Streetfighter Selling

Salespeople come in all shapes, sizes and personalities. Every one of us has an equal opportunity for a long, successful career. But we also come in three different modes of operation. Let’s call them Zoners, Zonkersand Zoomers.

Here’s a look at their profiles. See if you agree:

The first one is the Zoner, because he or she is working with a well-defined Comfort Zone. The Zoner is comfortable with their sales, customer base and income. Even with their neighborhood and brand of coffee. Comfortable to the point where a lot of the spark and drive that originally made them successful is now gone. “I’ve paid my dues” is a part of their rationale. The Zoner is the sales rep who may enjoy a decent income, often handle one or more of the company’s major accounts, and have developed a strict routine that includes only a limited number of customers.

Zoners often have their own set of rules. Company policies and pricing often don’t seem to apply to them. Fill out an itinerary? No time. Build relationships beyond the buyer? No time for that, either. The Zoner’s account list usually erodes like ocean side property. Major accounts periodically fall to the wayside (and often to a competitor). But they still believe that their employer’s fortunes rise and fall with them.

If you’ve been waking up lately with Zoner tendencies, here are some tips:
Make at least one cold call a day for the next two weeks. You might be required to make more but, if you haven’t been lately, get going. You’ll actually enjoy the challenge, and the old fire that comes with it. Make a personal change. Don’t do anything stupid, but step out of your personal comfort zone.

Our second mode is the Zonker. Zonkers spend too much time in the office. They’re always putting out fires, shuffling paperwork, checking deliveries or sitting in on someone else’s meetings. Lots of busy work….high level of stress….moderate success. The main reason? Too much fuss, not enough face-to-face.

Often, the problems they’re solving were self-created. Zonkers slip on a lot of details, like asking their customers enough of the right questions, or not doing paperwork right the first time (I should know, I spent quite a few years as a Zonker).

The Zonker solution is to get organized. Organize your time, making face-to-face customer time the top priority, then use stronger time management to get those other, internal tasks done.

The third mode of operation is the Zoomer. This one makes things happen. You don’t have to be the perfect salesrep to be a Zoomer, either. You just need to do the right things at the right time. Like knowing that “prime selling hours” mean getting out of the office and in front of customers. Like going into every appointment with a specific goal….whether it’s to close the sale, or uncover new information…or opportunities.

Zoomers think ‘big picture.’ They pursue their own goals, and those of their company. They solve problems without screaming, whining or finger-pointing. And when they’re successful, they recognize the efforts of those who helped.

Opportunities for making money in the profession of sales are only going to get bigger… but only for those who have the desire, and discipline, to Zoom.

Some books in the 90’s proclaimed what I call ‘feel-good advice’ on the subject of closing sales. They’d say “good salespeople don’t close the sale, they let it happen!” or “make your presentation and shut up…and the first person who talks, loses.” That last one implied that, if you didn’t say another word, the prospect would somehow feel compelled to say yes. Unfortunately, that advice is like telling a pilot not to worry about landing because the plane will get to the ground one way or another, if you let it. Even the best businessperson can be indecisive. If I make a terrific presentation, then just wait for them to say “yes,” I’ll probably seldom hear it. Comfort zones are powerful things and making a change (unless out of absolute necessity) doesn’t happen often.

I know this is ‘Sales 101″ stuff, but sometimes it’s good to look back at the basics. Salespeople who sell more do so because they ask for the business. (Remember the line from Glengarry Glen Ross: “always be closing.”)

Read my column: “When Did Closing Become a Bad Word.”