If Tony Soprano Was Your Sales Manager
This Guest Post was provided by Joe Crisara, CEO of ContractorSelling.com.
On Sunday evenings I used to watch one of my favorite shows that many of you may know called the Sopranos, which is on HBO.
I know it seems like this is a product of the twisted mind of a sales consultant who has been on the road for a few weeks too long but I began to think while I watched the plot unfold.
What if Tony Soprano was your sales manager ?
Let’s think about what would happen if “T” was guiding you on your path to sales success.
Let’s see how he would address these interesting challenges…
1. Sales Person tells Tony that he lost a sale and that he is depressed. - ” Business is business. ” He would say, ” Feh-get about it ! ” I think he would also add, ” What’s wit you ? Work is no place to get your needs met, so stop your whining and get back to being the earner ( Person who brings the boss the money each week ) you’ve always been for me capisce ? ” ( Do you understand ? )
2. Sales Person Wants Tony To Lower The Price To Get The Job - I think “T” wouldn’t put up with that one for sure. He would probably say something like, ” Whoa, ( The reaction that any guy from New Jersey has when he is surprised by what he hears ) what do you think I am Fort Knox ? Grow some stugots (testicles) and learn how to handle objections before I have some friends of ours ( Other people in the mob ) visit you (Harm you in some way) and take you for a swim. ” ( Throw you in the ocean off the back of my boat “Stugots” with cinder blocks chained around your ankles. )
3. Sales Person Asks For Loan To get Them By Until Next Paycheck - Ouch, I can barely stand to watch this one. ” Hey what are you oobatz ? ( Are you crazy ? ) What am I a shylock ? (Loan shark) Maybe if you wasn’t such a mortadella, (derived from an Italian sausage, meaning a loser. As in ” Guy’s a mortadella. ” ) you could provide for your family by getting some referrals from your customers and stop acting like such a cafone. ” (a peasant or lower-class person)
4. Sales Person Blames Lack of Sales On the Weather - ” This thing of ours ( The business of the mob ) only works if you work it. I don’t care if it’s caldo (cold) or boliente (hot) outside. Stop acting like your mezzo morta (Half dead) and just bring your tribute (The money) in like we agreed or I’m gonna have to lower your points (change your commission percentage) and do some spring cleaning (Get rid of evidence that you ever existed) around here.
Actually, I think Tony would have some good attributes along with his obvious dysfunctions as a manager. His organization values revolve around ” taking care of our own ” which indicates his loyalty to giving people a chance as long as they are loyal and give their best effort.
I think that he understand that even though you may be a ” made man ” that your crew can still make or break you.
I think Tony also would do a great job of delegating responsibility, distancing himself from the action and not meddle in how the sausage gets made just so long as it gets made.
Even though this article was written tongue in cheek, you as an underboss (Sales Manager) can still learn a few lessons.
Remember, col tempo la foglia di gelso diventa seta. ( An old Italian saying meaning, ” Time and patience will change the mulberry leaf into satin. “)
Ciao, ciao for now !
Joe Crisara is CEO of www.ContractorSelling.com a website that helps sales professionals present their solutions to create high value that result in more income, better service and higher closing rates.
You can go to the site and receive Joe’s sales tip of the week. Of you can contact Joe by emailing him at joe@contractorselling.com
If The Dog Whisperer Was Your Sales Manager
This Guest Post was provided by Joe Crisara, CEO of www.ContractorSelling.com
In this day and age of hundreds of TV channels to watch, as well as internet videos, I found a show that I run across every now and then and I must say that it really fascinates my wife and I.
This show is called the “Dog Whisperer” and it features Cesar Millan, who takes troubled dogs, and their owners, and turns them around.
He basically helps these dogs feel like a productive member of their family.
I’m drawn in by the calm and poise that Cesar maintains in the face of what seems like insurmountable problems that we’ve all seen in dogs that have “toxic” energy and that tend to do the wrong thing.
His tactics never include force. Instead, his amazing arsenal utilizes principles such as leadership, positive energy, relationships, self-discipline and change.
The difference he makes in the lives of those he touches is truly amazing.
As a sales manager or a sales person, you can learn by watching Cesar and the way he goes about his job. Every week, like you, Cesar helps his people (dog owners) overcome their greatest challenges by helping them and their pets reach their true potential.
He does this not by force, but instead by helping our canine friends “discover” the right thing to do to become the dog they were always meant to be.
As he says at the beginning of each show, he “rehabilitates dogs” and “trains people“. While his approach is meant exclusively for dogs, I’ve found a lot of his philosophy applies very well to sales people.
