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A Great Lesson from a Stealth Leader

Guest post by: Brian Sullivan

Article Overview: A vital lesson not only on sales, but on life, from sales veteran John Moran.

A Great Lesson from a Stealth Leader

I will never forget a sales call I made early in my career with thirty plus year sales veteran turned Welch Allyn VP of Sales, John Moran. John was and still is one of the most respected leaders in the medical industry and is an expert of relationship selling. He is also what I describe as a Stealth Leader. The Stealth Leader is somebody that can influence you, your job, your life, without having to announce their presence. They quietly enter your “airspace” and often go unnoticed until their mission has been carried out. And by the time you realize what hit you, it’s too late. They have already made you a better father, sister, friend, coach, or employee. The Stealth Leader cares nothing about stature and status, but instead judges his success on how much they help others. The Stealth Leader is John Moran.

Proof…When John was Welch Allyn’s VP of Sales, he was never afraid to jump in the passenger seat and share some wisdom with reps of all experience levels. (He was also never afraid to “booby trap” your car or briefcase if you weren’t careful. In fact, I once found a half eaten banana in my attaché case two days after he left.) Regardless, John Moran defined the word PRECISE. When coaching you, he would say only what was necessary to help you and no more. Like all Stealth Leaders, he was never a sales leader that loved to hear himself speak. He always understood that salespeople were his customers and if he was to influence them, less was often more, just as in selling. He was and is still PRECISE because he makes every word and every piece of advice mean something.

When John traveled with you, it was an honor and an experience you did not want to screw up. One day in my early selling career at Welch Allyn, John and I were calling on an important distribution customer with whom I had a very good relationship. I told the customer that I would be in the area around two o’clock with the bigwig and that I wanted to stop by to visit with him. Two o’clock rolled around, we stopped by for about thirty minutes, chewed the fat, and then left after a few good laughs. I felt like a million bucks and thought for sure “The Godfather of Welch Allyn” would feel the same way. After getting out in the car and asking for his feedback on how the call went, I thought I would I feel like Barry Bonds being thrown a hanging curveball. I was just waiting for his praise so I could start my march around the bases. Well, the batting lesson had just begun. When John asked me “What was the objective of the call?” I froze up like I was the first man living on the former planet Pluto. After bumbling for a few seconds, I told him that I just wanted to stop by to see how our dealer customer was doing.

He said, “What was your objective in seeing how he was doing?”

I said, “To make sure he still liked our company and what we were doing.”

“What does that mean? What was your objective in seeing if he still liked our company and what we were doing?” John responded.

This little exercise was driving me nutty, but the man in the passenger seat was my boss’ boss’ boss, so I had better play the game.

I said, “Well…John…by liking us, it is easier for me to get him to commit to running a sixty day promotion on our scopes.”

John said, “So why wasn’t our objective to get him to commit to a sixty day promotion on our scopes?”

I said, “Because I didn’t think of it.”

He said, “You just did.”

Wow! This guy just used questioning techniques masterfully to lead me to a more specific objective.

As I looked back on that sales call with John, I realized I had accomplished little. I made the mistake so many sales reps make. Without a well thought out and specific objective, I was just going through the motions.

John taught me a lesson that day that I will never forget. Don’t ever mistaken activity with production. And don’t ever pay a visit to a customer unless you plan to provide value; otherwise you are just wasting their time. Now John is no longer jumping in cars with reps these days, as he has now, by choice, hung up his VP badge. You may, however catch this Stealth Leader in cities like Richmond, Chicago, and Dallas, back on the streets doing what he loves most…selling. And while his objectives and daily duties may have changed, what has not are the countless lessons he teaches and has taught so many of us in this industry. This Stealth Leader not only made and still makes everybody he touches better at selling; he has made the industry he touched better at serving. And through those lessons, he teaches how to be better at living.

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Article Tags: leader, management, sales leadership, vital lesson



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