Kahle Way B2B Sales Blog

by Dave Kahle

copyright (2010)

A: This is a question that I hear, in one form or another, pretty regularly.

I can look at this is in two ways – expressing two different situations.  In the first, there is a legitimate difference in the expectations for a sales person, but a basic agreement on the issues to be focused on, as well as the values of the organization.  In the second, there is a deeper and more significant difference of opinion.

Let’s consider each separately.  In the first scenario, the sales person and the company differ on the degree of what is possible.  The sales person expects a 10% increase, while the company thinks 15% is reasonable.  Both agree that sales growth is reasonable, but the amount of growth is the issue.  What do you, the sales person, do in this case?

Persuade and negotiate.  Try to convince your boss that your perspective is more accurate than his/hers.  Don’t just assert that, be convincing.  Back up your beliefs with substance.  Describe specific situations and accounts, and explain why you think about them the way you do. Prove your point.

At some point in this process, there is going to be a resolution. There will be a quota or a goal.  Whether it is your idea of what it should be, or your manager’s version, or some compromise, it doesn’t matter.  At that point, when the issue is resolved and the number is set, your job is to give all of your best efforts to doing what your company wants you to do.

You are, after all, an employee of the company.  Your job is to do what your company wants you to do.  That’s what they pay you for.

Sometimes sales people can get a little too convinced of their own importance.  I succumbed to that temptation more than once when I was selling full time for someone else.  We think that we really are in business for ourselves, that we own our customers, and that we know what is best for the company and the customer.  So, therefore, we become agitated and upset when the company asks for a 15% increase and we think 5% is reasonable.  We are tempted to go off mumbling under our breath about the screwy management, and we decide we are going to do what we want to do instead.

A little reality check is in order under these circumstances.  If you worked in the warehouse, would you be able to decide what you wanted to do today?  If you were a customer service rep, would you get to determine how best to spend your day, and which parts of your job you’d really do?  If you were in the purchasing department, if you didn’t like the company’s direction, would you have the freedom to ignore it?

So what makes you think you are so special?  Answer — nothing.  Let’s put the freedom that we enjoy and the money that we make in perspective.  We are, when all is said and done, employees of the company.  And, I believe, we have a moral obligation to give our best efforts to that company for as long as we accept a paycheck.

Which brings us to the second situation.  You have some major difference of opinion in not only the degree of what is expected, but a deep-seated difference of opinion in the basic issues themselves.  I’m not talking about issues like you think you need to focus on your current customers and your company wants you to sell new customers.  Those are relatively superficial issues that fit into the previous discussion.

Instead, I’m talking about differences in fundamental values and ethics. Here’s an example from my own experience.  I once worked for a company that introduced a new product, and developed a quota for each of us to sell that product.  The problem was, the product never worked.  It didn’t do what the company said it was going to do.  We, the sales people, knew it, and the company knew it.  Yet, they still wanted us to sell it. We were given quotas and strongly directed to go out and get orders at all costs.  They directed us to, in effect, lie to our customers. 

I left the company shortly thereafter.

The issue wasn’t, “Do I sell 100 or 130 of these?”  That’s an issue of degree.  Instead, the issue was, “Do I lie to my customers?”  That’s an ethical issue.

If it’s an ethical issue, then I think you have only one choice.  Find another job.  Life is too short to spend it violating your ethics and compromising your integrity.

That sounds simple, and it rarely is that black and white.  It almost never happens that your manager sends you an email that says, “From this day forward you will lie to your customers.”  Instead, it is more likely that a pattern emerges over a period of time.  One incident is generally not representative of a character flaw.  But, when you see a pattern of cutting ethical corners, of disdain for integrity, of fuzzy moral boundaries, then you can conclude that those are expressions of a corporate character flaw. 

In my situation, the “lie to your customers” direction was not the first indication of a lack of moral compatibility between me and the company.  It was, however, the final one for me – the most recent and blatant of a string of incidents that made me feel uncomfortable with myself for being a part of it.

Sometimes, also, the price is high.  The position I left was the most fun, most challenging, best paying job I ever had.  It was 10 years before I made the kind of money again that I made in that job.  Believe me, leaving that job for ethical reasons was a difficult decision.

