Treat others as you wish to be treated. That means not embarrassing them — especially your boss. If you violate the chain of command, you are making your boss look bad. Share all memos that go above your boss or to another department.
Keep your word. Only promise what you can deliver. The benefits are manifold.
You’ll attract and impress other ethical people.
You’ll save all the time unscrupulous people waste avoiding the traps they’ve set for themselves and fixing the problems they’ve left scattered behind them.
You’ll gain momentum to take you forward to the next promise.
Professionalism
We make a living by what we get.
But we make a life by what we give.
WINSTON CHURCHILL (1874–1965), BRITISH PRIME MINISTER
Salespeople with longevity have and behave with professionalism. What does this mean and why should you do it? Consider yourself a real pro if you
Love problems! You see opportunities where others see roadblocks. You realize that your profession is not an easy one. You demonstrate that you are not an order-taker. You encounter obstacles all the time, but you systematically go about finding creative solutions that benefit the customer.
Have a sense of urgency. Get on things quickly. You hate to procrastinate. You return phone calls and e-mails quickly because modern technology enables this and you consider it important.
Are respectful of other people’s time. When you attend meetings, you show up on time. You stay on track and stick to the agenda.
Serve your customers after the sale. You know that service starts after the sale is made. You follow up to ensure that the client’s expectations have been met. And you call periodically if you have additional ideas about how the product or service can be used.
Dress appropriately. You realize that each industry has different expectations for dress. You know that your clothing sends a signal to others about who you are and how you view your customers. So, you
Mirror the dress of your customers, or always choose to dress one level above. For example, if your customers tend to dress in jeans, you wear sports slacks. If they wear a blazer, you wear a suit.
Don’t wear lots of jewelry, which might suggest you are flaunting your success.
Don’t dress in a sexually provocative fashion. You’re there to sell your product or service — not your body!
Go beyond what is expected. You are the talk of the town because you want to WOW! each client. And you see each encounter as an opportunity to test your creativity and enthusiasm, to be the best at what you do. You delight your customers with
unusually speedy service
an upgraded product at no additional cost
unexpected ongoing advice
better terms
free training
Getting Things Done Through Others
A spoonful of honey will catch more flies than a gallon of vinegar.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1706–90), AMERICAN STATESMAN
Just as others can’t get their jobs done without you, you wouldn’t get far without others. Getting your colleagues onside is absolutely essential to moving forward, whether you have an ambitious new project or a minor change to make. Here are a few strategies to help you get everyone on the same page.
Don’t pretend you’re a lone wolf. Letting others know you rely on them is the first step toward collaboration.
Treat others the way you would like to be treated. You want respect, dignity, and consideration? Then that’s what you should offer others.
Don’t look down on those below you in rank. If you abuse power, expect it to be abused against you later. More importantly, abuse of power will only squander the trust and respect you’ve been trying to develop.
Keep the tone in the work environment positive. The more pumped everybody is, the more you’ll accomplish.
Don’t “call for mommy.” If a colleague has done something you don’t appreciate, take the issue up with that person — not your boss. You have to be able to work with people without the threat of the boss behind you. And your boss won’t like it either.
Engage in give-and-take. Do favors whenever the opportunity presents itself. One day, when you ask, the favors will be returned. Those people with special skills or valuable knowledge are ideal for the bartering of favors.
Respect other people as individuals. This means understanding that they want things just as you do. If you know what they want and can convince them that your goals are compatible, you’ll be a motivated team.
If you have to rely on power, harness power that everyone recognizes. Your power will increase if you do the following:
Show the numbers. These are more compelling than opinions.
Point to the precedent. Show others you are not guessing. If something has worked before, it will probably work again.
Demonstrate the legitimacy.
Point to ideas that have emanated from impeccable sources. Few people would then dare to challenge you. And, if they do, they will have little credibility.
Present your ideas verbally. But the more formality you use — such as a PowerPoint presentation and a back-up report — the greater your chances of getting a “yes” response.
Use logic. Nothing is more compelling than a sound argument. Make sure you have reason on your side. Present your supporting evidence whenever possible.
Display expertise. If you have experience and knowledge, others will fall in behind you.
Drum up mass support. If you can show that your ideas are shared by many, you can convince others that the ideas are sound.
Create a rivalry. Nothing will bind your team together like the knowledge that they are competing with another group. Or present the possibility that another group is interested in your idea.
My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me.
SAM GOLDWYN, MOVIE MOGUL
Managing Your Time
I definitely am going to take a course on time management . . . just as soon as I can work it into my schedule.
LOUIS BOONE (1914–65), AMERICAN CRITIC
It might feel great to be busy all day long. But one needs to know that the time spent has been productive and not devoted to activities that will have little influence on sales and income. Great salespeople are ruthless about the use of their time. They are proactive and use a well-designed strategy to generate leads and sales. They set goals and then arrange daily activities to enable them to spend most of their time in revenue-generating activities.
Make every call count. Focus on those clients that are likely to give you the most business.
Save time by qualifying every prospect. As quickly as possible determine if the potential buyer
needs your product/service
can afford it
is an acceptable credit risk
Put a low priority on social calls. Certainly these visits are fun and have a low stress factor, but they don’t put bread on the table. Perhaps you might indulge in such visits as an occasional “treat” after a very successful day.
Pace yourself. Don’t try to do everything at once. Make a list of things that need to be done and allocate them to different days, depending on their need to get done.
Plan each day the afternoon or evening before. Doing this will give you the assurance that your day will be productive and enable you to have a good night’s sleep.
If you are a travelling representative and depend on a vehicle, keep your car in tip-top condition. Driving a clean, dependable car will make you feel better about being on the road for many hours and will avoid the cost of unscheduled maintenance.
Demonstrate to your customers how concerned you are about time — yours and theirs. Have an agenda at meetings. Tell the potential customer what you would like to achieve, how to get there, and how long it should take.
Keep healthy. Look after yourself. Eat well and exercise. It will make you feel wonderful about yourself and increase your confidence and sales.
Take vacations. Sure, time away from work is costly, but it is necessary. Time away from the office will give you time to charge your batteries, and to think about what you are doing and the things you could be doing better.
If you’re always busy and never accomplishing the things you need done, you are either doing the wrong things or doing the right things inefficiently. The first step is to make a list of things that have to get done (leaving room for unforeseen contingencies). Do everything on the list — and don’t do the things that are not on it.
Rank the things on your list according to the following criteria:
anything relating to existing or potential customers
anything important to your reputation within the company
anything deferrable or social
Act upon them in the order outlined above.
When you’re working down your list, do one thing at a time. Don’t worry about the next items. This will only slow you down.
Take advantage of every available moment to get things done. Are you doing all of the following?