I thought I had it today. I was all prepared for today’s blog and then on the way home something happened that made me change courses. I am going to try to address both issues tonight. Lets start with what happened on my way home. My loving wife called me and asked me to pick up some milk at this high end grocery store known for outstanding customer service.

Not uncommon when I arrived at the store my wife called again and asked me to also bring home this special kind of band-aid for blisters. I went over to the medical counter and there were tons of band-aids. Well with my old man eyes I enlisted the help of these two bag boys that were nearby and asked for help. With my wife on the phone helping to describe the special band-aids the two young men were unbelievably helpful in our quest. We finally found the elusive product and I thanked the two young men very enthusiastically.

After I checked out I saw two women that looked like they were possibly management…I stopped, introduced myself and started to mention the two young men and their above average performance. As soon as I started to talk and mention these boys the lady cut me off, introduced herself as the customer service MANAGER and blurted out “were they acting weird to you”? I was taken back by her response and told her in no uncertain terms that it was not the case at all. Quite the contrary, I found them to be unusually helpful and tremendous ambassadors of their store. The manager’s face turned red and she realized the enormity of her mistake.

The reason this story is under the heading of “Management tips for beginners” is because she broke some of “The Specialist’s” basic fundamentals. 1st, she didn’t listen or even give me a chance to finish my sentence! 2nd, instead of thinking positive of these young men and catching them doing something right, she was all too anxious to TRY and catch them doing something wrong! Remember what “The Specialist” says… To be good in sales you HAVE to be a GOOD LISTENER! And by the way if you are in a leadership role you are selling. Not only yourself. but more importantly the goals you want your team to achieve. It is also a lot easier and a lot more effective to catch people doing things right so you can build their self esteem. It is a fact people perform better for you if you make them feel good about themselves. I will elaborate on this and many other management tips in future blogs.

Now, my good friend, Mr. Anonymous. I agree with part of your comment last night. However, you asked for my thoughts so I am going to tell you. Sometimes we forget our roots. No one just woke up one day and was a great professional salesperson. Never happened. We all learned from someone or many others. Yesterday’s blog in regards to budgeting your money in the sales industry was critical. One of the greatest tragedy’s in the sales industry is that literally thousands of people have gotten out of the industry because no one and I mean no one took the time to teach the hotshot new guy or gal how to prepare themselves for the slower times while their knowledge catches up to their work habits. Most people that have blown out of our great industry refer to sales as “Feast or Famine”. It doesn’t have to be that way. All I try to do is share my knowledge and experiences. Thanks for your comments. Keep them coming.

“The Specialist”

If you have a seasonal sales job obviously that is your peak time. What a professional salesperson would do is pay himself a salary doing this time prorated for his cost of living for the entire year.

Since it is his peak time of year all the extra money generated would be put in a savings account so he can write himself a check on a weekly basis during the off season.

Now to address the off season. If there is a season to sell one product there is also a season to sell another product. That means in addition to his check he is paying himself weekly from his good financial planning he can earn an additional income from his new seasonal job! Now of course that would actually take away the excuse that he is limited because his job is only seasonal!

What other industry would give you that kind of flexibility? The sales industry is unique in many ways. One in particular is that YOU and YOU alone control your future as I stated in yesterday’s blog. Once you have become a professional salesperson you figure these things out for yourself and you will conclude that in the sales profession there are no limitations.

I strongly believe that the sales profession is the only business in the world that will allow you the opportunity to withstand any kind of financial disaster and in no time completely recover and reach unparalleled heights!

In today’s society everyone has some sort of fixed income to adjust to, with the exception of the very rich and the very fortunate that have chosen sales as their chosen field of endeavor. The entire world’s economy revolves around sales. Technically speaking, it is the only profession in the world that every human has dabbled in one way or the other from trying to get a date and selling yourself or job interviews. You get the point. No matter your station in life, in sales any time you want to give yourself a pay-raise all you have to do is call on one or two more prospects. It is only known by an elite few that a professional salesperson is one of the most highly trained and sophisticated professionals in all the world! “The Specialist” will demonstrate to you over the next few months the depth of this statement.

After almost 39 years in the sales industry I find it rare to come across any professional that has more training in their field of endeavor. Besides the independence and self esteem one acquires in the sales industry the power one has when even if an “Enron” debacle happens a salesperson is the only professional that can rebound regardless of age! In most professions they are kicking you out the door at a certain age…In sales you and only you call the shots. Once you become a professional salesperson you will never have to look for a job. They will look for YOU! You will determine the hours you work! You will determine the amount of vacations you take! You will determine your future!

I could go on forever about the Pros of a sales career but I think it is the only profession in the world where all you do each day is go out and meet a lot of nice people from all walks of life and exchange ideas. What a blessing!

“The Specialist”