Are you really committed to do the deed?

One of the jobs I have (I have several!!!) is to go in and "fix" stuff.  That's why they call me. " Come fix our sales staff.   We give them great advertising, the location of our models/sales office is ideal.  We just give give give.  The traffic count is up but the closing ratios are down." And then management tells me they do not want a bigger staff they just want a more productive staff.  I get it.  They need sales training, They need to learn better ways to qualify, demonstrate, negotiate and close the sale.  But the first question no one wants to ask is:  Is the CORE BEHAVIOR of each individual on the team what it needs to be to become successful?  And the other issue is management does not want to constantly recruit.  They do not want to accept the idea that no matter how effective a sales team may be at this moment, that can change at the drop of a hat.  So recruiting must be part of the core behavior of management, just as prospecting is part of the core behavior of the individual salesperson. The stubborness I encounter? Management is not always recruiting and salespeople are not prospecting.

So the first thing I have to do when I go in and try to "fix" is figure out what the owners/managers expectations are for the sales team and what is the procedure for recruiting. If there is no system in place, if the selection of candidates is very slip-shod, there will be no fixing of anything.  Again I love to use the theatre as a metaphor because it is exactly the same issue.  When a director cast a play, 90% of his chances for success are set up way before the first rehearsal.  With the wrong cast, the show will be a flop.  If the director does not select actors with a core behavior of willingness to take notes (direction in regards to the role they are playing) the whole ensemble is effected.  I have seen this problem with sales teams and casts of a play.

So here is the skinny all you business owners who are reading this--I cannot fix anything if the core behavior of your staff is not amicable, willing, committed, and trainable.  That's why the first thing I do is interview every single person on the team and find out where their heads and hearts are.  This is a huge commitment people.  Living on blind faith, commissions, no salaries, etc. Artists go through the same thing.  Wishy washy does not work.  They have to be able to have the behavior that says: "Nothing will stop me today from pursuing my dream." And they cannot moan, complain, focus on outcomes, and waste time.  Every single second counts. And so the question for the committed ones every day is:  "What action can I take today to bring more people into the fold?"

How committed are you right now?