You and your salespeople are a product of mom and dad, the people met, the experiences had and the education/knowledge acquired:
- Nature and Nurture
- Heredity and Environment
Recently, I read a Jack Reacher novel. Jack is a fictional character in many of Lee Child’s novels. Jack is a former military police officer and states to himself, “You can leave the army, but the army doesn’t leave you.” I stopped and thought about that comment and related it to my own life and realized, “You can leave the farm but the farm doesn’t leave you.”
Those that know me and have heard me speak or train know that I reference my youth and growing up on the farm in Hammonton, New Jersey. Hammonton is the blueberry capital of the world, home of the Hammonton Hawks, the Hammonton Blue Devils and Bruni’s Pizzeria.
I am a product of those experiences as well as the numerous people I’ve met, places I’ve been, books I’ve read, speakers I’ve heard and work/fun experiences I have had since I was 18. But, I am pretty sure much of what I am today - how I think and how I act - are a result of those first 18 years. The farm and growing up the son of Ray and Geri Cole laid the foundation that is me today.
The core values and beliefs I learned on the farm that still guide me today:
- When all else fails, hard work works.
- Get up early and go to work.
- Go to bed early and get a good night’s sleep.
- Learn how to hunt and provide for your family.
- Working piece meal pays you your true value (i.e. working on commission).
- Don’t try to control what you cannot control (i.e. Weather and the rate at which blueberries ripen for harvest).
- There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
- Someone will always have it better/worse than you.
- Two things have to happen – death and taxes.
- God will provide wisdom, strength and courage – you have to do the work.
- Not everyone gets to play.
- Winners are rewarded.
- God provided us with two ears and one mouth, listen twice as much as you talk.
- You have to be in great shape to play college football.
- Thank and love Mom, Dad and God.
- 4th place didn’t get a medal.
- If you hoe long enough, blisters will become calluses.
- Trucks run better with all four tires.
- Hard work can be fun.
- Make your handshake mean something.
- All we have is our integrity.
- Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be answer, ask and it will be given.
- The only way to get a pretty girl to go out with you is to ask her out for a date.
- Your heart will be broken and mend.
- If you plant trees in good soil, take care of them with food and water and shelter them from harm, they will last a long, long time (See my picture of the sugar maple my dad planted over 60 years ago).
- Love grows best in little houses.
- Kids taking care of pets learn about responsibility, life and death.
- Hugs are free.
- There’s always room for Jello
- Money doesn’t grow on trees.
- I’m not a Rockefeller.
- Practice what you preach.
- Take care of your equipment and your equipment will take care of you.
Most, if not all, of this list has served me well over the years. There is also a list of things I had to unlearn/undo because it didn't/ doesn't serve me well.
- Don’t talk to strangers.
- Life isn’t fair.
- Rich people are ‘rich bastards’.
- You want people to like you.
- Don’t upset the apple cart.
- Fit in.
- Play it safe.
- Don’t trust salespeople.
- Biases based on gender, religion and color of skin.
- You can’t be wealthy and happy.
I’m sure I could add more, but I’m also sure that this is getting boring, so I’ll get to the point. That point is this: you have to do more in your training and development program than just teach tactics and techniques. There’s lots of stuff in your head - and in the heads of your people - that influences what you do and won’t do. To get the most out of any training and development program, you have to understand the “root” cause.
Understanding who your people are is critical in getting them to perform. Understanding who you are will help you help them.
Here is a way to learn more about how your people think when it comes to sales and sales management: Sales Effectiveness and Improvement Analysis.
