One of the most often identified roles of a leader is that of barrier buster. Leaders get into trouble when they fall into a pattern of doing the jobs of the people who report to them rather than creating an environment that allows the right people to do the right things. Successful leaders are eager to help their people find ways to be productive by coaching them appropriately. They let their teams know that if they encounter a barrier that is beyond their ability to tackle, the leader expects that the team will ask for help. That is the moment when leaders need to roll up their sleeves and get to work on behalf of the team.

But what happens when the leadership team is the barrier? Asking What does our leadership team do that gets in the way of you doing your job? requires persistence and courage.

Persistence because the first time you ask this question, you are most likely to be answered with a quick “nothing” or “they’re doing okay” response. Don’t miss the internal dialogue that will undoubtedly be running through the answerer’s mind. “What kind of a fool does this person take me for? Like I’m going to answer this question!” And honestly, can you blame them for thinking that? So, ask the question, but don’t expect quality answers the first time around. The more you ask other questions and handle the answers appropriately, the more likely it is that when you ask this question again, you will get more truthful answers.

Courage because the responses you get might be painful to hear. It has been my experience while working with leaders that the farther up you are in the hierarchy, the less likely you are to receive an accurate picture of the organization’s day-to-day workings.

Unless, of course, you’ve been asking questions long enough to be trusted. You may hear things about your team’s behavior and maybe even about your own behavior that will require some soul-searching and change on your part. Don’t ask this question if you’re not ready to hear and act on the answers. By the way, if you’re not ready to act—get ready fast!

Audience: sales reps
Message: Sales success means persistence.
Tone: motivational
Timing: 6-8 minutes

Common terminology aside, there’s no such thing as “hard sell” and “soft sell.” According to CEO Charles Brower, There’s only “smart sell” and “stupid sell.”

Pig-headed persistence is not what I’m getting to. Planned persistence is.

I’m not suggesting the method of the bachelor who suddenly decided he wanted to get married. He proposed to his current sweetheart, and she turned him down. Disheartened, he was sharing his frustration with a friend who advised him not to despair but to be persistent…. So the next day, he stood on the street corner and proposed to every woman who passed.

You’ll agree that was “stupid sell.” Persistence involves being persistent at the right things.

It involves identifying those prospects and current customers who need your products and then keeping your face,… or phone number,… or fax number,… or friendly letter in front of them consistently. Persistently.

Even when they send mixed messages. I knew a man who checked in for a flight at the airport and purchased a million dollars of life insurance from the automatic machine. Then being one to play with gadgets, while waiting for his flight, he wandered over to one of those scales that gives out a fortune card. His card read, “A recent investment is going to pay a big dividend.”

Like he was, you may feel disheartened and even skeptical from time to time with customers who string you along. When they ask you to “drop by” and you have to invest a little more time with them, you may not always be sure that’s good news.

But persistence—planned persistence—does pay. It simply takes patience.

And when I think of patience, I think of fishing. In my way of thinking, nothing takes more persistence than sitting in a boat out in the middle of the water for hours on end with nothing to stare at but that little bobbing on the surface or tug on the line.

Like fishermen, persistent salespeople need these five qualities: Trust…. Vision…. Commitment…. Courage…. Accountability. Let’s take them one at a time.

You have to trust that your persistent effort will pay off. The vacation-only fishermen often have the fish or cut-bait philosophy. But those who do it for a living trust their skill and know-how to pay the bills.

Persistent salespeople have to envision the pay-off. You can’t keep taking snapshots of the day-to-day still-life. You have to take movies of the whole party—the long-term plan. You as successful sales reps have to motivate yourselves by envisioning the reality of reeling in the big one. You envision the kind of fish you want to catch, then you choose the appropriate place and lure.

Persistent salespeople have to commit to their long-term plan. You can’t get the big fish if you row out only so far, decide the fish aren’t biting, and then head back for shore. Staying in the deep water takes commitment to the whole trip. Once in the appropriate, promising fishing hole, you as successful sales reps develop a network inside your client’s organization. You look for new internal clients if your first contact isn’t biting.

And when someone bites and you make the sale, persistence means a call back. You ask for referrals and personal recommendations. You always think leverage. How can I use this open door? Who else can benefit here if I get the word to them?

And once you get the door open, keep it open. Studies show that within 10 years, 81 of every 100 customers just drift away. Persistence means keeping them on the line—for good.

Persistent salespeople have to have courage when motorboats and skiers dash around them. The tendency is to look for a new fishing hole. If you do your homework up front and know the prospect has a need, why change holes? Keep your line in the water. You may even have to add another pole or two to discourage the skiers from coming too close and getting tangled up in your business.

Finally, like fishermen, persistent salespeople are accountable. People who fish for a living don’t return to shore after half an hour with, “The lake’s too big and the fish aren’t biting.” They figure out how to make them bite.

Successful sales reps like you know that progress comes from a detailed plan. You don’t look to someone else to feed you all your leads. You don’t blame the support people for lack of service. You don’t complain about the sales literature not being helpful. You are accountable. You feel responsible for the plan, you will be responsible for the results, you deserve the credit.

About persistence and consistency, Vince Lombardi said it best:

Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit…. Unfortunately, so is losing.

Success is getting up before dawn one more time. For the fisherman, success is trusting your skill and your reel. Success is an insight about where the fish will most likely bite. Success is commitment to stay in the boat, the courage to reel in the big one, and the accountability for the results when returning to shore.

To the sales rep, likewise. Success is long hours…. Trust in your skills and knowledge…. Vision to prospect…. Commitment to persist…. Courage to leverage for other sales, higher volume, better referrals…. Accountability to us, your families, and yourself for your success.