I like to think that I can spot an emerging trend as quickly as the next guy, maybe quicker since people who have to fill newspaper columns are always on the lookout for such things.
That's why when I first heard the term "sales athlete" I was intrigued.Sales athlete. You have to admit it has a ring to it, albeit a ring that sounds more like something out of the "greed is good" '80s rather than the "green is good" '90s.
Still, a trend is a trend and a column is a column so it's not for me to say that the idea of marketing people aspiring to be "sales athletes" is an idea whose time has passed.
Here's the high concept of sales athleticism: The phrase was coined by a sales training and consulting firm based in Beverly Hills (where else, right?) named . . . Sales Athlete. The company says it has clients nationwide, training some 200 people a week in companies ranging from forklift manufacturers to television networks.
Anyway, Kathy Aaronson, Sales Athlete's executive director, says that the top sales people in any business - their sales athletes - are often the most valuable employees they have - they're the ones who bring in the money.
But, like all athletes, they are only as good as their equipment, right? That means the sales athlete must have the very latest in high-tech communications - mobile offices that allow them to stay in constant touch with company headquarters while still devoting most of their time to servicing their clients and prospecting for new business.
According to Aaronson, this elevates the sales athlete above his or her peers and competitors by saving time and shortening the selling cycle.
We're not just talking only gadgetry, though. "In addition to high-tech office equipment, successful sales professionals equip themselves with the information, time-management tools and wardrobe that give them credibility on the job," says Aaronson. "Any tools that help prioritize activities, target prospects and move past fear belong on a sales athlete's equipment list."
With that criteria in mind, Sales Athlete has put together a list of some equipment it believes is vital to the sales athlete's strategy for success and an example of each that the company deems especially worthwhile. We are presenting them here as a public service to all sales athletes, current or potential. Now go out there and win one for the Gipper.
- The Apple MacIntosh Portable computer is one that Aaronson often recommends companies provide their salespeople. Laptop computers allow them to make immediate job estimates when cold-calling customers, thus cutting down the number of visits a salesperson must make before closing. Laptop computers, she says, provide a means of getting statistics and other information right away, and helps reduce paperwork and organize territories while on the road. The MacIntosh Portable, she says, offers superior graphics and full compatibility with MacIntosh software in a long-lasting, battery-powered compact. Apple Computer Inc.: 20525 Mariani Ave., Cupertino, CA 95014; 408-996-1010.
- ACT! Sale Database is a database, word processor and more, says Aaronson. ACT! is designed to function as a sales assistant and "office on the go." It contains contact profiles, automatic management of scheduled activities, notes, unlimited records of previous transactions, a letter and memo writer, calculator and modem. For $15, the company will send a videotape demonstrating the product and a sample disk. Contact Software International Inc.; 1625 West Crosby Road, 132, Carrollton, TX 75006; 214-418-1866.
- Cellular Headset. Cellabs' lightweight, single-earpiece headset is said to help users do telemarketing on the road and still keep both hands on the wheel. Cellabs: 8900 Eton Avenue, Suite I, Canoga Park, CA 91304; 818-710-0010.
- Laptop Car Seat. Cellabs' car seat straps into the passenger seat to hold portable fax machines and laptop computers securely. Same address as above.
- Speech-Compression Tape Recorder. Fears of cold-calling and public speaking are the most common stumbling blocks in sales. Aaronson recommends recording your side of phone conversations and playing the tape back as a training tool. The recorder allows users to replay speeches, lectures and personal recordings up to two times normal speed (or as slowly as 85 percent of normal) with virtually no loss of voice quality. On the road, she says, this is a good tool for playing relaxation and informal tapes to help users move past the fear of cold-calling. Available through Hammacher/Schlemmer catalog: 800-543-3366.
- Connect Business Information Network. Nothing buttresses a salesperson, says Aaronson, better than access to up-to-the-minute information. This network allows the user to reach hundreds of professional services and to stay in touch with headquarters with a simple local phone call from practically anywhere in the world. "For half the cost of an on-line communication service, this Mac- or PC-compatible system gives a sales athlete `location independence.' One can retrieve closing information and enter sales, call an expense report at any time. Aggressive sales teams spend more time selling." Connect Inc.: 10161 Bubb Road, Cupertino, CA 95014; 408-973-0110.
- Briefcase Fax Machine. "It's hard to believe how people ever made sales before the fax machine," contends Aaronson. "Now indispensable for communicating vital information with headquarters and giving clients information in advance of sale, faxes are easier than ever to take on the road." She recommends The Access by Mitsubishi, which weighs less than seven pounds and connects easily to a pay phone or even a cellular phone. It can be used with a cigarette lighter adapter and has a speakerphone option for sending and conversing on the road. Mitsubishi International: 879 Supreme Drive, Bensenville, IL 60106; 708-860-4200.
- Portable Answering Device. A personal message on an answering machine is preferrable to a hotel's message operator, says Aaronson, and is much more likely to receive a response. Phonemate's Minimate 5000, she says, is portable enough to take on business trips and allows users to customize messages to prospects returning their calls. Phonemate: 20665 Manhatten Place, Torrance, CA 90501; 213-618-9910.