How can some salespeople be doing very well in the face of this economy while others are struggling to make ends meet?
Interesting question..isn't it?
One quick answer might be that some people are better salespeople than others. Sure that is a given but they all are operating in the same economy for the most part so why aren't they all affected the same?
Spend some time with the winners and the answer will become clear. One thing that sticks out is that they have an "attitude" or an "ego" that they will not quit. they will not give in to the economy or the competition. The old saying "when the going gets tough, the tough get going" seems to personify this group.
Another common denominator appears to be their work ethic. The clock strikes 5 PM but if there is still work to be done then their day is not over. Whatever it takes to get the job done is what determines when their work day starts and ends.
The Vernon Company's fiscal year runs from March through February so this week was D-day as far as getting orders in for the end of our year. Lots of things were at stake. For some people it was making sure that they qualified for their group health and dental insurance. For others it might be getting over the hump to win the incentive trip...a six day vacation to the Big Sky Resort in Montana. Last but not least many were shooting for personal bests or trying to make sure that they were in the top groups to be recognized at our National Sales Meeting Awards Banquet in St. Petersburg, Florida in three weeks.
Regardless of the reason or the goal our top notch salespeople were driven...not by the home office...but rather by something within themselves. They were self motivated to the nth degree!
So what separates the top achievers from the rest? Three things make my list...
1. Attitude or Ego
2. Work Ethic
3. Motivation
So how do you match up in these areas? Do you have lots of highs and lows or do you stay somewhat even in your approach with a single purpose to succeed?
Are you a 9 AM to 5 PM worker or are you committed and willing to do whatever it takes to be the best?
What or who motivates you? Does it come from within or do you need a push from someone other than yourself?
How did you answer these questions?
You know what...it really doesn't matter today because you have the power to alter the answers with your behavior going forward.
If you find that you get down on yourself change it...give yourself a break, get back on your feet, get out there and keep making the sales calls!
Have you noticed that at 4 PM you stop working every day. See what happens if you go the extra mile making two or three extra calls each day. You just might be surprised at the results!
Last but not least recognizing that you alone are responsible for your behavior will allow you to do what is needed before someone tells you what to do. Doing this on a regular basis will make you a more confident and successful salesperson.
So to sum it all up...IT IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!
Any one can do it.....so the big question is why do so few actually do it?
We will leave this question for another day....
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Home Sweet Home - Are you there?
As I read about the economy and as I watch some of the things going on around me in this industry I feel very good each and every day about where I am in my professional career. Working for The Vernon Company a 4th generation family owned business located in the mid-west I find myself very comfortable.
I have noted recently that there is feeding frenzy of sorts going on between several large companies in an attempt to pick off some of the distributor owners and salespeople who have been less fortunate than me. By less fortunate I mean that they find them self in a position where they do not have a "home, sweet, home" for their valuable clients and their business.
If you too find yourself in this position what are you looking for in a new home? I think it is very important for you to ask this question before you start to look around. The Vernon Company would provide a great home for most people looking for a place to continue their career. We recognize that it might not be a great fit for everyone. Again a lot will depend n what your objectives are for the future.
We recommend that you do an in depth financial analysis of any prospective employers or suitors. While I will not throw stones at any other companies, many other will, so for that reason do not believe everything you are told....by me or anyone else for that reason. Do your homework and your due diligence.
See this excerpt from a letter that our President, Chris Vernon recently posted on our website for distribution to customers and prospects....
So if you find yourself shopping for a new home remember it is the foundation that supports the house and in this case it is the financial foundation that it going to be critical in your decision to give you the confidence in knowing that you will not be home shopping again two or three years down the road.
Financial stability and the company leadership have to be the most important things that you consider when making a change. You can learn a lot about stability by pulling a Dun and Bradstreet Report. Ask any prospective employer for their D & B Number. You can also ask for two to three years of financial statements. If you ask us for either of these two things you will have them right away! If you ask some others you might not get them at all....What does that say to you? To me it would not instill a lot of confidence in my choosing them for future employment.
What do they have to hide? H-m-m-m-m-m?
It makes me wonder! How about you?
I have noted recently that there is feeding frenzy of sorts going on between several large companies in an attempt to pick off some of the distributor owners and salespeople who have been less fortunate than me. By less fortunate I mean that they find them self in a position where they do not have a "home, sweet, home" for their valuable clients and their business.
If you too find yourself in this position what are you looking for in a new home? I think it is very important for you to ask this question before you start to look around. The Vernon Company would provide a great home for most people looking for a place to continue their career. We recognize that it might not be a great fit for everyone. Again a lot will depend n what your objectives are for the future.
We recommend that you do an in depth financial analysis of any prospective employers or suitors. While I will not throw stones at any other companies, many other will, so for that reason do not believe everything you are told....by me or anyone else for that reason. Do your homework and your due diligence.
