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Personal Statement On My Sales Manager Is Tightening The Screws

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Two weeks passed. Between calling on my regular customers and making cold calls there was little time for being with my own family, let alone hanging out with my father so we could probe the finer points of the sales profession. We stayed in touch by phone, and I updated him on how I was doing, but for now, our training exercises were on hold. As much as I had benefited from his input, I desperately needed to start closing more Caribbean Adventure sales.
My sales manager was tightening the screws. Between random checks on the validity of my call reports and periodically reviewing my presentation and closing techniques, he was a too-close interest in me. He said he was doing it for my own good, trying to help me save my job, although that …show more content…

In sales call after sales call, I was applying the lessons he’d been teaching me, and I was seeing many of the same results that I’d experienced with John Melfa and Bob Chess. The more I focused on getting to know my customers and their businesses, rather than trying to sell to them, the better they responded. Some placed orders. Others asked me to follow-up with written proposals, or just invited me to keep in touch. In every instance, I left their offices feeling good about the progress I’d made.
There was just one problem. My progress wasn’t happening fast enough. I wanted my new “relationship approach” to make a splash. Instead, there were only mild ripples that were invisible to all but me. I knew my father would caution patience. He’d say I was building a strong foundation for a long and successful career; “slow and steady wins the race,” and all that junk. My work with StarCo certainly supported his position. True to my word, I introduced Bob Chess to my other customer who worked in the transportation industry. His name was Jerry Milius. The last I heard, the two of them hit it off. Chess called to thank me for serving as a go-between and said he would keep me posted on how things developed. Days later, Jerry called to say how much he appreciated what I’d done for him. It looked like he and Chess were going to do some business together.
“If there’s ever anything I can do to help you,” Jerry said, “don’t hesitate to ask. I mean it.”

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