You’ll never succeed by forcing anything, but by discovering the right thing to do, you can find success.
Here’s some of the principles I’ve “discovered” in his system that may help you reach your dreams:
Be calm, be poised and assert positive energy - Cesar tells his clients to establish a leadership role with their dogs by projecting calmness and assertiveness.
As a salesperson, no matter how your customer is behaving, you must remain dettached, calm and maintain your poise. After all, you’ve seen this situation before haven’t you ?
Why be shocked by what clients are doing to you ? Just stay calm and respond assertively and keep your poise. Maintain these states no matter what the situation and problem and most poor behavior by a customer will “miraculously” evaporate.
It’s what we all know to be true: Change yourself and those around you will change too. When you give off an aura confidence and capability, people will tend to go with the flow since you seem so consistent and in control.
Live in the state of NOW - Like dogs, you too can live in the moment.
Apparently, dogs don’t care about what happened yesterday. Every day represents a fresh start. Don’t worry about things in the past because you no longer have any control over those things.
If you keep focusing on bad things, thinking that they may happen, then you create a self fulfilling prophecy which will indeed make those things come true.
Instead, forget the past, and be the person who remains focused on getting this job done and what it takes to do just that.
They key is to listen, and then have a response that makes sense as to why you should do this job. Think in terms of the present and the future and you are well on your way.
Practice every day, exercise discipline and passion - This is Cesar’s secret formula for a balanced, healthy dog. He realized long ago that a dog without a job is an unhappy one that will act out in terrible and unproductive ways.
I would say the same applies to sales people. Remember to never think you’re failing. If you lose a job, learn from it and practice the techniques that will stop the bleeding. Practicing your sales skills, techniques and strategies will release frustration and stress. Have the self-discipline necessary to achieve your greatest potential.
Reflect on your passion for providing solutions to your customers that are of a much higher quality than your competitors. If you have the passion to believe that you’re a better choice for your customer, then you’ll hang in there during the toughest objections and get the job when others with less passion would have quit.
Watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. The principles displayed on this show can do wonders for your sales.
The one lesson I know you will be amazed at is that even an old dog can learn new tricks.
Joe Crisara is CEO of www.ContractorSelling.com a website that helps sales professionals present their solutions to create high value that result in more income, better service and higher closing rates. You can go to the site and receive Joe’s sales tip of the week. Of you can contact Joe by emailing him at joe@contractorselling.com
If Bill Belichick Was Your Sales Manager
This is a Guest Post by Joe Crisara, CEO of ContractorSelling.com.
I have just finished up watching the New England Patriots defeat yet another opponent. After this watching this methodical win the rest of the season looks easy. This team looks to be on the championship march. I began to think… What it would be like if Bill Belichick was your sales manager ?
If he was, I could tell you that you would probably be very successful just because of his track record of putting together a winner year in and year out. Here are some of the characteristics I have observed that you, as sales professionals, could learn from this man:
Never Take the Competition Lightly - After this week’s win against a tough Pittsburgh team, anyone could be tempted to coast or at the very least take the next few teams, in particular against the hapless Miami Dolphins. Not Belichick.
You can bet that he is already building his case to convince his players that EVERY team they play is the best they have ever faced regardless of their record.
You as a sales person could learn from this thinking. Next time you go into the presentation of your options with a customer, you should also, prepare for the worst. Expect your customer to be tough and give you at least 6 objections every time.
If you are waiting for an objection, the worst that could happen is that you’ll be prepared when it happens. The best could be that there are no objections and your customer will just buy without resistance. Remember the lesson you learned in Boy Scouts - “Be prepared”.
Do Your Research -Did you know that Belichick spends 15 to 20 minutes preparing for every press conference ? He prepares talking points, review his statistics and carefully measures what he will say to the press.
Not to mention his legendary status of “knowing” everything he can about the competition so that he can prepare his team for anything that will happen during a game.
You should also think about, research and prepare what you’ll say and do before each and every interaction with your customer. Learning what your customer wants first, why they want it and who they are likely to purchase it from can all be found out before you decide if you should present your solutions.
Self-Deprecation - Bill Belichick is masterful at downplaying his role or significance in any victory that he or his team has achieved. In press conferences he ALWAYS says that he and his team have their work cut out for them and then after they trounce other teams he speaks about how they caught some “lucky breaks” that allowed them to win.
He NEVER takes credit for anything good but always takes responsibility for anything that goes bad.
As a sales professional, it is important to remember that your success is a result of you following a system if success that involves your whole team.