See this excerpt from a letter that our President, Chris Vernon recently posted on our website for distribution to customers and prospects....
Vernon Company has an impressive balance sheet showing over $23 million in assets, $15 million in equity, $4 million in cash and ZERO long term debt! We are a conservatively managed business and are structured to prosper in any economic environment.We know of no other large distributor in this industry who can make this statement and more importantly back it up with audited financials. This is huge if you want to find a place to call home, sweet, home for your orders for a long time to come.If your business or the company that you work for is surviving and doing well I say congratulations and keep it up. This is an indication that it is being managed properly keeping costs in lines with revenue. It is at times like these that the well managed companies can not only survive but they can thrive!
So if you find yourself shopping for a new home remember it is the foundation that supports the house and in this case it is the financial foundation that it going to be critical in your decision to give you the confidence in knowing that you will not be home shopping again two or three years down the road.
Financial stability and the company leadership have to be the most important things that you consider when making a change. You can learn a lot about stability by pulling a Dun and Bradstreet Report. Ask any prospective employer for their D & B Number. You can also ask for two to three years of financial statements. If you ask us for either of these two things you will have them right away! If you ask some others you might not get them at all....What does that say to you? To me it would not instill a lot of confidence in my choosing them for future employment.
What do they have to hide? H-m-m-m-m-m?
It makes me wonder! How about you?
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Change the invitation...
This past week we held a series of conference calls aimed at discussing ways to increase our sales. We felt that the turn out was very good with approximately 150 salespeople taking part in the process.
We had many of our sales leaders from across the country stepping up to offer their suggestions on ways to make it happen.
I have been in the industry for almost 20 years and I thought that I had heard all the cliches before but I think we may have discovered a new one.
One of our account executives pointed out that if you were to send out a bunch of invitations to a party that you were holding and no one showed up, that it just might be time to "change the invitation".
I think this was the message of the day. If what you are doing is not working then change what you are doing.
We also heard a lot about getting back to making cold calls.
We had a lot of people mention asking for and rewarding customers for referrals.
Make something happen! Do not sit back and wait for things to happen to you. Remember another one of those famous cliches....
This is just one of the ways that The Vernon Company helps people to reach their peak performance. Having the ability to talk and share with others is a must. Receiving encouragement and support from your peers is a real benefit that each of our reps experience working with Vernon.
Would you like to find out more about how you could become involved with us. Check us out at
....www.vernoncompany.com/a_new_direction
It is certainly evident that the economy is and will be taking its toll on a number of less "secure" distributors. Because of that we have been getting dozens of inquiries to learn more about our organization.
Do you have questions? Fire away....we are ready willing and able to let you know what we know. Our four strongest attributes are...
1. financial stability
2. compensation and benefits (both employee and independent options are available)
3. full sales support
4. marketing and technology tools
Again we encourage you to check us out.
To ALL Vernon Reps....Help us out by providing us with names of your major competitors in your area. If you know them send them a note asking them if they would consider speaking with someone about an opportunity with The Vernon Company.
I can tell you that many of the things that we take from granted are not guaranteed with other companies....things like advance commissions, 50/50 splits, employee status, sales support, etc.
Don't forget Vernon's Referral Program. We are willing to pay you for three years based on an individual's sales. A $200 K producer just might be worth $8 K in your pocket over the three years. Can you use some extra cash?
All you need to do is give us a name along with an email address, a street address or a phone number and we can do the rest. You do NOT need to hire them. We can take care of that!
We had many of our sales leaders from across the country stepping up to offer their suggestions on ways to make it happen.
I have been in the industry for almost 20 years and I thought that I had heard all the cliches before but I think we may have discovered a new one.
One of our account executives pointed out that if you were to send out a bunch of invitations to a party that you were holding and no one showed up, that it just might be time to "change the invitation".
I think this was the message of the day. If what you are doing is not working then change what you are doing.
We also heard a lot about getting back to making cold calls.
We had a lot of people mention asking for and rewarding customers for referrals.
Make something happen! Do not sit back and wait for things to happen to you. Remember another one of those famous cliches....
"It seems that the harder I work, the luckier I get!"
This is just one of the ways that The Vernon Company helps people to reach their peak performance. Having the ability to talk and share with others is a must. Receiving encouragement and support from your peers is a real benefit that each of our reps experience working with Vernon.
Would you like to find out more about how you could become involved with us. Check us out at
....www.vernoncompany.com/a_new_direction
It is certainly evident that the economy is and will be taking its toll on a number of less "secure" distributors. Because of that we have been getting dozens of inquiries to learn more about our organization.
Do you have questions? Fire away....we are ready willing and able to let you know what we know. Our four strongest attributes are...
1. financial stability
2. compensation and benefits (both employee and independent options are available)
3. full sales support
4. marketing and technology tools
Again we encourage you to check us out.
