“I don’t have any ideas. I have the solution. And when you want to know what it is, give me a call!”
It was the office Christmas party in 1986. The company president had just asked me if I had any ideas as to how to get the other sales reps to attain similar results as mine. I had just finished my first year as a sales rep in a branch location and had set a record for most number of copiers sold in a year. This, despite the fact that I was only in the territory less than 11 months.
He was taken aback by my response, and so was I.
It was a spontaneous burst of Spirit filled conviction that had been bottled up inside me all year long.
The word from management was that I was really from Mars and slept in a pod in a barn on our property. They couldn’t fathom how I was able to get the results I got, while working less than my peers and not using their “ways”.
It was definitely alien to them, but not from Mars, and now the president of this company of over 100 employees wanted to know my “secrets” – even if they did come from Mars!
We met for lunch the next week, and in an attempt to discover if what I was saying could translate into results for the other reps, he me made the sales manager of a team of five reps, effective the first week of January.
On week one, I was tasked with spending a day with each rep on my team, making calls with them and evaluating them. Of particular note was a rep named David. A good looking, well dressed, well educated, personable young man of character that had been with the company 90 days.
He had yet to make his first sale and had turned in his resignation, but senior management wanted to see if he was salvageable and waited to see what I thought the chances were that he could survive in this job.
After spending a day with each team member I was asked for my assessment, particularly of David. I said he was the best person on the team.
The look of shock on the VP's face I will never forget.
In disbelief, he asked me how I came to that conclusion, while simultaneously thinking they had made a poor decision making me the sales manager of that team.
I explained that David told me a personal story where he made a decision based on integrity that he knew would cost him a job opportunity he desperately needed and wanted. I was so impressed with the integrity that decision demonstrated, that I knew I could easily instill and develop the necessary skills to succeed.
David finished the year quite respectably and became the #1 or #2 sales rep every year for 25 years before starting his own business! Not only did David excel, but sales for the entire team increased 430%!
That's when they decided to make me the trainer for the entire company.
The reason I tell you this story is that I want you to know that if I could take five struggling sales reps and turn them into a power house, more than quadrupling their previous results, then perhaps I know a few things that could help you.
More important is the fact that I have no special powers.
There was no hype or "power closes", or any kind of nonsense like that. The team made more sales and more money without having to compromise their personal integrity or be untrue to who they were.
And although I have no special powers or unusual charisma, I do know the source of special power, which is the Word of God, and by choosing to learn from Him, and then pass that on, I have seen incredible transformations in many sales teams and business owners.
Consider Eric Beck, a giant in the business automation world. He helped lead Michael Gerber's "Turnkey Revolution" as the International Director of Training for E-Myth worldwide.
Eric is a teacher and practitioner, but selling his services when he struck out on his own, was outside his comfort zone. Just watch this 2-minute video of an unscripted, spontaneous moment when I was doing some training for the Benham Brothers in Charlotte...
But Eric is by no means alone.
In 2015, I was asked to turn around a sales team that had lost 75% of its members due to lack of sales success. Six months later, they were back at full strength with a 930% sales increase and a 7-figure profit. That’s when I was asked to stay on and help them make the INC 500 list for fastest growing companies in America.
That requires a 3-year track record because anyone can have a good month or maybe even a good year, but the INC 500 required a three year documented track record. So after two more years, we had an 11,350% three year growth rate and became the 16th fastest growing, privately held company in American on the INC 500 list.
These were just ordinary sales reps. They weren’t the “A” team. But they became the “A” team by cooperating with the wisdom of God in practical ways. Here’s what the CEO said in this 2 minute video…
As you might have guessed by now, I'm sharing these examples with you because I want to invite you to consider an alternative way of increasing sales and growing your business that doesn't require those awkward tactics that don't resonate with the person you are.
It's a way of life as much as it is a way of doing business. It's not "my" way. It's really THE WAY (John 14:6). It's not just Biblically compatible... It's Biblically derived!
I call it, Selling Among Wolves - Without Joining The Pack! And on Tuesday, I'm starting another 3-Day CHALLENGE where I will be revealing as much of the high impact content that I can in the time that we have.
If you're an entrepreneur, business owner or sales professional that desires to deepen your walk with the Lord in the context of business while rapidly and sustainably growing your sales, I invite you now to register for this week's 3-Day Selling Among Wolves CHALLENGE. (Details HERE)
We meet nightly beginning Tuesday evening at 8 PM Eastern and wrap up Thursday evening in a LIVE meeting format vs a webinar. That means, if you have your camera on, we can all see and interact with each other and ask questions, etc. (Feels more like an in-person meeting than a webinar.)
As always, the sessions will be recorded and available for a short time later - exclusively for registrants. I hope you can make it and use what you'll learn to change the world!