There have been many situations throughout my career when decisions get made without the benefit of getting input from everyone affected. Inevitably, after making a policy decision, I would hear things like, “How did that decision get made? Why didn’t anybody ask me? I have some input that would have been valuable.” As leaders, we do our best to communicate as frequently as possible to keep surprises to a minimum. But, there are those instances when we leave employees out of the loop and make decisions without them. In those instances, employees can feel less valued and somewhat helpless. But there are those select employees who are frequently relied upon to validate strategy and influence decisions. If you want to know how to increase your organizational influence, read on.
In a previous post, “How and Where to Focus Your Energy”, I wrote about the importance of committing fully to situations that you can control (sales activities, quality of your work, hours worked, industry knowledge, etc) and avoiding committing to situations where you have no control (the weather, traffic, Libya, etc). By committing, I don’t mean that you do what’s expected of you; I mean that you go above and beyond. If you are expected to make 50 calls per day, you make 60. If you are accountable for seeing three customers a day, you see five. You spend your downtime reading every industry journal you can get your hands on. You become an expert in your business and in your customers’ business. (See “Lessons from a Top Rep”.)
Blog continued below . . .
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So what happens when you have fully committed to the things that you can control? Success – maybe even great success. You may blow-out quota and earn more than you ever have. You may make President’s Club, Circle of Excellence, or whatever they call it at your company. You may become the top rep and get a promotion. Whatever the outcome, when you fully commit to the things you can control, success will follow.
But that’s not the only upside. It is possible, and even likely, that as your success grows your influence will increase as well. Success will put you in a position to influence things over which you previously had no control. Why? Because you have now become very valuable to the organization.
My career has not only included positions in sales leadership, but also general management. I mention that because I can vouch for the influence that top reps can have on key decisions. As decisions are made that impact aspects of sales like territories, compensation, administrative workload, leads, etc., it is typical that top reps are consulted before the decision is made and/or implemented. Top reps may even be consulted for very strategic decisions. Just today at an industry conference the CEO of a large insurance company was discussing a major shift in company strategy. One of the things he mentioned was validating this shift with – you guessed it – his top producer. The very last thing any organization wants to do is implement a strategy that could derail the efforts of the sales organization. Who better to consult with than the top producer? It’s similar to a football coach checking with the franchise quarterback before changing an offensive scheme. You keep your top producers happy and producing!
In 1989 I joined a very small Austin, TX based company focused on providing component-level computer repair services. We were also a distributor for a few tier-two printer manufacturers. Working from my home, I started selling our services to large companies in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. It was a tough way to learn sales, but we quickly grew to a point that required us to open a local repair facility to better service our customers. We landed significant business from some notable companies like Rockwell International, Northern Telecom, JC Penney, and several major banks. As the office grew, I added sales and service staff and we became a very profitable organization. I had the ear of the president of the company, and as the office continued to have success, my influence grew. Over time I moved to the company headquarters and became its general manager. Because I had fully committed to building a profitable office, my influence grew to the point where the company president handed me the reins and I was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the entire organization.
Another relevant, though extreme example is Oprah. She was so successful with her show that she began to influence entire markets. Her book recommendations immediately propelled titles to the NY Times Best Seller list. Gadgets that she featured on her “Favorite Things” episodes immediately sold out everywhere. Her influence even grew to a point that she was able to impact the latest presidential election with her endorsement of Obama.
As a seller your goal should be to make quota and become the number one rep. But maybe you want more – to get promoted or move in to a sales leadership role. The path to getting there starts with increasing your value to the organization through success and getting noticed. Focus on what you can control and over time you’ll find that your organizational influence will increase. Your boss may be calling you for input on decisions. You’ll be asked to chime in at meetings to let the group know what you think about important issues. And when you do chime in, you will be listened to.
Contrast that with the always vocal yet chronically underperforming rep that seems to chime in all the time, asking the questions that are crafted to help them justify their non-performance.
What rep would you rather be?
Note: The right hand part of the page has information about my book, Click Send and Sell. Below that are the most popular posts from the last 30 days. But no post has seen more traffic, comments and emails than the January post, "On Being Authentic".
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