In the race to reach goals, every sales organization enters one or more of three types of horses: racehorses, plowhorses and "glue horses." Each horse presents its unique set of challenges and opportunities. The challenge for any sales professional is to recognize what type of horse you are. The challenge for any sales manager is to manage all the various horses in the race.
Statistically, here's how your sales force likely stacks up: 20 percent racehorses, 60 percent plowhorses and 20 percent glue horses. As a manager, before classifying yourself or any of your producers as a particular type of horse, ask yourself if you've given your salespeople the tools, training and motivation they need to succeed. If the answer to any of these questions is no, your work isn't done. Once it is, you can begin the classification process:
The racehorse o Requires little or no supervision
o Sets sales goals that exceed management goals
o Meets or exceeds these goals every year
o Does not work normal office hours
o Is out of the office during prime sales call time unless they're on the phone getting appointments
o Talks about the next booking before getting the current one
o Always knows what's in their pipeline
o Can be delinquent on office paperwork and administrative matters
o Not the most popular
o Can be a lone wolf
o Looks inward after missing a sale, then acts to prevent it from reoccurring
The plowhorse o Does not mind supervision because they ignore it
o Comes close to meeting goals every year and occasionally exceeds them
o Has a tendency to "sandbag" goal numbers when setting their own goals
o Uses service as an excuse for why they're not out on more sales calls
o Has a moderate pipeline
o Is timely with paperwork submissions and administrative matters
o Is well liked and an "institution" around the office
o Is inconsistent in assessing why they missed a sale, but usually blames the prospect
The glue horse o Doesn't object to having management set their sales goals
o Sets goals that are too low for management to accept, or sets a very high goal in an attempt to impress management
o Has calendars that are full of busy work with very few appointments
o Is likeable, but has little or no drive to get out of the office
o Has pipeline reports that are full of "fluff"
o Relies on their personality, past history or the reluctance of management to make the hard decision to hang on to their job
o Claims it's someone else's fault whenever they miss a sale
What do you need to do if you recognize yourself in one of the above categories?
Racehorse: If you're a racehorse, congratulations. Now comes the hard part. It's easy to become complacent when you're a racehorse. You're used to winning, and expect to win. But so do all the other racehorses who would like nothing better than to beat you. Racehorses tend to think they're as good as it gets--confidently, not necessarily egotistically--and can sometimes start to coast.
With that in mind, racehorses can take a lesson from Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer in the world. Tiger isn't just a little better than his competition; he usually blows them off the course. But how does he handle this success? He works to get better. He has a trainer, a coach, a teacher and a sports psychologist. That's for the best golfer on the planet, with no peer.
As a racehorse, know you can always get better. You need to keep working at your profession--sales--and at your specialty--insurance. You have to set the standard for the other racehorses in your company. And then there are other agencies' racehorses who have you in their sights, plowhorses getting ready to elevate their game and even glue horses with the occasional epiphany that they want to be the best at something.
Plowhorse: If you're a plowhorse, it's time for a serious conversation with yourself or your manager. Are you content with your status? If not, take your game to the next level.
Find a racehorse you respect. Study his or her behavior and methods and determine how best to make them your own. Identify what separates you from the racehorses and then dedicate yourself to getting the training you need or developing better work habits. You can get there, but it won't "just happen" unless you make it happen.
If you're content with your status, have a conversation with your manager. Organizations need plowhorses. All racehorses would be a managerial nightmare. Therefore, the question to put before your manager is simple: What is my role in this organization? If you're a good fit, then you can have a reasonably successful career as a plowhorse.
Glue horse: If you're a glue horse, it's time to make some decisions. Are you in the right profession? If not, stop wasting your time (and the agency's) and pursue what you really want to do. If the answer is yes, is this type of selling for you? Spend time considering what product best matches your abilities and preferences. If this is the industry you want to be in, find a racehorse mentor, commit to making some changes and then be prepared to do a lot of work. If this doesn't appeal to you, a pink slip is in your future.
The bottom line: You're either in a horse race, a plowing contest or a survival test. It's up to you to decide if that's where you want to be. If you don't, someone else will probably decide for you.
Fritz Koehler, CIC, CRM, is vice president and a producer at Acordia in Houston, Texas. Mr. Koehler conducts education seminars for CPAs on business insurance, performs risk management consulting and is an instructor for the Dynamics of Selling program. For more information on Dynamics of Selling, call 800-633-2165 or visit www.thenationalalliance.com.
