Singing the Sales Business Blues

With the cold nights of winter now gone, the warmer weather brings new business opportunities but does not change for some small business owners or sales professionals from singing the “Sales Business Blues” .  These melodious lyrics usually have the same or similar verses.  The only difference is the order of those verses.

Credit www.sxc.hu

Each of the verses within the “Sales Business Blues” revolves around usually repetitive issues because the small business owners or sales professionals continue to ignore finding sustainable solutions and appear to somewhat enjoy living in these fluctuating states of misery and despair.

Blame the salesperson is the most common verse. Usually it appears  first in the “Sales Business Blues” lyrics.  The reason for not achieving the goal to increase sales is because the sales people just are not selling; they are lazy; they are making excuses.  Yes these reasons may be valid. However, there may also be other factors involved for not securing the goal to increase sales.

Another popular verse focuses on customers. How many times have we heard sales professionals to small business owners talk about stupid customers or even worse yet demanding customers?

Then verses start changing positions.  Next in line might be  the marketing department for not doing its job of attracting attention or spending too much money.

Of course, there are verses signaling the performance of internal customers (employees) including:

• Customer service
• Operations
• Shipping
• Management
• Executive leadership (ownership)

Sometimes there is a verse about shareholders or even government specific to compliance issues and other costly mandates. And usually there are some lyrics about the economy be it local, regional, national or global.

Yes, singing the “Sales Business Blues” appears to be a popular not only summer time tune but year round one by these anxious small business owners to sales professionals. Maybe it is time to banish the “Sales Business Blues” by changing the tune and the lyrics.  As the old expression goes:

“When you change how you look at things,

the things you look at will change.”