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An Old Key Worth Using

Today, It was my privilege to interview a seasoned veteran for a new sales job.  As I listened to his answers to my rather “structured interview,” I began to learn - to hear the wisdom of dedicated years ...

... and, I was reminded.  Wisdom resides mostly with those who have tried several doors in a productive life. It remains true in disparate areas like marriage, sports, and sales.  Many failures lead to one success - three quotes or so lead to one sale - a lifetime of commitment through trials and testing leads to a greater love among committed lovers.

As the interview continued, I, with years of experience and a few gray hears myself, began to learn that there are still some old keys still lying around, that if found, and then turned, will open important doors. 

Sales plans need wise counsel.

They need others to question them and to offer competing thoughts and wisdom.  And, they especially need those with grey or white hair to offer a smile as they reach in a pocket and bring out an old key worth using.  Then, confidence grows in those that learn from the unlocked wisdom. 

How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck …

... if they were on straight commission without incentives, goals, or directions?

Three Answers
1. “As much wood as a woodchuck would if a woodchuck could chuck wood.” 

2. “A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.”
3. “A woodchuck would chuck all the wood, if a woodchuck only could.” 



This means that a woodchuck salesperson would chuck all the wood available to chuck. He’ll do it to survive. In the present, that will be the incentive. 

And, he’ll look for the wood. Most woodchucks are solitary independent critters. They do not rely on other woodchucks except for alerts to danger. They take care of themselves. That’s their character and personality. 

Of course with incentives (wood) and direction (location), woodchucks would chuck as much as they could chuck - perhaps even all of it.

from another perspective ...


“As much wood as a woodchuck would ...”

We need to make sure that we’ve got the right woodchucks - ones that ‘would’ chuck wood.

Some woodchucks are lazy while others are unreliable or without a sense of personal responsibility. Some of them might sleep all day or just sit by the hole, and when you ask them about it, they’ll just act like they couldn’t find any wood. 

"If they only could” might refer to their upbringing and the leadership they get - especially from older and wiser woodchucks. I know some woodchucks who often wander away from the hole in any ole direction. With direction and an internal motivation to provide for themselves and their family, OUR woodchuck(s) can receive what they need, knowledge, direction, and skills, to develop into industrious and dependable producers and providers. 

So, in summary, let’s strive to find the right woodchucks, ones that want to learn and and then let’s give them direction, coaching, and a reason to do what it takes.  Lance.

Coaching MAXIMUM PRODUCTIVITY

Ah ... maximum productivity and results???  The driven question.

Results come from activities.  Activities leading to results are steps in a system.  A system contains a person working a process with its tools and skills. 

And, the system is driven by beliefs and attitudes.  Do we want something?  Do we value excellence?  Do we see something in danger?  Are we personally responsible for someone?  Is it a competition?  What motivates us toward maximum productivity? ... an end result.

The firemen in New York were very motivated.  They sacrificed themselves, their sleep, and their lives for the lives of others during 9/11.

Coach Walton never talked about winning and hardly ever about the end result.  He coached his players toward weightier matters - learning to give their best for the benefit of teammates, fans, the university - and striving to get better each day.  In the long run, this internal motivating clock works better that pounding on oneself or other for RESULTS.  Maximum productivity happens when IT matters.

[1st - Start with the goal.]
Are your salespeople emotionally connected to IT?  Does IT NEED to be done in a certain time frame?  Why?  What’s the impact of not reaching the goal?  What’s the impact of reaching the goal?

[2nd - What’s the plan?] Have they planned out the way, the actions and strategies, and the achievement of their sales goals?  Have they established, with your help, a step-by-step process?  Have they sought counsel (advice)?  Do they know how they will measure progress?  What will they delegate?  How will they prepare each day?  What training will they need?  What new skills will they develop as habits?

[3rd - Do the plan.] Get them to work on focus, perseverance, work ethic, and other character traits that will help them accelerate their progress.  Build new skills’ muscles into habits.

[4th - Monitor and Measure.] Measure progress.  Keep track of productivity.  Know the score, sales-to-date, profit, etc.

[5th - Adjust.] When appropriate, coach them to change the goal’s time frame.  Change what they measure.  Together, make changes to the plan, and, if IT loses IT’s meaning, change the goal.

[6th - Celebrate.] Celebrate all along the way - when a person emotionally connects to a responsibility (goal), gains confidence from a plan, improve their work ethic (or some other part of themselves), makes progress, or when a person makes corrective changes.  Hi five. Keep looking forward.  Forget about the strikeouts.  Teach them to learn from the swings they take, and to strive to get better each day.  And, if you care, push them to their limits.  Lance.

Social Drive in GREAT Salespeople

Research scientists have found “Social Drive” to be a core characteristic for high performing sales reps.  The scientists who create validated personality profiles may use different terms for being socially engaged. 

Salespeople who are driven socially will want to be out among people in networking events. They love to go toward people - especially if their social confidence is high.  Top performing reps ‘need’ social interaction with people for ANY of the following reasons ...
- Competitive drive
- Recognition
- Emotional connection
- Word bantering (talking)
- Goal drive (money: another core trait driving a great salesperson to ‘go be social’)

This rings especially true for high activity salespeople with sales cycles of 10 minutes to 90 days. The best of these work hard at continuously bringing new prospects into the top of their funnels. It is less true for major accounts salespeople. While the best large account reps do prospect and network, it is less on a grand flat horizon and more on a targeted and strategic basis.

The type of social networks that salespeople participate in most varies.
- Chamber events
- Industry trade shows
- Sporting events
- Sport’s teams for young people, i.e. Little League Baseball (many kid’s coaches are salespeople)
- Formalized business networking groups
- Theatrical performances
- Business networking groups

(Additional note: High-activity salespeople often have a low detail orientation and a disdain for step-by-step process, and we can help their sales performance with coaching suggestions for consistency in social networking.)

If a salesperson’s social drive is low, you may see the following behaviors.
• Waiting on prospects to come to them.
• Going home after a 9 - 5 day, done, finished.
• Procrastinating follow up activities.
• Avoiding social interaction at gatherings.
• Preferring to do detail work during prime prospecting time.

Regarding other professions, I think it’s easy for all of us NOT to think of engineers and accountants as socially driven. And, the research bears this out.  Most are not.  And, while we can all think of someone who breaks the mold, the bell shaped curve of people in these ‘analysis and thinking’ professions shows them not as likely to ‘socialize.’ (They actually have to remove themselves from social activity to recharge their energy. Doing things social drains their life battery.) And, that’s my oldest son, Matt, the mechanical engineer. Other family members can socialize, FOREVER.

Make sure the profile you use provides a percentage range (1-100) that show social drive intensity.  High-activity salespeople naturally reside in the upper range.  They prospect with less stress especially with high amounts of goal-orientation and social confidence.  (see craftprofiles).  Recruit with greater certainty and choose social drive as a top trait for great performing salespeople. Lance