Comparing the two positions will quickly point out that they are very different. Today’s savvy business executive recognizes that the traditional sales executives’ role of “recruiting, hiring, training and motivating” sales pros no longer is enough to keep the company growing and competitive. Elements of marketing are being added to the list of responsibilities. And [...]
They’re just different. They’re like those ultra marathon runners or the people you see on Fear Factor that will eat worms for a chance to earn $50,000. Give them a challenge with some competition thrown in for good measure and it’s off to the races. You know the ones I’m talking about – they’re the people that all of your other salespeople often call “lucky”. Look inside their office, you’ll see motivational pictures and photographs of exotic places that they’ve been. Look at the car they drive, the house they own and even the books that they read – they all speak one word loud and clear: SUCCESS. The thing is – they’ve earned every last penny of it. They generally came from a humble background – probably middle class – and saw that they didn’t want to work as hard as their parents did to get what they really wanted in life (read: lots of cash). They knew all along that there just had to be a better way and when they first learned about this “sales” thing – it was love at first sight. Now, I may not be exactly right, but I can bet that I’m probably not far off either.
I’ve personally met and worked with many of these high achievers and here’s what I’ve found separates them from the rest of the pack…
It’s pretty hard to dispute the fact that many salespeople end up in their career path haphazardly. Maybe the individual did not like the daily tasks and routine of back office positions, maybe he or she knew a company’s product well from working there for years and slipped into a sales role, or maybe they were told – you have a great personality, you should be in sales and they tried it.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure – what you get out of a Convention or Conference depends on what you actually do with all of that training and the info in that ‘wonderful plastic bag’
Which came first – the chicken or the egg? Or to put another way, what does chickens and eggs have to do with business development and building a successful business? A lot – an awful lot!!!!!!!
Valeska Toledo is the Principal and creative director at Savvy Concepts Advertising. A multicultural advertising and marketing agency focused on helping to bridge the communication gap, targeting primarily the Portuguese Speakers – the second most spoken language in the state of Massachusetts. Toledo has a strong art director background and experience working with the Latin American communities for the past 12 years. She's also fluent in three of the four Romance languages: Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.