The Drivers of Greatness —DeWese

I JUST finished carefully reviewing the Forbes magazine Richest 400 Americans list for 2009.
I didn’t make the ranking.

First, I am nowhere to be found on the People magazine Sexiest Man in America list and I’m not even an also ran on the Richest Americans list. I am not on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.

If there was a Most Enabling list, though, I’d be ranked in the top 20. I am one hell of a great enabler. No tough love from me, only how much can I help? That’s probably why I’m not on the Richest 400 list.

I’ve coached more than 300 baseball wins for various teams ranging from 12-year-old to semi-pro teams. That should put me on some list. I also pitched more than 100 wins in several softball leagues before retiring. Maybe there’s a ranking somewhere for softball pitching wins.

By the way, the Forbes 400 richest people’s total wealth declined more than $300 trillion this year due to the recession. Glad I wasn’t part of that loss. I’m too smart to lose that kind of money. I never invested a nickel with Bernie Madoff, so I also avoided that debacle. I must be some kinda genius.

We need a list of the Top Print Salespeople in America. If we had one and published it, competitors would be in a recruiting frenzy trying to steal the top producers to get their “books” of business. I know some sales reps who sell more than $20 million annually, and even more salespeople who sell north of $10 million.

Don’t call me for the names!

All those top producers are some kind of geniuses. No different than Tiger Woods, or Payton Manning or Albert Pujols. There are some common factors that led to these athletes’ greatness—the same factors that lead to greatness among print salespeople.

Attaining Greatness

I recently discovered these requirements for greatness. Someone did the research. It was not me. I heard it on TV and quickly made notes. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the name of the research source. So, just take my word for it.

Okay, are you ready to take notes? These three “Greatness Drivers” are hard. I’m not going to be giving you some magic elixir.

First, greatness requires practice. Constant, enduring, repeated practice. Eldrick (Tiger) Woods, now 33 years of age, has had an unprecedented career since becoming a professional golfer in the late summer of 1996. He has won 92 tournaments, 71 of those on the PGA Tour, including the 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005 Masters Tournaments; 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007 PGA Championships; 2000, 2002 and 2008 U.S. Open Championships; and the 2000, 2005 and 2006 Open Championships.

According to Butch Harmon, Tiger’s coach, “He is the best student I ever had. Tiger is like a sponge—he soaks up information, and he always wants to learn and get better.” Tiger sets his alarm clock for 5 a.m. every day, and has been practicing since the age of two.

Think I’m advocating that you practice golf? No, I am proposing that you practice selling by actually making sales calls over and over again. Every day.

Over and over and over. That’s practice. Critique yourself. Ask yourself, “How can I improve that abomination?” “What should I have said?” “What questions should I have asked?”

Many print salespeople go out and make a sales call, and afterwards change the car radio station to get some better tunes. Or, they grab their ear plugs to listen to music on their iPods.

Instead, spend 15 minutes critiquing the sales call while it’s still fresh in your mind. Benefit from practice and become your own coach.

Speaking of coaches, the next requirement for greatness is coaching. This is something where the printing industry is woefully inadequate. Most salespeople have no mentor. No guide. No coach. They are on their own.

Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, and his brother Eli Manning, quarterback for the New York Giants, had a great coach: their dad, Archie Manning. Archie was an All-American quarterback at the University of Mississippi and an NFL quarterback for the New Orleans Saints.

Both Manning brothers have led their teams to Super Bowl victories, and were named the MVP for their respective Super Bowls. They were coached at an early age by their father. They threw footballs for hours in the front yard. During high school, through college and now the NFL, Peyton and Eli have received the best coaching from great teachers.

A lack of coaching is the biggest obstacle for print salespeople. Our industry has very few talented sales managers, owners or outside consultants who can coach. Much of what I learned actually came from customers, who can be great coaches. Various times, as immodest a lout as I am, I would ask a client, “How can I be a better salesperson to help you?” Or, I would query, “Can you give me any advice for becoming a better salesperson so that I can help you more?” Most human beings find the word “help” irresistible, so they will tell you and, thus, become your coach.

Shallow Coaching Pool

There are very few potential coaches within the print communications industry. I know some printers who could pave the drive (that translates to make a bunch of money) if they could figure out how to deliver individual sales coaching. These are the same companies that spend thousands of dollars maintaining equipment for which they invested millions to purchase, but they spend nothing to coach the salespeople who they count on to fill time on that machinery.

Albert Pujols became arguably the best player in baseball with a .334 lifetime batting average through practice, coaching and concentration. He led the National League this year with 47 home runs during the regular season.

“The Machine,” as many fans call him, was raised in the Dominican Republic by his grandmother in poverty. Albert and his buddies rarely had a real baseball. They used bats that were taped and nailed together. Gloves were fashioned from milk cartons that they had cut to fit their hands.

Balls were frequently lemons or limes pulled from the trees in the neighborhood. Baseballs are hard enough to hit. But can you imagine the concentration required to hit a lime, which is much smaller than a regulation baseball?

Yep. Pujols, Manning and Woods all became great through practice, coaching and concentration. I believe, no I know, that the great graphic communications salespeople I know also became great through practice, coaching and concentration. Write and ask me for my list of sales coaches.

I am way behind answering e-mails, so bear with me and I’ll send you the rules for Phase II of the Mañana Man Economic Stimulus Plan for Printing Companies.

Now, while I answer your e-mails, letters and phone calls, practice, coach yourself and concentrate by getting out there and selling something! PI

—Harris DeWese