| y"> | | | | Looking at them, I began to see the situation in a new |
| Craig and Suzanne sat in my office looking worried. | | | | light. "Do you think that the people with whom you |
| Anxious about the future of their new accountancy | | | | want to do business expect to see the practice |
| practice, both had been experiencing sleepless nights. | | | | partners, rather than a sales person? Is it possible that |
| Now the couple - childhood friends - were finding that | | | | your prospective customers feel in an intuitive way |
| their anxieties were taking their toll on their respective | | | | that you don't really respect them - and that if you did, |
| marriages too. Clearly, things needed to change - and | | | | you would attend the sales appointment personally?" |
| fast - if Craig and Suzanne were to avoid disaster in | | | | Wanting to explain it more graphically, I continued, "It is |
| every area of their lives. | | | | the same principle of sending someone a letter with a |
| The root cause of the sleepless nights was that the | | | | first class stamp - it shows greater respect than |
| accountancy practice simply wasn't attracting enough | | | | sending someone a letter with a second class stamp, |
| new clients - in spite of the three dedicated (and highly | | | | which is subliminally stating the fact that you perceive |
| experienced) sales people that the organisation had | | | | the recipient as second class too." |
| taken on. | | | | Craig looked perturbed, as the realisation that he |
| One of the problems was that Craig and Suzanne's | | | | needed to make sales appointments himself began to |
| practice offered similar services to every other | | | | sink in. Clearly it wasn't a thought that made him feel |
| accountant in the area. However, the pair felt that with | | | | good. Suzanne sighed saying, "Well, if that's what we |
| a pro-active sales campaign, they should be able to | | | | have to do to succeed, then I guess we are going to |
| win enough new business to show a profit, even with | | | | have to learn to get better at it." It was clear that |
| their already substantial overheads. | | | | Suzanne didn't relish the prospect either. |
| I asked about the sales people's backgrounds - and it | | | | I knew that there had to be a way that we could |
| soon became obvious that they really did know what | | | | make it work - after all, if we can get man to the |
| they were doing, as they had seen substantial | | | | moon, then sorting out this issue should be pretty |
| successes with their previous employers. | | | | straight forward. |
| As Craig poured another coffee, I asked whether he | | | | Looking at their weary faces, I suggested that there |
| and Suzanne ever went out to see prospective clients. | | | | was indeed another way. "How about giving each of |
| His response was swift, "No of course not, that's why I | | | | the sales people a new title - such as 'New Business |
| employ salespeople!" | | | | Director'? This would show prospective clients that |
| Suzanne looked a little embarrassed at Craig's | | | | you respect them enough to send someone senior to |
| waspish response - chipping in that both of them were | | | | an appointment - and would avoid you having to |
| hopeless at selling, which is why they had taken on | | | | attend those appointments yourselves. |
| sales professionals to get around the problem. | | | | |