Table of Contents
| Acknowledgements | |
| Ch. 1 | The Wizard's Instructions | 1 |
| Ch. 2 | The Great Sales Myths | 20 |
| Ch. 3 | Strengths: A Capacity for Near-Perfect Performance | 46 |
| Ch. 4 | StrengthsFinder | 65 |
| Ch. 5 | From Strengths to Fit | 78 |
| Ch. 6 | The Five Dimensions of Fit | 90 |
| Ch. 7 | The Manager Effect | 112 |
| Ch. 8 | Building Customer Engagement | 140 |
| Ch. 9 | So, You Want to Be a Sales Manager | 157 |
| Ch. 10 | Advice from the World's Best Sales Managers | 172 |
| App | The Thirty-Four Themes of StrengthsFinder | 189 |
Read a Sample Chapter
Discover Your Sales Strengths
By Benson Smith and Tony Rutigliano Warner Books
Copyright © 2003 The Gallup Organization
All right reserved. ISBN: 0-446-53047-6
Chapter One
The Wizard's Instructions There are no jobs with a future, only people with a future.
A few years ago we were making our way down Bourbon Street in the New Orleans French Quarter. We had finished our meetings for the day and were in search of a cold beverage. It was late afternoon, and the street was already filling up with visitors. As we stopped at a corner, two boys about ten years of age came up and began studying our shoes intently. Just as we started to move along, one of the boys held out his hand and said, "Wait-I bet you a dollar I can tell you where you got them shoes."
We thought there was no real chance he could do this since we were from out of town. It would be a million-to- one shot for him to guess where we had bought our shoes, and even greater odds to guess for both of us because we were from different cities. "Are you going to tell us just the city or the store name?" we asked. He stared a bit more at our shoes and held out his own bet to his friend (more like his accomplice), who had some-how become the official money holder for this wager. He said, "I will tell you exactly, and I mean exactly, where you got them." With that, we both handed over our dollars.
After a few seconds the boy looked up at us and said, "Now, remember, I didn't say I was gonna tell you where you bought those shoes. I said I was gonna tell you exactly where you got 'em. Right now, you got your shoes on your feet on Bourbon Street."
With that, they both turned and ran down the street with our money. It wasn't until that moment-as our eyes were following them through the crowd-that we saw the wizard. He was heading our way down Bourbon Street. He was easy to spot. Dressed in a flowing purple costume with a peaked, purple wizard hat, he pulled a wishing well behind him. Even in the French Quarter, he looked a little bizarre. As he drew closer, we could see a sign on his well that read WISHES OF ALL KINDS GRANTED.
Perhaps we had our own signs painted on our foreheads that said TOURISTS: EASY MARKS, because he stopped right next to us. Intrigued by his appearance, we asked what the going rate for a wish was these days. He eyed us up and down and, taking in our suits, asked, "Is this a business wish or a personal wish?" "Business," we replied. "Well," he said, "those are a bit more complicated. Personal wishes are only a dollar, but business wishes are three dollars. Of course, with a business wish, you get a lot more for your money!"
Sure you do, we thought, but what the heck, this still had to be a better deal than spending a dollar each just to be told our shoes were on our feet, so we handed over three dollars. At that point he looked at us and said, "That's three dollars apiece." So, we coughed up another three dollars, and the wizard went to work.
He began waving his hands slowly in the air and speaking in a raspy wizard's voice. He instructed us to imagine clearly the wishes we had in mind. Then he asked us to visualize what would happen when our wishes were fulfilled. As we concentrated on this, he continued his incantation.
When he was satisfied we had clearly visualized our wishes, he said, "Now, think of all the gifts you have. Think about your physical gifts, your mental gifts, and your spiritual gifts. Think about all the different abilities and capabilities you have." He let us think for a moment as he continued his spell. Then, after a moment, he asked if we had those gifts clearly in mind. We both answered yes. He continued, "Think especially of those gifts and capabilities that would be useful in making your wish come true." And so we thought about which of our strengths might help us, and exactly how we would use them.