Statistically, here's how your sales force likely stacks up: 20 percent racehorses, 60 percent plowhorses and 20 percent glue horses. As a manager, before classifying yourself or any of your producers as a particular type of horse, ask yourself if you've given your salespeople the tools, training and motivation they need to succeed. If the answer to any of these questions is no, your work isn't done. Once it is, you can begin the classification process:
The racehorse o Requires little or no supervision
o Sets sales goals that exceed management goals
o Meets or exceeds these goals every year
o Does not work normal office hours
o Is out of the office during prime sales call time unless they're on the phone getting appointments
o Talks about the next booking before getting the current one
o Always knows what's in their pipeline
o Can be delinquent on office paperwork and administrative matters
o Not the most popular
o Can be a lone wolf
o Looks inward after missing a sale, then acts to prevent it from reoccurring
The plowhorse o Does not mind supervision because they ignore it
o Comes close to meeting goals every year and occasionally exceeds them
o Has a tendency to "sandbag" goal numbers when setting their own goals
o Uses service as an excuse for why they're not out on more sales calls
o Has a moderate pipeline
o Is timely with paperwork submissions and administrative matters
o Is well liked and an "institution" around the office
o Is inconsistent in assessing why they missed a sale, but usually blames the prospect
The glue horse o Doesn't object to having management set their sales goals
o Sets goals that are too low for management to accept, or sets a very high goal in an attempt to impress management
o Has calendars that are full of busy work with very few appointments
o Is likeable, but has little or no drive to get out of the office
o Has pipeline reports that are full of "fluff"
o Relies on their personality, past history or the reluctance of management to make the hard decision to hang on to their job
o Claims it's someone else's fault whenever they miss a sale
What do you need to do if you recognize yourself in one of the above categories?
Racehorse: If you're a racehorse, congratulations. Now comes the hard part. It's easy to become complacent when you're a racehorse. You're used to winning, and expect to win. But so do all the other racehorses who would like nothing better than to beat you. Racehorses tend to think they're as good as it gets--confidently, not necessarily egotistically--and can sometimes start to coast.
With that in mind, racehorses can take a lesson from Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer in the world. Tiger isn't just a little better than his competition; he usually blows them off the course. But how does he handle this success? He works to get better. He has a trainer, a coach, a teacher and a sports psychologist. That's for the best golfer on the planet, with no peer.
As a racehorse, know you can always get better. You need to keep working at your profession--sales--and at your specialty--insurance. You have to set the standard for the other racehorses in your company. And then there are other agencies' racehorses who have you in their sights, plowhorses getting ready to elevate their game and even glue horses with the occasional epiphany that they want to be the best at something.
Plowhorse: If you're a plowhorse, it's time for a serious conversation with yourself or your manager. Are you content with your status? If not, take your game to the next level.
Find a racehorse you respect. Study his or her behavior and methods and determine how best to make them your own. Identify what separates you from the racehorses and then dedicate yourself to getting the training you need or developing better work habits. You can get there, but it won't "just happen" unless you make it happen.
If you're content with your status, have a conversation with your manager. Organizations need plowhorses. All racehorses would be a managerial nightmare. Therefore, the question to put before your manager is simple: What is my role in this organization? If you're a good fit, then you can have a reasonably successful career as a plowhorse.
Glue horse: If you're a glue horse, it's time to make some decisions. Are you in the right profession? If not, stop wasting your time (and the agency's) and pursue what you really want to do. If the answer is yes, is this type of selling for you? Spend time considering what product best matches your abilities and preferences. If this is the industry you want to be in, find a racehorse mentor, commit to making some changes and then be prepared to do a lot of work. If this doesn't appeal to you, a pink slip is in your future.
The bottom line: You're either in a horse race, a plowing contest or a survival test. It's up to you to decide if that's where you want to be. If you don't, someone else will probably decide for you.
Fritz Koehler, CIC, CRM, is vice president and a producer at Acordia in Houston, Texas. Mr. Koehler conducts education seminars for CPAs on business insurance, performs risk management consulting and is an instructor for the Dynamics of Selling program. For more information on Dynamics of Selling, call 800-633-2165 or visit www.thenationalalliance.com.
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