To build a career in the world of sales, we will need the support and cooperation of many people. There are two sets of customers, the external customers – those outside our organisation, our clients and prospects. The second group includes the INTERNAL clients and prospects who work for the organisation. We may not be selling the same products and services to both groups but we are selling. When we fail to treat co-workers with the same courtesy and respect shown to customers, we will pay the price all unsuccessful salespeople pay for forgetting who our customers really are.
The procedure for coping with these problems is very similar to that used for handling other customer service problems. The minute a problem arises and we become aware of it, deal with it with all possible haste. Typical customers are not interested in excuses, they are interested in a solution to the problem. They do not want you making excuses or blaming someone else. They are not interested in fixing the blame – they are interested in fixing the problem.
A primary method we can utilise to bring the support team together and be sure we are pulling on the same end of the rope, is to work toward “shared ownership”. By getting everyone involved in the project, and the chances of success will be greatly increased.
As a successful sales professional, we must remember that we are the owner of our own business. The people in our home are going to have a great bearing on our success, so get them involved.
To become free of financial worries and concerns:
- BEGING TODAY: the “tomorrow is soon enough” theory of economics causes financial woes to many, many intelligent people. Do not get caught up in who to go or where to go. Get started TODAY.
- PLAN WITH OUR SPOUSE: family finances must be family business. We and our spouse will determine who is responsible for all aspects of family bookkeeping, but we must do the work together.
- USE A RECORD-KEEPING SYSTEM: keep all financial records in one place.
- ESTABLISH SPENDING PRIORITIES: discuss the most important expenditures with your spouse, look at what we have to spend and what we need to spend. Financial planning will not push us apart. Planning, scheming and dreaming together will help overcome financial problems and lead us toward financial control.
- REMEMBER THESE KEY CONCEPTS
The key to building a successful sales support system is to accept personal responsibility for making choices.
(Adapted from “The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional – Ziglar on Selling”, Chapter 14 – The Successful Sales Support System – How the Office and Family Can Empower Your Career, by Zig Ziglar)