Please Hear Me!

Credit: Tiffany Fox

Anytime I take on an assignment I meet with sales. We meet as a group and individually. I want the people that feed the company to share their perspective.

My favorite question is “tell me what stands between us and purchase orders. What gets in our way? What one thing, if I could fix it, would make it easier to win business?”

As a group, you’ll hear one set of obstacles. “We don’t market” or “our technology is behind the competition.” The wish list is “big picture.”

These responses are valuable even if they aren’t valid. They tell you how the reps see competition. They also tell you how they see their employer. How reps see the playing field has everything to do with how they perform.

The individual sessions are more personal. Reps are more likely to share internal hurdles one on one. Letting them vent puts a spotlight on how they see price, production personnel, client service, peers and leadership. Valid or not, if you’re listening, you learn what each rep is focused on. These issues are real to the rep.

My experience has been that these sessions make the rep feel better. If the manager handles things correctly the rep learns that they have an advocate. They leave the session knowing that management cares about their work struggles and objectives. Reps that feel good sell more stuff! Reps that feel good work harder.

Here’s a pro tip. A complaining sales rep is less about the complaint and more about being heard. Nothing…absolutely nothing validates an employee more than a manager that listens.

Years ago, I took a sales leadership assignment. My arrival displaced a VP of Sales. I was given his corner office. He moved down the hall which forced two reps to double up. All three were very angry.

One of the three appeared in my office. He closed the door and unloaded. He wasn’t loud but he was committed. Before he was done, I heard everything that was wrong with our company and every reason that I would be a failure. Our company was a wreck, and I was just the latest person to be tossed at the problem.

I let him finish. I told him, “The world you describe makes success unlikely. If things are as you say and can’t be changed, we’re sure to fail. Will give me a chance to fix things?”

I described ideal sales behavior. I asked, “while I chase down the issues you described can I count on you to do your part? If I fix the company, will you help make it grow?”

He agreed. He felt better. He conceded that I wasn’t the cause of his anger. We left the room committed to helping each other succeed.

Fast forward: The angry rep became our top and most profitable salesperson. In five years he moved from $400,000 in sales to more than $3,000,000. His life and our company were forever changed.

Moral of the story? Leaders, your reps are your first customers. Your team will sell more stuff if they are heard and appreciated. If you validate them, they will fill up your machines.

You don’t have to agree with everything they say. You just have to listen. Show empathy and you’ll earn a team that cares about your objectives too.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions.