David Brock wrote an excellent post this past week that inspired me to write this. He touched on the frustrating fact that despite all the good sales advice and methodologies that are available and have been for many years, an alarming percentage of salespeople still use approaches that are frankly terrible! Something I’ve pondered for a while is “why?”. While we could surely come up with many reasons, I’ve boiled them down to two fundamental shortcomings: Ignorance and Ineptitude. That may sound harsh, but sometimes the truth is hard to swallow. I base my conclusion on over thirty years working with and leading sales teams. And yes, I can see in retrospect that as a sales leader I was guilty of allowing these two traits to fester with some members of my teams.
Let’s start with ignorance. Some just don’t know any better. They don’t know the difference between effective and ineffective sales approaches; not even aware that there are solid fundamentals that, no matter which methodology one chooses, have been around for decades (not much is really new). They think they are doing things the right way. They’ve never been taught or, worse yet, they’ve worked for some time in an environment where poor approaches have been tolerated or even encouraged by clueless sales leaders. These folks can be taught IF they’re open to change AND they’re capable. Once they learn a better approach, they must stay current with the latest enhancements to these fundamentals. I’m amazed at the number of salespeople (and sales managers) who don’t read about their profession. Many seem to either think they already know it all or they don’t think they have time for reading. They’d rather stay in their cocoon of the “unconscious incompetence” developmental quadrant than invest in learning on their own time. Some of these folks simply aren’t committed to professional excellence. They aren’t willing to spend the extra time to learn and improve. They see selling as a job, not a profession (although they may be quick to call themselves “sales professionals”). Others may think they’re “too busy” to make learning and development a priority. Unfortunately they’re often “too busy” doing the wrong things!
Now let’s shift to the topic of ineptitude. Effective selling requires a combination of inherent attributes, acquired skills and the right attitude. It’s tough to succeed without attributes like curiosity, empathy, persistence, problem solving skills, interpersonal skills and so on. Necessary acquired skills include sales specific skills like probing, qualifying, presenting, handling resistance, facilitating the buying process, etc. Strong verbal and written communication skills are also important. And of course a positive attitude and mental toughness are critical. Some can be taught. Some will never get it.
So if you’re a sales leader, the question is “What can we do about it?”.
First, I urge you to make an honest assessment of yourself. Do you set a good example? Do you work with purpose to be the best you can be? Do you read? Do you foster a learning and improvement culture? In addition to training, do you encourage, better yet require, your salespeople to read about their profession; to continuously strive to improve? There are so many great books, blogs and articles available. There are too many excellent authors to list them all, but here is a sampling: David Brock, Mike Weinberg, Anthony Iannarino, Mark Hunter, Jill Konrath, Trish Bertuzzi, Leanne Hoagland-Smith, Kelly Riggs, Bob Apollo, James Muir, Colleen Stanley; the list goes on (apologies to those I have surely omitted). In this age of digital connectivity and social media, there really is no excuse for not keeping up with the best advice for improving our games. Be aware though, that none of these authors are quick fix “tips, tricks and techniques” charlatans who promise secret closing techniques and other nonsense.
Then, take an honest assessment of all your team members. Do they possess the skills, knowledge and abilities to succeed? Or are you allowing mediocrity, maybe even poor performance, to linger? These assessments can be tough. We may have to face the hard truth that some on our team just don’t possess the basic attributes for success in a sales role; things like verbal skills, writing skills, active and empathic listening skills, and frankly, the basic thinking and analytical skills required in a complex role (i.e. mental capacity for the job). Others may lack the requisite sales skills. They need training (and ongoing reinforcement). And others may have a poor attitude or lack confidence. It’s our job to figure all this out and correct it or at least start on the road to improvement. A difficult but important distinction is determining who can be taught and who just isn’t capable. Sometimes it means making difficult choices like moving someone to a position for which their skills and abilities are a better fit. Still others need to go, especially those with a poor attitude that won’t change. And don’t exacerbate the issue by hiring the wrong people. Use interviews and assessments to dig into whether the candidate has the requisite attributes, skills and attitudes. While experience can be beneficial, sometimes it is actually an impediment. For example, picture the “experienced” salesperson, maybe a so-called rock star at another company, with the trumped up resume and prima donna attitude.
Like most things in sales or any other profession, ignorance and ineptitude are ultimately a leadership issue. As sales leaders it is up to us to set the tone and expect continuous improvement of our teams and ourselves. After all, we call ourselves professionals, don’t we? Any real professional no matter what the field of endeavor reads, learns and practices to be the best they can be. The good news is there’s no better time than now to start and take action!
