Should I Trust My Sales Manager’s Advice?

A good portion of salespeople wonder at some point during their tenure with a company as to whether or not they should trust their sales manager’s advice. I wanted to tackle this issue head-on this month as this is an important subject which impacts all salespeople.

Generally speaking, you should trust your sales manager’s advice. However, this doesn’t mean you should stick your head in the sand when he or she gives you advice, either. It is always important to weigh their advice and mix in your own experience & knowledge before taking action. It is also a good idea to engage your sales manager with your own thoughts after you have been given his or her advice. After all, two heads are certainly better than one. Issues and problems which come up when working in a sales capacity can be complicated, so never be afraid to seek out your sales manager’s opinion before moving forward.

If you know for a fact that your sales manager’s advice cannot be trusted, I would think very seriously about continuing with your present employer. At the very least, you might want to consider making a lateral move within the company. Poor sales managers who give bad advice will ultimately not only impact your moral in a negative way, but will also impact your sales numbers and income at some point in the future, too.

While the majority of sales managers do a good job, there are still far too many sales managers who fall into the “poor” category. This can even sometimes happen at companies where the company is great but the sales manager seems to sabotage sales at every stage of the game because he or she is a poor manager in general. Whatever the case may be, it is always a bad idea to continue working for a manager who doesn’t know what it really takes to sell or is simply incompetent.

The bottom line is that you ultimately need to trust your sales manager to sustain long-term success. Don’t be afraid to seek out their advice when you need it. And if you can’t trust your sales manager, you need to move on to another company or make a position change within the same company.

Consistent Salespeople Retain Customers

I have had the fortunate opportunity to have lived on both coasts and the Midwest in my adult life. I also lived abroad in Asia for year. I have been to every region of the country at one point or another, and visited many states in-between them. Of all the national chains around, there is one business in particular which always seems to be the same no matter where they are operating.

That business is McDonald's. No, I’m not here to pitch their food, service, or nutritional information. What I will say, however, is that they are certainly a model of consistency we should all immolate as salespeople.

Think about it. Do you ever wonder if the food at McDonald’s is going to make you sick? Do you worry about their restroom being dirty? Do you worry about the food not tasting the same when you are half way across the country eating at one of their restaurants for the first time? In my experience, these thoughts never arise as they maintain a high degree of standards which are followed by each and every franchise owner. No matter where you are, you know what you are getting when you pull up to the “golden arches”.

This leads me to my next point. Do your customers know what to expect from you when a problem arises? What is their expectation of you when it comes to keeping them up to date on your new products or services which can benefit their company? Do you maintain consistent communication with your customers or just show up when you think your business with them is “on the rocks”? Do you trash your competitors in conversations with your customers, or do you operate like a real sales pro?

Displaying consistent confidence in areas such as those I mentioned above will keep your customers in a business relationship with you more than anything else. After all, do you really think your customer wants to take a chance on a new company & new salesperson when they already have confidence in you and know what to expect? Can you see how being consistent with your customers will negate price, service, and quality to certain extent?

Being consistent sounds easy on paper, but is hard to practice in reality. If you can be consistent in the way your operate as a salesperson, however, you will keep your competitors from taking away your customers. And if you cannot retain business with the vast majority of your customers, you will ultimately find it impossible to sustain any substantial sales growth.

Industry Experience & Formal Education Levels are Overrated When It Comes to Finding Successful Salespeople

Industry experience and individual education levels are often overrated when it comes to hiring new salespeople. Passionate, motivated, and goal-driven individuals are far more likely to achieve sales success regardless of their industry experience or education level.

This is not just my opinion, either. A recent article posted on the Gallup Management Journal confirms this, too. Studies have shown that hiring salespeople with more industry experience or higher education levels does very little to improve a sales team's results over the long-term. Instead, companies that are succeeding in this economy with their sales team are going after the top talent and nurturing their own top performers.

I'm certainly not trying to deter anyone from gaining industry experience or obtaining more formal education. However, this is not the driving force in what makes an individual salesperson successful.

For more information on this very important topic and debate, please check out the Gallup Management Journal article when you get a chance.

Sales Happenings Around the Web...

Yes – I am still alive. Many of you emailed me, and I want to apologize for posting so little in the last couple of months. I’m planning on getting back to providing some really good material here on Top Sales Blog between now and the end of the year. Unfortunately, I have been very busy in other ventures as of late – but hope to get back on the “horse” very soon as sales theory & discussion is my passion.

First, I wanted to give a quick “shout out” to Brad Trnavsky over at Sales Management 2.0. Brad has launched a new Sales E-Book that is really good, and I would encourage you to get his free download when you get an opportunity. The book is on Sales 2.0, so if you are interested in Sales 2.0 you should definitely take advantage of it. If you don’t know what Sales 2.0 is or have never heard of it, you most certainly need to download this book to get up to speed with your competitors!

Also, on top of having the best community sales management website – Brad is backing this up by also having the best sales podcast on the web, too. Please make sure to check out the Sales Management 2.0 podcast. He is posting a 45-60 minute interview every week from published authors and sales experts from around the web focusing on specific topics. It is not just for sales management folks, either. If you work in sales in any capacity whatsoever, I would encourage you to give his sales podcast a visit. I really enjoyed his recent interview with Tom Schaber.

