Article
#2
Train
a Winning Sales Team: Rounding Third and Heading for Home by Sally
Bacchetta
Although I never
met the man, I imagine Lou Boudreau would have made one heck of a
field sales trainer. In 1942 the 24-year old Cleveland Indians shortstop
was promoted to player/manager of his team, and for the next eight
years Boudreau did what we, as trainers, are called upon to do every
day: demonstrate success, inspire success and cultivate success. Think
of it as the triple play of sales training.
DEMONSTRATE
A seven-time All-Star shortstop, Boudreau was only the second manager
to take the Indians to a World Series Championship, and no one has
done so since. Clearly, he was a man who demonstrated success. As
field sales trainers we must similarly make success a habit. A field
contact with a trainer may be the first "in situ" opportunity
a new rep has to test their impressions of the company, and possibly
selling in general. Is what we say consistent with the corporate sales
direction? Is what we do consistent with what we say? Most importantly,
are we successful at gaining customer commitment and moving the sales
process forward?
Inexperienced
reps may need guidance on effective territory management and specific
techniques for gaining access to prospects. Experienced reps are more
familiar with the demands of the position, so their concerns are usually
more territory-specific. Their willingness to accept us as role models
may depend on how well we demonstrate successful resolution of field
challenges: "The key thought leader in my area is on the speaker's
bureau for Competitor X. How can I compete with that?" "Most
of my key decision makers won't see reps. What can I do to impact
their decision making process?" Established reps need to know
that we have successfully overcome similar challenges and can give
them strategies to do the same.
Demonstrating
success is also vital because as field sales trainers we hold a uniquely
dual role in the sales organization. In addition to the time we spend
training and coaching sales reps, most of us are responsible for increasing
sales and growing market share in our assigned territories. Our ability
to manage our time and territory productively is vital in order to
reach our own performance goals.
INSPIRE
Selling is fun when sales are good, but experienced reps know that's
not always the case. Without any warning you run smack into a competitor's
newly expanded sales force. Your blockbuster technology launches with
software challenges. You spent your weekend studying a new clinical
reprint, but every doctor you see wants to talk about last night's
exposé on the cost of prescription drugs.
Inspiration is
our second wind. It keeps us focused on the big picture when our progress
temporarily stalls. It's a safe bet that all sales reps want to succeed?
a good trainer will inspire them to succeed. The wanting gives us
aim, but it is the inspiration that makes us reach. Hall of Fame pitcher
Bob Feller understood the power of inspiration to drive performance:
"I remember in 1948... I was having a rough season, and instead
of replacing me Lou (Boudreau) said 'We're going to sink or swim with
Feller'. After he said that I won 10 of my last 12 games. He instilled
a confidence in his players they never forgot."
In the final analysis
inspiration is unique to the individual, so figuring out how to inspire
our sales reps may be the most challenging aspect of being a trainer.
It can also be the most rewarding.
One way to inspire success is to celebrate its many forms. Baseball
fans illustrate this perfectly. Do they wait soundlessly for the final
out in the bottom of the ninth? Of course not! They cheer every solid
crack of the bat? every difficult catch? every stolen base, because
they recognize that each of these small successes brings them closer
to their ultimate goal. The more skillful the play the more fervent
the cheer, which motivates the athletes to stretch their abilities
to achieve even more.
I think the single
most inspiring thing you can do is to pay attention to your reps.
Don't wait until the bottom of the ninth to commend their progress.
Make a point to notice their incremental gains and celebrate their
success!
CULTIVATE
When I first started in sales I thought I should be just like Gregg,
the most successful member of my team. I stifled my own personality
and conducted my sales presentations as if I were Gregg, copying his
voice inflections, the rhythm of his speech, and even some of his
jokes. It wasn't long before I began to suspect that his achievement
was more a matter of luck than skill, because clearly, this selling
approach was a failure!
In truth, the
failure was mine. By rejecting my personal style I had violated one
of the fundamental principles in cultivating success: respect individuality.
Gregg's approach worked for him because it was his. When I rediscovered
my style and trusted my own instinct, that's when I developed success.
When Boudreau was promoted to player/manager his team was made up
of more than just shortstops. He led his team to victory by relying
on each player's unique strengths to overcome the challenges of their
position. Whether we are working with new or veteran reps, we must
respect that their individual traits and talents have gotten them
this far. Our job is to expect more.
How can we help
our reps progress from expecting more to achieving more? By encouraging
risk taking and new behaviors. Too conservative a team culture makes
it difficult to raise the bar; few are willing to reach higher, for
fear of falling short. As trainers we should be first at bat, risking
innovative approaches and new ideas. Boudreau wasn't afraid to think
differently. He recognized that teammate Bob Lemon was misplaced as
an infielder, so he reassigned him to pitcher, liberating Lemon from
mediocrity and helping him achieve MVP/All Star status.
BATTER UP!
Just as a coach can't swing the bat for the player at the plate, we
can't be with our teams every play of the game. We must share our
best techniques for sales success, so that when split-second adjustments
need to be made, they have the skills to make the right ones.
"I can't
be with you every day" has become something of a team slogan;
a reminder that ultimately we each bear responsibility for creating
our own success. As trainers our mission is to teach the art of unflinching
self-assessment. Perhaps the most important thing we can give our
reps is the ability to evaluate themselves honestly and specifically.
Once they master that skill set they will be rounding third and heading
for home!
Copyright ©2004
by Sally Bacchetta. All rights reserved.
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