Money is just money.  It comes and it goes.  People, and sales people particularly, who will do anything for money, who evidence no compulsion and no moral boundaries, are sad characters.  They have succumbed to the most superficial of temptations and displayed themselves to all those around them as people with little integrity.  They are unfortunate examples to their families, friends, and all who know them.

You only have to read the newspapers over the last year or so to see multiple examples of the damage that greed untempered by morality can do.  The real damage, though, is not the highly visible corporate crooks that we read about every day.  The real tragedy is all the less visible managers and sales people who we don’t read about – those business people who share the same “money at all costs” attitude – whose legacy is not as public, but nonetheless still damaging.

I would hope that you would not be one of those.  That you would have the strength of character to disassociate yourself from a situation that comprised your integrity.So, when it becomes an issue of morality, I think it’s time to leave.

Good luck.  Sell well.

P.S. I expect that my comments may generate some responses.  Feel free to email a comment to me. To read more on this subject, click here.

by Dave Kahle
copyright (2010)

This is such an important practice that I have named it one of my top ten time management strategies.  If you have the book, Ten Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople, you’ll see that it is secret number nine.

I had to learn this the hard way.  I was a heavy-hitting, driven sales person.  I’d stop into the office, drop off work for everyone, and head out; just assuming that everyone would do the jobs that I had deposited on them.  My task-oriented style put a number of people off, and my operations manager warned me that I was creating ill-will among the office staff.

It took a while, but I finally decided that I needed them to be on my side.  So, I apologized, bought everyone a gift, and tried to re-start the relationship on a more positive basis.  As people gradually came over to my side, I found that I was able to be far more productive.

Instead of doing a project myself, I could confidently ask someone inside to do it for me.  Since they liked me, they didn’t mind.  Instead of expediting a back order myself, I could have someone else do it.  Instead of walking a new and complex order through the system, I could have someone else do it.

I discovered that many of the tasks that I previously had done myself could be done just as effectively and much more efficiently by someone else.  That freed up my time to do what I did best – visit my customers and sell my company’s products.  As a result, I was much more effective.

That’s why this is one of the best practices of the best sales people.  The average sales person creates an overwhelming list of tasks to perform and things to do which then weigh him/her down and decrease the amount of time spent with customers.  The exceptional sales person creates relationships, not tasks, and influences those people to do the tasks for him.  In so doing, he/she multiplies his effectiveness and dramatically increases the amount of time spent with customers.

It’s a best practice of the best sales people.

To learn more about how to do this, read chapter nine of
Ten Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople.

Excerpted from Chapter Seventeen, Question Your Way to Sales Success
By Dave Kahle
Copyright 2010

For a sales professional, there are two basic sets of questions with which a dedicated sales person should gain competence: Questions to ask prospects and customers; and questions to ask yourself.

Questions we ask ourselves are just as important, if not more so, than those we ask our prospects and customer. The reason goes back to the ultimate power of a question — it directs our thinking. Just as a good question directs the customer’s thinking, so, too, does a good question direct our own thinking. And thinking well is the ultimate success skill for a professional sales person.

Some years ago I was interviewing a group of sales people for a consulting project in which I was engaged. One of the sales people, upon reflection, said, “I’ve come to realize that sales is really a thinking person’s game.”

I couldn’t agree more. Ultimately, the way you bring greater results into your organization, make an outstanding career for yourself, and provide more abundantly for your family is by outthinking your peers and your competitors. Thinking – good thinking done with discipline and methodology – is the ultimate competitive skill.

Yet, few sales people, and few people in general, regularly engage in good thinking. As the philosopher, Bertrand Russell said, “Most people would rather die than think. In fact, they do.”

This chapter is not designed to be the final word on how sales people could think more effectively (that’s the next book!). However, there are some easily applied rules, processes and practices that will enable you to think better and dramatically impact your performance.

Let’s start with a simple definition of good thinking for a sales person: Good thinking is asking yourself the right questions, in the right sequence, at the right times, and writing down the answers.

It sounds so simple, and it is. The power, like so much else in the world of the sales person, is in the excellent and disciplined execution. The rest of this chapter is going to discuss what it means to “ask yourself the right questions, in the right sequence, at the right times” but at this point I want to make the case for “writing down the answers.” 