To ALL Vernon Reps....Help us out by providing us with names of your major competitors in your area. If you know them send them a note asking them if they would consider speaking with someone about an opportunity with The Vernon Company.
I can tell you that many of the things that we take from granted are not guaranteed with other companies....things like advance commissions, 50/50 splits, employee status, sales support, etc.
Don't forget Vernon's Referral Program. We are willing to pay you for three years based on an individual's sales. A $200 K producer just might be worth $8 K in your pocket over the three years. Can you use some extra cash?
All you need to do is give us a name along with an email address, a street address or a phone number and we can do the rest. You do NOT need to hire them. We can take care of that!
TOUGH is a relative term!
Do you think working in this down economy is tough? Perhaps you think handling the recent cold weather spell in the mid west has been real tough? I think in some respects we are all a bunch of light weights.
I am here to tell you that t-o-u-g-h is a relative term!
This weekend I went to see my daughter participate in the Special Olympics Basketball competition held in Forest City, Iowa. She has been involved with the Special Olympics Organization for the last six or seven years and she loves every minute of it.
A little background here...My daughter Katie (pictured) is 14 years old and she is the light of my life! She was diagnosed a few weeks after her birth with a rare condition called Williams Syndrome. This was the beginning of a new chapter in my family's life.
I think it is an understatement to say that this chapter showed me a brand new definition of tough.
It also exposed my wife Jan and me to a whole new world out there, one involving families with special needs children.
Yesterday about 150 kids with a variety of different physical and mental disabilities participated in a variety of tasks aimed at showing their skills. For about 2 1/2 hours I watched kids dribbling the ball, passing the ball and shooting the ball with varying degrees of success and accuracy. Of course that is my impression of their performances but what do I know? As I said earlier I was there to watch my daughter and while I did watch her, I also watch intently all the other participants.
But wait a minute...this is their real world. For a few hours I was in their world where I saw tears of joy and high fives all around. I saw dozens of volunteers giving their time and support to kids who really appreciated it! I saw kids working as hard as they possibly could to do things that any of us take for granted. I saw and experienced unconditional love from my daughter and all of her friends.
If you have never been involved working with people who are less fortunate than most of us I suggest you try it. For me it has given me a whole new perspective on life. Each and every day I am reminded of what really matters. I also know that my challenges are small compared to the obstacles that some of these kids I watched yesterday face on a regular basis. For this I am eternally grateful.
But tomorrow I will be back to the grind. Listening to the media whining about this and that telling us all how bad things are here and there but I tell you what...I am not going there because I know what really matters. Before each Special Olympics competition they have all the athletes recite the Special Olympics Oath....
I think this is the way I will approach tomorrow. What do you think?
I am here to tell you that t-o-u-g-h is a relative term!
This weekend I went to see my daughter participate in the Special Olympics Basketball competition held in Forest City, Iowa. She has been involved with the Special Olympics Organization for the last six or seven years and she loves every minute of it.
A little background here...My daughter Katie (pictured) is 14 years old and she is the light of my life! She was diagnosed a few weeks after her birth with a rare condition called Williams Syndrome. This was the beginning of a new chapter in my family's life.
I think it is an understatement to say that this chapter showed me a brand new definition of tough.
It also exposed my wife Jan and me to a whole new world out there, one involving families with special needs children.
Yesterday about 150 kids with a variety of different physical and mental disabilities participated in a variety of tasks aimed at showing their skills. For about 2 1/2 hours I watched kids dribbling the ball, passing the ball and shooting the ball with varying degrees of success and accuracy. Of course that is my impression of their performances but what do I know? As I said earlier I was there to watch my daughter and while I did watch her, I also watch intently all the other participants.
I have been to dozens of special olympics events and functions and I never get tired of them, not because of what I see but rather because of what I do not see or hear! I do not see anyone giving up! I do not hear anyone whining or complaining! This is refreshing when compared to what I see and hear out there in the real world.
But wait a minute...this is their real world. For a few hours I was in their world where I saw tears of joy and high fives all around. I saw dozens of volunteers giving their time and support to kids who really appreciated it! I saw kids working as hard as they possibly could to do things that any of us take for granted. I saw and experienced unconditional love from my daughter and all of her friends.
If you have never been involved working with people who are less fortunate than most of us I suggest you try it. For me it has given me a whole new perspective on life. Each and every day I am reminded of what really matters. I also know that my challenges are small compared to the obstacles that some of these kids I watched yesterday face on a regular basis. For this I am eternally grateful.
But tomorrow I will be back to the grind. Listening to the media whining about this and that telling us all how bad things are here and there but I tell you what...I am not going there because I know what really matters. Before each Special Olympics competition they have all the athletes recite the Special Olympics Oath....
"Let me win, but if I can not win, let me brave in the attempt"
I think this is the way I will approach tomorrow. What do you think?
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