3 Warning Signs To Look Out For From Senior Sales Ranks
One of my favorite Farrelly Brothers comedies of all time was a little movie by the name of KingPin. For those of you who are unfamiliar, it centered around a down and out loser by the name of Roy Munson. Back in his day, Roy was the top bowler in all of Iowa. Unfortunately he gets caught up in a scam to hustle a few local yahoos out of a few bucks, but the plan goes awry when the marks realize they've been hustled. The angry yahoos then decide to teach Roy a lesson by amputating his hand by forcing it into the ball return machine.
Roy stays out of bowling for years assuming he was finished since all he was left to work with was a hook due to his accident. Of course he finds a way to adapt and after 15 years of being out of competitive bowling he manages to qualify for the Reno open. Despite the odds, he goes on a Cinderella run where he meets his arch nemesis Ernie McCracken (who was responsible for the “accident”) in the final. Though all he had to work with was his prosthetic rubber hand, good ol' Roy Munson gave Ernie a run for his money. Though he loses in the end, he proves that desire and a willingness to adapt can produce a hugely positive result even with a few extra miles on the tires.
When I apply the Roy Munson lesson to the world of sales, I think can’t help but think of all of the old school reps I’ve dealt with during my career. Cutting my teeth over the years working in inside sales has provided me some unique perspective. Generally we end up touching every other department within the organization. From marketing to finance to sales operations to product management..and so on. But by far my favorite individual to work with is "the senior sales guy/gal". Everyone seems to have at least one of em' on their inside or outside team. They’re the types that seem to have inherited the attitude that certain things should be left up to others. Or that after the 15th time you've told them they need to get something done, it ACTUALLY starts to sink in that you really want them to do it.
Apparently they have achieved their imaginary status because they've brought in a few big deals in their day, or simply they have been in the sales game long enough that they feel their way gets it done. Well guess what, the best sales folks I've been around understand that adapting to your surroundings is a requirement...it ain't optional.
Here are the 3 warning signs to look out for within your veteran sales ranks:
1.) Not using your CRM technology - Since most senior reps are used to doing things their way, introducing a new technology to make their life easier seems to really throw them for a loop. Though spreadsheets are lovely, wouldn’t it make more sense to input your forecast numbers in the CRM your company has put a sizable investment in? I know some of us would prefer to avoid our sales managers from having real time access to our sales numbers, but guess what…they’re going to find out anyway.
2.) Lack of effort to chase opportunities - I know that every sales rep would prefer to be chasing down budgeted projects that are ready to close within a few months, but those of us living in reality know those situations are more the exception than the norm. Your best reps know that it isn’t time to give up just because they haven’t call you back after the 2 messages you’ve left for them. Put your precious ego down and find creative ways to get on their radar.
3.) Don't "play well" with other departments - The love affair between field sales rep, marketing and sales operations is awe inspiring. Kidding. For some reason some sales guys have difficulty taking input from other departments. From my experience marketing and sales operations do everything they can to HELP out the sales rep, not make their lives more difficult. Why can’t we all just get along?!?!
We’re all working toward a collective goal aren’t we? I know everyone gets comfortable with their own methods, but as Roy Munson demonstrated you have to adapt to the times and surroundings in order to be successful.