CHAPTER NINETEEN
How to Help Salespeople Sell More
RAY WASN’T the only one who had success bringing the Aligned Thinking tools into the workplace. On a rainy morning in October, Chuck Bonner, vice president of worldwide sales, telephoned Carol for an impromptu meeting.
Walking to his office, she felt a touch of nervousness. What did he want from her? Chuck had a reputation for being a very tough boss. He had publicly opposed the company-wide learning program Carol had recently sponsored. She knew from experience that he could be difficult to deal with. If an idea did not contribute quickly to the bottom line, he would be against it. He did get results. Hesitantly, she knocked on his door.
Without so much as a greeting, Chuck got right to the point. “I just received the results of a two-year study,” he said. “Our research shows that the more time our salespeople spend with our customers, the more they sell. Can you find a program that will get our people to organize their time so they spend maximum hours with the customers? This is especially important for our experienced salespeople. They’re the ones who sell the most.”
Carol nodded. “Yes, I—”
“It can’t be an ordinary time management program,” Chuck said, cutting her off, “because all our senior people have been through those programs. It’s got to be something new, quick to understand, easy to use. And it has to give them something to help them personally, or they won’t use it.”
Chuck was not in a mood to be crossed. He kept his job as vice president of worldwide sales because he produced results. Solving this problem for him would enhance Carol’s reputation as chief learning officer. Just as important, the sales staff would be empowered and the whole company would benefit.
“Tell me more about what you need,” she said.
“Whatever program you find has to be a process. Our experienced salespeople are all engineers, and engineers love a process. The process has to be repeatable. I want to teach it once and benefit from it for twenty to thirty years. The benefits need to be immediate and they need to last a lifetime!”
“I think I have just the program,” Carol said.
“Is that right?” Skeptically, Chuck lifted a brow.
“It’s called Aligned Thinking.” Carol gave him a brief overview of the results he could expect, telling him only enough to make him curious.
“Is this program expensive?” Chuck asked.
“When you consider the return on investment you’re looking for, it’s a bargain,” Carol replied. “And if we’re lucky, I’ll be bringing in an expert.”
On a cold but sunny December afternoon, Carol leaned against one of the majestic stone lions outside the New York City Public Library. It was her turn to be in charge of the fun-day for purpose. Ray walked up the steps at the agreed-upon time of 3:00 p.m.
They found a quiet place inside to review the last quarter. Together they brainstormed new ideas about their life purpose and goals. It seemed that the more they shared Aligned Thinking with their children, friends, and employers, the more value they discovered. By the time they were done, it was past five o’clock.
“We’ve got to go,” said Carol. “Our reservation is at five-thirty.” To Ray’s delight, Carol had arranged for dinner at their favorite midtown restaurant and, somehow, tickets to the hottest show on Broadway.
“It was outstanding,” Ray conceded to Coach after their funday for purpose meeting later that month. “We had front-row-center seats. I must admit, that play beat my dinner with the sunset over the Hudson.”
“I’m glad you guys are making funday for purpose a celebration, because that’s what it’s supposed to be,” said Coach.
“I’ve got a lot to celebrate this quarter, thanks to you,” said Carol. “You did such an outstanding job training our sales force that Chuck Bonner had a dozen roses delivered to me with a note that said, ‘To my hero: 90 percent of the participants say the process will help them spend more time in front of customers; 92 percent say they believe they will be more satisfied at the end of the day.’ Coach, thanks for making me a hero!”
“Thanks for the business,” said Coach. “I’m glad it went okay.”
“Better than okay!” exclaimed Carol. “Chuck plans to send me to our Beijing headquarters to find out if Aligned Thinking will work with our Asian sales force. I never in my wildest dreams thought that would happen! Chuck Bonner is not an easy man to please.”
Coach nodded. “He has a very tough job. The VP of worldwide sales has to keep a lot of people happy—clients, salespeople, management. He was demanding. So are a lot of VPs and CEOs. My partners and I did for him what we’d do for anyone. Congratulations on the Asia trip.”
“The MIN Secret takes me to Asia. Wow!” announced Carol.
Coach smiled. “Do you see what Woody meant when he said after three weeks you probably only had a handle on 30 to 40 percent of the value of the MIN Secret and the Aligned Thinking tools?”
Ray replied, “Probably he should have said 10 to 20 percent. That would have been more accurate. But I’m glad he didn’t. Saying 30 percent scared us enough.”
Carol was quick to agree. “I had no idea how much could change from such a simple nine-word question. And it’s so low maintenance. Just the gift of the three focus periods. That’s all it costs.”
“As you continue to implement these tools, there is much more to come,” Coach added. “But I want the big report— how are your weight loss and jogging goals coming along?”
Ray smiled and jumped in. “I taught Tammy what gets measured gets done. Careful what you teach your kids! When I was having trouble jogging and losing my fifteen pounds, Tammy set up a record-keeping system for me and encouraged me to ask, What’s my MIN, related to those ugly fifteen pounds? when 5:45 a.m. rolled around. According to Tammy, I have an 80 percent jogging record and have lost seven pounds.”
Carol added, “And I’ve lost ten pounds. Every time I go for a second helping or another cookie, Coach Tammy encourages me to ask, What’s my MIN, aligned to the twenty-five pounds I want to lose? This Aligned Thinking stuff in the wrong hands is dangerous.”
The three of them laughed.
“Congratulations on raising such smart kids,” said Coach. “Of course, I think I know where they got their brains.”