This team includes everyone from the person who answers the phone, to the person who tracks your schedule to the installers, service techs and everyone else in the company.
A smart sales person gives all their teammates all the credit, while taking responsibility themselves for finding ways to improve on calls where they have failed.
Persistence and Tenacity - Genius ? That’s not what they were calling Bill Belichick in Cleveland. Why not ? Four losing seasons in five years. Fans hurled trash and insults. The media resented him. Ownership abandoned him. Players quit on him. Very different from the three Super Bowls in five years Belichick would win with the New England Patriots a few years later. Obviously he nor his teams are quitters.
There’ll be tough times for you in the sales profession as well. Remember you are NEVER failing. Even when you lose a sale you have to find a lesson to learn from it. Never give up by doing things such as blaming customers or fellow employees for your lack of success.
Instead ask for feedback as to what you need to change in order to be the person that WOULD have got the job instead the person who lost it.
Just ask your customer “off the record” what you need to change in your approach to gain their trust. You just might hear the truth if you can handle it.
Respect - Coach Belichick has the respect of the people he wants it from. His teammates, the fans and himself.
Here are some comments made by the people who work with him everyday:
Kevin Faulk: “I wish I had enough time to explain it to you. All in all, Coach Belichick, he’s just a guy that wants to win. And if you’re one of those guys that believes in the same things he believes in — tough guys who are mentally strong and smart — you’re gonna be here.” - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Carl Banks: “I’ve been around some coaches who are so arrogant it’s, ‘Just run my defense and shut up.’ Some guys are so interested in being a genius, they spend all their time trying to put a square inside of a circle. That’s the thing about Bill. He forms a partnership with his players. He listens.” - Los Angeles Times
Tom Brady: “He’s a great leader and he’s a great coach to play for. We all believe in him and we trust him. He always says that he makes decisions based on the best interest of the team. He truly means that.” - Press Conference, October 31, 2007
Tedy Bruschi: “Bill is our coach. We stand behind him, and we want him to know that. We consider ourselves to be a family. And when you single out somebody in our family and criticize him, we rally around him. We say, ‘Come here, you’re one of us.’” - Sports Illustrated
To get the respect of your customers and your teammates is of the utmost importance for you in sales as well. Understand that getting respect is not always pretty. It can mean taking a very lonely position that seems to fly in the face of what is the popular thing to do.
Sometimes letting your customer know that you and your services may NOT be a fit for the both of you can be the very thing that makes customer think that THIS is the kind of person I want to do business with.
If coach Belichick were your sales manager you would be very fortunate indeed. You would feel secure in the knowledge that your manager would give you the best information to help the team and you, succeed every day. Even if it meant that he wasn’t the star of the team.
Sales managers like this know that they are in the business of creating superstars and not in becoming one themselves. Ironically, this very thinking is what will make them great and help them and their teams become true winners.
About the author: Joe Crisara is CEO of www.ContractorSelling.com a website that helps sales professionals present their solutions to create high value that result in more income, better service and higher closing rates. You can go to the site and receive Joe’s FREE SECRET sales tip of the week. Of you can contact Joe by emailing him at joe@contractorselling.com
Don’t Make This Mistake With Your Sales Force
Okay, I admit it, I kinda started it, but I’d like to end it.
I get a beaucoup of emails every, single day wanting to know what a great theme would be for their sales force.
I can’t tell you that, without an intimate ( paid, long-term ) relationship with your company.
If I could do that, thru an email, with no knowledge of your past sales history, market share, current strategy, etc., I wouldn’t be a sales czar, I’d be Cris Angel, Mind Freak or I’d be Mike Sigers, Sales Freak.
Here’s what we’re going to say about sales contests, themes for those and all that jazz for future reference:
One of the most serious mistakes you, as a sales manager, can make is to constantly change your sales strategy.
We could also say it’s a marketing problem at it’s very root.
Changing quotas, holding constant contests, special bonuses, etc., only prove that you’re desperate.
Those are symptoms of a bigger problem, which is, no clear focus, no real marketing strategy, no real sales leadership.
It shows that sales management is just relying on sales people to go out and find business, any business, wherever they can find it.
You may generate some short-term sales, but you’ll generate no long-term success.
Once that push is no longer generating enough sales volume, you have to “re-gimmick” your strategy.
I’d advise any sales people who work for an organization like this to start looking for a better team to work for. Quietly, maybe, but quickly, for sure.
When you fall into the trap of reacting to market swings, instead of being proactive and being in front of the swings, being the thought leaders for your industry, you’re on the path to being less successful than you could be.
