A FEW THOUGHTS ON MY CAREER IN SALES

THE LEARNING CONTINUES

My goal in sales has never been to just get the job or the order. It has always been to build a long term relationship. Cut throat pricing or slick promises might get you in the door and might get you a one time order, but if you are a jerk, are undependable or dishonest you will lose them as a client forever. Pricing is very important but it can’t be the number one priority. There are times I am much cheaper than the competition and times I am not. I have lost jobs to a competitor who undercuts me on pricing. It happens to all of us. Most of the time the client will return due to lack of service or failure to deliver results. Sometimes they don’t and I’m okay with that. What must be consistent is my dedication to my clients happiness and always working hard to that end.

I’ve learned a few things over the years in sales and customer service. I started work in the late 80’s (now I’m dating myself ha!)as a paper boy and moved on to work as a copier technician in my dads business. I learned about listening and being patient as well as keeping things simple in order to reach solutions to problems. I also gained an appreciation for why profit is so important. My dad was loved by his customers. He had a flaw though in that he hated to charge for his work. This lead to a busy business that couldn’t support it’s employees or expand. I learned then the importance of the win-win sales concept. It has to work for both parties in order to be sustainable. My dads great service eventually was unavailable in the marketplace due to this issue.

I worked for sixteen years as a Territory manager for a great coffee company and learned how to be efficient, consistent and build relationships. I really appreciated their high standards and felt a sense of pride delivering the best product to my customers. We were also never the cheapest but we never lost a taste test! I learned a great deal about adding value and expanding sales within existing clients. I had a few humbling experiences as a younger man in that role that were painful at the time but were invaluable growing opportunities.

I’m wrapping up ten years at Tabco next month and I continue to have to learn and grow as a person. A career in sales can be really hard yet really rewarding. I have had to learn not to be devastated when I lose clients. Especially if there is nothing I can do to keep them. Sometimes your best efforts fall short. Keep going, keep being consistent and keep giving good service. It will pay off in the end.

My greatest asset(or greatest liability) is myself. Your greatest asset is yourself. Character and integrity, honesty and transparency matter. Think of your work as a garden or in my case a forest. It takes effort to plant the trees or seeds but the real work takes time. Time to water, nurture and wait(that part is hard!). If you are patient and consistent good things will follow.