Southwestern Sales Talk
“You take your luggage with you. ”
This is something I probably say 50 times during each checkout season at Southwestern. During that time, hundreds of student salespeople are finishing their summers and are considering returning for another summer. Or not.
“I think I could learn this stuff somewhere else.”
“I don’t like selling.”
“I hated it.”
True, more or less. But what I often remind them about is that our program didn’t create the personal shortcomings they experienced—it simply revealed them. Difficult circumstances reveal what you’re made of. So we (I do the same thing) tend to rationalize away our sub-par behavior and blame our situation.
“Southwestern made me this way.” Nope, sorry. Southwestern (better yet, the challenges) revealed your character.
Oftentimes, the desire to move on to other opportunities is another form of “the grass is greener” syndrome. You can change your job, you can switch your role, you can get a different spouse–but you still have to live with yourself. You take your luggage with you.
If only the weather were better, people were friendlier, there were more folks employed, less traffic, a different administration, better prospects, a new sales territory…we’d probably be happy right where we are. The problem is there’s too much pressure here, too many frustrations. The answer seems simple enough—move, switch, change jobs, quit!
The problem is that when we move on in our search, we take ourselves along. Where we are is where we’ve chosen to be. If we don’t look at ourselves, we’ll choose the same people & predicaments again.
There is enormous freedom in realizing this truth. So, own up. Remember, you take your luggage with you.
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So true.
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Lee,
I know what you are saying about Southwestern not creating the personal shortcomings, just revealing them. That is true. It’s like a friend who’s bold enough to show you that you are prideful–sometimes you end up hating that guy and thinking he’s prideful.
But really it was me that’s the problem.
Josh
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Lee McCroskey Reply:
January 23rd, 2010 at 9:05 am
Thanks, Josh. My hope was that people did not misunderstand: I was definitely not saying that SW was the only way. Thanks for your additional insights.
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Lee, this is brilliant.
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This is so true Lee. I think the problem is that usually people don’t like changes – they prefer to work the same job for 40 years for example and wait until retirement to quit actually the job they hate. And the ones who says “I think I could learn this stuff somewhere else.” “I don’t like selling.”
“I hated it.” are actually those who are scared to take the risk of changing their life, changing the job they hate, even of facing the truth for themselves. I think we all know that sometimes the way of facing this is too long(or sometimes never)
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Lee McCroskey Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Asya–I never thought of it quite this way…yes, change is scary and difficult. Many don’t want to face the truth about themselves.
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Agreed! “You can change your job, you can switch your role, you can get a different spouse–but you still have to live with yourself.” Well said.
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Lee,
This is something I never really thought about until after I had trained a team of students going into my second summer with SW. My team of five was a top team and all are on to successful careers in their own lives now. I have talked to many of them on the phone over the past few years and they all share with me this same philosophy of “taking your luggage with you.” No matter what profession they are in, they all share with me how much their current work parallels their Southwestern experience in college. The stress of selling is still apart of their lives, they still follow an uncomfortable schedule, and they also sometimes hate their boss. In short, they also carry their problems with them throughout life. I’m just glad we all got to learn this truth at such an early age.
Thanks for the insight Lee.
Caleb
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Lee McCroskey Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
I have nothing to add to your comment, Caleb…well put!
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While I was reading “Southwestern made me this way”, I immediately thought of one of the guys that I recruited last year. He said the exact same thing during checkout to our Sales Manager. I thought the same exact thing as you wrote. This past summer revealed his character. But, I wondered if he truly understands that?
Lee,
Right on. Thanks for your thoughts. Your blog is my favorite (Don’t tell the others…) Haha.
-Seats taken.
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Lee McCroskey Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
Thanks for the comment, Jenny! Keep visiting and feel free to send me something–you can be a guest blogger!
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Lee this is an awesome! I am currently training some of my first years on ther “emotional” training, and this def goes right in line. Southwestern is a challenging program, but it seems when things are are hard, they turn out to be benefits as well when we defeat them.
I enjoyed meeting you this weekend, and loved your insights, they are helpful in so many ways, plus you are HILARIOUS!!!! I especially liked your idea and painting vivid pictures on the outcomes of your summer, bad ones if you are not working as hard as you should be and good ones if you are putting in the work and the “rewards”. It is amazing the ways we can be motivated either by pain, or by contest and incentives. Thanks for spending time with JYD/Eagle Blitz and I look forward to reading more of your blogs!!
-Maggie Mulvaney
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Lee McCroskey Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Hey Maggie–if you like these go ahead and subscribe (RSS). I’ll keep writing. So, are you toward or away motivated?
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Maggie Mulvaney Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 9:21 am
I think in a way I am both, if that is even possible. I think in the beginning, especially in setting goals, I am toward motivated, seeing what will happen when I hit my goal, the incentives that will happen, and just the benefits itself of reaching a high set goal. However, when things sometimes get tough, and I want to give up, hitting my goal is not what motivates me, its the outcome what is going to motivate me. Painting that clear and vivid picture of what may or may not happen if I don’t continue to work as hard, and do what it takes pushed me to be away motivated, which is helpful especially when recruiting and training for Southwestern, and should be applied when selling books, and even in life!
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