Your Extended Shadow And Successful Sales Management

In a small midwestern town, the local high school of 878 students recently produced its first state championship basketball team in over 90 years. The community has had an organized city basketball league for its younger boys for many years. But, this league, designed to spot talent early and then feed the high school basketball program, did nothing to produce the state title. There is also an open gym at the high school every Tuesday and Thursday night to encourage the young men in the community to play basketball. But like the city league, this open gym contributed nothing to the team in its championship bid.

A local banker, a former college all-star, has volunteered his services for one dollar a year to assist the high school's coaching staff. The boy's varsity basketball program also has an able assistant coach. But these two accomplished assistant coaches, like the city league and the open gym, were of no value in helping the boy's varsity team win the state title. The reason these community programs and an extra coach had little effect in producing the state title, was that the state championship was won by the high school's girls varsity basketball team.

Everyone in town, with the exception of the school's administration, can see that the failure of the boy's varsity basketball program lies with the head coach. The girl's coach is a woman who is tough but fair, a coach who works hard to build self-esteem and confidence in each member of her squad. She teaches the fundamentals, drills her team for skill and then empowers her players to make decisions on the court that will get the job done. The confidence she has developed in each member of the team gave the girl's team the ability, under extreme pressure, to put up the winning shot at the final buzzer, to take the state championship.

On the other hand, the boy's varsity head coach is a tyrant who literally destroys his players by trying to mold them into an antiquated system that fails to capitalize on each boy's strengths. He makes all the decisions and directs the team from the sidelines. As a result, the boy's team rarely lives up to its potential or the investment in time, talent, and money the community has made in the boy's basketball program.

Ralph Waldo Emerson has written that an organization "is the extended shadow of one man." As this example of the two high school basketball coaches illustrates, it is the extended shadow of the coach that makes a winning or a losing basketball team. At the supervisory level in your company or firm, it is the extended shadow of the manager, more than any other single element that is the key to developing a sales culture and consistently achieving sales success.

To learn more about how to cast a positive shadow check out The $elling Edge, Inc. Coaching & Team Development self-directed learning manual at http://www.TheSellingEdge.com/team.htm

VIRDEN J. THORNTON is the founder and President of The $elling Edge®, Inc. a firm specializing in sales, customer relations, and management training and development. Clients have included Sears Optical, Eastman Kodak, IBM, Deloitte & Touché, Bank One, Jefferson Pilot, and Wal-Mart to name a few. Virden is the author of Prospecting: The Key To Sales Success and the best selling Building & Closing the Sale, Fifty-Minute series books and Close That Sale, a video/audio tape series published by Crisp Publications, Inc. Menlo Park, California. He has also authored a Self-Directed Learning series of sales, coaching & team development, telemarketing, and personal productivity training guides. Check out the listed books and manuals at http://www.TheSellingEdge.com/books1.htm

V irden teaches for the Center For Professional Development, Texas Tech University at Lubbock, Texas and in the School Of Entrepreneurship, J. Willard And Alice S. Marriott School Of Management at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. You can contact Virden at: Virden@TheSellingEdge.com.

---

How to Improve Your Management Procedures Usability

Are your people consistently following your procedures? Each year, organizations... Read More

T. L. S. Part I: Tier Level Selling ? A Penetration Strategy

A number of sales "Gurus" have promoted the theory that... Read More

It?s Time For A Sales Management Revolution

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

Franchise Sales; Recruiting of Laid Off Employees

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

Leadership Lessons for Sales Managers

Leadership, like class, is hard to define, but easy to... Read More

Do You Really Want Local County Contracts?

If you really want to secure government contacts at the... Read More

Accepting Responsibility for Your Sales Success

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

The Spirit Of Change

A Highly Conscious Approach To Business Management. For more on... Read More

3 Secrets That Set The Context For Sales Success

In today's competitive environment, every organization is trying to improve... Read More

Free to Succeed: Effective Sales Leadership Using A Coach Approach

About 2 years ago, I participated in a training program... 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

Generous Donor Refused (how qualified business slipped away)

Generous Donor RefusedPicture this. You are a fund development director... Read More

The Sales Carpenter

I remember moving my family to Argentina as Vice President... 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

Whats a Professional Sales Manager?

I was in the depths of a major depression. As... Read More

The Hidden Competition: Avoiding the 2 Most Common Competitors

There are really only two types of competitor:1. Obvious2. HiddenThe... Read More

Snowflakes Improve Holiday Sales

Snowflakes are beautiful!For the Winter Holiday sales season handcrafted snowflakes... Read More

14 Top Lead Generation Tactics

According to former Harvard Business School professor David Maister, typical... Read More

What Is A Proposal? And Why Do You Need One?

Do you know anyone who regularly wins bids? Or can... Read More

How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Sales Performance -- Part 2

Another key reason why companies suffer from 80/20 performance is... Read More

How to Organize a Seminar or an Event

Seminars and events have always been implemented as a holistic... Read More

Sacking Clients: Brand Power Wheel

Remember in the last message we talked about your directional... Read More

Keeping Your Sales Team Motivated

Sales managers frequently approach me for advice on how to... Read More

Are Your Business Proposals Losing You Sales? 10 Steps to Get the ?Yes? You Deserve

Your ability to write an effective and persuasive business proposal... Read More

Getting Off The Advertising And Sales Rollercoaster

Seeing the results of advertising your business can be like... Read More

Overcoming Sales Objections for Small Business Networks

Do you need help overcoming sales objections? Do you sell... Read More

How to Keep Projects From Spinning Out Of Control

Are you involved in projects that seem to go nowhere... Read More

Set Yourself up for Trade Show Success

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

How To Become A Better Sales Manager

YIPPEE! Kendra won, or should I say, "She was hired,"... Read More

Determining Sales Fit; the Key Growth Process for Your Business

Help your organization grow by assessing the right indicators in... Read More

Producing Premium Performance

One of the major issues that arises in managing a... 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

All Small Businesses Need to Gather Community Intel

How well do you know your community? As business owners... Read More