In reality, there’s no substitute for a well planned, carefully crafted sales strategy that your company can implement, execute and adapt with sensible and intelligent precision.
That’s the key to a successful sales force, not sales contests.
If Tim McGraw Was Your Sales Manager
Every now and then, selling for a living can wear you down.
When that happens, all of us could use a little pick me up from our Sales Manager. Sadly, we never get what we need, when we need it.
If you’re a little bruised and battered from rejections, cuts in gross margins, escalating manufacturing costs that you can’t pass along and the usual day-to-day problems we face as sales people, then come along with me as we find a Sales Manager that will “pump us up“, as the old Saturday Night Live routine so eloquently put it.
Tim McGraw, a singer of country AND western tunes ( that’s a pun, in case you missed it ), has a song out called Last Dollar (Fly Away). It’s on his newest CD, titled ” Let it Go “.
Some of the lyrics will work well for us and our needs here and if Tim was our Sales Manager, we’d stay all pumped up and ready to go.
” Since I ain’t got nothin’, I got nothin’ to lose. “
” If I ain’t got nothin’, I got nothin’ to hold me back. “
” There’s nothin’ worth keepin’ me from the places I should go.
Obviously, these should free you up to go after those new accounts and spend less time calling on accounts that already see enough of you.
You can try and convince yourself that they need to see you for the third time this week, but the truth of the matter is that unless you try to expand your account list, your treading water at best and probably sinking slowly, whether you admit it or not.
Nothing in sales stays the same. If you’re not getting better, you’re surely getting worse.
If Tim McGraw was your Sales Manager, he’d tell you to go after new business with a vengeance.
He’d tell you that you’re not losing anything and potentially gaining a lot, when you stop by the offices of some of your competitions best customers.
He’d be there to tell you, ” Good try. No harm done. Try another one tomorrow “, when you didn’t get any new business.
Actually, ol’ Timmy just might have a good career waitin’ for him, if this singin’ thang don’t work out 
If The Dalai Lama Was Your Sales Manager
Inspiration hit me, like only inspiration can, upside the head after following a post from LifeHack.org to it’s homebase at RirianProject.com.
This particular post was about 10 Timeless Lessons from the Dalai Lama and they’re great lessons, but here at Simplenomics, we talk mostly about sales, so I thought I’d try to adapt it to selling. Here goes :
Lesson #1 - “ Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. ”
Great salesmen aren’t really born. No pink and wrinkly baby ever led the company in sales. You only become a great salesman by taking the risks that the fearful, average salesmen won’t take.
If there’s a sure way to get noticed, it’s by selling the account that has never bought before, by selling the big jobs and by getting the job done … without whining, lying or cheating.
Lesson #2 - “ When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.”
This could be my favorite, because I rarely lose out on any project in my area. When I do, I analyze the heck out of what I did or didn’t do, so it never happens that same way again.
You’ll never sell every account or every job that every account does, but if you learn to accept defeat gracefully and learn from the losses, you may come out even better than the salesman who sold the job.
Lesson #3 - “ When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. ”
If you ever realize you’ve mislead or misinformed a client or customer, be sure you’re the one to tell them. Don’t worry about losing the business, just don’t let them find out from a competing salesman or, for that matter, anybody else.
I’ve gotten major accounts and made major sales by finding out what a competitor told a potential customer and analyzing his story. I never lie to a customer and if you sell against me and try it, you’ll be out of a job in a short, short time.
Lesson #4 - “ Spend some time alone every day. ”
Plan your work and work your plan. You’ve heard it before, but do you actually practice it ?
I do. I don’t rely on memory, I write down every voicemail message and the premise of every phone call. Then, at some point during the day, I check my notes and look for calls I need to make or actions I need to take.
Never ending the day with a call or email hanging is one of the secrets to my success. That and the fact that none of my competitors does it.
Lesson #5 - “ Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. ”
You’ve got 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason. Listen twice as much as you speak. This is one I struggle with, at times, and it always bites me in the backside when I violate this rule.
Never be afraid to let silence be your best offense. Just last week, I let a customer hang in silence for several seconds, becuase I was pissed that he kept calling every 30 minutes to ask me the same question.
The end result ? After about 5 seconds, he said, ” Let’s just put this off til Monday and get back after it then. ”
Which was exactly what I’d told him we needed to do 7 calls earlier.
Silence can be golden.
Lesson #6 - “ Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality. ”
This one’s pretty easy. This is exactly why I had this blog built.
I’ve enjoyed some success, using my simple ways and I wanted to share those ways with the world.
