One of the things I enjoy most about working for AG Salesworks is that we’re a people-first company. I know it sounds hokey, but it’s true. If we didn’t take care of the things that make us go, then we would have folded up shop long ago.
It takes a unique level of toughness to cold call throughout an entire day with a smile. Don’t get me wrong – there are going to be days when you feel a bit beaten up. If you can maintain that positive energy even when that not-so-positive prospect tells you where to stick it, then I feel it’s safe to say you’ve won. This is a mindset that we instill with all of our new hires when they come on board. It’s important for them to know that this job is not going to be a breeze on certain days, but with the appropriate mindset they will overcome the tough days… and believe me, there will be tough days. If it were easy, every sales guy/gal would include it in their daily routine… but they don’t… because it isn’t.
I’ve recently made a move into a new job here at AG. Within the new role I’ve become more focused on helping the managers and directors with the challenges they face day-to-day. As much as I’ve liked it so far, I’ve found myself trying my best to remain connected to the true heartbeat of the organization: the business development reps that make AG go every day. Luckily for me, this is something I gravitate towards, but from my experience it’s been typical in other organizations I’ve worked for to see managers disappear from the scene. It’s definitely understandable since technically they are not directly involved with their former employees’ development any longer, but when taking on a larger role I feel it is still your responsibility to keep your finger on the pulse of the organization by remaining in regular contact with the people in the trenches.
I was speaking with my COO this morning and he had an interesting spin on how we should look at the organization as a whole. He said that managers should always approach their job with the best interest of their employees in mind. Meanwhile the employees should have the best interest of the clients in mind. They really are interchangeable. This has been the mantra of AG since I started here back in ’04.
Now I realize this is Operational Management 101, but it is clearly not obvious enough for many companies. If you’re spending all of your time working out issues with your customers and not enough time on your employees, you’re most likely never fully going to work out issues with your customers.
