Age Factors in Sales and Management Training
by: Guest
Total views: 18
Word Count: 1573
I want to spend some time discussing the difference, obstacles and advantages of training for sales and management within different age groups. I will take on the obvious one. I have and still on a daily basis have been blessed with the opportunity to train both the very young and the...we'll call them experienced... sales persons. One of the most obvious is the young, open mind opposed to the experienced person that has predetermined ideas. I have found that there is an upside to both! It is definitely true that the young salesperson has an open mind that is readily cultivated and eager to learn, while the experienced person coming in with a predetermined notion has to be shown that that the person doing the training not only is his or her equal but also somehow has more knowledge than them. Not easy to pull off unless you really are better and have a lot to offer. While the young mind is easy to impress it is incumbent upon the trainer to teach the young salesperson the right way with integrity or you could ruin him or her forever. Unfortunately, the experienced person usually has an "I know everything" attitude and you have to break through that before the learning process can begin. If you can break through, the training is a lot less tedious because they usually have a lot of the basic skills, even some advanced skills. They also bring the baggage of some bad habits. With the young person, even though their mind is open, you are literally starting with a blank canvas. There is a lot to teach! I find enjoyment from training both. I have found that the reason a young person wants in on the sales profession is quite different than his or her older counterpart. The young person is a great deal of the time looking for validation that he or she cannot find in routine jobs. They love the excitement, the contests, the fun, but most of all they like being part of a team that is motivated to be all for one...almost like belonging to a club, if you will. The idea of the big money that lures many into sales is not a major factor to the young person and I am not sure that they believe it anyway. They want their job to be fun and they love the excitement of possibly winning trips and awards that give their life validation. On the other hand the older sales professional is almost 100% money motivated. They have been to the dance. They think they have seen it all. They just want to get paid and work for a company that is not going out of business, steal from them, change the deal or short-change their check. Now, to both scenarios there are exceptions. Without changing the subject, the ultimate trainer's dream is to run into the older salesperson that is motivated by the young person's motivation and their own! If you think logically, you can see why the young person is the way they are and the older salesperson the way they are. Most young people really do not have overwhelming overhead and can make ends meet with very little income. The older person probably has a giant nut and has to make a certain amount of money just to keep the family going. Boy was it great to be young! Now, let's focus on the responsibility and reliability of the two groups. Without a doubt the older experienced salesperson usually exhibits much more responsibility and reliability characteristics. Because most of these people have families or have had families they have definitely realized the importance of responsibility. I have found that the older professional salesperson is also more reliable. Having trained both groups recently on almost on a daily basis, the difference is staggering. The experienced sales person realizes it is up to him. You know the old saying, "If it's going to be, it's up to me"! On the other hand the young sales person can really fool you. There are some that at the beginning will display incredible responsibility and reliability! Not so fast! It is just when you can't believe what you are seeing when the truth rears it's ugly head. The young person comes down off the ether of having their first real job and realizes the price one must pay to succeed. Then the cracks begin to show through. There is an old saying, by the way I have a lot of old sayings because I'm OLD! First, you get negative then you get sick and then you die. I think that fits the description of the young salesperson. They start getting negative about how much responsibility and reliability it takes to make it, then they get sick and then you never see them again. I have literally trained thousands of young sales persons and quite frankly it takes an incredible motivator to keep them on point. Again, there are exceptions in both cases. Also, experienced sales persons are very aware that in our great profession there are good times as well as not so good times. The young person completely loses it, especially if they start off fast and then hit the bump in the road. Very few in the big picture ever recover, instead leaving this profession to find something else. I have been very blessed in finding the exceptions in both groups. What I think both groups need to realize is that you do not pay the price for success. You pay the price for failure because that you get to live with for the rest of your life! Working with both groups has not only been educational but extremely rewarding. So far you are getting a little insight into the complications of training various groups of people in our great profession. Now we are going to focus on the ability for the different age groups to learn new things. Boy is this interesting. It seems that the older ones' ability to memorize or learn a new sales presentation is very difficult. Think about it...they have been out of school for many years and to get them to discipline their minds is almost impossible. I have given many sales professionals a script to learn and, no matter how well intentioned, it becomes an insurmountable task. Some companies won't even hire someone over 28 years of age for just that reason. Many feel like the old saying states, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks". That is not necessarily true. The sad part is they really want to do well it's just that they have been out of school too long and, without being an avid reader or something, they just don't use that part of their brain. It's just like not working out for 10 years. It takes a long time to get the muscles back in shape. The only difference is that the employer doesn't have the time to invest in you retraining your mind. On the other side of the coin the young professionals are fresh out of school and their minds are razor sharp. All they have done for the last 12 years is study and memorize stuff. It's a natural setting for memorizing a sales script. Plus the young person is very eager to learn new stuff if for no other reason than to impress their friends and family members. I have tremendous compassion for the older salesperson that needs the job and just can't memorize the material. It is unfortunate but a fact of life. I have zero tolerance for the young sales person that won't learn the material in a timely fashion when I know full well that the only reason they don't know it is they did not apply themselves. As you can see regardless of the age factor there are pros and cons of each. In the final part, we are going to relate one of the "8 Basics of Success" to the mix. Enthusiasm! There is no question the younger professionals bring a tremendous amount of enthusiasm to the table. Remember life is still all new to them. They have that "can do" spirit. They don't believe they can fail. They think they are the beacon of the future. In a great deal of ways they are right. But they must not let the exuberance of youth cloud their judgment and take for granted that their excitement will completely, 100% take them to where they want to go. It still is just part of the formula. They still must have mentors. On the other side of the equation, the experienced sales professional, just like in a lot of marriages, has let the flame on the candle not shine through quite as brightly. Also, just like in marriage, you have to constantly stoke the flame. Keep the love burning. Well, in our great profession so many experienced sales persons have all but let the candle extinguish. Imagine what a professional you would have if you could have the experience and the youthful enthusiasm. WOW! Each group brings a lot to the table. I have found and encouraged the approach that the young can and should learn from the more experienced and the more experienced should definitely take a refresher course from these youngsters on the proper attitude and enthusiasm in which to attack their profession.
About the Author
Charles Kettner, aka “The Specialist”, is a professional sales and management trainer and published author, having recently released “The Specialist” Sales and Management Bible. He resides with his family in Virginia Beach, VA, where he is the host of a daily radio show, The Specialist Radio Hour, dedicated to sales and management training.
Rating:
Not yet rated
Comments
No comments posted.
Add Comment
More articles in this Category
1: Turn on the Heat: a celebrity approach to CVs.
2: Search For Public Records Free
3: Acrylic Trophy Awards Are A Stunning Way To Recognize Achievement
4: Sales: Align with your buyer’s objectives to close sales quickly
5: Get Increase Today Internet Joint Venture
