Don't Be That Guy pt. 1

I've never understood people that have no motivation to find a better job or do the best job they can in their job. That is not always to say that I'm at the top of my game but at least I always TRY! Here is an article I found addressing that point because I'm sure you know job seekers, recruiters, and salespeople that are "That Guy." Since this blog is written for multiple audiences, if you substitute the word for your profession you'll get the idea.
Thanks!
Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

THAT GUY, Part 1: Don't Be THAT GUY by Paul McCord

No one wants to be THAT guy--the guy who is a failure, who can't pay the rent, who just can't get it together (ladies, be nice, I'm using guy as an absolutely sex neutral pronoun). But we all want to be THAT guy--the one who is extremely successful, who has his life together, who everyone envies and wants to emulate. What separates THAT guy who is a failure from THAT guy who is a star? When we boil it down it comes to actions and attitudes. The problem is there are so many more actions and attitudes that lead to failure than lead to success. Frankly that's the reason it is so easy to fail and so hard to succeed. The path to success is steep and narrow while the path to failure is wide and easily traversed. So, what are the actions and attitudes that that failure guy has? Here are a few of the more prevalent actions that that failure guy engages in. I hope you don't see yourself in any of these:

1. That guy loves to hang around the water cooler shooting the breeze. Once they've discussed last night's ballgame or hot date they don't miss a chance to bitch and moan about the crappy products and services they have to sell, how lucky that big producer is who just seems to always be in the right place at the right time, how bad management is screwing them, and how they'll never be able to make their unrealistic quotas in this economy. That guy knows all the good gossip and all the office's problems.

2. That guy also realizes that he can't possibly make prospecting calls until he is fully prepared and that means he has to make his own collateral material since the marketing department has no idea what they're doing. He can't use the junk marketing provides so he must spend his time creating a number of fliers and leave behinds just in case he does talk to someone interested in a product or service. You'll find that guy at his desk everyday getting ready to make the calls that he never makes.

3. Many times that guy knows far more than anyone else in the company. He certainly knows more than his manager and folks in the training department. But he also knows more than anyone in marketing and certainly more than those dopes in the executive suite. With only a few days in the industry, much less with the company, he has already figured out what's wrong with the way the company is managed and with the way the company tries to sell. In fact, that guy knows so much he won't be with the company long enough to learn just how little he does know.

4. Sometimes that guy is an absolute committed professional who will not compromise his professionalism--and everyone knows professionals don't: cold call, walk into offices cold, send out unsolicited emails, try to talk someone into a conversation they might not want to have, intrude on someone, or ask an uncomfortable question like asking them make a definitive yes/no decision. That guy can only deal with prospects that come to him since everyone knows that's what professionals do. Then he goes and stands with all of the other professionals at the unemployment line.

5. Often you'll find that that guy knows exactly how good he is and he doesn't mind telling anyone who will listen--and he'll make sure you listen. He'll let you know that he is going to be the biggest thing the company has ever seen. He'll tell you straight out how many people he knows who'll buy, what incredible contacts he has, how good a closer he is, and how he has the skills and talent to blow the hell out of all the company's sales records. Unfortunately for him and the company he never actually does anything. In Texas we'd call him 'all hat; no cattle,' that is, he talks the talk but doesn't even begin to walk the walk. By all means, don't be that guy.

6. A very close cousin to that guy above is that guy who makes everything about him. All of his talk is about what he has done, what he is doing, and what he is going to do. Sounds a lot like the guy above, huh? Well he is--but he carries this 'me' attitude with him when he gets in front of a prospect. Consultative selling? Solution selling? Meeting the prospects wants and needs? None of these are important to that guy. The only thing important is meeting his own wants and needs. The conversation with a prospect is all about him--how this sale will make him number one in the company for the month; how he sells more of this particular product than anyone else in the company; how he can get the prospect an unheard of discount because he is the top salesperson in the company; how lucky the prospect is to be dealing with him instead of someone else.

7. Sometimes that guy is an old school guy, using the high pressure, strong-arm tactics of the 60's and 70's. That guy is not only still around, but you can easily find him breaking arms and bashing heads in some traditional high pressure industries such as auto sales, MLM companies, and some others. Fortunately these industries are rapidly changing and have fewer and fewer old school, high pressure salespeople; but they're still there and you'll find them in almost every industry. That guy's a dying breed--as you'll be if you're that guy.

8. There was a time when it was cute that every kid who played a sport or participated in any event was treated like a winner. Everybody got a trophy for doing no more than showing up. No one kept score because they all deserved to win and no one wanted to crush the kid's delicate self-image. Well, it isn't so funny anymore. Those kids are now adults and guess what? That guy wants a big salary and lots of benefits for just showing up. That guy thinks life owes him the rewards not because he earned them but because he and his parents bought into the Woody Allen nonsense that "80% of life is showing up." If you're that guy you better change your thinking quickly or start looking for a new job.

To read the full article by Paul McCord click here:
http://www.salesresources.com/articles/article.cfm?ID=1714 Paul McCord is the author of the popular Sales and Sales Management Blog Copyright 2010 Paul McCord