HARDISON’S TIPS – SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 – Copier Sales Burnout
Copier Sales Burnout
When the “opportunity clock” stops
Most salespeople know their job means to work under pressure, increase revenue and help the company grow. Making the numbers helps a true salesman get up in the morning – motivation guru Zig Ziglar refers to his alarm clock as his “opportunity clock.”
That clock stops buzzing for some salespeople. When fiscal demands aren’t met, quotas get tough and pressure is the game, it can send salespeople silently on their way and cost a company thousands of dollars yearly in turnover and retraining.
The copier industry boom of the 1990s flip-flopped as the decade waned. Customers sidled into a more elusive mode. It used to be more sales were walk-ins, but now it’s difficult for salespeople to get an initial appointment with a customer.
Price is often the determining sales factor and customer loyalty is low, Copier sales traditionally are based on relationship selling, but now cold calls figure prominently.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcIP1CcsGo0[/embedyt]
Even top salespeople know how it feels when sales success is tough. Salespeople start wondering about their own ability if they go long periods without a sale. Two women successful in sales five years were hired as a team for a copier company of a salesperson’s acquaintance. They were asked to make cold calls without a customer base and attain a high revenue quota. These two women were discouraged within months, and the copier company soon lost two people who Allison assessed as having high sales potential.
Techno-stress is something that dogs managers and line salespeople alike as rural companies transit people from analog standalones to digital networks. I know sales managers of copier salesman, who was asked to do everything from training personnel to setting up copier/printer networks from scratch at a former company. While having the technical capability to do the work, he said he told management he was stretched too thin, but his concerns were ignored.
The quiet good-bye
Stress symptoms appear first, according to experts with withdrawal or isolation. There may be excess drinking, smoking, overeating or gambling. The problems may spill into family relationships, too.
It may be external pressures that contribute, too, but often it is rooted in self-confidence and the salesperson’s perceptions about his or her ability.
Sales managers say there are mismatches where firing may be the only solution. When salespeople leave, there is usually not a party or send-off for the person. Usually it’s a quiet exit and no one ever hears from them again. a few copier sales people go from dealer to dealer, but most do not.
Recognizing near-death of a salesman
Salespeople may confide in their peers that they’re in trouble, but rarely to management. Experienced salespeople get used to “playing close to the chest.” That means not revealing big prospects on the horizon until the sale is imminent.
Salespeople also may stay tight-lipped with management as their own sales-figures rowboat is going down. They may not want to focus management or sales team attention on themselves.
Make It A Champion Day!
Leave a Reply