December 2002 Track Selling Times World Class Sales Management
 World Class Sales Management:
The Value of Recognition
by Bob Waldorf
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(From November 1998 Track Selling Times)
I have 36 years of experience in the promotional products industry.
Currently we have 13 offices throughout the West. In my industry, most
companies don't train their salespeople at all. They just send them out the
door, hope for the best and accept a high-attrition rate. We do things
differently. First, we train our salespeople very well. We focus on Track
Selling and making sure they have detailed product knowledge. Only when
they really know what they are doing, do we let them go out into the field.
When they are out there it's vital to communicate with them on a regular
basis in order to help them be more successful. But there is a point I wish
to make clear. You can't force salespeople to get up on time or work late.
That's why we try to hire only those with a real need to succeed.
We do, however, emphasize recognition of those who are successful. Our best
sales personnel become company role models. We publish lists of top
salespeople each month, showing gross profit figures. Everyone else seems
to be worried about the competition. We prefer to put our attention on
motivating our salespeople to strive higher.
The best way to do this is via recognition. At the start of the month, we
list sales volume in groups of ten. Each category is given a Greek alphabet
letter, with 'Alpha' being the best. There is tremendous prestige
associated with getting into the top bracket. In my experience, the "cream
of the crop" tend to rise and stay at the highest levels.
Every quarter, we publish gross profit percentage figures to show who is
selling at a level that constitutes success. We also have the Century
Club - for those who sell $100,000 per month. Those achieving this elite
status are presented with a beautiful ship's clock in a mahogany case. Each
time they repeat, they receive commemorate plates.
As a result of this focus on recognition, our typical salesperson sells more
than the average company in our industry. We're not just selling goods,
like most of our competitors do. We sell ideas. We identify our customers objectives and find the right ideas to accomplish them.
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