IT WAS FUNNY WHEN MAYNARD G. KREBS SAID IT

I am sure that a few of you out there are at least my age and will remember the TV series called Dobie Gillis. It was a great sitcom (BTW the word sitcom wasn’t even in use during the years Dobie Gillis aired) with some very memorable characters. There was Darla who was the brainy girl that had a crush on Dobie, Chatsworth Osborne Jr.  who was the rich kid with all the toys, and Maynard G Krebs played by Bob Denver who later played Gilligan on the show Gilligan’s Island, who was the beatnik that played the bongos and never had a job. As a matter of fact Maynard was all but allergic to working. He was so against work that when he heard the word work, he would immediately repeat it in a very high pitched startled voice. (It was a lot funnier when you heard it than it is to read it click here to hear it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqzpQPDSr2s ).

I just finished reading a post on a blog that will remain un-named. I won’t tell you the name because the blog post was titled (I am changing it just enough so you can’t Google search it and find it) Sales Reps That Work Hard Are Stupid. The writer tries to make the case that the same amount of sales will be made no matter what the reps does. If they work hard or not it won’t affect the outcome.

When I started this blog I decided that I would use no adult language, right now I am regretting that decision. It is very funny to see how Maynard reacts to the word work, but to think that a sales rep can succeed without hard work is just as funny.

In the sales profession we need to be smart, we need to know so much information about not just our product but the industries our customers are in, the markets we are selling to, and any rules and regulations that are involved. But all this knowledge will not make a single sale if we don’t work. We need to make the sales calls either in person or on the phone. We need to tell our story and help prospects make decisions. It is a simple fact that the harder we work the more sales we make.

Sales is an activity driven profession. Every product and every company has its appropriate level of activity. If you exceed the appropriate level, all other factors equal, you will usually make more sales. There is a point where too much activity hurts you, this is when your activity doesn’t allow you to do proper presentations. I have seen many more reps fail because of lack of activity then I have overly active.

Hard work is really nothing to laugh at. It is something to be admired. Hard work is nothing to look at negatively, it is one of the most positive traits a sales rep can have. Hard work is not fun, but all the things you can do with the money you earn by working hard are.

Lorin