Dave Cooke

I have long been a passionate proponent of commission only sales programs (including draw against commissions).  While revisiting the wide ranging reality of the sales professionals’ role and interactions with their organizations as they produce and help grow the business, I have had a significant change of heart.

The notion that most sales professionals are solely responsible for their growth efforts is, in many cases, outdated and misapplied.  In most businesses, the salesperson now relies on a team of resources to assist them with the client acquisition and management.  That they act in concert with the commitment, support, and dependence of a team does not make them solely responsible for, or deserving of, a compensation system that rewards merely one aspect of their role — results.

For the first time ever, there are as many as four different generations engaged in our workplace — Traditionalists, Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y (Millenials).  Besides the increased ethnic diversity of our global economy, our workforce is proliferated with an incredible mix of generational cultures, as well.  As effective communication is at the foundation of our relationship building behaviors, educating sales teams on the best approaches to connect with these various groups is not simply a one-style fits all solution.

When discussing the first phase of any relationship building activity, I encourage everyone to pay close attention to everything.  The old school methodology of mirroring or matching is antiquated, overused, over-applied, and known to all.  The worst thing you can do is begin to engage someone based on your mirroring and matching techniques.  First, it is rude.  Second, they have see that show before.  Finally, it is not genuine or authentic.

“I cannot figure out why they wouldn’t go with our program, when I know it will help them.”

What is obvious to you is not obvious to your client.  You cannot solve a problem for your clients until your client has discovered they have a problem or a need, first.

This is the failing of far too many sales professionals—pitching, presenting, or offering a program that their prospective clients do not believe or understand they need.  There have been a great deal of training programs that embrace the process of creating a need, even where there isn’t one – I am proudly not one of them.  I do not believe in creating a need, simply because I believe should be one.

I am a bigger...

As we all know, successful sales is a numbers game.  However, there is a significant difference between “smart metrics” and “busywork numbers.”   While there are many sales professionals who would aspire to defend the successes associated with “busywork numbers” the harsh reality is there is a difference between being hard work productive and intelligently successful.  Over the course of my career I have discovered that “busywork” calculations are driven by a series of laws of averages; and, relative to the law of averages, persistence will eventually deliver the result you desire.  Quite frankly, I have no time or energy for “eventually“.

My ability to be successful is dependent upon a process that works now.  And, the best way for me to be productive is to have great conversations that drive me to meet with more people and have more valuable conversations.  My prospecting time is precious.  I do...