“The Specialist” Sales and Management Training Blog

Hello everybody,

We had another great “Specialist Spotlight” today on “The Specialist” Radio Hour. What started or inspired this segment was a caller, I’ll call her Peggy, who was insulted that I said on previous occasions that I could train anyone to sell. I pointed out to this young lady that training anyone to sell was not saying that I could train anyone to become a sales professional.

There was the rub. She had been in sales at least 29 years and was very proud of the fact that she devoted her life to becoming a true sales professional. I respect that a tremendous amount, but she misunderstood me.

What I have said, and stand behind, is that I can teach anyone to sell, not train anyone to become a sales professional.

As my listeners know there is a big difference, in my eyes. But the part that inspired this Post was that she went on to say that just training someone to sell was a waste of a lot of valuable time and effort that could be spent else where rather than dealing with a problem. That is where I had to draw a line in the sand. I pointed out to her that if no one had taught me how to sell and been patient with me I would never have become “The Specialist”!

Someone saw me as potential not as a problem. All my loyal readers know that I was fired 5 times as a door to door salesman! No one gets fired from door to door sales! They need every able body they can get. What I am trying to say is it is not a waste of time teaching the less talented or the slow to pick up the sales profession. In fact I owe my entire career to those that kept pushing me and spent tireless amount of hours taking this wandering generality and teaching me a trade.

Of course later on, as I mentioned to Peggy, as everyone does that learns to sell, there will become a day when you find yourself at the crossroads of whether you want to make sales your profession or try something else. In all careers someone must teach you the basics in order for you to ever become a professional.

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“The Specialist”

Before I go into tonight’s post, I want to remind everyone that on the web site you really need to sign up for the Free Newsletter so that during the Holidays you can not only keep up with everything that’s going on but you get a WHOPPING 20% off on all merchandise!

“The Specialist” pen just came out and now you have a perfect gift idea for that special sales professional or manager in your life.

Now back to today’s post.

Someone gave me an idea for a terrific post so I thought I would share it with you. I won’t be able to go into near the depth for each one of these great lessons learned but I will do my best. In order from #10, I will start with sales first. Here we go…

#10. In sales, To be successful be yourself! Do not try and be someone you are not. And whatever you do NEVER try to be “MR. SALESMAN”!!!

#9. “Perfect practice makes Perfect! Don’t forget, how you practice your craft will have a direct reflection on your income and longevity in the industry!

#8. Find a Mentor…”The Specialist” had a great number of mentors that helped me sharpen my craft. Even the bad ones taught me something, If nothing else they taught me what NOT TO DO!

#7. Be sincere with your customers or potential customers. I mean really care about them, it will go along way and the customers can feel it.

#6. The most important thing I have learned in the sales profession is HAVING INTEGRITY in each an every sale regardless of who or what you are selling.

#5. In MANAGEMENT, remember these people that you are managing are under your supervision and leadership. Make sure your footprint of GOOD is all over their FUTURE!

#4. Be patient! Remember, you are not where you are as an overnight sensation. It took a lot of hard work for you and it will be a long process for them. Be patient!

#3. Be Fair to all of your employees and be even handed. Your staff will be watching and grading YOU!

#2. Lead by example! The speed of the boss is the speed of the crew! Never ask your staff to do something you won’t do, can’t do, or haven’t done!

AND the NUMBER ONE thing I have learned in sales/management is to put God first in my life, family second and my business third! I have proven to myself that if I allow God to take me on His plan and I put my family next my business is already taken care of!

“The Specialist”

Hi everybody,

Before I go into “The Specialist” Spotlight from today’s radio hour, I want to remind everyone that on the web site you really need to sign up for the Free Newsletter so that during the Holidays you can not only keep up with everything that’s going on but you get a WHOPPING 20% off on all merchandise!

“The Specialist” pen just came out and now you have a perfect gift idea for that special sales professional or manager in your life.

Now back to today’s Post.

Today I was explaining the disgrace I witnessed in a car dealership when a salesperson morphed into a monster when the cute little married couple decided that they wanted to think over their decision to purchase a car. It was an amazing thing to see. The salesperson was the couple’s new best friend until they hesitated to buy. All of a sudden the couple was treated like dirt! You should have seen the couple’s faces when they exposed this dirt bag for what he really was.