You should do the same, because you know some things that nobody else knows.
Seriously, you do.
Need a blog built or a campaign planned to shared said knowledge ? Use the Contact Form on this blog and we’ll see if we can help you.
Lesson #7 - “ Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.”
Never ever try to become someone you aren’t. I’ve had offers to join sales teams that I knew needed me, but I also knew that I wasn’t like them, in one way or another.
If your sales manager asks you to lie, cheat or steal, RUN, don’t walk, RUN as fast as you can away from them and find another way to make a living.
Only one time did I ever end up feeling like a hog at an opera and I’ll never make that mistake again.
Lesson #8 - “ Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. ”
I’ll bet that you can look back and remember a few times that you didn’t get a job or make a sale that you wanted.
I’ll also bet that you can look back and see that the majority of those times you ended up better off because of it.
Don’t waste energy asking why … instead ask what’s next ?
Lesson #9 - “ A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. ”
You’ll never know just how lucky you are to have a supportive spouse … until you sit at a dinner table with someone who doesn’t have one.
I would not be half the person I am without my loving, supportive, patient much-better-half.
Thanks Joi Tania !
Lesson #10 - “ Be gentle with the earth.”
How are we gonna relate this one to selling ? I have no idea !
But I do believe that the better you are to your fellow man, the more you’re rewarded with good fortune.
So go forth and be gentle with some poor customer or client today and see if it doesn’t come back to you in triplicate.
Thanks again to the two inspirations for this post and to the Dalai Lama for the original thoughts, which I hope I didn’t do any damage to.
Like Hippocrates said, ” First, do no harm. ”
We bloggers should try that more often.
If A U.S. Marine Was Your Sales Manager
Every week, at least, I get an email from Harvey Mackay. You will too, if you subscribe to his newsletter, like I recommend you do.
Harvey may be my favorite business genre author. I love all of his books. Not some, all.
This particular email had leadership lessons from the ‘Guidebook for Marines‘.
I’ve adapted it to sales managers, but I wanted to give credit to Harvey for engaging my brain and for a great newsletter.
His newsletter is all content and no fluff, so do yourself a favor and subscribe.
The bolded part of each lesson is from the Guidebook, the word after the bolding are mine.
1) Know yourself and seek improvement. You’ll never be all you can be ( I’m former Army and proud of it ), unless you continue to study your profession and your craft. Look for your weaknesses and improve them, do not practice your strong points, improve the areas where you’re weak. Be real and be honest or you won’t grow.
2) Be technically and tactically proficient. If you don’t know your products better than all your salespeople, shame on you. If you can’t plan a campaign better than your salespeople, shame on you. Know your job and work to broaden your horizons.
3) Know your Marines and look out for their welfare. Know what your salespeople face in the field and work to make it as easy as possible for them to do their job. Work with them individually. Sales meetings are passe. No salesman worth his salt will talk about his problems in front of his peers. Take him to lunch or dinner and never, ever share the info he reveals.
4) Keep your Marines informed. Never, ever let information get to your people by any means other than you. Never. The damn phones are there for a reason. Do not let me find out company news from a customer. Or a supplier. If I do, your credibility is gone. Shot. Ruined. Forever.
5) Set the example. You’re the standard, whether you like it or not. Sorry. Never ever let me see you sweat, unless it’s beside me in the trenches. Set the bar high and conduct yourself as a professional … at all times.
6) Ensure the task is understood, supervised and accomplished. Make it simple and clear what you want me to do. Check to see that I did it. Tell me you checked and tell me what you think of what I did … in a constructive manner. Simple.
7) Train your Marines as a team. Make sure we all know our roles and do not let the parameters get blurred. Make us accountable and make it a matter of record. Get us together as a team and make some of our goals ‘team goals’.
Make sound and timely decisions. All I have out there is my credibility to my customer. If I can’t get the necessary info from you to give to them, I can’t be held accountable to you for my goals. Make yourself as accountable to your salesforce as they are to you.
9) Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates. Give me enough rope to rope the damn steer. I can’t go to battle with a shoelace. Let me do the job and we’ll talk about it afterwards, not during the process.
10) Employ your command in accordance with its capabilities. Enlist me, equip me and then empower me. You will be the reason I succeed or fail, according to how you prepared me. If I fail, you should have known beforehand that I wasn’t ready.
11) Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions. Just like the point above says, a sales manager is responsible for the salesforce under him. If we fail, it’s your fault, not ours. Period.
Those 11 points are a good starting point for sales managers. There are plenty of other points that could be added.
Feel free to do so here in the comments or on your blog.
