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Rick Roberge

Numbers, Baseball and My Kind of Selling

This entry was posted on 11/25/2007 7:11 AM and is filed under uncategorized.

Let's get right to it without missing a beat.

If you haven't already read Dave Kurlan's post about the ARod, Lowell, and Schilling signings, you should click here. Don't forget to read the comments. I have a comment which I will post here, but one quick point to set it up.

It shouldn't be surprising to those that know me well, that NUMB3RS is one of my favorite TV shows. I personally think that if people understood math and physics, they'd understand the world better. Last Friday, Charlie's dad said, "Charlie thinks math is beautiful and he wants everybody to love it like he does." That made me think about the way I sell. I think that a perfect sale (the perfect fit) is beautiful and I want everybody to love it like I do. But, I like Charlie, recognize that not everybody gets it, and I have learned to accept that most salespeople aren't motivated by perfection and/or love of what they do.

Dave gives credit to the ballplayers for going against their agents' wishes. How about the GM's? They were the one's that sold value. They were the ones that said, "Hey, it's worth millions less in salary to play in Boston or New York. You want to be a winner? This is the price!"

I'm not so sure that this is a sign of the demise of Walmart though because many average American shoppers put ZERO value on their shopping time. They go to a higher end store, get educated by the unwitting, un-trained salesperson, then go buy what they think is the same thing (sometimes it is) from a big box store.

Whose fault is that? Of course, it's the salesperson's. If he can't qualify his prospect, he deserves to have his knowledge stolen. Don't misunderstand, self service gas stations, big box stores, coupons and one day sales are here and not going anywhere soon. Marketers have tried to make American shoppers price shoppers and the more commodotized your offering, the more vulnerable you're gonna be to those shoppers.

So, here's my wrap-up. If you're a manager or CEO and your salespeople can't identify or develop compelling reasons, urgency or SOB quality in their prospects, or if your salespeople hear objections like "That's a lot of money.", "I need to think about it.", "I need to check the competition." or "I need to check with somebody else." fix them or replace them!

If you're a salesperson and you don't love it, go do something else. If you don't think that the way you sell is beautiful, get yourself fixed. If you're happy the way you are, don't expect me to lower my standards.

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11/26/2007 10:55 AM Dave Kurlan wrote:
Rick, a beautiful post about a beautiful profession. Knowing that 74% of all salespeople suck, and knowing that the 26% who excel are the same ones that strive for perfection, I have to ask this question: If there are 14 million salespeople in the USA, why do 11.5 million of them not care enough about how well they perform in their jobs? Why don't they strive to improve? Why don't they do what it takes? Why are they here?
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1. 11/26/2007 12:26 PM Rick Roberge wrote:
  Exactly my questions. My guess is that they are afraid. Afraid of being ambitious. Afraid of taking a risk. Afraid of failure. Afraid of being different. Afraid of being looked up to. Afraid of friends saying that they've changed.
  
  Or it could be that their manager would rather have a mediocre body than wait for someone who can do the job. Maybe their manager doesn't have the guts to fire them or at least put them on notice. Maybe their manager doesn't understand that salespeople need to be motivated properly and held accountable EVERY DAY.
  
  OR MAYBE IT'S THE CEO THAT'S NOT HOLDING THE MANAGER ACCOUNTABLE?
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  1. 11/29/2007 3:59 PM Dale wrote:
    Adding to the Golf subject:
    
    A Great and socially insensitive CADDYSHACK line. Danny tells Judge Smiels he is not going to College. The Judge replies with:
    
    "Well, the World needs ditch diggers too, you know!
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11/26/2007 3:41 PM Mrs Roberge wrote:
Hey,Guys, You can't condemn all the sales people that you feel are mediocre---after all---it takes all kinds to make a world---and you better hope it stays that way---if every sales person were in that 26% catagory--what would you guys have to do-???-You would become obsolete--------------oops !!!!!You really have to be careful what you wish for-------Have a great day!!!!!!!
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1. 11/27/2007 12:24 PM Joseph Kupstas wrote:
  Oh Boy!! I am starting to like Rick's mom's posts more than the blogs! I think she should have her own Blog. Its always raining at the rain makers. haha I think the name of her Blog should be Let The Sun Come Out And Stay Out
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  1. 11/27/2007 4:14 PM Mrs Roberge wrote:
    Hi, Joe--Thanks for the kudos--Rick agrees that I should Have a blog too--but I am not ready for that--besides--I like bugging these guys about something I really know nothing about--Say "Hi" to your Mom for me--I hear she is a nice lady--Bye for now--Mrs. R....
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2. 11/27/2007 1:57 PM Rob Jewett wrote:
  Could it be that Sales is like Golf and Sex - that is, you don't have to be good at it to enjoy it?
  
  I am much better at Sales than I was a year ago, but I will still fall into the 74% group. How many of those 11.5 Million recognize that they suck (Dave's word, not mine)? Of those that like it but suck, how many know where to turn to get the kind of help that we think they should get? I love golf, but I'll never be great at it. My sales game has improved, but I don't expect to become great at that, either. I have to do some Sales work, but it is not my full-time activity. I'm pretty happy to be as good as I am at both. I'll leave it for my wife to discuss my abilities in that other activity.
  
