Saturday, May 07, 2005

Change Is Good

Back in my business days, I remember a discussion I had with one of our sales reps. She was a very consistent performer who met her quota successfully month after month. I asked her what made her so unbeatable as a salesperson and she said "Change. Jingle, jingle change. Nickel and dime change."

She went on to explain that her territory was like everyone else's; that is, banks were a common customer of hers. However, the first thing she did when approaching a bank was to gain their business in coin wrappers. Coin wrappers, a low ticket item but sold in huge quantities, month after month, with no foreseen end of use. Other sales reps would try to sell an expensive piece of equipment which paid a large commission for one month. So did she, but only after she had created that steady source of income supplied by coin wrappers.

Sometimes it is smart to think small. (Hey, Sis. You listening?)

No comments: