Wake Up and Grow Up

Despite all the discourse about global warming (sometimes you have to wonder if all the hot air from the discussion is not a major contributor, I digress already), it should come as no surprise that we could have snow in Toronto in February.  Not to mention the never ending warnings over the last few days about the impending storm; Doppler radar readings, weather on the 10s, not o mention an entire TV network dedicated to nothing but the weather.  So with all those resources, how can a sales professional rationalize being late to sales meeting?

As you can guess I was on time for an appointment this morning with a couple of sales people (doing ride alongs) , and they were not.  Why not?

Well, when you get past the excuses, stories, BS and self pity, it comes down to personal accountability!  Or in the case of my late guests, a lack there of; they really need to grow up.

One rep, rather than saying they were sorry for being late, tardy and completely unprofessional, instead said “man can you believe this snow?”  Not hard to imagine in Toronto this time of year.  The second blamed the roads.  Now all this would have been just a bother if it was just me they were meeting, I get paid by the hour, sitting around or working, the clock is ticking; but the prospect is a different story.  While she didn’t say it out loud, it was clear she was agitated, and while it is hard to tell if it will kill the deal, it had an impact today.

There is no excuse.  As sales professionals we need to be accountable and be prepared for this type of thing.  What does it take to leave early, what’s the biggest risk that you leave a bit too early and get there early?  Great you all have BlackBerrys, you can bang out a few e-mails, make a few calls, get to the meeting on time.  Never mind the fact that I made it, the prospect did, she felt it was important, I guess these sales people didn’t. 

In case you are thinking that I need to cut them some slack, it’s not the norm, let me take you back to yesterday.  Conference call scheduled for 11:30, I am there at 11:27, prospect 11:29, sales rep, 11:52.  The rep offers up “I am sorry I was on another conference call.”  Prospect interprets “I guess you had something more important than my business.”  Proof, after a few minutes from when the rep joined the call:

Prospect: “well, Tibor can bring you up to speed on what we discussed.” 
Rep “not a problem, let’s set up a call move things forward, how is Monday at 11:00?”
Prospect: “Call me next week and we’ll pick a time.” 

Right.  The prospect is thinking of alternatives; the rep will forecast it and tell his manager he has a next step.

All of this completely unnecessary, totally preventable and avoidable.  As has been the theme in posts earlier this week, it is down to attitude and level of professionalism.  It’s not about the alarm clock, the snow removal or the other drivers.  It’s about you and your willingness to do the work it takes to win.  You can make excuses or you can grow up.

What’s in Your Pipeline?
Tibor Shanto