By this time a small crowd had gathered. This inspired the wizard to become even more dramatic. His demeanor became more mystical, his arm-waving more pronounced, and his voice even raspier. For six bucks we had our own Harry Potter Wizard on Bourbon Street. Then he said, "Now, I want you to think of all the people who might be able to help you make your wish come true. Not only people you know, but people you might meet who could help you. Think about what you would ask them to do and why they might want to help you." So, we thought of all the people who might help us to make our wishes come true.
While we were thinking about this, he threw flash paper into the air, which burst into flames. (Flambe of all kinds is popular in New Orleans.) The crowd was spellbound. Then, he asked us to close our eyes and think of the very first thing we could do to make our wishes come true. As we did this, he handed each of us a small card. "When you have the first step clearly in mind," he said, "open your eyes and read the card." In a few minutes we opened our eyes. The wizard was already on his way with his wishing well in tow. The crowd had dissipated except for a few stragglers curious about what the cards said. We read the cards, looked at each other, and nodded our heads in agreement.
Many Wizards
Take away the flash paper, the purple costume, the raspy voice, and what do you have? Well, for one thing, you have a funny-looking man with a wishing well and six dollars of our money! Is this wizard's advice any good, or is it as worthless as being told your shoes are on your own feet? We were more than a little skeptical because over the years we have run into many self-proclaimed wizards, especially when it comes to advice about improved sales performance, a subject of keen interest to us. More than forty years ago, our researchers became curious about why some people perform their roles so much better than others do. What was different about the very best teachers, managers, or leaders? Although we were interested in all these professions, and eventually studied them, we began our research into job performance by studying sales. This is because, of all careers, sales has the most quantifiable results-ultimately, the numbers tell the most important story of sales performance. Gallup focused primarily on salespeople who were consistently in the top 25 percent of their companies' sales forces. We found that the best performers sold four to ten times as much as average performers. These performers were not just incrementally better ... they were a lot better. Customers not only bought more from them, but those same customers did it again and again. These top salespeople produced business with better margins. They tended to stay at their respective companies longer and developed more loyal relationships with their customers. We wanted to know what, if anything, is so special about such performers and why they are able to achieve so much more than their average counterparts.
Over the years we have interviewed more than 250,000 salespeople, more than one million customers, and 80,000 managers. This research produced some surprising conclusions-conclusions that refute many popularly held conceptions about sales excellence.
Dead Wrong
Yes, many "wizards" have written about exceptional sales performance. These books are sometimes big sellers. Just like the newest diet books, they promise spectacular results. But lasting improvement from either kind of book is hard to find. The dieter may lose a few pounds only to see the weight return weeks later. A salesperson may read a new book and her sales may take an upward bounce, but usually her performance quickly falls back to prior levels.
Why this consistent lack of success? Our research indicates that much of what has been written and taught about sales excellence has little to do with what really matters. All too many managers, authors, and wizards are dead wrong about what it takes to be a great sales performer.
Put bluntly, we see a number of myths about sales performance pop up again and again. Unfortunately, these misconceptions have guided the sales management practices of too many companies, inadvertently hindering the productivity of their own salespeople. Throughout the pages of this book we will identify these myths and explain how they can impede your performance. We will also show you the compelling picture of sales success that emerges from more than a quarter of a million interviews and decades of research.
One of these myths is that anyone can sell as long as he has enough desire and training. Recently we worked with the manager of a regional mortgage brokerage company. Frank had been in sales management for many years and believed that as long as someone could walk and talk and had enough desire, he could teach that person to sell. As you might guess, quite a few applicants who came through his door met these criteria.
So he hired them. And he trained them. And more than 85 percent failed in the first year. Frank's explanation for those who failed was that they just did not have enough desire to succeed.
We came to a different conclusion. The idea that anyone can sell is nonsense. Sales simply is not for everyone because consistent success in a sales career requires the presence of certain talents. In the course of our work we have studied sales forces for some of the best companies, companies that have carefully recruited and selected their representatives. Even in the best companies, we found that 35 percent of the sales force did not have the talents necessary to achieve acceptable results predictably. This rather considerable group-one of every three salespeople out there-is consistently in the bottom half of the performance curve.