Writing down, either on a computer or handwriting on a pad of paper, is one of the disciplines of good thinking. The very act of writing focuses you on the exact words which formulate your answers. While you can be vague and indistinct as long as the answer is just something you maintain in your mind, when you force yourself to write the answers down you must select the exact words that go on paper. Thus writing is a discipline that forces you to think precisely – one of the tenants of good thinking.

Secondly, putting it in print is an act of commitment. Once you’ve written the answer, it is there for you to review forever.

Not only does it serve as a commitment – after all, you wrote it – but also as a reminder that you have already gone down this path before and come up with an answer. When you confront the question that prompted that answer again, you’ll save time by referring to your previous work.

So, if you are going to think well, you’ll write the answers to your questions down on paper. [Read More]

By Dave Kahle

It is refreshing to see a company go against the trends. In an era where the overwhelming majority of business owners have pulled back, reduced their sales and marketing efforts, and cut out any investment in the growth of the business or its people, one company has done the opposite. As a result, they are prospering.

Here’s the story.

BLDI is a boutique environmental consulting firm consisting of engineers and geologists serving lending institutions, real estate developers and M&A firms with complete environmental analysis, risk assessments, due diligence and remediation. The 11 member business, soon to be 12 with another office, began adopting the training from The DaCo Corporation intensely about four years ago.

Joe Berlin, BLDI’s president, believes in the importance of sales training. ”Our challenge at the time was that, although we had engineers who were competent in their profession, we needed to be able to show that to our customers and prospects.” 

He worked with Dave Kahle and the DaCo Corporation. Working together, a strategic plan was developed that matched the business’ strategic goals with their selling efforts. The staff was trained in The Kahle Way® and regular monthly coaching sessions were held thereafter. 

“If we hadn’t done that, my business would be in trouble!” says Joe. “The environmental consulting industry has seen reductions of over 30% lately and my competitors are really struggling in this tough economy. However, my business is up over 15%! It all comes down to our focused sales efforts.” 

Mr. Berlin goes on to say that it is difficult to differentiate yourself simply by giving good customer service. “Most everybody gives good service”, he claims. “At BLDI, we know about sales and the benefits customers receive from consistent sales contacts. It’s the daily focus and the daily follow up that makes the difference.”

“Margins are tough”, says Mr. Berlin. Reacting to the knowledge that several of his competitors are letting their sales people go in order to reduce costs, he exclaims, “I can’t imagine letting my sales rep(s) go, especially in this down economy.”

Bottom line. In a segment that is down 30 percent, his business is up 15 percent because he invested in sales.

I thought you’d enjoy his story.

By Dave Kahle

I am constantly amazed at the number of sales people who never take notes during or after the visit with a customer. They think, I suppose, that they will remember everything important. Or worse, that nothing is important enough to actually remember.

A close second are those who, on occasion, realize the need to take notes, but who seem constantly surprised by that need, and unprepared for it. They find themselves using the backs of printed pages, the margins of selling literature, the backs of business cards, etc. to scribble cryptic remarks. The concept of a well-thought-out system has evaded them.

By the way, this is one of the benefits of a well-designed and comprehensive CRM system, which forces you to take good notes by requiring that you respond to the prompts and blank spaces of a computer screen.

A well-prepared, organized sales person needs to have a system that prompts him/her to take the right kinds of notes for every sales call, organizes that information so that he/she can take the necessary follow up action, and makes that information available in every succeeding sales call.

As a minimum, that system should include forms, either electronic or paper, to record certain aspects of the account that the sales person picks up from time to time – things like the number of employees, the type of equipment used, the position and title of the key decision-makers, etc.

Then, there needs to be a place to record the important aspects of the conversation. What did you talk about?

Finally, there ought to be a place to record the action items that came out of that conversation. Do you need to call someone? Check on something? Arrange for something? These “to dos” should also be kept in a duplicate file, with the date by which you promised to have them completed.

Finally, you ought to record those things that you want to take up in the next sales call. That information should be readily assessable so that you can plan for it as you prepare for the next time you see this customer.

There are various mediums on which this information can be recorded. Some people will use paper, others will use Blackberrys and PDAs, while others record everything on a laptop. With the sophistication of today’s computer systems, there really is no excuse for a sales person not to be conscientiously and systematically recording, storing, and using meticulously gathered information from the customer.

It’s a regular practice of the best.

