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What's under your sales-bonnet ( Part 2)

Written by: Trent Leyshan

Article Overview: I thanked Big Red for his words-of-wisdom with and flashed him an ironical smile. I then stood up and said in a resigned tone, "Gents I've heard enough, I can't help you.

What's under your sales-bonnet ( Part 2)

I thanked Big Red for his words-of-wisdom with and flashed him an ironical smile. I then stood up and said in a resigned tone, "Gents I've heard enough, I can't help you." The relaxed energy in the room was sucked into my lips like a vortex. All the directors turned to me in disbelief not knowing whether to laugh or retaliate with sarcasm. Now that I had their attention, I continued, "You blokes, like John said, should burn the place down, because it sounds like you have already started the fire just nicely. "You are in business and none of you want to sell? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." I let my last words hang in the air. They continued to stare at me in stunning silence. I proceeded down the dark path, "Guys, you own a multi-million dollar company, one that from what I understand is a market leader, and yet none of you are proud enough of your company to even go and talk about it to people every day in a positive way?" What the heck is wrong with you all?" I then paused, and added, "It's all rather tragic really..." I was done talking for the moment and proceeded carefully to slide my platinum-gold Mont Blanc into my black leather presentation folder, and zip-it-up tight.

The other John, another tall, big boned man with an eagle-bald head and bushy moustache with handle bars, had been politely nodding in agreement the whole time but kept his bushy-tailed-top-lip stiff, responded, "Trent, I couldn't agree with you more, as a director and person responsible for sales, I have to say, I dont enjoy sales anymore. I did once, years ago, when we were flying. But business has changed; it's not what it used to be. When we all started this business, there was one maybe two people doing what we do. And if we weren't doing the job, it wasn't worth doing. Now there's gotta be at least twenty competitors just in Australia." He turned to Big Red and lowered his gaze and looked down his nose, for back up, "Right Red?

"Yeh, twenty companies doing our thing at least, and god knows how many more overseas. The bastards undercut-us overseas-that markets dead for us and it was a bit chunk of our business. Goggle John chimed in, "A forty percent chunk! Now we are left to fight for the scraps here." Everyone in the room grunted and nodded in acknowledgement. I'm sure if there was VB on the dirty-pine boardroom table they all would have raised their glasses and cheers'd, such was the resolve in their tone.

I looked at the four men sitting before me with their eyes glazed and faces stained in defeat. I took a couple of moments to regard my next contribution. I pursed my lips, shook my head slowly and looked down at the ground, I then folded one arm under my chest and with the other stroked my chin rhythmically in a circular motion. I knew my next words, had to equal if not outshine (and honour) the great insights and honest feelings they had just shared with me. I pursed my lips again and looked dead into Big Reds wise eyes and then the others one by one, nodding as I went. "Gentleman, there are two roads you can take at this intersection in time: The first you all know-you can lay down and rollover and let your competitors with an inferior product and less experience beat you. And in the process invalidate the last ten years of your lives..." Again I paused to let the reality of the statement sink in.

"The second is you can fight like men who have nothing to lose, and be the type of men that even the mightiest of men fear..." I paused again. "Fighting as it refers to you, is Selling! If you want my advice, and you have paid me for it-if you really want to turn this company around you need to change the fundamentals of this business-down the very bowels of this company, from a manufacturing business to a sales-driven business. Everything you do together must be about sales and little else. And anyone who is not aligned needs to go. If they dont want to fight for your collective cause, they are not needed. You can turn this company around but it needs to be a united force, everyone in the company needs to understand you are no longer a manufacturing company-you are sales company- from Big Red all the way down to the busty temp sitting on the front desk.

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