John Linton
From the very early stages of my 'career' in IT (virtually before there were any computers at all,) I've been involved in selling 'technology' solutions - initially as a sales engineer and then as a front line sales peson. Over successive years I made quota performance after quota performance as a salesman, senior salesman, sales consultant, sales manager, branch manager, national sales manager, marketing director and eventually as the CEO of my own company.
It's only been in the last few years that I've been almost totally invoved in basically finance and operational aspects of running a business. In building Exetel there were no sales personnel or marketing or promotional activities other than the web site. Two years ago, as our business customers increased we added one person as their direct 'sales' contact but we have continued to base our development on word of mouth and our web site.
Some 2 - 3 months ago I decided to go back to doing what, at least in my opinion, I was the very best at - which was selecting, training and managing a direct sales force from the ground up. I have made little progress in doing that as I have seriously misjudged the amount of time I still need to devote to the financial and operational aspects of Exetel.
However, I think I have solved those time issues and will be able to truly devote time to building a sales operation within Exetel early in the new year.
I think I've made references to the overwhelmingly poor quality and abilities of the 'account managers' whom I meet in buying services and products on behalf of Exetel (or more often than not, don't buy because of the appalling first line representation of those products). I doubt this is a "it was all so much better in my time" sign of incipient senility - it's more based on what I used to look for in selecting people who would make good sales people (and time proved those assessments correct). Those qualities and characteristics seem to be almost entirely absent from first level sales people I meet today. I'm pretty certain that is simply because when I meet the management of those account managers they are equally deficient in the basic characteristics I would have ascribed as being essential for success in selling products and services.
I've found that very puzzling because I would have thought that there were still a lot of clever and forceful people who start in the technology industry who grow frustrated with the engineering aspects of it and look for new challenges - which, as far as I can see, come mainly, and best, from helping businesses implement new technology within their business processes.
I always made a lot of money out of selling technology products and services and I always found the sales processes hugely enjoyable and very satisfying. I really liked the whole basis of open ended commission schemes and the fact that the more, effective and creative, time you put in to the job the more you were rewarded. I liked the risks and the gamble that not meeting your quota would cost you your job and I enjoyed the 'companionship' of other sales people and the people who are involved in the sales process.
As a sales manager, at increasing levels of seniority, I found the training and on the job development/show by example aspects of selling to be even more rewarding than doing it for yourself.
So I'm looking forward to building a sales operation for Exetel which, should be, adding the best abilities Ive developed/been blesssed with in a long career to ensuring that Exetel can more rapidly increase its revenues by adding a great deal more emphasis to meeting the needs of the medium/large business sectors of the Australian communications marketplaces.