3 Workplace Dilemmas I Confront Daily as a Consulting Sales Professional
A real-life MBA
I learned a lot from my 9–6 consulting sales job.
And I really mean a hell lot. That is because I deal with many people.
And as we all know, money follows behind people, and problems tag along with money.
There are many, many types of problems.
Tasked-based problems? Relax. The chill pill is at the corner of your pantry shelf.
Human-oriented problems? All radars up. Roll up your sleeves and get ready to peel that annoying workplace onion.
And yes.
Remember to clear your mind.
That is because…
… You will work on multiple convoluted and entangled issues bundled into one gigantic problem.
The Sales Professional Laundry List of Problems
Salespeople face a boat of problems daily.
- There is a mountain of problems when we start work.
- There is an ocean of issues when we end our day.
A vast majority of those are client-generated problems. Of course. They engage us to solve their problems.
They are our paymasters, so no matter how annoying it is or they are…
We. Suck. It. In.
And continue smiling while taking the punch in our belly.
What about internal problems? Here’s where beyond intelligence is required in the workplace.
The Classic Case Study
It is never easy to work together with,
- One global headquarter (GHQ),
- Multiple regional headquarters (RHQ).
Things become complicated.
This is what I mean.
- Your group CEO sitting in the global HQ generates a list of Ideal Clients to focus on.
- He (or she) assigns these clients based on their headquarters to your company’s RHQs.
- Your RHQ’s sales director delegates one part of that holy list to you.
- You work to bring these prospects on board.
Sounds easy? Yup. Except.
Reality is complex.
What if, and I say what if,
The ideal client assigned to a different RHQ by your CEO has a contact person in your location…
… and this person has asked for a meeting with you?
What would you do?
Do you,
- Make contact… knowing full well that this lead will eventually be transferred to another RHQ?
- Pretend this contact never happened because you will not get the sales commission?
- Put on a poker face and float with the company process without making any real effort?
I confront these 3 dilemmas almost daily. No kidding.
And these problems will arise, especially when you have an idealistic-thinking boss running the business. I am not one. I can tell when there is one.
Never believe that people will continue to work as hard when incentives are not in their favor. I don’t. You won’t.
That is a safe bet.
And this is true for sales.
No one closes the deal for other folks.
That is so when the commission structure is not aligned to the benefit of the group.
To me, incentive matters. Incentives must bring out the best effort from people.
If not, stress fractures will develop from within.
This is evident from my 9–6.
Let me return to the case study. What happens if I choose to drop the ball on the lead?
Well, it benefits no one.
- The company will lose one client.
- The RHQ in charge of securing that Ideal Client loses a sales opportunity.
- I may get a bad reputation if I am found out.
This is a perfect storm. Everyone loses.
When such things happen frequently, morale at work will take a beating. Everyone fights for their own keep while ignoring those in need. No one is willing to cross-pollinate sales potential across different RHQs.
This is happening right before my eyes in my 9–6.
Are consulting sales professionals just naturally selfish? I take a different view.
We respond to the incentives in a direct fashion.
Let us assume it takes the same time to close a $100,000 contract. There are 2 such contracts in front of us. Now. Contract A’s commission goes to someone else. Contract B’s commission comes to you.
Which one will you focus your time, energy, and attention on?
The answer need not be given.
You will choose to work on Contract B even though the client is a pain in your butt. I know I will.
The Close
When incentives misalign — Everyone suffers.
You will avoid working hard for nothing. Not when it benefits everyone else but you. Are you selfish? No. You are practical.
I am practical.
Of course, I do support others in my team from time to time. But that is different from doing so all the time.
I love reviewing and thinking about the 3 dilemmas I go through in my 9–6 as a consulting sales professional. To be clear, I am not a corporate pain-sucker.
I want to avoid applying these bad policies, directives, and misaligned incentives to my 1-person business or other active ventures.
You can take a page from your 9–6, too.
This is a real-life MBA case study.
Don’t waste it.
Study it. Understand it. Learn from it. Prevent it.
Build a business that allows people to do their best work… without daily struggles.
You… will thank you.
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