The stealth cause of lackluster sales

f frnp's AN lssuu sales rnanagcrs llconfront all too f'requently. You just introduced a new product. At thc salcs meeting, the salespeople scemed excited. Yet. it is thrce months later'. ancl nothing's been sold. What's up?

Or. you work with a salesperson in the f ield ancl identify somc skill that seems poorly dcvcloped, such as "asking hettcr qucstions." You point it out to the salesperson, provide sorne cxamples, and ask him to work on it. The next tirlc you work with hirn, there is no improvement. Why's that'?

Or. your company has .just invested in a major upgradc to your CRM sys1em. The salespcoplc must use the systcm to record cvery sales call. Yct, filur rnonths into the system. some are not yet complying. What's goin-rl on'?

In each example, leadership wants a change in behavior and some, or most, of the salespeople aren't changing. Clearly. if thcy would .just do some things diffbrently, they and the company would be bettcr oif. Why don't they'/

In this economy, whcre things are radically differcnt then they wcre just a couple of years ago, the ability to chirngc in llositivc wlrys in resp()nse l() the rirpidly ehirnging economy environment is the f'undarnental success skill for individuirls und organizltions.

Yet. over artd ovcr usuin. wesalespeoplc, sales managers, and salcs Ieadersall struggle with making changcs that wc knclw wc should make. Why is that'l

The answcr is what I call the gaip betwecrr idea ancl action. We often have the right idea. but it doesn't get translated into action as effbctively as anyone would likc. In my work as a sales consultant and sales educator. I havc discovered that this is the ultimate challcngc, the biggest obstaclc to overcomethe ste alth reason for rrediocre results.

It's not the only rcason most salespcoplc arcn't as effective as they tould he. The nrtrst c()m11)()n reirson is ignorance. In clther words. they just don't know how to do their jobs better. In every industry. the majority of salespcople have never becn exposed to the best practices of their profession. They .just don't know what it mcans to be an effective prof-essional salcsperson. Since they have no standards by which to compare their efforts, they default to rclying on being "nice guys." dcvelopin-e relationships. ancl hoping those relationships hicle their lack of sales skills.

With most salespeople, the first step to better performance is to educate them on the bcst practices of their prol-cssions. so they know what it meeins to bc an effective salespcrson.

For a handful of salespcoplc, somewhere between 5c/c and 2094 of the sales fbrce. that's sutTicient. Thcy will take the good ideas-the best practices they have discovered-and apply them to their routines, improving their competence and confidence, and creating markedly better results.

But what about the SOVo to 95Vo for whom exposure to good ideas is not sufficient? For the vast majority of salespeople, why is there a gap between idea and action? That brings us to the dirty little secret of selfimprovement. There's a price you must pay to change your behavior and become more successful. And the reason there's a gap between idea and action is that most people aren't willing to pay the price. The price is time. energy and, most importantly, the emotional cost of stressing yourself out of your comfort zones.

I recently accompanied a salesperson on a sales call in which he had planned to present a major new program. The salesperson talked for over an hour and managed in that time to mention two minor features in the l0item program. The sales call was a waste of everyone's time-the salesperson's, the customer's, and mine.

What happened? The salesperson was perfectly capable of presenting the program. But he didn't. Why not?

The salesperson had an image of himself as the "knowledgeable guy." Therefore, he found every stray bit of conversation as an invitation to expound on something else. He spent the hour talking because it made him feel good to live up to his image of himself. He never presented the program, because to do so would be to impinge on his self-image. He could no longer be the expert if he was talking about something that was new to him. To do something different would be uncomfortable, the cost too great. No matter what changes the company wanted, his self-image-the image he is comfortable with-was going to be in play.

This particular salesperson was not alone in this situation. He merely exhibited an example of a phenomenon for which we are all culpable. This conflict between what we know to do and what we actually do cuts a wide swath among the human race. We rarely make these decisions consciously. It is not an act of will. Rather, it is an emotional pull on our need to remain within our comfort zones. The key phrase in the example above is "made him feel good."

We all develop comfort zoneshabits, routines and practices for which we have developed some com- fort. It makes us feel good.

When we're called on to change our behavior to something that is clearly a more effective, more desirable practice, the cost of confronting the "feel good" comfort zones is often too much. In perhaps every company with whom I have worked over 20+ years of sales consulting and sales training, the stealth cause of sales problems was, in one way or another, the emotional pull of comfort zones.

So, what to do? Resign yourself to sliding down the hillside of slowly diminishing sales results and hope you hold out long enough to retire? Or, do you decide to tackle the issue head on. driven by a commitment to make the most of your position or your organization?

If you decide to take the next step in personal or organizational development. to ferret out the stealth cause of a lack of sales growth, then I have some ideas for you.

The core strategy is to change the equation. Right now, you or your salespeople "feel good" when you are in your comfort zones. To make a change in what you do causes discomfort. The equation looks like this:

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