The point is prospects ARE NOT STUPID! Sometimes they purposely say they want to think it over just to see how YOU will react. Sometimes they are really sincere about thinking it over with no intention of buying from anyone else but YOU! It is important that when you think and I emphasize THINK someone is a non sale it is your duty to make a cheerful, friendly, optimistic and courteous exit! Even MORE so than when you make the sale.

With this great attitude you will be amazed how many non sales BECOME sales!

“The Specialist”

Hello kind readers,

Today’s Specialist Spotlight on the Radio Hour focused on the things you DO NOT do when your manager or mentor is training you in the field.

Over the years I have field trained literally hundreds of new and experienced sales persons. What the observer must realize is that the most important thing going on is that whoever you are observing is taking you out for a reason! You must be new or doing something WRONG!

Point, it is time for you to keep your mouth CLOSED, and your eyes and ears open. You must remember that when the professional is engaging a prospect he or she is in the process of constructing building blocks of trust, sincerity, as well as confidence with this potential customer.

Any time you even open your mouth to utter one word you are causing the sales professional that you are watching to have to start all over again in the building process. No matter how many times I have warned trainees to not speak it is like they suddenly get diarrhea of the mouth. After I politely warn them I let them know in no uncertain terms that the next time they say a single word while I am engaging a client I will inform the prospect that obviously the trainee knows a great deal more about the subject then I and I proceed to leave the trainee there and I leave.

In 40 years of selling that is the only thing that I have found that works 100% of the time. Please remember, the professional is doing YOU a FAVOR! Be thankful, learn what you can, take advantage of the experience by keeping your mouth closed and again your eyes and ears OPEN. You might learn something. You will definitely appreciate this when it is your turn to take someone else and show them your craft.

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“The Specialist”

Hello everybody,

It was another exciting day in the world of “The Specialist”!

In case you missed the show The Spotlight was on a very seldom discussed topic…Dress For Success On The Phone! There are more and more Americans today working out of their home and they think because they are working where no one can see them they don’t have to dress for success. You are losing your edge.

It is imperative that you still shower every morning and shave and put on some nice clothes. I know that the temptation is to walk around unshaven and in your PJ’s or whatever is comfortable. It is a HUGE mistake! Without realizing it you are cutting your productivity considerably. To realize this all you have to do is remember the feeling you have right after you shave, shower and put on some decent clothes. You see if you feel sharp you will perform better. It is a proven fact.

That feeling carries over in the way of confidence even over the phone. Your mind is more alert and you feel sharper consequently affording you the opportunity to be more aggressive and make better decisions. There was an old commercial (now I am REALLY dating myself), for razor blades, I think it was Gillette, but the commercial could not have said it better…Look Sharp, Feel Sharp, Be Sharp!

Another tip from “The Specialist”.

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“The Specialist”

Hello everybody,

What a great show today! We had a lively debate and a lot of great topics. As usual if you missed or tuned in late for “The Specialist” Spotlight today it was a good one. Not often talked about in public but I assure you a BIG topic discussed in private was wide open today on the airwaves. Personal hygiene in sales and management.

Wow! What a topic. Basically, what was said was that it is everyone’s personal responsibility to eliminate any and all offensive odors when being at the workplace. Having said that “The Specialist” Radio Hour focused on how managers should address the problem.

First off I recommend that, so as not to spotlight anyone in particular, even though you may know the culprit in your weekly staff meeting, you can address the problem and let your staff know the importance of personal hygiene. Not only is it uncomfortable for your employees to work under these conditions but it will definitely cost you sales. If you are not successful in your weekly staff meeting, remember some of your employees may be in denial or worse yet may know there is a problem but may not know how to solve it.

As a manager your responsibility is to fix the problem! Your next step is to take the individual aside and assist them in rectifying this problem. It is NEVER to be discussed with the other employees if the individual approach is needed. You also do not want to do the ridiculous and leave mouthwash, deodorant, or other props on the unfortunate persons desk. To some people this may seem helpful, but it is clearly offensive (pardon the pun) and insensitive. As a manager your job is to solve problems and be as compassionate as possible. Usually once this situation is rectified it is not only a relief to you and your staff but to the guilty person as well.

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“The Specialist”

Hello everybody,

In case you missed “The Specialist” Spotlight on the radio today it was a very interesting segment. What it came down to was a phone call I received from a very upset parent that was at wits end regarding his son who had worked in sales for a short time but whom had over and over again had brushes with the law and constant problems interacting with other people.

