Saturday Morning Sales

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines entitlement as: the feeling or belief that you deserve to be given something (such as special privileges).

It is generally my goal to offer this blog post as a means of offering a piece of advice or a little guidance from having worked in my sales career for many years. However, this will be a bit of a rant due to a recent bout of frustration. I hope through a small amount of venting a lesson will still be learned. 

I find the idea of entitlement, based on the definition above, a disgusting word, attitude, thought process, ideology and theme. Often when someone crosses my path with a sense of entitlement I can either ignore them or move quickly past them. But, when the person is planted firmly in my daily routine, then I grow to hold a very negative view of the individual. And so it goes with a recent sales relationship.

Sales people must always remember that actions speak louder than words. Working hard and working smart go hand-in-hand. There are more senior sales people that have gone before them, paid their dues, and can only now showcase themselves as ‘A’ level sales people through their wisdom. Why then do some young up and comers walk around as if the world owes them something? What dues have they paid? What wisdom do they possess that can offer any real value to their own organization or their client? In most cases the answer is…none.

So this week’s short post goes out to the young lady who recently crossed my path. I believe you have a lot to offer your organization. You seem very bright. But you have a poor attitude about your chosen career path. Your employer does not owe you anything. You owe the company your effort and service. You should seek and adhere to the advice of your seniors. They have the experience to guide you through both ups and downs as a career sales person. You have opportunities in front of you that many other chosen professions do not offer, but unless you accept that you are a junior in your profession, you will be passed by and I will choose another person in your organization to serve as my primary point of contact.

As an aside to the senior level group out there, I am not suggesting you treat your junior team with contempt or disrespect. Teach and guide always. The juniors, like we once were, have potential. Recognize when a junior level sales person has a sense of entitlement and work to break them of these very bad traits. If you cannot, well then, you should cut them loose. Nothing can hurt moral in your sales organization more than a sense of entitlement.

Enough of my venting. Until next week, keep on selling. Thank you.

When the server at the breakfast diner topped off your coffee this morning you said Thank You. When the sales clerk helped you match a tie with your new suit you said Thank You. When the teenager next door offered to walk your dog you said Thank You. After the meeting you had the other day with a prospective client you said Thank You – OR DID YOU?

It bothers me to a certain extent that I am writing this blog. But, I was reminded once again this week that many in business today are lacking the basic manners that should be carried as a professional sales person. Yesterday I received a hand-written Thank You note from someone I met with earlier in the week. She wants to do business with my firm and I spent 40 minutes in an initial meeting. A first time meeting that was over in 40 minutes. She did not send a quick one sentence email saying “hey thanks”. She took a few moments to write a Thank You note and I will remember it.

And so you may be wondering why this feels like a big deal to me. Well, I participated in seven meetings last week where I was the person asked to meet. I received three Thank You notes. Of the other four meetings, two were interviews with prospective employees. If you think I’ll remember the hand-written note, well I’ll remember the lack of manners even more. But, before I made the final decision to jot down my thoughts here, I wanted to make sure I was walking the walk. I looked back over the past month and can confidently report that I said Thank You each and every time someone met with me face-to-face or by conference call.

It may seem trivial and you may say not me, but use this short post as a reminder to ask yourself this question – Am I saying Thank You every time? And if not, has it caused an issue with moving forward in business. Oh and you may wonder why I capitalized Thank You each time. Let those two simple words stand out, let them sink in, and make sure you not only use these two words in business every day, make sure you mean it.

In the midst of an incredibly busy calendar I found time this past week to attend a concert with my wife and a few friends. It was a small venue show with a fairly well known group that plays music in what has become known as jam band style. The average age of the audience was early-to-mid forties and everyone seemed to soak in the sights as much as the sounds. And so you’re probably saying “so what – what does this have to do with sales?”

It was in this venue during a few hours respite from my otherwise hectic schedule that I was reminded of two lessons that every ‘A’ level sales person must remember.

Lesson 1: Never ever judge a book by its cover. Come on, you’ve heard that saying since you were a kid just like me, but yet again a clear reminder was presented to me on Tuesday evening. I would never have imagined that I would run into a client, much less three clients, at the concert. One in particular works in a very polished financial organization, the suit & tie shop, and so I was a bit surprised to see him. While many, including one of the men in his group, were wearing shorts and old Grateful Dead t-shirts, he was in khakis and a golf shirt. That was not too surprising. It was his friend, the one in the old t-shirt and cut off shorts, that was the surprise. After talking a bit I became aware that this gentleman is the chairman and CEO of a holding company with seven subsidiaries. He is the majority owner. And, collectively, those seven companies are worth in excess of $375 million. We had a pleasant conversation over a beer and he is interested in meeting with me in early-July to talk shop. That’s right, the guy in the Grateful Dead t-shirt and cutoff’s. So what’s the lesson again: Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Lesson 2: In a similar manner, you do not want others judging you. Another lesson I learned at a younger age, from my time growing up in Baltimore and now having lived in the Cleveland area for over eighteen years, these communities are small even though geographically large, you will run into someone you know anywhere, any time, and certainly when you least expect it. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, ‘A’ level sales people do not view sales as a job, but rather a career or lifestyle choice. While you should never judge a book by its cover, you should always consider there are eyes on you. Be yourself, be friendly, be in control. Have fun, but remember that your actions may speak louder than words, and you may be judged by your own cover.

A concert. A concert where I didn’t think I’d run into anyone. A concert where I simply wanted to relax for a few hours. A concert that I absolutely enjoyed and would go again (I hope to go again). A concert that on a personal level reminded me of two golden rules in sales as a career. Keep these in mind as you cut loose from time-to-time. I promise they will come in handy.