Why salespeople fail

To ensure success, sellers at all levels can use the help of a mentor

By -- Industrial Distribution, 11/1/2000

Hopefully you have not only internalized the cutting-edge ideas, systems, methodologies and sales tools we have been writing about for the last couple of years, but have utilized, applied and executed that "know how" as well.

Following the publication of my article titled "Are your sellers cashing in?" (June 1999), I received an irate call from a distributor salesperson in Houston asking me to both retract and apologize for what I had written. I did neither, but immediately offered to go with this rep the next week, making calls, attempting sales and providing him with an honest, confidential assessment of his skills and abilities. Well, he was angry with me and accepted with a determined intent to teach me a thing or two. Two days later he called and canceled, losing a great cost-free opportunity to learn how he might fine-tune his selling capabilities and get better at what he chose to do for a living.

Well, what's the point? Simply that in sales, as in many other businesses, good times mask poor performance. When we're exceeding sales targets and making good money, many of us are reluctant to honestly look at and analyze in-depth how and why we exceeded those goals. Professional salespeople do, however.

Salespeople do fail, just like doctors, lawyers, clerks and everybody else.

So, who is your mentor? Who has enough sincere, honest interest in you and the experience and expertise to frankly assess your abilities to compete and perform today and tomorrow? Your sales manager? Your suppliers? Who? It's important to have such a mentor-if you don't, you should work to get one.

Selling is not a destination. Sales skills are a journey and you'd better be committed to getting better at what you do and generate that improvement on a continuing basis. Losers measure their performance by how much they earn. Winners have a desire to be critiqued, observed, coached and at times disciplined, and they measure their performance by market share at the territory level.

When we're selling "in the heat of the battle," so-to-speak, it is simply impossible to take note of our technique, communication skills, methodology, selling tools utilization, etc. We need someone to "ride shotgun" from time to time, to ensure we're getting better at what we do.

Those organizations that regularly generate superior salespeople have sales managers that spend 70 to 80 percent of their time in the field and on the job with their sales reps in a coaching and training posture.

Frankly, if you're selling in the same way you did just 36 months ago, you're in trouble and you need to recognize and realize that, like our products, our customers', markets' and clients' needs have changed. We need to do so, as well, to continue our ability to compete.

Don Beveridge is president of Don Beveridge Jr. & Associates. He can be reached at (561) 793-4330.