To learn more about this practice, review:

• chapter eight of Ten Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople
• chapters four and five of How to Excel at Distributor Sales.

By Dave Kahle

Are you wasting your customers’ time?

In this pressurized, multi-tasking world, where your customers are expected to produce more in less time, they may be growing less eager to meet with you than they were just a year ago.  Time is more precious today than ever before, and your customers are feeling the pressure.

In order for your customers to reliably make time to see you, they need to expect that they will gain some value for the time spent with you.  That means that, if you are going to be successful in the world of B2B sales, you’ll need to create a reputation that time spent with you is worth the investment.  If, over time, you can create that idea in the minds of your customers, you’ll find them generally willing to meet with you when you call.  And in an economy where “too much to do and not enough time to do it” is the prevalent mind set, that reputation is a valuable asset.

As is always the case, it starts with thoughtfulness and preparation.  As we prepare for a sales call, we so often think about what we want to accomplish and what we want to gain out of the sales call.  Very few sales people ever give any thought to what the customer gets out of it.  That’s the starting point.

Here’s a little mental trick to help you.  Before every sales call, when you are thinking about what you want to do, and what tools and materials you’ll need, take a moment and ask “What is the customer going to gain out of this time he spends with me?”

Here’s a list of some possible answers:

• Some good ideas to help him in his business or his job.
• Some ways to help him gain more business.
• Some ways to distinguish himself from others.
• Some ideas about how to reduce his costs.
• Some good things to think about.
• You helped him resolve some conflict.
• You helped him simplify things.
• You helped him solve some problem.
• You helped him move closer to some objective.
• You made him feel better about himself or his business.
• He got to spend time with your charming and entertaining personality.

The answer probably lies somewhere within the top ten items on that list.  If you can’t name anything that the customer will gain, then you can safely assume that the time the customer spends with you in that sales call will be a waste of his time.  Your relationship may be able to withstand one or two of those, but in the long-term, wasted time will destroy a business relationship.

If you are going to bring value to every customer, every time, then you’ll need to spend more time preparing to do so.  That brings us to two simple rules to add value to every sales call:

1.  Present something, every time.

2.  Ask something, every time.

Present something, every time, means exactly that.  You should, in every sales call with every customer and prospect, have something to talk about, to educate him on, which may be of value to him.

You can, for example, have an idea that you share.  Maybe an idea that will help him…

• cut costs
• increase revenues
• save time
• do something better or easier
• make him more valuable
• make his job easier.

You may have a story you can tell that provides an example of how someone gained a benefit, or solved a problem.

You could present a new product, a new product line, or a new application for an existing product of which he may not be aware.

You could present a service that your company offers in which he may be interested.

And finally, you could present a proposal to buy something from you.  The important thing here is that you prepare to present something to every customer and every prospect on every sales call.  And not just anything, but rather something that this particular customer may find of value to him.

Don’t forget rule number two:  Ask something, on every sales call, with every customer and every prospect.  And I don’t mean a question like, “What do you think of the weather today?”  Ask a question that causes the prospect/customer to

• think about his job or his business in some different way, 
• consider something that he has probably not thought of before,
• clarify some values, goals, objectives or strategies.

In my book, Question Your Way to Sales Success, I make the point that the ultimate power of a good question is that it causes the other person to think.  The thinking process that results is the value that a customer may receive from the time spent with you.  The purpose of the question is not for you to gain information, rather, it is to direct the customer to think about some things in different ways, so that the customer receives some value.

If you take the time to individually prepare something to present, and something to ask for each sales call, you will, more times than not, be perceived as bringing some value to the customer.  Over time, he’ll be more and more willing to meet with you.  And that reputation will be one of your greatest strengths in the marketplace.

By Dave Kahle

I just hung up the phone from a coaching call with one of my clients. He was applying for a significant executive position, and wanted my help with his resume and interview strategy. We talked for a bit, and I suggested a different way to look at his resume. 

A light bulb went off. All at once, he was full of energy and enthusiasm. Just a moment prior, he was sober and analytical; now he was excited and couldn’t wait to get at the task of revising his document. In the matter of a few moments, something changed. As a result, he now saw possibilities where before there were only obstacles.

What changed?

