It’s not that hard…

I had lunch with a friend of mine recently.  He is an amazing sales professional.  He’s a “hunter” – a rare breed in the sales profession these days and becoming rarer.  His track record is stellar.  He’s been the #1 sales rep for Workday’s FP&A product line seven years in a row.  Impressive! 

Though I’m retired from the hunt, he’s one of a handful of salespeople who schedule time with me periodically.  They realize it’s not that hard.  Whether in-person or Zoom, I’m pretty available.  The common thread across these encounters is they all know that I “know”.  It’s not that hard.  I know a hunter’s “nots”: 

• A hunter does not want to be managed
• A hunter does not want to be trained
• A hunter does not want to be called by junior/new/under-performing reps who want to “pick his/her brain”
• And perhaps most importantly, a hunter does not want to be left alone 

To be clear, these salespeople are all better in their jobs today than I could be.  Oh, I had my days back in the day.  But any records I held these hunters have all surpassed and then some.  Fortunately, I don’t have to be a better salesman to help them.  I mean, even Jack Nicklaus had golf instructors:

So, why do we meet?  It’s not that hard, really.  They’re good thinkers.  I’m a good listener.  They share thoughts on things on their mind.  I listen and when appropriate reflect their thinking back to them with perspective, context, a little experience, and a bit of wisdom added in.  I help them think through how they will balance their priorities of short-term, long-term, family, health, etc.  Everything but money – they already have that nailed. 

They might tell you that I’m coaching them or mentoring them.  I do share mistakes I’ve made in the hope that they might avoid same.  Yes, they can talk to their significant others, (about some topics, not about all) but the usual result is receiving pure love; without selling substance.  Some hunters mistakenly believe they should just rely on themself: 

Learn from the skillful: He that teaches himself hath a fool for his master. 

Benjamin Franklin 

At “the end of the day” (and I hate that cliché and all of the other cliches about “lone wolf” or “Type A personalities”) I think it comes back to successful salespeople don’t want to be left alone – on their own. 

It’s not that hard… or, is it? 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.