By David Blaise
Reprinted with permission from the April 2003 issue of The Counselor

“Glory days, they’ll pass you by; glory days, in the wink of a young girl’s eye; glory days, glory days.” – Bruce Springsteen

Boy, they sure grow up fast, don’t they? One day you’re complimenting your client on his daughter’s prom picture; the next day she’s all grown up and taking over the corporate buying for dad.

It’s been said that the only constant in life is change, and those who fail to keep up are destined to be left behind. As sales managers, it’s vital that we keep our staff firmly grounded in the present, dealing with today’s issues and responding with today’s technology. In order to do that, it’s vital that we stay up-to-date ourselves.

What Have You Done For Me Today?

In November of 1991, President George H. W. Bush was at the height of his popularity with the American people. Just one year later, he had lost his bid for reelection. Same man; same accomplishments; gone with the ever-flowing tide of public opinion.

But this doesn’t happen just in politics. It happens in business every single day. You know that client you bent over backwards for during the past three years? His replacement has no idea who you are. Remember the magnificent way you salvaged that holiday gift order last year? That was brilliant! So how did another company end up getting the reorder?

Like it or not, we’re all being tested constantly. Not on what we’ve done in the past, but on what we’re doing and how we’re performing right now! And clients aren’t just asking what you’ve done for them today; they’re also asking what you’re going to do for them next week or next month! They want to know how you’re going to do it and exactly why and how it will be better than anything they can get elsewhere.

Yesterday’s newspaper is today’s birdcage liner for good reason: It’s dead, gone, over. It’s history. Can we learn from history? Absolutely! Can we live our lives there? Not if we hope to make any significant contributions today!

Take A Look At Your Market...

Every year, Beloit College, the oldest college in Wisconsin, puts together a list of interesting facts and observations about its incoming freshman class so that staff and faculty can better understand the mindset of its new students. This is worth examining, since these students and their peers are very likely your future prospects and clients!

Will you and your salespeople have to modify your approach in order to impact these buyers favorably with your sales message? You decide:
• The people who are starting college in the fall of 2003 were born in 1985
• They are too young to remember the space shuttle Challenger blowing up
• Their lifetime has always included AIDS
• Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic
• The CD was introduced the year they were born
• They have always had an answering machine
• They have always had cable
• They cannot fathom not having a remote control
• Jay Leno has always been the host of the Tonight Show
• Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave
• They never took a swim and thought about Jaws
• They can’t imagine what hard contact lenses are
• They don’t know who Mork is or where he was from
• They never heard: “Where’s the Beef?, “I’d walk a mile for a Camel,” or “de plane, Boss, de plane”
• They do not care who shot J. R. and have no idea who J. R. even is
• Michael Jackson has always been white
• McDonald’s never came in Styrofoam containers
• They don’t have a clue how to use a typewriter.

Who Has To Adapt – Us Or Them?

While we may find the above facts amusing, as sales professionals we must constantly adapt to the needs, desires and culture of our market. It’s business suicide to expect our market to adapt to us. And those who refuse to address the concerns and desires of today’s clients and tomorrow’s buyers face certain extinction.

Interestingly enough, this is not about age; it’s about adaptability. Are you and your staff ready, willing and able to adapt to the demands of today’s marketplace and buyer? I personally know many senior citizens who stay up-to-date with current trends and culture better than some 30-year-olds. I also know some people in their twenties and thirties who still subscribe to industrial-age notions like “the world owes me a living.”

So What Do We Do?

First, we need to learn how to adapt. Not our integrity or our value systems – assuming they’re both up to speed. We need to adapt our thinking and our actions to an ever-changing marketplace. Here’s how:

1. Recognize that change and evolution are taking place all around you. Children are evolving into adults, and these adults are beginning to make important buying decisions right now.

2. Accept your responsibility to keep up to date. It’s not the responsibility of our prospects and clients to adapt to our established approach and selling style. It’s our responsibility to adapt to the changing culture and needs of today’s buyer.

3. Demonstrate your expertise today. Maybe you made revolutionary contributions to our industry back in the roaring ’80s. That’s great. Now get over it and focus on the contributions you need to be making with your sales staff and your clients right now.

4. Focus on being great at solving today’s most pressing business problems. Remember, our business is to provide promotional solutions to the difficult issues and challenges facing prospects and clients today. Remind yourself and your staff of this fact constantly. It’s not about mugs and T-shirts; it’s about providing solutions that work. Provide those solutions, and you’ll always be of great value to your clients.

5. Keep learning. You can’t stand still when it comes to education and training. If you’re not advancing; you’re falling behind. Quote recent industry surveys and case studies that benefit your staff and clients. Examine what’s working in other industries and recommend those strategies. Take a proactive approach to your prospects and clients every day.

6. Last, but not least, hire salespeople who are adaptable. Teach them to do each of the above five things, and your company will be living the glory days… rather than recalling them.

David Blaise is a leading industry sales trainer and the author of Sledgehammer Marketing and Top Secrets of Promotional Products Sales. Over 3,700 promotional products professionals currently subscribe to his weekly e-mail newsletter. For a free subscription and audio cassette overview of Top Secrets, call (800) 494-2721 x-130 or visit: http://www.topsecretswebsite.com.