Frank Hurtte

The history of mankind is populated with roadside revelations. Moses had one on the road from Midian, Paul had one just outside Damascus and Caesar had his marching the Apian Way. Clearly there is something mystical about the lonesome solitude of journey that drives unfocused thought. According to Yale Computer Scientist and Philosopher David Gelernter, unfocused thought leads to new discovery. I had my own road-side revelation on I-35 just south of Des Moines. And by now many of you are wondering. What does this have to do with sales? Let me explain.

It was a fiery cold winter day during January of 1982. I had just spent the better part of the day outside in the biting cold helping an electrician apply a hundred dollar electric pressure switch. And, even though this guy would never be anything but a small potatoes customer, I enjoyed a warm fuzzy feeling as I pulled out of that ice covered gravel drive-way. But midway home, I stopped at a drive-up phone booth (...

Have you tried to call the office of some of your suppliers
lately? A few weeks ago we were asked to do a mini-research project for a
major distributor. We phoned the local sales offices of their major suppliers.
We got all varieties of automated voicemails systems and forwards to other
offices. What we didn’t get were real live people answering the phone. When
we left detailed messages (we were following up on real problems), we typically
got calls back three, four or a week and a half later. This doesn’t bode well
for supporting the front line sales efforts of distributors.

In some industries it’s getting darn difficult to keep track
of the players. Downsizing, right sizing, whatever you call it – distributors
are reporting major changes in the sales teams who support their efforts. If
the manufacturer had 5 guys in an office serving the market, today there are
three people working out of their...

Call me weird, sick, strange and demented, but I am perhaps the sole person on the planet that finds good in a recession. No, regardless of what you're thinking, I'm not some Hannibal Lector-type psychopath scribbling this from the comfort and security of my parent's basement. And, make no mistake, I really do hate the human pain and suffering that comes along with the whole process.

But still, I like a good recession. Before you toss this page aside and chalk up another one for the loony farm, let me tell you exactly why I like this little phenomenon.

I am a consultant to wholesale distributors. These are the very guys who supply everything from industrial automation to horticulture products. When you hear the American axiom, "Eliminate the middle man and save," these are the very guys—the middle men. And their demise has been predicted since Eisenhower sped down the first interstate.

During the internet boom days of the 1990's, the word...

Anecdotal evidence pouring in from all over distributor-land points toward a growing trend to re-evaluate sales leadership. The reasons for this are varied and complex - the result of a cost cutting measure, because things “just weren’t working out” or some miscellaneous realignment. Suffice to say, a whole bunch of people are realizing their greatest dream or suffering through their worst nightmare. They’re out in front; their sabers drawn; it’s the charge of the sales light brigade. But somehow in the distance, the crush of omnipresent recession looms heavy.

The rules of battle have changed. We need to do something different, but what? If you are a new sales manager, take heed. Once you understand the game, it is possible to lead a successful sales team through this economy and ever onward.

For the next eight minutes, let’s explore five steps to driving a winning sales effort.