Alexandre Dumas the author of the original “Three Musketeers” described how friendship among a team might fulfill wonders, even when the odds are against them. Professional friendship within an organization can do the same, if their manager encourages team activities, and rules out unfair behavior from the beginning.
However, many team managers will let selfish behavior pass, as long as it brings new business. Selfish behavior will isolate individuals and seeds mistrust among the team, which leads to an unfair competition and accelerates further unfair behavior. In this environment revenue won’t be stable, as it will propel first, before it crushes – when people decide to leave.
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When 20% of the sales professionals generate 80% of the revenue, you are left with a lot of nice people with great character, but lower numbers. Is sales success making people more aggressive, arrogant, cocky and big headed, or is it the other way around? Are nice and humble people less successful in sales, or do frequent reality checks make you mellow?
A wise man once said: „You can‘t teach happiness, nor attitude“. But you can hire happy sales professionals with great attitude, who are committed to personal- as well as team success alike.
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Very often great sales professionals get promoted to be managers or team leaders because of their achievements based on their performance in sales. But are these freshly appointed managers also great managers? In 8 out of 10 cases they fail and will bring down the entire performance of the sales team. The worst, the newly appointed manager will be blamed by the appointing director, to cover his or her own failure. Most of the times this finger pointing game will result in great sales people‘s leaving, taking business and clients with them.
Fail to prepare and prepare to fail.
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In 1999 in the UEFA Champions-League, Bayern Munich lost in the final by one goal against Manchester United. All fans around the world who have watched that game went through some heavy emotions. On both sides. Munich was leading with one goal until the end of the game after 90 minutes, fans in Germany already celebrating. Free beer in pubs were handed out and champagne already opened in some of the more posh bars. However, in injury overtime, Manchester scored 2 goals in just 2 minutes, emerging as the winner of the match; winning the Champions-League final.
The coach of the team, Sir Alex Ferguson, has achieved something every sales director or CEO must achieve within their teams.
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In business, just like football, it’s all about motivation and the will to go the extra mile, mostly the extra inches, the centimeters, which are needed determine the outcome – success or failure.
I recently watched again the movie “Any Given Sunday”, starring Al Pacino, who is giving a sensational speech in the locker room. I am sure all of you have watched it, and all of you felt the motivation to go out and to rattle the cage.
What are the extra inches within the team we call business organization? A bunch of colleagues, all playing the game for themselves? Just like in football, you can win as a team, or you can die as individuals.
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