A Push in the Right
Direction
There's one type of customer
that many salespeople lack on their target lists. Salespeople can work so
hard at selling that they forget about creating this unique sales
relationship. It's a proven method for accelerating career success. The
impact to the bottom line is huge. Statistics show the investment in this
relationship returns the company's investment at a ratio of 6:1. If you
guessed the mentoring relationship does this, you're right. Here's how you
can incorporate mentoring into your selling success.
What
is mentoring today? Menttium Corp. is a nationwide
mentoring company that matches mentors with mentees. The need for
formalized mentoring came when the company founder, Ms. Gayle Holmes,
identified the characteristics of successful people. She found they had
access to continuing education, had a support system and had a mentor or
mentors. Ms. Homes recognized that many companies lacked a formal process
for mentoring. That's when she established her company with its mission to
facilitate mentoring. Mentoring is a sustained relationship between more
experienced and less experienced people. The mentoring relationship is
based on reciprocal knowledge sharing. It's a mental investment rather
than a financial one. Ms. Brenda Bonin, a director with Menttium, points
out that with mentoring today the mentee drives the
relationship.
Where
are mentors? To find a mentor, the mentee first needs to do
a critical self-analysis and identify specifically what skills are needed
for career development. Saying you want to learn more about business is
too vague. Identifying a need for more negotiation skills is more specific
and on target. Other skills could be to learn how to 'manage up' and do a
better job of promoting oneself while maintaining humility. Ms. Bonin
points out that it is better to look for mentors who are one step away
from people you know. She says, "Look for mentors in different industries
and functions so you can ensure they have a different perspective from
yours."
The
job description. The job
description for a mentor is to be a good listener, be honest, and be
committed to the process. This means making time for regular meetings. Ms.
Bonin adds, "Mentors need not have all the answers, they should be able to
ask a lot of questions which guide the mentee." While the mentee sets the
agenda and follows up, the relationship can develop into different ways of
working together. Some mentors and mentees read books together and discuss
points to implement. Other mentors have their mentee 'shadow' them so they
show their mentee what to do rather than tell
them.
It may appear that the mentee
is the one who receives all the value of the relationship. Ms. Bonin
reports that it truly is a benefit to both parties. Many mentors are at
such a high level they lack the day-to-day contact that keeps them in
touch with their true customers. Their mentees have this access and
provide the information. Seeing the joy of helping someone develop new
skills is especially satisfying to many mentors.
Both skills and strategies are
key to drive salespeople's success. You can work on them by yourselves,
but working alone makes it hard to have all the answers in the areas you
need. You need customers for your sales success. If you have a mentor for
a customer, you can almost guarantee your career success.
Maura Schreier-Fleming is president of
Best@Selling (http://www.bestatselling.com/).
She works with business and sales professionals at company and trade
association meetings to make selling easier and more productive. She is
the author of the book Real-World
Selling for Out-of-this-World Results. She can be reached at 972
380 0200 or info@BestatSelling.com.
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