Ask any scientist and they will tell you that no other animal can outrun a Cheetah. But ask my 2 year old and she will tell you gerbils run the best. My older kids would be ok with never having another pet in the house but my 2 year old is firmly convinced that we need more critters around. One of her favorite trips is to the pet store to watch the Gerbils run. She enjoys watching them as they jump on their little Gerbil wheel and build up speed and go nowhere.
Ironically enough, as I talk to business owners and sales people I often find myself thinking about Gerbils and Cheetahs. Many of the salespeople I meet with and speak to are incredibly talented and hardworking, they are able to sell with the speed and grace that only a Cheetah can run with. Often times these incredibly talented salespeople are put into small cages by company owners. They are told that they may only sell specific solutions limited services and work from strictly enforced pricing guidelines. No matter how fast a Cheetah is, he will never get anywhere on a Gerbil wheel.
Sometimes the situation is reversed, I talk to owners who have created great opportunities, they have placed their salespeople in vast open vistas of opportunity filled with game and are now ready for the hunting to begin. Unfortunately, their salespeople make cute little squeaky noises and nibble on the nearby grass. No matter how great the opportunity no Gerbil will ever take down a Gazelle on the Savannah.
As you look at your sales force, the contrast may not be Gerbil versus Cheetah, but the people you have hired may not be fully suited to hunt the game you have provided. Our clients make sure that their people, their process and their products are all aligned. They plan, they measure and they take corrective action.
We are hired to facilitate the process.
Looking for help in getting your sales people running the right speed?
Contact Matt Nettleton, Sandler Training, DTB at matt.nettleton@sandler.com or 317-678-8800