Sales Rep 101 – Chapter 9

Team Player

When people think of sales they think of people out on their own talking with clients and selling their products or services. They usually think of sales people as working on their own and that is usually the way it is. So what do I mean by being a team player then? Now I will tell you that I have worked with a lot of sales people that did not like being team players. They just wanted to be on their own and do their job. And if that is what you want to do we can’t stop you. However, being willing to help your sales team and individuals that may need some help will go a long way in your managers eyes. Being a team player means being involved in the meetings. Being available when another sales person has a question or needs help with something. Offering to help your manager when they need help with something. And offering to help new sales people with training or ride alongs or even just taking them out to lunch to help them feel like part of the team. So, you may be asking why would I want to help a new sales person that is competing with me for sales. I can understand why you might think that. But here is the deal. I’ve worked with hundreds of sales reps over my career and during that time I have worked with some real winners. And winners I really mean some real losers. People that steal clients from other reps. People that actually throw other reps under the bus for their own mistakes. People that could care less about the sales team as a whole. The problem with that is this. Everyone sees that and nobody will ever want to help that person if they ever needed something. A good sales team is in it together. Congratulating someone when that make a big sale. Or giving them support when they are struggling. If you do that then if you work for a good company they will see that and give you every opportunity to succeed. If you decide to go it on your own then you better prepare for being completely on your own. Because other sales reps will not like you and even more importantly your boss will not appreciate it. And not only can that lead to less sales for you but can also lead to you losing your job. Always remember that your manager usually has a direct impact on your opportunity and sometimes it doesn’t matter how well you are doing. Some managers would rather get rid of someone who brings in numbers as to not have to deal with all of the negative stuff. So take some friendly advice. Be a team player.