The Keys To Direct Sales Success

Because of my successes, I was always selected for management,first on a district level, then a regional level, then a state level, and then to a multiple-state territory. What I am about to tell may beone of the most important self-examination and awareness decisions you will ever make about yourself in your sales career. When we work through all the master keys in this book and apply them in real life,you will find out what you are really good at. Sometimes, it may notbe what you thought, as in my case. When you start in a career, begin to achieve some successes, and then be off ered a so-called promotion to management, it feels great. It pumps up the ego, and you are eager to take on the challenge. Truthfully, I wasn’t a very good manager at all, and I never really liked it. I really couldn’t believe all the BS there is and all the jerks there are. I never really held anything against any of the jerks I had to deal with because they had to deal with even bigger jerks and on and on. Only later in my career did I really figure that out.

?? Game Th eory vs. Direct Sale

Game theory is a science that studies and applies mathematical models and assumptions that off ers a tractable way of predicting outcomes. To come up with this defi nition, I summed up some very lengthy and complicated ones, but that is basically it. According to my defi nition, direct sales theory is a science that involves many human interactions, emotion and communication skills, and everything in this book. That’s basically it. In short, the diff erence between a sales manager and a direct salesperson at any level is game theory. Basically, the sales manager is all about game theory, that is, the numbers and only the numbers.This, in most cases, at least as far as I’m concerned, is a very cold and sometimes ruthless existence. I called these management positions “T-ball jobs” because your head is like a ball on a tee that it will eventually get whacked off of. I really don’t know anyone who kept a management position for very long. Because of this, the turnover is incredible, except if you are related to the owners. I would often wonder how anything could get done. I have often said that I wished I had all the business these companies lost because of these jerks. I would be featured on the Forbes list of the richest men in the world.

Along the way, the day will come when you will discover what you are not. It will make you humble, and you will have to face that reality head-on, but on that day, it will be one of the best days of your life. When you fi nd out who you are, fi nd your place in this sales world, and hone your skills, you will leave everyone in the dust and reap the rewards. Today, to be promoted in sales management, I think that is punishment for a job well done. I just can’t be that cold or ruthless to anyone, and I don’t want to be. I’m much better off doing what I do best. I may not be the best manager in the world or even close, nor do I care to be. But when it comes to the profession of direct sales, I wrote the book.