Isn't that the best title for an article! I wish I'd have thought of it. Unfortunately I was only the one who inspired it - but not in the way you might think.
In his article on Sex in a Sales 2.0 World, Nigel Edelshain has some interesting commentary on how Web 2.0 technology is changing sales today. He's absolutely right when he says:
"If companies don't get the people element right, and don't motivate those people well, tools and processes won't do them much good at all."
Amen. Over the last few years, I've seen more sellers suffering from burnout than ever before. They're pushed to the brink to feed the corporation's insatiable need for increased shareholder value.
More, more, more! That's all that's important. Quotas are raised, and then raised again. Yesterday's successes are quickly forgotten. The corporation's and customers' needs take priority over a personal life and family.
As far as I'm concerned, this is totally out of whack.
It is also not sustainable. Life is not all about shareholder value. Salespeople need to feel that their work is making a difference and that they're appreciated.
Is it any wonder that one of the biggest issues facing the corporate world today is lack of employee engagement? I think not.
In the past few years I have made a deliberate choice to avoid working for companies where I "feel the greed." I'm all for making a healthy profit, but not when it destroys people's lives. This may be controversial to some, but I will not sell my soul for the almighty dollar.
Thank you! As a sales professional, it is refreshing to hear someone of your status take a personal interest in salesPEOPLE. I have been in too many organizations where I was considered as (and treated worse than) both the workhorse and the scapegoat. It often seems that when the sales team gains some success, someone else (marketing, executive management, the janitor) get ALL the credit. On the other side of the coin, when an initiative or product fails, it is often because the sales team's extra hours and emotional self-torture wasn't enough. It is just too easy to pin ALL the failure on them. I think it takes a special breed (and possibly some missing brain cells) for the unsung zeroes of the sales world to brave the emotional roller coasters year after year.
Posted by: Unsung Zero | 12/14/2007 at 04:32 PM
In my opinion, silence is complicity. Unless we start talking about it as wrong, we enable companies to keep us as their sales slaves. It's morally wrong.
Posted by: Jill Konrath | 12/14/2007 at 05:27 PM
The days of the used (up) car sales person are over. The push for green products is setting off a demand for proof and transparency. All that comes through during an ethical presentation. Not only is choosing the right company a good thing for your soul, but a good thing for a long term sales life. You're only as good as the product you sell. Even Wal Mart is learning that lesson.
Posted by: Mary Hunt | 12/15/2007 at 10:22 AM
Yes, I am still a newbie about all this web 2.0 stuff coming on-line; and how will it affect me and my job? I don't know yet! But you are spot-on regarding the corporate climate, and sales expectations. We shall see...next year. Thanks Jill for speaking out.
Bob VL
Posted by: Bob VL | 12/17/2007 at 12:33 PM