Create Success Under Your New Hires, Part 2

See Part 1

In part one, I addressed the need to ensure success by taking charge and creating success under your people though a well managed training program so that they get the best start possible and start making sales as quickly as possible. They need to experience the activities directly and quickly but they need to have a team member guide them through the full process for a period. It's OJT, or on the job training. It is the most effective training I know of.

If we want them to succeed, we know that they need a good attitude, and they also need well planned activities so that they see and experience the steps toward a sale. Commercial truck sales is not very effective staying at the desk and waiting for an "up" whether it is an Internet call, a "fleet department" call or someone stopping in looking at an upfitted vehicle. Of course, these things happen, but we don't want to train our people to do those things, but to be business seekers instead. It is in this approach that the success and growth of the commercial department is assured. It must be well planned and executed and it will be massively effective.

Essentially, you are teaching them how to fish. Think of most car salespeople as shore fishers. They stay on the shore, cast their lines into the water and there they stand or sit until they get a fish nibbling at their bait. On a good day, they might get to deal with one or two nibbles and if they are real lucky maybe land one to three fish a week working six ten hour days. A well trained commercial fisher is going to get in a boat and head out away from the shore in search of schools of fish. This fisher is prepared with great fishing equipment including fishing nets designed to catch many at a time. This fisher may work five eight hour days and have multiple nibbles by the hour and catch multiple fish daily. Skills are required. We need to teach them to do this. We cannot assume they will learn it on their own. We need to direct their apprenticeship and get them strong quickly thereby creating a strong and successful fisher that will not only fish successfully for us, but go on to teach a number of fishers to do the same.

People who are successful quickly are much more likely to stay on and grow with the company. Create excitement around each success--not just on a sale, but of effort, a good presentation, a good strategy. Celebrate success and reward the kind of behavior you are looking to promote. Spiff money is well spent right here. Spoons are good. I hate house deals and so I used to give those deals away just as rewards for behavior I want. Make it all fun. Build a strong team.