An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”

The carpenter was shocked!. What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less that our best into the building. Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we’d do it much differently.

But we cannot go back. You are the carpenter. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall.

“Life is a do-it-yourself project,” someone has said. Your attitudes and the choices you make today, build the “house” you live in tomorrow. Build wisely!

Here they are:

1. Empathy - according to Herb Greenberg, CEO of Caliper and author of How To Hire Your Next Top Performer; “empathy is the ability to sense the reactions of other people. It is the ability to pick up the subtle clues and cues provided by others in order to accurately assess what they are thinking and feeling. Empathy does not necessarily involve agreeing with the feelings of others, but it does involve knowing what their feelings are.”
2. Ego Drive – should not be confused with desire or motivation to succeed. It is an emotional need of gaining self-acceptance that is fulfilled by persuading others to our point of view. Top salespeople get their “fix” or “high” when they successfully persuade someone to their point of view. When someone buys our product or service, it is a validation of self.
3. Service To Others – is similar to Ego Drive in that the sales person derives acceptance for having done a job well. It has more to do with receiving customer or manger approval or appreciation than for having made the sale.
4. Self Image – this characteristic has to do with how much an individual likes himself or herself. It is an individual’s ability to feel good about himself or herself to accept rejection and failure as part of life. The person with a strong Self-Image has the ability to leave rejection behind and go on without being emotionally crushed or internalizing it. Salespeople with a strong Self-Image are emotionally resilient. They are motivated by failure not crushed by it. They can’t wait for the next opportunity. Someone with a low Self-Image is paralyzed by failure and avoids any experiences that may produce failure.
5. Utilitarian Attitude – is characterized by an interest in money and what is useful. Someone with a high Utilitarian Attitude wants to have the security that money brings not only for themselves but also for their present and future family. A person with a high Utilitarian Attitude is likely to have a high need to surpass others in wealth.

The job of a sales manager is not to grow sales but to recruit, grow and develop salespeople. The sales manager’s job is to set the course and direction of the sales team by developing and implementing the most efficient system of selling the company’s products and services. By his/her statements and actions, the successful sales manager inspires and motivates the sales team to act in ways that promotes everyone’s best interest.

The sales manager’s role is to cultivate and refine the talents of the salespeople and he/she should make sure that the sales people are aware of this. It is important that the effective sales manager communicate the purpose behind their efforts to help the salespeople grow their skills. When done properly the successful sales manager is able to institute a culture of “excellence” as the prime motivator for increase sales performance.