In my brief encounter with this troubled soul I found him to be a very good salesperson with absolutely NO social skills and NO conscious. This young man had used every person that he came in contact with and had used every possible favor from anyone on this planet. Finally he found himself in jail and his bond after serving 30 days was still $15,000. for two more offenses he was charged with while he was in jail. This young person was a mess.

Any parent that has found themselves dealing with a child that has an addiction or has a behavioral problem realizes that at some point you come to a crossroads. Are you helping this person or enabling them? This has to be a brutal crossroads for a parent. Being “The Specialist” I have always believed I could help and turn around most anyone. I have always told my loyal readers and listeners that was the hardest lesson for me to learn in management.

When I was speaking to this parent I could hear the pain in his voice. It hurt deeply to know the agony he must be going through. If I was not going to guarantee this young man a job the parent was going to go the “tough love” method and leave their son in jail. They had come to the ultimate crossroads. As a manager or parent you to will one day have to decide between helping someone or enabling them. What a tough decision! What say you?

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“The Specialist”

Hello everybody,

It’s yours truly with a new format for our nightly Post. On “The Specialist” Radio Hour we have a special segment called “The Specialist” Spotlight. So no one misses this popular part of the show we will now make the Post each night the written transcript of that segment.

Today’s Spotlight was on how record keeping empowers you not only in sales but in management as well. First off record keeping is so important in sales that once you get used to keeping good records about your sales the information you will glean from these records will not only save you money but will drastically increase sales.

At one point in my career I recorded every vital piece of information about every sale over a 12 year period. When I finally studied this information it told me what to expect from every kind of prospect, like who were most likely to cancel, who would have the worst chance of being a credit reject and so forth. Armed with this information when I would interview a prospect, as soon as they told me their occupation or mentioned other data that I had compiled it immediately told me what steps to take to counter the data good or bad. It was invaluable!

In management when you use record keeping with your sales force they will be able to see the TRUTH opposed to the fantasy world they would like to live in. Salespersons tend to live and only remember the one great week they had and convince themselves those are their normal results. I understand their view because I was guilty of this pretend analysis myself until I got empowered by real record keeping! It is very difficult to face the real truth. The bottom line is you will NEVER know where you are going unless you KNOW where you have been!

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“The Specialist”

Hi everybody,

It’s me again. I am going to try and get back to writing a Post every night again now that I have settled in to my radio show.

Just to update you “The Specialist” Radio Hour is now 5 days a week so it has been quite hectic. Thanks for bearing with me.

Tonight I want to talk about filling the shoes of a perceived perfect employee. Notice I said perceived. The real problem is with your perception. As a person trying to fill those shoes I will tell you right up front there is no such thing. Now there are great employees, but what you have to remember is that someone had to train them for that position.

The good news for you being the new person is that the same person that trained them more than likely is going to train you. The great news for you is that in addition you will have the added benefit of the person you are replacing training you as well. What you have to keep in prospective is that the owner is hoping that YOU will not only be up for the challenge but surpass expectations.

No employer is going to resign themselves to the fact that they are automatically going to get a downgrade at the position. What I am trying to say is that the outcome is completely up to you. Don’t try to be them. There are qualities that you have that perhaps the other person did not and you may show value in a completely different way.

Learn and be the Best YOU can Be! Don’t worry about filling someone else’s shoes. Remember their leaving. Instead mold a pair of your own and who knows a few years down the road someone else may be worrying about “filling the shoes of “The Perfect Employee” YOURS!

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“The Specialist”

Hi everybody,

A funny thing happened while I was doing this exact Post a couple of days ago. There were some HTML code errors on the site and even though I kept Publishing the Post the only thing that showed up was the Title. I apologize for the error.

Let’s try it again. Incorrect Activity In Sales and Management can best be described in “The Specialist’s” favorite way. A STORY! There was a young person that purchased “The Specialist” Sales And Management Bible. Was it a good thing? Sure, the young man was in sales and learning to become a manager. He certainly would benefit from the read.

Here is the rub. He was reading it when he was supposed to be working! For everything he could have benefited by reading the book he was allowing himself to take 5 GIANT steps backwards. How? By reading a book (regardless of the subject matter) during the time he should have been applying His craft. Lot’s of people think they are trying to better themselves but end up doing Incorrect Activity In Sales and Management. By the way, just so you kind readers do not think “The Specialist is naive, I am fully aware that there is a certain segment of the population that uses the pretense of learning or bettering themselves so they don’t actually have to DO THE WORK! Let’s see read a book or prospect…I’ll let you decide.

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“The Specialist”