His perspective. The situation was exactly as it was a few minutes earlier. He was the same person, with the same set of skills, life experiences and qualities of character. But he saw things differently, through a different lens. His perspective changed, and that changed everything.

That experience was, from my side of the table, a great reminder of the power of perspective to stimulate and shape behavior. We see examples of it all around us.

Our perspective, in many ways, influences and shapes our actions. I have often observed that people generally find that for which they look. I’m not talking about our misplaced car keys. I mean in situations involving dealing with other human beings, we generally see the qualities and traits of character that we expect to see. For example, as sales people, we may go into an account with the perspective that this account is populated with small-minded people who are going to squeeze us for every penny they can, and choose the lowest cost provider no matter what. Guess what? Generally, that’s what we find.

On the other hand, we can go into the account with a different perspective. Let’s say our point of view is that this account is run by well-intentioned people who want only the best for their organization. Amazingly, that’s generally what we will find.

Now don’t jump all over my example and claim, “Wait, some people really are penny-pinchers, regardless of what I think.” Granted. People are different, and there are some in every type and classification. I’m not talking about them, I’m talking about us.

In my example above, the objective truth is probably somewhere in the middle. They may be well-intentioned, striving for quality, and cost-conscious. Don’t miss the point. If we expect people to be untrustworthy, it will be their untrustworthiness that rises to the surface of our radar scan. If we expect them to be kind, we’ll notice their kindness. If we expect them to be self-absorbed, we’ll notice their lack of concern for others.

And, since we generally notice those qualities and traits that we expect to see, that perspective changes and influences our behavior. That’s the point. I have often observed that, when people talk about other people, they really reveal more about themselves than they do the subject of their conversation. That’s because their judgments reveal their perspectives.

Let’s go back to my example. Regardless of the objective truth of the issue, if our perspective is that they are penny-pinchers, our experience will generally confirm that, and we’ll treat them that way.

Clearly the opposite is also true. If we expect them to be value-driven, we’ll see them that way, and we’ll treat them accordingly.

The thing that makes the difference in how we treat them is not them, it is our perspective of them.

As a life-long educator and sales trainer, I have observed a powerful truth of human behavior. It is this: Our perspectives on ourselves are far more important than our perspectives on other people. As we see ourselves, so shall we be. If we see ourselves as victims, we will forever be a victim. If we see ourselves as successful, we will eventually arrive there.

If, therefore, we can uncover and release ourselves from our limiting perspectives of ourselves, we can transform our behavior and enjoy dramatically improved results.

I’ve seen it countless times in the work that I do. I’ll have people come into my seminars with the perspective that this is just a job, and leave with a vision of themselves as professional sales people, and proud of it. Since they now see themselves as professional sales people, they act that way. As a result of their changed actions, they enjoy dramatically improved results. Here’s the equation:

Changed perspective = changed actions = improved results.

But the principle is bigger and more applicable than just sales. It applies to every aspect of our lives. The more I reflect on my life and those around me, the more I see that so much of our behavior can be attributed to perspectives gained during our formative years.

For example, for my entire life I have been both empowered by and hindered by the perspective that I was forever on my own, independent, self-sufficient and self-contained. That perspective was a direct result of my parents’ intentional actions to instill it in each of their six boys. My father had a heart condition and was never expected to live a full life. My parents, therefore, intentionally instilled that perspective into us to enable us to get along in a world without a father’s presence.

That has been a powerful perspective, shaping my actions and character throughout my life.

So, too, for each of us. The perspectives we gained as we grew up shape our actions and reactions. They harden and form into habits, attitudes and eventually, character traits.

If we want to change our results, then we ought to work on changing our perspectives.

Yours,

Dave

by Dave Kahle

A: Thanks for the question. Believe me, I understand the constant pressure on your price. I wish there were a simple, 25-words or less formula for increasing your margins. There isn’t. What there is though, is a set of tactics that have been proven effective in increasing your margins, even in the most difficult of markets. Pick and choose from this list of specific, proven tactics and them apply them methodically, with discipline, over time, and watch your margins slowly grow.

1. Add a point to routine quotes and bids.

Most people get into ruts when it comes to quoting a certain product or range of products. We fall into habits and just naturally put a standard mark up on the final price. Break out of the rut, by trying one point higher. For example, if you routinely quote some product category at 20 percent gross profit, try it two or three times at 21 percent, or 20 ¾. Chances are you are leaving some money on the table by using the same mark ups you’ve used for years.

