Less than 3% of Colleges & Universities have a Sales Degree

Original Post Here.

As of 2017, less than 3% of colleges and universities had a sales degree. Why? #sales is so underdeveloped, that we are still at the phase of #salesleaders and moguls to depend on for so much of our professional education in sales.

No wonder in today's world there is such a shortage of salespeople, shifts in sales vocabulary, process, and thought, and  - we were never raised to believe sales is profession we could pursue.

I grew up in Toledo, Ohio, 1 mile from the University of Toledo. Little did I know, UT was one of the first colleges to have a sales degree. I wish I would have known that as I was canvassing door to door in the neighborhood across the street.

Sales education is so important, and the right education. Old school sales tactics are actually good in theory, but for the wrong reasons. Movies like Boiler Room or Wolf of Wall Street depict sales talent, but not positive sales morals, philosophy, and customer satisfaction. The origin of a slimy salesperson starts here, and iterates itself into forms such as greasy used car sales man.

At my company, Pereus Marketing (RPMC), we help businesses increase their leads by accelerating their sales development via cold calling and inside sales outsourcing. One of the most interesting thing I have learned is how much sales education for our clients is an important part of our process and a vital factor to the success of our clients campaigns.

Many of our clients outsource because they don't have time or don't like it, but many have us do it because they don't know how. And guess what, it's not just about knowing how to cold call, but knowing how to sell, period. This creates an interesting challenge for us because not only are we teaching them about cold calling and how we will do it, but we also in turn educate them on the process AFTER they get a lead. Did they connect with them on LinkedIn? Did they add them to a drip campaign? Did they send them something in the mail? Did they confirm the appointment? All these touches need to happen for so many reasons; but wouldn't you know, they all rarely happen!

Lack of sales education is an epidemic.

How will you contribute to teaching the world about sales?

The Best/Worst Compliment I've Received So Far as a Sales Pro & Business Owner

Just two weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with a prospect who was interested in our outsourced, prospecting sales development services. I have been coincidentally reading (listening) to my first book by Grant Cardone, someone who I have a love/hate relationship with. Here is how the conversation went: 

PROSPECT: "Oh wow, I really liked that pitch. Wait, are you the guy who worked for Grant Cardone?"

(I have no idea who he is talking about)

ME: "No, but thank you for thinking so I guess. I'm actually reading my first book Grant Cardone right now....

But anyway, I'm excited about the opportunity for us to be your outsourced, appointment setting team. 

PROSPECT: "Great, we are too. We'll get back to you when we are ready"

ME: "Awesome...However, I wouldn't expect you to choose my team if I didn't ask to set the next appointment with you to continue the conversation. Does Wed at 3pm work for you?"

PROSPECT: "Haha, touche. Yes, that works. We'll talk to you then."

Major League Sales

SALES AND PROSPECTING: Does anyone else do more prospecting and selling than  talking about prospecting and selling?  The sales talking heads sounds like Stephen A Smith or an English Premier League color commentator but we never get to see them play the sport! You know what would be fun?  What if there were something like sales people sports cards or performance rankings for every industry or among company equivalents?  Instead of hearing thousands of sales opinions and inspirational quotes daily, I'd love to see how everyones' sales opinions translate into stats. Sales is so broad and there is no unifying curriculum, so let the data show top performers. -Calls/Appointment Conversion or Opportunity Conversion -Appointments Set Per Week -Appointment/Sales Conversion per Month for Transactional -Opportunity/Sales Conversion per Quarter for Complex -Largest Deal Size Relative to Peers -Biggest Win -Closing Stats -Fastest Sales Cycle Rate -Etc., etc. Who is in to create Major League Sales?  . . . #sales #prospecting #inspiration #sports #marketing #coldcalling #closing #alwaysbeclosing #majorleaguesales #minorleaguesales

A Salesperson's Job is Never Finished

First post.

A salesperson's job is never finished. That's why I love it so much. The carrot on the stick isn't a trap, it's a constant reminder to continue bettering yourself -- there is always something to reach for.

Until we reach 100% conversion on everything (dials to conversations, conversations to appointments, appointments to closed deals), we have more learning to do.

If we think otherwise, we will stop learning and concede to "it is what it is" mentality. 

"These are just the facts."

"This time of year no one buys."

"Cold calling doesn't work anymore..." 

"I've been doing this for a long time, this is just how it works..."

Haven't you heard these?

I have. From others, and from my own brain. Fear settles, grabs the carrot, eats it, and stops moving forward.

I hope this blog acts as the carrot on a stick. Always pushing, always testing, always turning heads. Even when we reach 100% conversion, shouldn't we be saying, "What's next?"