Compounding this problem is the tendency among many companies to develop and enforce policies designed for these poor producers rather than establish cultures and practices that support great performers. These policies do little to help poor performers get better and sometimes even drive away the best producers. Having put the wrong people in the wrong jobs, many companies waste enormous resources trying to post-pone their inevitable failure.
In Frank's case the numbers were even worse than our average. Over two-thirds of the people he hired lacked the talents we see in top performers. He spent much of his time and resources trying to prop up poor performers. Yet to this day, Frank still believes that anyone can sell, and this tenet keeps him from recognizing the rarity of the abilities that his best salespeople possess. Because he fails to recognize the special nature of his top performers, he approaches salary negotiations, territory assignments, and even his own supervisory techniques and practices in a less than optimal fashion. Myths have a way of enduring that defies reason and data.
In our research we have not found any magic sales dust to sprinkle on poor performers to turn them around. Poor performers seem to be immune to both carrots and sticks. On the other hand, this book can show those who do have the potential to be great sales performers how to identify and unleash their potential. The recommendations you'll find in Discover Your Sales Strengths are about turning good sales performers into great ones, and helping great performers understand how to stay on top.
Why do we focus on great performers? Isn't it good enough just to be good? Not anymore, and not as we look into the future. Maintaining a successful career over forty years is no easy task.
Even great performers may let their performance slip over time. The results can be an unpleasant midlife employment crisis and a scramble in the last twenty years of a career. Look around your own company. How many senior representatives do you find leaving for a comfortable retirement after a sustained successful career? They are few and far between in most companies. It makes you wonder if this performance slide is inevitable. Do we just get tired of doing the same thing year after year?
Evelyn is a sixty-four-year-old pharmaceutical sales representative. She has been in the same territory for the past twenty-five years. Her biggest fear is not old age, but retirement. This is not because of any financial concerns since she has more than enough money to live out her days in a comfortable style. She can't stand the thought of retiring because she loves what she does every day. "I will miss this job so much," she told us. Our research has helped us understand why some people never seem to burn out, continuing year after year with renewed enthusiasm and exceptional results. Even in the short term we found a big difference between the results of great sales performers and the results of those who are merely good. For example, in a study Gallup completed with a group of sales agents, the average agents sold $2 million to $4 million in new business annually, but the exceptional agents sold in excess of $40 million. Great performance isn't merely twice as good as good; it's exponentially better.
These differences go far beyond higher sales and even higher profitability. They also include greater job satisfaction and a true sense of engagement in work. In fact, it's this engagement that produces these exceptional results and directly contributes to building and retaining a core of loyal customers. Our research indicates that the happier you feel about your performance and the greater your satisfaction in your sales role, the more your customers want to buy from you. Salespeople who are merely good may generate acceptable results, but they are less likely to create customer loyalty, and they hardly ever feel the same way about their jobs as Evelyn does. This book is about becoming engaged in your work. How can you accomplish this? We have found three key points: (1) discover your strengths, (2) find the right fit, and (3) work for the right manager. Let's briefly introduce these concepts.
Discover Your Strengths
The power of knowing your strengths is obvious to some, but the majority of us fail to give this important matter any real thought. In fact, a majority of the people we talked to had limited knowledge of their talents, their innate potential for strength. Trying to build a successful career without this powerful, important information is like trying to drive down a highway with a foggy windshield. If we're lucky, we will avoid a head-on collision, but we will most likely miss the important signs that tell us when we need to stop, turn, or yield. Why is it so hard to see our strengths clearly? Strengths, those capabilities that enable us to perform well in various parts of our lives, spring from recurring patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior that occur spontaneously and become unique parts of our personality as we mature into adults. Since these patterns are such an intrinsic part of us, as natural as breathing, we can take them for granted. People who meet others easily see nothing special about this gift.
Continues...
Excerpted from Discover Your Sales Strengths by Benson Smith and Tony Rutigliano Copyright © 2003 by The Gallup Organization. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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