Those Who Can...
Sell Professionally

By Howard Stevens

A "classic" article from The Chally Group

I recently met a college professor at a dinner party who summed up in one sentence what I call the Great American Sales Myth. His comment? "Well, with most of my seniors who just scrape by...at least they can get a job in sales."

The dear professor has a bias, of course, but he was also clearly ignorant of some key facts. For example, salespeople -- professional salespeople -- have the highest average compensation level of all college graduates except licensed professionals (i.e., doctors, lawyers, etc.) even if they're not college graduates themselves. In addition, they live longer than almost all other occupations, are more likely to stay married, have fewer problems with alcohol and other drugs, and are even more likely to raise children free of delinquency, drugs, or emotional problems. Beyond those healthy statistics, they're more likely to be active in their communities, churches, and charitable activities. This is not a bad track record for all of us who..."at least could get a job in sales."

What the professor doesn't understand is that grades in school are inversely related to on-the-job success for our greatest leaders (military or political), our greatest entrepreneurs, and most of the world's best salespeople. These shakers and movers succeeded for one simple reason, they read people, not books; they "study" practical applications, not theory; and they don't have much brain space saved for abstract information for which they don't see a practical use.

Most people lucky enough to find sales did it in spite of public opinion, their mothers' hopes, and their school counselors' recommendations. Schools and colleges don't seem to believe in sales. Even business colleges are unlikely to offer a degree in sales. The fact is most Americans are afraid of sales and reflexively avoid "being sold." That's why public speaking is the number one fear and negotiation the weakest business skill in American society.

The reason, I believe, is simple. A person who chooses sales, even as a last resort, is making a tough decision to depend entirely on his/her own effort, pride, and willingness to practice long enough to succeed. It's tough not to be able to hide behind a corporate security blanket, make excuses, or blame the product, the boss, the company, or anybody else. When they choose sales, they accept the risk to their egos, some people's derision, and the fears of those not brave enough to stand up to that kind of heat.

But when they succeed--not just because they were smarter or luckier--the reward is twice as sweet. Successful salespeople develop the confidence of independence. They are their own bosses. They set their own goals. They claim their own rewards. They go to bed tired, but satisfied. They work hard when it's needed, but they're proud of it. And all because they learned, mostly on their own, the few key laws of successful sales.

At The H.R. Chally Group, we have researched successful and unsuccessful salespeople for twenty-one years. We have a database of nearly 200,000 salespeople whom we have tested and tracked. From this database, we can identify the six critical success factors that account for success in retail sales. Average salespeople have learned to apply two or three of these factors; good salespeople manage four or five; and the superstars excel at five or six. If you're doing well at sales, these factors will confirm your own instincts and maybe remind you of a point or two you could polish. If you are still building your sales success, you might find these a useful "trip tic" to get to your goals.

 
Rule 1: Identify What Kind of Salesperson You Are

Sales is a skill (i.e., based on both talent and practice). Like all skilled professions, from sports to medicine, there are distinct positions within the profession, and their skills are different. Allow me to use a sport analogy: baseball.

In baseball, at the most amateur level, say little league, only one or two criteria identify the kids who get picked for the team. If a child has coordination and isn't afraid of the ball, he/she will make it. At the next higher level, say high school orscollege, we tighten down the standards and select based on the traditional skills of baseball: running, throwing, catching (or fielding), and batting. Any athlete good enough in these skills will make the team. The best overall athletes will play several positions. At the professional level, however, these general skills confuse more than help because what a good pitcher has to do is so different from a shortstop that the positions aren't even interchangeable. In fact, a player who does both equally well is called a utility player, and you can't win the pennant with a team full of utility players.

The same is true in sales. Retail sales, in particular, has at least three different "positions": Closers, Consultants, and long-term Relationship builders.

Closers excel at finding new opportunities and closing the first transactions. They tend to focus on new products or concepts, present themselves as specialists, and are the first to establish these new products or services in the marketplace. Once a new product is established, they'll usually move on to the next product or service. As a result, only a few successful retail salespeople operate as new product "closers."

Consultants tend to focus on strategies to put together a full sales plan, often as advisors. They charge appropriately for their service but don't go back to the same customer until a major change in status requires a new plan for a customer with complex, if not sophisticated, needs. They position themselves as broader than just offering a product line and prefer to maintain expertise in the total circumstance of customers. They build functional relationships with their customers, and may not even socialize with customers unless they have a business reason.

Relationship builders are primarily continuous care givers (like family physicians) who build a permanent book of long-term customers and provide ongoing services in a variety of general categories at regular intervals, i.e., car needs may change every two to three years, as will special "add-ons," as a customer's personal needs increase, etc. They do focus on the personal needs of their customers and often know them socially, considering themselves as a long-term friend, as well as advisor. The important issue is that good closers fail if they are required to maintain and service long-term relationships. Making dynamic and persuasive presentations on new or "break-through" ideas are their key skills. The patient, consistent follow-up detail and discipline don't fit their style.

Good relationship salespeople will also fail if they have to depend on "pushing" certain products. Many even feel it's unethical or at least too self-serving to push any particular product or service. Their skills are the disciplined follow-up and management of detail critical to retaining long-term relationships.

We've listed below the common traits of each sales type. You'll probably recognize people you know in each group. Their success is based on how closely they focus on their skills . . . their lack of success is also explained by the "wasted" or misdirected effort of focusing outside of their primary skill area. In short, top salespeople know who they are. While it took some time during the early stages of their careers, they've learned to gravitate and focus, often exclusively on their own niche and strengths. They avoid the rest as unproductive.

SALES TYPE
SUMMARY

Rule 2:  Segment the Type(s) of Customers You Are Best Suited to Service and Target Them

Customers are not all alike. This statement sounds obvious, but most naive or failing salespeople tend to treat customers as if they are all alike, or they classify customers on trivial issues.

Top salespeople classify customers on just two basic dimensions:

1. How much detail and complexity they want to handle on their own, and

2. How much they want to understand and make the "technical" decisions on their own.

The type of sales approach best suited to a customer depends on the answers to these two questions.

"Hi-Touch" to Reduce Complexity

Customers who don't want to struggle with all the complexity and details need a lot of hand-holding to guide them completely through the purchase decision. Top salespeople call this "Hi-Touch" selling.

"Hi-Tech" to Clarify Technical Issues

Customers who want to make quality decisions but don't have the time or interest to teach themselves the technical aspects will need technical help, explanations, examples, etc. Top salespeople call this "Hi-Tech" selling.

To Part 2