Like many children, my Dad used to tell me stories before he put me to bed. After running through the gamut of Big Bad Wolf, Goldilocks and the three Bears and Three Billy Goats Gruff, he used to tell me another tall tale. He’d say that when I grow up, I could be anything I wanted to be if I just worked hard enough. He said. “Anyone can become the President if they wanted it really bad and worked hard for it.”

I trusted him…that is until I became a sales manager…

No offense to Dad, but the problem with the story is that it’s just not true!

It’s romantic, hopeful, and optimistic, but it can’t be any more true than Santa Claus riding down the chimney on Christmas Eve.

Do you truthfully believe that everyone is born with the exact same potential? (more…)

A sales manager has to be popular – in fact, he has to be so popular that he needs to be even more popular than Howard Stern.

You need to be cooler than Opie and Anthony, Rush Limbaugh (pick your radio personality here) as well as all the other ones out there together.

Why? Because being on your sales reps “pre-sets” on their own personal radio stations is absolutely essential to your crusade in getting to know your sales people so you could effectively communicate with them and expect better sales performance.

But here is the thing. Did you know there’s only one radio station your sales people tune in to all day long every day of the week…and that station is WIFM. (You might say WIIFM, but let’s not get too technical here). (more…)

The Law of Reciprocity states, “If you do something nice for someone, human nature dictates that the recipient will feel compelled to do something nice for you in return.”

The philosopher Confucius simplified it when he said, “Do unto others what you want others to do unto you.” This second definition is very important.

Selling is a two-way relationship. The same applies to managing a sales team. If the team wants to be able to grow beyond what it started out with, it needs to surrender under the guidance of its sales manager. If the sales manager wants to earn the respect of the team, he needs to work hard and earn his sales people’s trust one brick at a time.

I know this much is true: that the Law of Reciprocity is essential to a career in sales. (more…)