  Rick and Dave make it seem that there is a clear distinction between the "26% who excell" at sales and the 74% who suck. Is it really your position that one either has it or one doesn't? You either excell or you suck? I don't think so! Not all of us will be the Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, or even Vijay Singh of the sales world. There has to be room for Corey Pavin, Fred Funk, and Brad Faxon!
  
  One can love the game, strive to excel, but lack the gifts to acheive excellence. If you like it anyway, why stop?
  
  I would suggest that 26% excel (I don't know where Dave gets that number, but I'll accept it), and perhaps another 26% truly do suck as Dave says. The rest, a whopping 48%, or 6.7 million people, are the folks that could be in the piplines for Mike, Chris, Rick, and Dave! Go get 'em guys!
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  1. 11/27/2007 2:50 PM Rick Roberge wrote:
    
    Welcome back, Rob! Great comment. Makes you think.
    
    I don't golf, but I hear stories. How do you think a scratch foursome feels playing behind four duffers that spend most of their time in the rough, out of bounds and in the traps? Even if they're having fun, the ripple effects of their slow play might be felt all the way back to the clubhouse. Weird thing is that those four duffers might be playing their best round ever, but the still holding up the world.
    
    Two other quick points.
    
    I would add another question to yours. "What percentage of CEO's would want to know whether their salespeople "sucked" or not?"
    
    As the CEO, who do you want one of the "48%, but likes it anyway" working for...............you.......or your competitor?
    
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    1. 11/27/2007 3:41 PM Dave Kurlan wrote:
      It's OK to suck at Golf - we aren't being paid to perform so the only thing that matters, aside from personal pride and our competitive nature, is that we enjoy it. Sales, on the other hand, is our profession. It's what we do for money, not enjoyment. If we love it, all the better. And we ought to love it, because that makes it easier to perform. But it's performing at a high level that we must strive for. A bit of an afternoon ramble from me. I do most of my posting at night when I'm more lucid.
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      1. 11/28/2007 8:42 AM Rob Jewett wrote:
        I knew my golf analogy would get Dave's attention! I actually agree with the replies that both Dave and Rick have made to my comment. Rick raised the issue early on that the real reason sales folks don't strive for excellence is that their bosses (or their bosses' bosses) accept mediocrity. I am certainly guilty of that in several ways. I have made some improvements, and I continue to strive for better performance in the future.
        
        I think that in a small organization like ours, serving fairly limited niche markets, we have insufficient bases for comparison. It is too easy to accept mediocrity when we haven't figured out that we are mediocre.
        
        Dave - You are spot on that "it's performing at a high level that we must strive for." But I ask, is it OK to accept that you might have to be satisfied with being Corey Pavin, even though you are working as hard as Vijay Singh?
        
        Rick - You haven't stated it explicitly, but I think you are saying that the CEOs are really the folks responsible for not pushing sales folks to excel (I spelled it right this time). I agree with that completely. Maybe Dave's top 26% of sales people are self motivated enough to excel under a CEO who accepts mediocrity, but I think human nature says that most people will live up to expectations and little more.
        
        Now, I have to get back to ensuring that our selling process is defined and appropriate!
        
        Thanks guys!
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        11/30/2007 10:10 AM John Newland wrote:
        Rob, I think its very important to anyone's self-esteem and success, to become the very best that they can be at their profession. I'm a salesguy, and I am constantly learning more about sales. I am not yet at the top of my game, but when I get there, my value to any employer will be unmeasurable. Unfortunately, when you have salesfolk that are not either at the top of their game or working towards it, their value is too easily measurable.
        
        If you have a salesguy that isn't making it and doesn't care, you owe it to yourself (and the salesguy) to get rid of him. As an owner or a CEO, your business can't afford to settle for mediocrity in a profession that you pay for. xoxoxo johnonsales
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        11/30/2007 9:01 PM Rick Roberge wrote:
        
        Hey, John. Let me offer a couple of contrarian thoughts to think about.
        
        When I woke up this morning, I felt I was at the top of my game. Honestly, I played well, today, but I also learned something today.
        
        (here's the contrarian thought)
        
        If I learned something today and I play, tomorrow, at the level that I played today, "Will I be at the top of my game?" I think not because by learning today, I raised the bar for tomorrow.
        
        Now, let me twist what you said about yourself. Because you want to be the best that you can be, there's probably a difference between the top of your game 10 years from now and the top of your game today. I've heard golfers talk about hitting 47 on the front nine and 53 on the back nine and they know where they used the six strokes on the back nine, but they were really happy because 100 is a really good round for them because they're usually around 105. Isn't the top of their game a moving target? 105 is average (for them) but there was a FIRST TIME THAT THEY HIT 105! They probably felt that they were at the top of their game that day. Today they hit 100...maybe only the 2nd or 3rd time this year. They might have the right to feel at the top of their game. But they could also be thinking about those six strokes and be saying that a 94 would have indicated that they were at the top of their game. It kinda depends on how those six strokes got used. If you used the strokes and then learned what you should've done later, you probably played at the top of your game. If you knew what you should've done and you used the stroke anyway, then you did not play at the top of your game. (I hope my ignorance about golf didn't embarrass me.)
        
        Now back to the CEO and the salesguy. The CEO has to decide, "Does he usually hit 105 and 100's good? Should he have hit 94 and 100 was sloppy?"
        
        One more thought....Everybody's value is measurable. Everybody's value is quantifiable. Everybody's value can be compared. Everybody's value is trackable.
        
        Very thought provoking.......Thank you!
        
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