| A Managing Director of a prominent City | | | | other. |
| investment bank in London e-mailed me the | | | | |
| other day: "I am doing a morning of graduate | | | | 3) Get certified. |
| interviews for salespeople; all high quality | | | | |
| guys but one guy mentioned that he liked | | | | 4) Always be learning: read books, listen to |
| Google as a stock so I quizzed him based on | | | | CD's, take workshops, read Selling Power. |
| the DMH blog view and he left the meeting | | | | |
| saying he thought the stock was a sell!"He | | | | 5) Get a coach. |
| later revealed to me the competitiveness of | | | | |
| the interview process and how little margin | | | | 6) Do the fundamentals consistently and you |
| for error there was: out of the sixteen | | | | will be in the top 10%. |
| short-listed candidates, they were only | | | | |
| allowed to pick two. When I asked him what | | | | 7) Take action, there is a difference |
| the criteria was, he told me; "It's really | | | | between knowing and doing."The problem today |
| the depth of the candidates that makes all | | | | is that as "sales" has become such a |
| the difference. We had one Lebanese guy, for | | | | standardized industry segment of its own it |
| example, with loads of international | | | | has developed some dubious methodologies and |
| experience who had been educated in Paris and | | | | training programmes rather than addressing |
| London and who had some practical knowledge | | | | the fundamental aspect to the process: the |
| of the industry and it was very impressive. | | | | spectrum of the salesperson's knowledge bank |
| Talking to him was like talking to any of the | | | | and their willingness to enlighten others |
| guys who are working on the floor here. It | | | | with the knowledge-sharing process.Miller's |
| all comes down to being | | | | advice is all too commonly seen in any type |
| well-rounded."Education & ExperienceIn July, | | | | of sales training: young salespeople today |
| consultant and guru Andy Miller wrote an | | | | assume that what they need is training in how |
| abstract on his blog which declared: "I don't | | | | to sell rather than being well-read and |
| mean any disrespect but the odds are if you | | | | convincing debaters who can hold an argument |
| are under the age of 43-45 you never got the | | | | in a broad range of spheres. Contrary to |
| type of professional development you needed | | | | Miller's popular opinion, the reason sales |
| to be a top producer", citing that last year | | | | training was slashed due to "downsizing" in |
| his organization conducted a survey of 2663 | | | | the 1980's at most Fortune 500 companies is |
| sales organizations where 82% of salespeople | | | | for the same reason anything is slashed in a |
| said they had no sales process or weren't | | | | corporation: because companies realized what |
| following one, and 42% were missing essential | | | | little value the process contributed to the |
| skills needed to do their job.Miller | | | | bottom line.The most important kind of |
| ultimately concluded, "WOW! Imagine a | | | | training a salesperson can have is outside |
| professional football team with no play book | | | | the arena of practice: it's in reading |
| or the essential skills to move the ball. So | | | | anything but books on 'How to Sell'. Young |
| what can you do?1) Take ownership for your | | | | salespeople would be better off reading |
| own development. | | | | Wuthering Heights than they would listening |
| | | | to "Selling Power" CD's. |
| 2) Join UPSA and start learning from each | | | | |