Not all successful salespeople make good sales mentors. PHOTO | FILE 
The novice salesperson would rather ‘die
with her problems’ than ask for help. In fact, this in itself is a
significant reason why sales turnover remains on an all-time high. This
is the general trend it takes. The novice salesperson is taken through
the product knowledge and sometimes even sales training. With her
engines revving, the eager beaver takes to the field like a coiled
spring unleashed. And the field, as it does with every novice, responds
in unyielding fashion.
The heat of rejection burns
down on the salesperson and the roaring engine subsides to a mere meow,
and then, silence. The beaten salesperson at this juncture is looking
for the exit signs. And her dwindling poor performance accelerates this.
Now she firmly believes all the harsh things she’d been told about
selling and why she shouldn’t.
Meantime, she silently
wonders how others in her team are selling, seemingly effortlessly. But
she doesn’t ask for help. There are reasons why this happens.
First,
selling can be lonely. Sales hunting is not done in packs. In fact,
most successful sales people tend to be loners. They feel taking on a
novice will slow them down and so they abrasively demonstrate it and the
green horn, feeling rejected, shies away. Next, the very nature of
sales is competitive; competition is bolstered to set apart not pull
together. But the number one reason, in my view, why salespeople rarely
ask for help is this: they do not want to be seen as foolish. Let’s look
at each of these with possible solutions.
Assisting in
overcoming internal rejection is the sales manager’s job. The new
recruit needs to be cushioned for a while before being let out into the
wild. In some cases this could take as many as three months. Like a new
born, this incubation period is intended to build the novice’s (sales)
immune system. During this period the manager assigns the ‘infant’
salesperson to a mature one, and monitors the infant’s growth for
compatibility. Yes. Not all successful salespeople make good sales
mentors. If the chemistry is not right, then the manager re-assigns the
new recruit to another salesperson. He may also decide to take the new
recruit under his wing instead of re-assigning her. Even after a
successful incubation period, intermittently taking the pulse of the
progress of the new recruit through observations; randomly accompanying
her on field visits; and, engaging other salespeople for feedback, is
important in helping the novice seller develop her own roots.
Instead
of using compensation to set the salespeople apart, a company
undergoing restructure opted to use compensation to grow the sales team
differently. Compensation was pegged on the improvement of the assigned
apprentice. The results were incredible. The novices sold more in three
months than any other novice sales people had in that company’s history.
In fact, retrenchment was replaced with retention. Contrary to popular
belief, sales compensation need not always be used to ignite
competition; it can also be used to fire up cooperation.
All
the foregoing, however, can go down the drain if the salesperson
believes asking for help is taboo. Selling goes against the societal
grain. But here’s the thing: the problems you are facing are not unique
to you. All salespeople, even the ones you admire are going, or have
gone through them. Be the one to break the limiting belief that ‘I
don’t want to be seen as foolish or bothersome’. Kuuliza si ujinga
(Asking for assistance does not make you stupid) Reach out. Ask of your
manager and ask of your team members and ask in online sales community
forums too.
The high pressure environment of sales will most likely
see you rejected if you make meek attempts; but, every strong attempt
will be rewarded, I promise you. And why? Because it shows you possess
an indispensable quality for successful selling: persistence.
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