The Sales Carpenter

I remember moving my family to Argentina as Vice President of Sales for Latin America. I was in charge of managing five regional offices, Argentina of course being one of them.

In the company's ten year history of selling into Latin America it had never exceeded $14 million (M) in annual sales. The Argentina office itself had never produced more than $400 thousand (K) in sales. My task was to increase the sales locally in Argentina, but more importantly throughout Latin America.

I remember sitting in my office one day, looking out the window and wondering, "How the heck am I going to grow this business with problems in Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico and other hot spots? "How can I grow this business beyond $14M when no one in the past has been able to do so?" Forget the movie Sleepless in Seattle, I was "Sleepless in Argentina," trying to map out a strategy. How would I make "sales" happen?! "

A confession to you the reader: I was scared! Please don't tell anyone!

One day while on the phone with a customer, I heard loud noises from across my office building. After getting off the phone, I opened the window and looked at the shorter building next door. On the rooftop, I saw several men using a scrapping machine to rip apart the flat roof the size of two tennis courts. This noise went on for days.

Then one day I noticed the silence. I looked outside and discovered that the men had finishing stripping the rooftop and were now laying small ceramic tiles. Given the size of the roof I remember thinking, "That's going to take them a very long time."

A few days later to my surprise and amazement I looked outside and saw that they were three-quarters of the way complete. "Amazing! How were they able to lay so many small tiles so quickly?"

Satori,? a moment of enlightenment.

At that very moment, a new mindset was born for building sales. Instead of focusing in on the enormous task of increasing sales for the entire region (the whole roof), I would focus on building the company's sales slowly (one ceramic tile or sales office at a time).

It was this paradigm shift, this Latin American version of eating an elephant one-bite-at-a-time that helped me maintain the patience and sanity needed to grow the business. I considered each country in Latin America a "tile." I set out to make sure that each tile I laid was positioned correctly in the marketplace. The result? First year, we hit $14.3M. Second year $45M. By the end of the third year, the region's annual sales had grown to $98M. The Argentina office itself went from $400K in sales to $5M.

Success, in sales and in life, starts when you break things up into smaller pieces; you begin to feel a sense of control. And as I began to take action, I began to feel a sense of momentum. Control and momentum became my engine for success. And every time I felt overwhelmed or anxious, I thought to myself, "Victor, let's just lay one tile at a time."

Confucius said, "It is not a matter of how fast or slow, but simply a matter of you moving." I learned that progress or success never happens overnight, but over time?one tile at time. I learned how to become a sales 'carpintero' (carpenter who builds things).

Victor Gonzalez, top Hispanic motivational speaker and author of "The LOGIC of Success". For more info go to: www.thelogicofsuccess.com or by email victor@thelogicofsuccess.com

---

Is Your Forecast Too Sunny? How to Improve the Accuracy of Sales Forecasts

As spring moves to summer, the forecast should be for... Read More

Ten Awesome Ways To Incease Your Sales In Holidays

Everybody thinks that the businesses will slow down a bit... Read More

Are Your Sales Meetings Boring?

Many sales meetings are boring and a waste of salespeople's... Read More

5 Secrets to Managing Your Sales Manager Productively

Many people believe that the main reason for representatives leaving... Read More

How To Use A Powerful Leadership Tool To Step Up Sales Results

Good sales people can close, but few "step up" for... Read More

Set Yourself up for Trade Show Success

Of the many mistakes small business owners make, a big... Read More

100% Commission Equals Zero Percent Control

The temptation to use straight (100%) commission plans never goes... Read More

We Will Make It Back----- A Fictional Story Based on Fact About Sales Management Success

Bill Borders stepped up onto the podium. He had just... Read More

Train a Winning Sales Team: Rounding Third and Heading for Home

Although I never met the man, I imagine Lou Boudreau... Read More

4 Marketing Myths Threaten Your Sales

These 4 marketing myths can cause you to lose sales... Read More

Online Sales: Secret To Increase Your Sales By Bundling Your Products

Microsoft has used this online sales secret to become a... Read More

4 Tips for the Summer Slowdown - How To Pick Up Sales

You may have heard about the "summer slowdown". You may... Read More

How Many Salespeople Should I Hire?

One of the most asked questions I get is how... Read More

Franchise Sales; Recruiting of Laid Off Employees

Because of corporate downsizing, many people have been laid-off or... Read More

7 Tips for Testing Your Sales and Marketing

One marketing technique may work wonders for someone, but that... Read More

How to Maximize Account Penetration and Jump-Start Sales

Maximizing account penetration is one of the most critical functions... Read More

The Benefits of Catalog Sales For Your Business

Things to watch out for when selling your product in... Read More

Sales Pipeline Forecasting Is There A Better Way?

To put it mildly most companies sales forecasting just isn't... Read More

Management by Osmosis

Sales managers are an interesting breed, effective sales managers are... Read More

The Art of Sales (And Tips On How To Manage Your Sales Team)

Selling. Cold calls, introductions, interviews, appointments, proposals, referrals, call cycles,... Read More

6 Common Mistakes in the Sales Hiring Process

Is lack of sales results, more sales training costs, months... Read More

How You Can Raise Your Business Earnings By 50% With An Age-Old Magic Truth

Imagine increasing your business earnings by 30, 40, or 50%.... Read More

The Effective Executive

What does it mean to be an "effective executive"? Well... Read More

It?s Time For A Sales Management Revolution

Are you dog tired because of the way you manage... Read More

Sales Competence Isn?t About Quota Performance!

Compounding the problem are two myths regarding measures of competency... Read More

Drop Discounts and Earn Top Dollar

Every dollar you discount is a dollar of pure profit... Read More

Energize Your Organization

No matter what you do, it seems, your employees do... Read More

Book of Lists Marketing for Pressure Washing Companies

The American Business Journals produces a Book of Lists each... Read More

Seven Deadly Sales Mistakes That Cost Business Owners Big Money - And What To Do About Them

1. LOOKING for a "quick fix" to close more sales... Read More

The Four ?D?s of Sales Management

Recently I stumbled across some notes that I had kept... Read More

Sex, Drugs, & Rock-n-Roll at Trade Shows

Here's the Scenario...You're at a trade show. Out of town.... Read More

Increase Retail Sales With Meetups

I recently attended the monthly Italian language Meetup here in... Read More

Accepting Responsibility for Your Sales Success

That we live in a time of relentless and pervasive... Read More