Career Advice ~ The five strategies for success

A veteran salesperson once told me that when he started his career, his sales manager gave him advice that he has lived by:

• Work for a leader.

• Tell the truth.

• Get them to like you.

These are simple truths that make sense. No matter what stage you are at in your career, whether you are just beginning or are a veteran, it pays to think about your career direction and goals. If you don’t do it, who will? If you don’t do it, how will you know what you want and get it?

In an interview on “Inside the Actors Studio,” Stockard Channing said that on five occasions she had accepted movies solely for the money, and they turned out to be bad movies. She quoted someone who said there are three reasons to take a job: to make money, to advance your career, or to learn something. “Go for at least two” was the advice she said was worth following.

Kathy Egan is vice president of sales at Olympic Management, a hotel property management company located in Buffalo that is just completing four record-setting quarters at a time when many others aren’t meeting last year’s numbers. She has five strategies for success that she shared with me:

• Develop relationships. Kathy advises her salespeople to really get to know people: “Close your laptop, stand up, and go meet people.” She believes that establishing a relationship with a potential client gives a salesperson a big advantage over someone who wants to sell the client something without first establishing that relationship. Besides, she notes, “It’s a lot harder to say no to someone face to face!”

• Personalize the relationship. Kathy also believes that “the more people tech up, the more important it is to personalize the customer relationship, whether it’s through a handshake or a handwritten note.” Kathy doesn’t send form letters; she doesn’t think people like receiving them or that they keep them. If someone is a past customer, she sees it as a no-brainer to send a note.

• Stay in touch with customers. Kathy’s group writes a little note to those people who are not booked at the beginning of the year: “We noticed that you haven’t rebooked. The dates are still available, so give us a call when you’re ready.” She says they’ll save the note, though they won’t save a form letter. “I’m not talking about cold calling. What I’m referring to is contacting people who’ve either been referred to us or who’ve done business with us.”

• Look for opportunities, even in adversity. When businesspeople cut back travel, Kathy had a focused effort to contact meeting planners to let them know about her nearby property. As a result, her property generated an extra $100,000 in bookings at a time when business was down for most. Her group tries many different tactics and then zooms in on what works. If an industry segment is picking up, they ask existing customers, “Whom should we be calling on?”

• Put your time to good use. Kathy believes that her salespeople shouldn’t waste time going after “little fish” when they could be using that time to go after the big ones. She also believes that if the customer doesn’t respond after repeated attempts, it’s time to move on. “Some people have a hard time letting go. There’s a value on your time. The time a salesperson invests should be at least equal to the return he or she can expect.” See people face to face.

Salespeople can’t afford to be busy but not productive. Kathy notes, “It’s easy to get caught up in the wrong things.” Many salespeople say that theirs is a relationship business. The earlier you develop those relationships and the more you nurture them, the stronger the relationships will be, and the more they will result in business. Positive relationships can lead to impressive results.