Salesmanship

Bob Zagami

                   
The first myth in sales was actually penned about 224 years ago, even if we didn't have sales people, as we know them today.

Yes, it's right there in the second paragraph of our nation's beloved Declaration of Independence. Maybe it's been a few years since you've read the noble words written by John Hancock and representatives of the original thirteen United States at the Second Continental Congress.

It goes something like this: All men are created equal.

Of course that would be re-written to read All people are created equal if it were printed in the new millennium.

But is that really true? Especially when it comes to sales and the sales people who we recruit, interview, hire, fire, promote, demote and sometimes want to inflict mental and physical punishment on when they do not produce in a manner reflective of their full capabilities.

Anybody who has had the incredible responsibility of managing a sales team knows exactly what I'm talking about. Hopefully, every sales rep reading this knows exactly whom I'm talking about.

Nothing is more frustrating in the sales game than to have people that do not, or will not, work to capacity. Nothing is more frustrating than calculating the results after hours, days, months or years of sales training and finding out that you haven't improved at all.

History shows our failings at the selling game.

So who do we blame and how do we change?

Who will step up and take responsibility for our shortfalls in the past and our success or failure in the future?

If you are a long time reader of this column that first appeared in October 1997 you already know that I place most of the responsibility on the individual -- the salesman or saleswoman. The mirror should never be far away -- it provides a daily dose of reality and perspective.

Unfortunately, many people who look in the mirror are blinded by the image in the glass and can't see what is inside the head of the person they are looking at.

You're probably wondering what all of this has to do with time? Actually, quite a bit.

Let's go back to the Declaration of Independence and that great sales line: All men are created equal.

Ok, let's see just how equal we really are.

Better yet, let's see just how unequal we are. Everyone has vastly different social backgrounds affected by heredity and environment. Everyone has dramatically different potential and capabilities. Some people have physical imperfections, varied educational opportunities and individual achievements or disappointments. Therefore, we can conclude that we are actually unequal, not equal at all.

Oh yes, we were supposed to be talking about time.

What's so special about time? Everything. Especially when it comes to sales people.

You see, this is the one place that we in fact are all created equal. We all have 24 hours in a day, every day. You have 24 hours at your disposal. Time is the common denominator of all sales people: young or old; male or female; black or white; experienced or inexperienced; well managed or not managed at all. We all have the same 24 hours to do something and we have the responsibility to determine for ourselves, just what we are going to do in the next 24 hours of our life.

Let's extend the numbers and face the reality of time.

There are 24 hours each day and 365 days each year. That gives us 8,760 hours in a year.

Let's say that you want to earn $100,000 this year. Believe it or not, most sales people do not earn $100,000 per year. There are a lot of sales people out there, selling everything and anything you can imagine. You happen to sell RVs -- but selling is selling, and time is time.

Oh yes, almost forgot about those 8,760 hours.

Let's see now -- we probably have two days off each of the 52 weeks in a year. Two days, 48 hours and 52 weeks -- that's 2,496 hours.

Now we only have 6,264 hours left to sell something!

Most people get sick every now and then, and probably average five days per year. Five days, 24 hours -- that's 120 hours.

We are now down to 6,144 hours left to sell something!

Everybody needs some time to relax -- they call it vacation. Let's say you get three weeks each year. Three weeks, 21 days, 24 hours each day -- that's 504 hours.

That brings us down to 5,640 hours left to sell something!

Guess what, we started the year with 365 days and we are now down to 235 so-called "working" days. You see, we still haven't stepped foot into our working environment.

We are in sales, so that means we spend a considerable amount of time in sales training sessions, sales meetings, industry trade shows and manufacturer sponsored events. For this example, let's say that equates to another three weeks each year.

Three weeks, 21 days, 24 hours each day -- that's another 504 hours.

We are now down to 5,136 hours and 214 selling days.

Now we can start to think about working, and working equates to sales -- we hope!

Right away we lose 3,424 hours if we only work 8 hours per day (1/3 of a 24-hour day.) That means we have just 1,712 selling hours each year.

You want to make $100,000 this year and you only have 1,712 hours to work.

That's $ 58.41 per hour - $ 467.28 per day and $2,336.40 per week.

Think we are all equal now?

How are you going to spend your time next week?

Unfortunately, we are not done with the financial exercise just yet.

History, and our own work experience, tells us that we seldom work 8 full hours in a direct face-to-face sales opportunity. In fact, many studies that analyze the average American salesman's selling day show that we spend only 1/3 of our time, face-to-face, in a sales opportunity.

Let's do the calculations again, reflecting our real-world environment -- 1/3 of 1,712 hours equates to 571 "selling" hours.

Now you want to make $100,000 this year and you only have 571 hours to work.

That's $ 175.13 per hour if you choose to work only 571 hours.

Think we are all equal now?

Guess what -- we are not, and that is great news for those of you who are still reading.

You see, your success or failure is easy to calculate. Work the numbers. See how many hours you are actually working.

Look around you. What percentage of time do the sales people you work with actually spend face-to-face with prospects?

What daily activities take this precious time away from your selling activities? Now is the time to be honest with yourself -- it's all for your benefit. No one is perfect. We all waste some time. The successful people just waste less time than the unsuccessful people do.

How do you rate (poor, fair, good or excellent) when it comes to reporting to work? Putting in a full day? Working extra hours, if required? Prospecting? Personal sales development? You get the idea.

Do the successful sales people at your dealership work longer hours than you? Do they work smarter than you do? Do they plan their sales day more efficiently than you do?

Obviously, we are not all created equal.

The good news is that you are the person who decides how you are going to spend your time.

After reading this, let's hope you spend more of that time analyzing your time -- how much is your time really worth? If you didn't know before reading this, it may now be time to do a personal calculation and make the necessary adjustments that will allow you to reach your goal.

You do have a goal, don't you?

Good luck and good selling.

RVN