One of the most successful seminars I ever presented was “How to Protect the Bottom Line.” At this particular time in the history of our industry, the managers and salespeople were especially concerned about a prediction that the U.S. economy was poised for a correction. And to make matters worse, few of the U.S. salespeople had ever experienced a downturn. Residential construction had been booming for a number of years.
The salespeople’s immediate concern was how their performance-based compensation plan would be affected. Of course, it’s not unusual for commissioned salespeople to become concerned when they begin to calculate the effect a downturn is going to have on their take home pay.
I believe much of this kind of tension between management and salespeople can be avoided if everyone concentrates on the real enemy—the competition.
The marketing plan. After some discussion among the seminar attendees, it became obvious that every company represented at the seminar that day was in the same boat. While a written marketing plan is not as vital when home construction is at the peak, every company should put together a marketing plan when they can see rough seas up ahead.
I suggest to my clients they put their strengths and weaknesses in writing and establish a plan that allows their company to reach its objectives in both good years and bad.
I asked the attendees to jot down a half dozen benefits their company offers that their competitors do not. They struggled with this assignment. When salespeople struggle to name specific reasons a prospect should do business with them, I figure they are too dependent on the vitality of their current customer base.
Noticing how the salespeople in the room were struggling, I decided to take a different approach, this time asking them to imagine that they were suddenly working for the competition, and they were preparing for a sales call on one of their old customers. Can you name a half dozen reasons why this builder should switch his loyalty and do business with you?
This list represents your weaknesses, the chinks in your armor. Your marketing plan should also include how you are going to overcome these obstacles until such time that they are corrected.
The competition is the real enemy. No matter how much in-fighting occurs in your company, you can’t change that fact. Until everyone concentrates their energy and their attention on beating the competition, you’ll never capture an optimal level of market share.
Vital options. Are your salespeople happy with their work? Do they believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that they work for the best company and deliver the best service in your community? Are they motivated and competitive?
I read an alarming statistic recently that four out of five people in America are unhappy with what they do for a living. Seventy-eight percent of U.S. workers feel cynical about their work, resulting in low performance and morale, decreased productivity and shoddy goods and services.
It’s hard enough for salespeople to fight the competition every day when they are committed, but when they’re just going through the motions, they will fight like they know they are going to lose.
Sales is a profession that relies heavily on emotion to keep its professionals pumped. Don’t take a salesperson’s performance for granted. When they perform at a high level, let them know how much you share in their joy.
