Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play by Arthur Miller and is considered a classic of American theater. Viewed by many as a caustic attack on the American Dream of achieving wealth and success without regard for principle, Death of a Salesman made both Arthur Miller and the character Willy Loman household names. The play is a characterization of a tragedy of the downfall of a great man, whether through a flaw in his character or a mistake he has squandered, depending on your viewpoint.
It was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1949, the 1949 Tony Award for Best Play, as well as the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play. Death of a Salesman was the first play to win these three major awards, helping to establish Miller as an internationally known playwright.
Do you remember how the story begins? Willy Loman returns to his home in Brooklyn one night, exhausted from a failed sales trip. His wife, Linda, tries to persuade him to ask his boss, Howard Wagner, to let him work in New York so that he won’t have to travel. Willy says that he will talk to Howard the next day. Willy complains that Biff, his older son who has come back home to visit, has yet to make something of himself. Linda scolds Willy for being so critical. As the story unfolds it is one failure and one disappointment after another. It’s a downward spiral for poor Willy and if you recall it doesn’t have the happiest of endings.
Are there days in your Business when you wonder if you will ever make another sale? Do you sometimes feel that the selling process is a mystery with no rhyme or reason to the process? Are you and your sales team well liked and good at building relationships with your prospects? As we have come to learn, the sales process doesn’t have to be hard and the results can be predicted when you have a system. Imagine, if Willy Loman had a coach, someone that held him accountable for his actions, there could have been a much happier ending.
With that thought in mind I’d like to give you our “Top Ten” checklist where you can determine and rate the overall health of your sales effectiveness and performance. Rate each of the following questions on a scale of 1-10. 10′s are good and 1′s, not so much!
1. We use scripts in all of our initial contacts with customers (phone, face to face, walk in, internet, etc.) Score____
2. We measure all of the variables of our sales process, including such things as the average number of appointments before the sale, the conversion rate (prospect to client), sales cycle etc. Score____
3. We have a proven, defined and written sales system. Score ____
4. We provide our sales team with effective tools to help them to convert prospects more effectively (demonstrations, samples, etc.) Score____
5. Our sales staff has regular, formal training on both product knowledge and sales skills. Score____
6. We use the most current technology to track the sales team’s activity, such as appointments, prospect lists, etc. Score___
7. We motivate our sales team effectively using time tested motivational techniques. Score____
8. We follow up with prospects that didn’t buy from us to find out why. Score____
9. We have regular sales meetings. Score____
10. Our sales team has a terrific relationship with all of the other departments. Score____
So how did you do? If you scored 80-100 points, you could be seriously considered as the new lead in the play called “The Life of a Salesman”. 60-79 points, you are in the running for the part. 40-59 points, you need to spend a little more time on your scripts and refining your style. Less than 40 points, it’s time to turn off the TV, take some classes in the evening and get up early to start writing the scripts for the parts of your sales system. More importantly, it might be time to hire a coach to help you through the inevitable ups & downs you will experience! The decision is yours, is it time to create or refine your sales process and live the life of abundance you deserve? Will you continue to explain and blame others for your poor results? It’s time to tell the world you mean Business! Start a plan today to Put some “life into your salesman” and give yourself the chance to score 100 points. Maybe, just maybe someone will even write a story or a play about you. A Pulitzer Prize? Who knows! Imagine that!