I know one point doesn’t seem like a lot, but it typically falls right to the bottom line. Multiply that times every product and quote that you make for a year, and you would have added substantial additional margin to your business.

2. Add a point on price and product changes.

Let’s say several of your customers are routinely buying a product line from you. You have it in at 18 percent gross margin. The manufacturer raises his price to you 3 percent. You refigure the customer’s new price at 19 percent margin. You’ve just gained a point.

Every price, packaging, and product change is an opportunity to add a point or so.

3. Promote higher margin items.

In every industry with which I’ve been involved, there are high volume items that almost every sales person focuses on, and then there are very low volume items that most people ignore. That’s too bad, because the high volume items are usually the lowest margin, while the odd ball requisition items carry margins that are often multiple times higher.

A low volume item that is too small in actual dollar volume to interest your competitors is a golden opportunity to increase your margins. So, make it a point to present and demonstrate those low volume items that are not nearly as price sensitive. When most of your business is going through at 18 percent, it’s amazing what a few items at 45% can do for you average

4. Obtain the competitions’ pricing.

We all try to do this before the deal is done. It is, however, much easier to gain this information after a deal is done and then use it for the next round. After the deal is done, and the customer has made up his mind, just ask about the competitive pricing. Whether you won the deal or not you can still use the opportunity to collect useful information. Ask the customer to share with you the prices from every one else, after the business has been awarded. At this point, there’s little pressure on the customer to keep that information confidential. After all, it’s a done deal. No harm in divulging that now. 

As you gather the information after the fact, analyze it to see what patterns your competition is using in their price quoting. 

Use the patterns and insights you gained to predict their next quote. Instead of fearfully using very low margins because you are afraid of losing the business to a competitor, you’ll have much better information on what your competitor will probably do, and you’ll find yourself not deeply discounting so often.

5. Give the customer a reason to pay more to buy it from you.

Why should the customer pay more to buy it from you? So many B2B salespeople look on every sales call as purely a discussion of product and price that they fail to consider the totality of the factors that influence the customer to buy. Now, if there is absolutely no difference between buying it from you and buying it from the other guy, than the customer should go with the lowest price. However, I very rarely have seen there to be absolutely no difference.

Your job is to identify all the things that are different when the customer buys it from you. Put those things into a list, turn them into statements of benefit for the customer and memorize the presentation.

Then when the customer says, “You’re a point or two too high,” instead of discounting, share with the customer what he/she gets in exchange for that point or two. If there is some valid economic impact, than you’ve just added a couple points to your margin by giving the customer a reason to buy it from you.

There is no one simple strategy. Increasing your margins is a matter of a methodical, disciplined approach applied over time. Consistently use the tactics discussed above, and you’ll see your margins gradually grow.

by Dave Kahle
On first glance, this looks like a bit unrelated to the day-to-day challenges of an effective sales person. What has this to do with your interactions with your customers?

Consider the issue of “sales time.” Sales time is the time that you actually spend interacting with your customers either on the phone or in person. It is the heart of your job and the ultimate reason your company employs you. Investing your sales time effectively is the way that you achieve better results and earn your money.

Because of the demands for administration, reporting, preparing, travel, etc., the typical field sales person only spends about 25 percent of his/her work week in “sales time.” In our challenging economy, the demands on our time by the press of “other stuff” can be overwhelming.

We need to be constantly battling the allure of “other stuff” so that we are investing sufficiently in selling time. All things being equal, the more time you actually spend with your customers, the more successful you will be.

So that leads us to this question: What constitutes the biggest proportion of other stuff? What has the potential to overwhelm us, to rob us of our sales time by tempting us to invest our energies in something not nearly as effective?

The answer? Information. We are inundated with information. Consider the amount of selling literature, technical bulletins, computer reports, web pages, emails, voice mails, and memos from the boss that we have to deal with every day. All these are types of information. If we gave in to the temptation of dealing with all the information that comes our way, we could easily spend 8 – 15 hours a week doing nothing but that.

And that would not be a good idea. It would detract from our ability to create sales time, and immediately and negatively impact our performance.

