Who is mentoring you? Who are you mentoring?

The worst situation that an organization can find itself in, is to have people that want to be successful and no one that can help them achieve that success.

 

This thought came into my head the other day. I was listening to an interview with Miami Heat President Pat Riley, and I thought as he spoke, how much I would have liked to have been mentored by Pat. When he spoke, he oozed success and possibilities. If I could have been mentored by two individuals, I would have chosen Pat Riley and Phil Jackson. I am not a NBA fan, but these two gentleman have the aura of success, accomplishment and possibility.

 

In my professional sales career, I have had the privilege of being mentored by some great salesmen. Two in particular, Jason Kibler and John Sutton, come to mind. I was very fortunate to have these two men available to me in my first sales position.  As my career has continued, I've noticed that many companies don't place a high value on mentoring or sales management. I always find this curious. If Jeter finds value in a hitting coach and every golfer on tour has a swing coach, then why would anyone think professional sales people need any less.

 

I have had, and currently have, some wonderfully talented colleagues that want to get better at their craft, but never seem to. "Why?" you ask? Swing Coach is my answer. If you have had some success, find some one to lift up and find some one to help lift you up as well. We ALL can use a hand.

 

I was once in a meeting where the founder/owner of a very successful company stood up and said, "the reason we lose good people is that we put them in positions and then don't properly train them to be successful in those positions, and eventually they get discouraged and quit".  

 

MENTOR. Find one. Be one.

Remember Our/Your Veterans

Today is the day to remember those that have served. Can you ever see a picture of Arlington and not have a lump in your throat?

 I choose to remember my dad-Ken Nottingham, my uncles-Sam McCoy, John and Danny Shadrick and my cousins-Rex and David McCoy. I remember as a boy wearing my dad's old uniform and playing with my Uncle Danny's mess kit. I am thankful for every young soldier,sailor,airmen and marine that loaded a bus and headed off to boot camp. I myself made that bus ride, but due to faulty genetics was unable to pass the physical. I can assure you that climbing on that bus is both scary and exciting. To say nothing of the ride I never took, to hop on a plane that will land in some godforsaken land, and I do mean godforsaken, like Vietnam or Iraq or Afghanistan.

We have been sending our best and brightest since before this country was a country. We sent them to fight a superior force in the British. We sent them to save the world from Hitler and to "kill some Nazi's". We sent them off to Vietnam and Cambodia to slop around in disease-infested rice paddies. Now, we send them into deserts and tell them not to shoot until their heads are blown off and that the people shooting at them represent a religion of peace.

Our young men have freed countless millions from oppression and cruelty and although some despise the military, I choose to honor them. I honor everyone of them that have been shot at, that have helped a fallen brother, that gave food to child that one day would enter the conflict on the other side and most of all have given their lives for flag, country and fellow soldier.

I won't address this here and now, but comments must be made about politicians that use our best and brightest as pawns in their stupid silly Washington games.

My parting thought is I love the scenes of soldiers showing up to surprise their kids at school. I always cry, and I don't know how this could not affect you whether you support the military or not, or you believe in these wars or not. Think about climbing on a plane and being dropped in a desert for a year, think of all you could miss if you missed a year of your families lives. Kids born, hearts broken, home runs and touchdowns, first kisses, drivers tests...I could go on and on. They do this to keep us free. Conservatives and Liberals Free. Democrats and Republicans. Free. Christians, Jews, Muslims and Atheists. Free.

Think of them. Thank them. Honor them. And one more thing...HOORAH!

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FOLLOW UP. FOLLOW THROUGH.

FOLLOW UP. FOLLOW THROUGH. that was the sign that was over my friend Chris's desk. That sign burned into my memory. Every time I found a contract that wasn't signed, but they never said...NO. FOLLOW UP. FOLLOW THROUGH. Every time I cleaned out my desk and found a zip lock bag of cards that never made it to my CRM. FOLLOW UP. FOLLOW THROUGH. Every time I found a scrap of paper with a name I intended to call or a place I intended to prospect, you guessed it...FOLLOW UP. FOLLOW THROUGH.

I don't think a lot of sales people fail because they won't prospect or don't want to succeed, we fail because we don't finish nearly as well as we start. I've read a lot about follow up and finishing lately. I've also seen this guy in the mirror that needs to finish better. Why? Because we all can finish more. better. stronger. So like the guy in the movie said "coffee is for closers, and finishers". Alec didn't say that but he should have.

I read an article that said that salespeople can only work on 1 or 2 behavior changes at a time, more than that and we fail at all of them. I choose to FINISH. I'd rather finish 50 tasks than have 500 tasks only started. Hey! What do you need to FINISH. I suggest you choose finishing as one of your two behaviors to work on.

Who should we blame?

If you are pest control salesmen (person) out there and you feel like you have been commoditized, look to the companies that subjugate level of service to profits.

I have worked in our industry for almost ten years. I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. It seems we're always trying to convince people that we are not like the other guy. The best way to show that we are not like the other guy, is by not being like THE OTHER GUY.

If you say you use green products- then use green products. If you say you have the best training in the industry-then have the best training in the industry (most that say that don't). And if you say you care-then by all means CARE. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think caring about profit more than people is the same thing as caring...I'm just saying.