ZoomInfo.com is offering a free B-to-B Intelligence Day on Aug 26. If you are looking for leads (as all salespeople and sales managers should be!), you should take part in this free trial. You will have free and unlimited access to deep intelligence on 45 million professionals at 5 million companies for a 24-hour period. Please visit the ZoomInfo.com Sign-Up Page to get on the list.

A new book coming out that I will be reading is Own the Room: Business Presentations that Persuade, Engage, and Get Results by Deborah Shames and David Booth. The following is a "teaser" which was communicated to me about the book:

These tips go against the grain of traditional presentation advice, but they work. For example:

•Having a CEO present alone is often the worst mistake you can make.
•Don’t open with a joke! You’re not that funny.
•Don’t lead with your name and your business. No one will remember you.
•The goal of your presentation is always to persuade, not to educate.
•You must have a specific role, and it should NOT be an “expert.”

For more information on the authors and Own the Room, please visit: http://www.owntheroombook.com.

Give Em’ the “Goodies” in Your Presentation

Good presentations can be extremely effective when trying to “turn” a prospective customer. While there is usually too much emphasis that is put on this part of the sale (i.e. “the close”), it is not doubt an important part of the sales process in most cases.

When giving presentations, salespeople often spend too much time on the wrong things. For the most part, prospects really don’t care more...

SBU Post: Going Beyond the Usual Probing Questions

Your time in front of a prospective customer is extremely valuable. The hardest part of the sales process can sometimes be just getting quality time in front of the prospect to ask questions. When you get to this point, you definitely want to make the most of your opportunity. You never know, this might be your only chance to advance the sale.

It is a great idea to take an evening to sit down and come up with a list of some great probing questions. It’s not like you will be doing this from scratch, either. This will be the time to search your memory more...

Jamie Moyer: A Lesson in Persistence That We Can All Learn From

When I was a kid, I was the biggest baseball fan out there. I collected all the cards and knew just about every baseball player in the majors. I use to have my friends pick up a random card and name the player. Without hesitation, I could tell you his position, team, race, and some sort of statistics. While I know longer have that sort of grasp I had on the game in the mid 80's, I still remember a player named Jamie Moyer.

Jamie Moyer came into Major League Baseball in 1986. If you would have asked me in 1986 about him - I'm sure I would have told you the following:

1) He is a pitcher
2) He plays for the Cubs
3) He is white
4) He has a high E.R.A. and he is not that good

I would have been right about everything, except number #4 on my list. Well, let's just say #4 is half right...

Jamie had a rough go at it early in his career. This culminated in him being released in 1990 by the Texas Rangers. I can hardly blame the club. He had career record well below .500 and a lifetime E.R.A. that hovered close to 5.00.

Next year (1991), it got worse. His record was 0-5 and his E.R.A. was 5.74 with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals released him in the off season. He was then signed and released again by both the Cubs & Tigers in 1992 season. Jamie never even got to play a game that year in the majors.

At this point in his career, Jamie was 30 years old. Retirement had to seem at hand. He had his chance, his time should have been over.

But instead, this is where the story of persistence starts...

Jamie was signed by the Orioles in 1993 (for a 50% pay cut compared with his 1990 salary) and had a record of 12-9 with an E.R.A. of 3.43. Not only was this his best season, but it marked a year that justified him staying the majors. The 1994 & 1995 were mediocre seasons for Jamie, but he again pitched well enough to stick around.

In 1996, Jamie (at the age of 33) started having the kind of success a MLB pitcher dreams of . He went 13-3 with a 3.98 E.R.A in '96. From then on, he went 17-5 (1997), 15-9 (1998), 14-8 (1999), and 13-10 (2000).

In 2001 (at the age of 38), Jamie had his best season. He went 20-6 with an E.R.A. of 3.43. Jamie even finished #4 that year in the Cy Young Award voting in the American League. For whatever reason, however, he was not voted in as an All-Star.

Jamie didn't quit at that point. He stuck around and had an even better year in 2003, going 21-7 with an E.R.A. of 3.27. Finally, at the age of 40, Jamie made his first Major League Baseball All-Star team. Keep in mind, he had been in the majors since he was 23.

Where is Jamie today? You guessed it, he's still playing in the majors. He's also the last player left who played in the majors in 1986. Yes, he is the oldest man in baseball right now.

More importantly, you should look at his earnings. He could have quit at the age of 30 with slightly over $1,000,000.00 in lifetime earnings. Instead, he hung around long enough to earn another $67,000,000.00 in his career. Not too bad, not too bad at all.

Jamie is also in the top 50 in Major League Baseball history in wins (249) and strikeouts (2274). While currently playing for the Phillies this year, he will celebrate his 47th birthday in November. Whenever he decides to retire, he will be given Hall of Fame consideration.

If you would have asked me in 1986, who will be the only player left from this year (1986) come 2009? - Jamie Moyer would have been the last player I would have guessed. Instead, he gave me one of the best examples I have ever seen in what persistence is all about.

Top Sales Blog Made the Top 15 Sales Bloggers/Twitter Users List from BTS 411

Top Sales Blog made The Top Sales Blogs & Twitter Users List from the BTS 411 Blog. Admittedly, I was pulling up the rear at #12, but I am happy nonetheless to make the list. Please check it out when you get the chance as there are some great sales blogs on the list. I'm certainly happy to receive the recognition.