Rod Stewart & Barry Manilow as Salespeople?

Dave Kurlan, author of "Baseline Selling" and founder of Objective Management Group, has written many great articles over the years (including several I've linked to in this blog).
I thought this one was fun:Rod Stewart & Barry Manilow Could Be Your Veteran Salespeoplehttp://bit.ly/9gbDzx

In the article Dave argues that Rod and Barry putting out "safe albums" of covers and standards for older fans. This is the equal to a veteran salesperson who has developed a list and now is sitting back farming the renewals and not going after new accounts or even trying new ideas with the old clients to get more revenue from them.

In addition to the questionable ambition of Rod and Barry, I would also hold the record management accountable. My guess is they know that Barry and Rob fans will purchase anything they record, so it is safe revenue for the record label. This is just like a sales manager who doesn't want to upset a veteran salesperson because they don't want to risk losing that piece of their overall revenue goal by forcing them to change, and having them quit. The revenue generated for the label by Rod and Barry, while it my shrink a bit from album to album, is still a certain amount of revenue they can count on from year to year.

I'd also argue that the record management might have tried to get Rod and Barry to record something different to gain new fans and Barry and Rod might have refused. Instead of dropping them from the label, management wants to keep them around for as long as they can produce some revenue rather than let them go to the competition. This is just like a sales manager who instead of dumping the veteran and giving the developed list to someone that will actually work the accounts to get new revenue, they keep the veteran person on because then the current company gets the revenue and not a competitor.

While huge hot acts like Elvis or The Beatles don't come along everyday so it can be scary to drop an act because you don't know initially how you are going to replace their revenue, there are plenty of acts like U2 or Metallica that have started small but kept doing the basics better and better and now they are huge revenue makers. Sales managers need to get salespeople on their staffs that do the basics and become big rather than keeping the veteran salespeople who have lost the fire and are slowly fading into oblivion. Some of the new and upcoming salespeople may turn out like Metallica and be solid revenue producers for years, others may turn out more like Britney Spears, hot for awhile, then become too much of a burden on the company and need to be dropped. Some of the new salespeople might be like Hanson. They get to the top and the salesperson and company ride the wave, but then they crash and the salesperson is never heard from again. Some acts when given the right management and coaching (like Britney Spears got when her dad took over her management) get another chance and make hit albums again. Other acts like Autograph are one hit wonders and flame out. The secret is to recognize which way the salesperson is going and act accordingly.

I'd argue in either case your company is better off taking a chance on an early U2, an unknown Carrie Underwood, or an up & down Brittney than hanging on to a staff of Barry Manilows and Rod Stewarts.

Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"