The Freedom of Sales…

Ah yes, the freedom that is sales. There are a lot of perceived perks when people talk to you about being in sales and one that often rises to the top is the flexibility you have and your ability to “be your own boss.” Yep, you pretty much can do whatever you want whenever you want…..or so I originally thought. Early in my career for example, Friday’s at Wrigley Field were the norm more than the exception. Yes, there was nothing better than “being my own boss”

It didn’t take long for me to learn that the whole “being your boss” mentality, the way I was interpreting it, was nothing but a short-sighted ideal that ultimately would most likely lead to the same fate as many actual bosses - being out of work. See, it’s not the phrase that’s short-sighted; it’s the mentality of what it actually means. 

When you are the boss there is nobody to point the finger at if goals aren’t met and even if there is a very good reason why a goal wasn’t met, nobody cares. When you are the boss you have to find a way because it’s your butt on the line and no one else’s. If one angle isn’t working, it’s up to you to find another one that might.

The point isn’t that it’s wrong to take advantage of the flexibility being in sales can offer. Trust me, for each of those Friday’s at Wrigley I can remember many more evenings stuck in an airport trying to find a way home before midnight.  The point is that “being your own boss” doesn’t mean using your flexibility to get out of your responsibilities, it means taking responsibility for achieving your goals. 

As our forefathers taught us, freedom is earned! 

Customer Focus Is An Action Not A Phrase

There are more slogans, buzzwords and blarney regarding customer focus than I can keep track of but as salespeople just talking about customer focus isn’t going to get it done. Customer focus isn’t something you say it’s something you do. No different than other actions, you may find that you actually have to train yourself to do it as was the case with me and has been the case with many other salespeople I’ve worked with through the years.

Very early in my sales career, before heading out to a meeting, an individual who later became my greatest mentor tasked me with a challenge. Before I left he said, “when you get back, tell me 5 things about the person you are meeting with other than business one of which include the color of his tie”

Young and eager to impress, I walked into his office not thinking about our company, not thinking about my presentation, and not thinking about what I was going to say. I walked into his office thinking, “I need to learn 5 things about this guy and crap, he’s not wearing a tie” When I left the meeting I was amazed at how much I learned and quite frankly, how little I spoke. I was too busy listening and observing. In just 30 minutes I knew that he…

1. Was married with 3 daughters

2. Went to Michigan St.

3. Had a golden retriever

4. Liked to golf

5. Didn't wear ties 

More important than any of those details, I learned how to focus on the customer and what it actually meant to do so. I learned that the word “focus” in regard to “customer focus” is a verb not a noun. It is the action of focusing your thoughts and not just a central point of attention.  I understood what it meant to be externally focused instead of internally focused and I learned how critical that really was when engaging with clients.