion when the tank starts to run dry. |
| nor take the time to explain if they do know. | | | | So, if your sales have become stagnant check |
| Customers want you to have the knowledge and | | | | the passion level of your team. Get involved with |
| intelligence to comprehend and analyze their | | | | your sales force. Analyze what you have done as |
| problems before showing up at the door. | | | | a company to support sales leadership. Become a |
| Customers will listen and buy from the | | | | coach, a mentor and take on the responsibility for |
| salesperson that finds the "pain" and takes it | | | | rekindling that passion even if it means creating |
| away." | | | | change. |