In a recent blog "Dirty Deeds from a NJ Dealer", I had an email from a valued Print4Pay Hotel member. But before I post the rest, let me digress for a moment. I did not expect a reply to my recent blog, however receiving an email from another Print4Pay Hotel member giving me words of encouragement is awesome and it well appreciated! The Print4Pay Hotel is an awesome community!
Art,
I saw your e-mail and thought I would try and cheer you up a bit. I've been in the industry for 17 years now in your experience is not unique. Unfortunately it is part of our industry and I learned it in many other industries as well.
Being a professional salesperson is challenging emotionally and sometimes physically. To have prospects and customers lie and deceive you on a daily basis can be very demanding. And then you have your employer constantly challenge your commissions and paycheck is equally demanding. Add to that meetings that are useless and reports that are time-consuming and meaningless. I rarely attend meetings using the excuse that I need to attend to my customers and I falsify reports to satisfy those requesting it.
What I do do.. Is bring home the number. As long as I have achieved my sales goals there is no other standard that I am measured by.
I have learned that I now treat all prospects, customers and employers as untrustworthy and as such I constantly challenge them as well. For instance I am constantly challenging my employer for higher commissions. I challenge them to reward me with individual goals and rewards. Most recently I approach my employer and asked if he would lease the car of my choosing for two years if I bill over $1 million in a calendar year. It is not currently part of my comp plan but I'm working towards it. My bet is he will respond with a counteroffer of 1.5 million and I will settle for 1.2 5 million which I know I can easily achieve.
Last month I challenged him for a case of particular wine if I could bill $100,000. I hit my goal and the case of wine now sits in my wine cellar.
So turn the tables on your employer, everything is negotiable, every day. I do it again and again and I'm relentless, as I'm relentless prospect salesperson and attentive to my customers.
I recently left a voicemail for a prospect that is very large prospect that went something like this…. “I know I've left you many voicemails, you're beginning to understand how diligent in detail oriented I am with people who are not my current customers. Imagine how hard I will work for you should you become one of my customers. This is my profession and I'm excellent at it. Please call me at 555.555.1212. Monte Jensen”
The upside of our profession is that your flexibility to work is second to none. I can work from anywhere in the world today. I stopped going into an office 10 years ago. All the office politics are out of my field of vision and I'm able to focus on the task at hand. I'm not distracted by the pretty girls in accounting, I'm not distracted by the other salespeople wanting information from me, or just wanting to be my friend. I have friends at home and don't want them at work. I want to complete my work and return to my life. If I want to work 20 hours a day I can or if I want to play golf (like I did yesterday), I do that.
Art,
I would consider you one of the most accomplished professionals in our industry. Your forward thinking to create the P4P Hotel and its crowd sourcing model was ahead of its time. I'm confident that level of knowledge and professionalism translates to your selling career. Let's both use this MFP industry to pay the bills today and allow us the flexibility to create a business outside of it that will someday stand on its own and provide us a source of income that is substantial.
Here's to the future!
P4P Member
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