"But my territory really is different!"

If I had a chicken wing for every time a salesperson argued "I know but my territory is different," I'd be Colonel Sanders, white suit and all. A sales manager consistently tries to coach up the staff on selling tactics, a new promotion or whatever the need of the week is and some salespeople consistently try to sell the manager back on why his/her ideas won't work for them. It's not the salesperson, it's the territory.

"That doesn't work on my customers" or "that stuff doesn't work in my area...my area IS DIFFERENT!"

You know, maybe they're right. I never felt that way until recently.

I had the opportunity to visit a member paper this week way, way out in the hinterlands. Beautiful place, but really different than any area I had ever sold in or managed. Extreme rural with interesting tourism twists. My training style reflects my background, more urban/suburban. It became apparent to me very early on that I had to adapt quickly to the environment they were used to if I was going to be of any help at all. On my way home, I thought a lot about how different the selling life was for this group of people and how perhaps it is possible that I misjudged all those sales folks who I thought were just pushing back for the sake of pushing. Some territories really are different.

That said, how can the manager make the most of it -- how can one celebrate the diversity of opportunities out there?

First, a territory is only different when you compare it to another. So stop comparing. Put the onus back on the salesperson but do it with a little love. Challenge the sales rep to come up with a six-month calendar of promotions and campaigns that specifically speak to the strengths of their territory. Then discuss what you and your team can do to optimize the opportunities with a written strategic plan.

Next, repeat this with all the staff, be it two people or twenty. Plot the individual results on a big, wall-size chart that shows where some duplicity or overlap occurs between the individual plans. Try to engage teamwork in those instances to build your major promos for the year but otherwise concentrate on smaller, niche opportunities that let your salesperson really mine their local opportunities.

Let's face it -- none of us is ever going to become the next Google. We need to concentrate on small, hyper local (coincidentally like Google is try to do) and build lots of little piles of revenue results that add up to big success. That's what we do best. We need to continue to find ways to do it differently – to do it better -- to survive and thrive.

Thanks -- let me know how FCPNY can help you and your sales staff.

The puck stops here

I hope you get to meet my wife someday. Great lady. Has put up with me for 38 years this October, not counting the time before that (we were very young when we met -- that's for a different blog). She has changed lately, though. Somehow she has become a rabid hockey fan, Pittsburgh Penguins specifically.  How? Why? The Penguins are the favorite team of our 10-year old grandson; maybe the link starts there. But she is into it, staying up late last night to watch them lose in double overtime to the Bruins in the playoffs. They are down 3-0 in a best of seven and it does not look good. Unhappy wife is never good.

Three brief sales lessons lie therein.

First, people change. Truth be told, they are constantly changing, you included. Interests, likes, dislikes are always in play. That said, take nothing for granted. Do not fall into the trap that long-time customers and vendors are secure within the fold. Even if your competition isn't telling them to switch they may be thinking along those lines. Treat them well, treat them often and listen to their needs.

Second, keep those around you happy. Just like a happy spouse makes a happy house, keeping colleagues and co-workers engaged, enthused and entertained makes the workplace that much more enjoyable and productive. Prevents negative changes from happening (like above).

Third, you are going to go 0-3 with some customers. (If you're not losing some of the sales battles then you're not pitching enough customers and prospects.) It isn't that you lose some, it's what you do when you lose or -- in the case today of the Penguins -- what you do when you're losing. You can pull things out of the fire and/or regroup for the next campaign when you learn from mistakes, repeat behaviors that have proven to be productive and consistently acquire new skills, new prospects and new insight on your competition. That requires a good amount of objective review of how you approach your craft. Ask respected colleagues and managers for help.

Finally, ask us for help -- FCPNY is here to provide all levels of assistance to our member publications and their staffs. Best wishes!