Southwestern Sales Talk
Back when I was in college while I was recruiting a sales team for The Southwestern Company, I read The One Minute Manager (by Blanchard/Johnson). I read a quotation in this short book really stuck with me. I even posted it on my desk. It said:
Take a minute: Look at your goals. Look at your performance. See if your behavior matches your goals.
Simple and obvious, but for a college student, this was a profound thought. Most students begin each term with high expectations: “This semester (unlike the others) I’m going to all my classes, and I’m gonna get a 4.0!” After a few weeks of the academic grind, combined with increasing “social activities”, they are faced with a dilemma–do they sacrifice the fun and buckle down to hit their goal, or do they simply amend their 4.0 goal down a bit? (“Nothing wrong with a 3.0.”) Do they say no to pleasing activities to achieve pleasing results? You’re right! There is a lot of goal amendment going on as you read my blog. (“My 2.5 GPA is still better than my roommate’s!”) If a student wants high grades, but they’re out consuming adult beverages & participating in a self-induced barf o’rama until the wee hours several nights a week, something has to give–and it’s usually their goals.
I talk to rookie Southwestern Company students who begin with seriously high goals for the summer. The first week their battle cry is: “I’m going to make $20,000!” Week two: “$10,000 is OK!” Week three: “$3000 would be fine.” Week four: “Breaking even…victory!” They either elect to change their sales behaviors and effort upward, or they adjust their goals downward. Thankfully, most stay motivated and change their performance to match their goals.
So how are your sales compared to your sales goals? Do they match? More thoughts to follow….
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Why do you suppose it’s so difficult to match one’s behavior and decisions to their goals? If life is all about habits, why is it so easy to form bad habits and so difficult to form good ones?
In looking back, it seemed much easier to match my effort to my goals as a rookie than as a B contract. Having just put my resume together in the prospect of getting a job as Admissions Rep at my school, I deeply regret not getting that Gold Seal Gold and putting in the work I knew I was capable of. Even if I only made half the money I wanted to make, I feel as though I’d be sitting here with far fewer regrets. Would it be cheating to go to a hypnotists and have him/her convince me that if I don’t do everything a perfect first-year ought, I will die a ridiculously painful death?
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Lee McCroskey Reply:
March 17th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Mark, I imagine your first summer selling was easier compared to your second because you had more motivation–i.e. could it be possible that you had “more to prove” the first time you tried selling? After you had proven that you could sell books, the conviction/commitment level may not have been as strong, and this may have impacted your habits? Close?
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I just finished reading “The One Minute Manager” myself a few weeks ago. I like how you mention that we must either alter our goals or our actions when we are not on track to hit them. Along the same lines, the authors point out how we must set goals concisely–the 80/20 rule of how 80% of results come from a mere 20% of our actions–which is something many people (not just college students) overlook in the pursuit of success. The great thing is that Southwestern teaches students HOW to set those goals for every part of life! How awesome is that?!
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Lee McCroskey Reply:
March 17th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Jared: great insights regarding the 80/20 rule. I guess it’s always a question of focus–how you focus your energy, thoughts, and time. Thanks for the note.
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