That leads us to this best practice. The best performers don’t waste a lot of time dealing with useless information. They stay focused on the heart of the job – sales time – understanding that without quality time with their customers nothing else matters.

So, they create disciplines and strategies that enable them to deal with all the forms of information quickly and expediently. The run-of-the-mill sales people waste inordinate amounts of time processing information.

To learn more about this best practice:

• review chapters four and five of How to Excel at Distributor Sales
• review chapter eight of Ten Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople
• review chapter ten of Insights & Answers for Distributor Salespeople
• read the article on my website entitled “Managing Information.”
• purchase Best of Dave’s one hour seminar #43 “Get Organized! Managing Information before it Manages You.”

by Dave Kahle

One of my clients recently mentioned to me that, when hiring prospective sales people, he looks for a “passion for sales” in their personality. The idea struck me. I had never really thought in those terms before. What is a ‘passion for sales?’ What does it look like? Is it really an indicator of a successful sales person? And, how do you identify it?

Perhaps the reason it struck me is that for 20 years I have been working with sales people who, for the most part, never really started out wanting to be sales people. I think that is true of the overwhelming mass of sales people. They really didn’t get there by following a well defined, intentional career path. Most sales people sort of slid into sales as a result of being “nice” people, and showing some skills or knowledge which their bosses considered helpful for sales. They found the increase in income and the freedom to organize their day as they saw fit to be attractive aspects of the job. The next thing you know, they were a sales person.

But, a “passion for sales?” Rarely, in my experience. Here’s a test to see if you, or your sales people if you are a sales leader, have a passion for sales

Do you (or they) invest in their own development as a sales person? I am convinced that only one out of 20 sales people has actually spent $25.00 of his own money on his own improvement in the last 12 months. I believe that is an indication of a person’s interest in the profession of sales.

Here’s an example. I am a mediocre golfer. But I really like it. Since I have a “passion for golf,” I invest in my golfing ability. I subscribe to the magazines; I buy a golf book every now and then; I follow a couple of golf websites; and I take lessons every couple of years. I go to the driving range and practice almost every week in the summer. This year, I did a bit of a study on which golf ball I should be using, and made an informed decision. While I readily admit that I am not a good golfer, at the same time I will absolutely assert that I am getting better, always better. If I live long enough, I will become an excellent golfer.

There is nothing unique in that. What’s true for me and my passion for golf is true for everyone and their passions. It is certainly true of sales people. If they have a passion for the profession, they will invest their own time and money in it. They’ll subscribe to the magazines and Ezines, they’ll buy the books, go to the seminars, network with other good sales people, and practice as much as they can. Their money and time will follow their passion.

Is it an indicator of sales success? I think so. It may be the ultimate indicator of eventual sales success. Just like me and golf. Eventually, I am going to be a good golfer. My passion for it will lead me to learn, and eventually I will figure it out. So, too, for sales people. Given a modicum of talent, their motivation will drive them to learn, and eventually they will absorb enough of the principles and practices of effective professional sales, they will incorporate them into their routines, and they will be successful.

How do you identify it? Pre-hire aptitude assessments can uncover it. I remember taking a battery of psychological tests as part of the hiring process for one of my employers. The report that resulted pegged me as having “a singular intense attraction for persuasive activities.” In other words, a passion for sales. The pre-hire assessments that we sell provide a measurement of a candidate’s sales inclinations.

But, probably the best way is to examine their investments in themselves. Have they invested in their own growth as sales people? A number of years ago, I discovered that my alma mater, the University of Toledo, had a world-class sales school in the college of business. Young people actually take a major in “sales” and learn to sell in college. For a number of years, I have been donating a day a year, speaking to the classes of this number one rated sales school. How encouraging! An academic institution devoted to developing young people who have a passion for sales.
But few are fortunate enough to have been educated in the sales profession in college. That doesn’t stop those with the passion. The ultimate question is, “Have they invested in themselves?” Have they bought the books, attended the seminars, read the newsletters, etc.? If they have, you can be pretty sure they are passionate about the profession. If they haven’t, the opposite is true.

As an experienced sales trainer who has educated tens of thousands of sales people and their leaders, I can tell you that my job is so much easier when I have a room full of committed, passionate sales people. And so much more difficult when they really don’t care.

As for me and my company, I’ll take a passionate sales person every day of the week.