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SALES & MARKETING
When Persistence Becomes Stupidity
By Landy Chase, MBA, CSP
Ihave a plaque on the wall of my
office that has been a fixture in my
work environment since it was given to
me as a fledgling salesman nearly twenty
years ago. The words were penned by
Calvin Coolidge, and they are among
my favorite quotes. Space limits me here
from reproducing it here, but the piece
is entitled “Persistence,” and the main
idea it offers is that nothing can stand
in the way of persistence; that if you are
persistent in your efforts, it is inevitable
that you will attain your goals.
Like most people, and particularly
as a former sales person, I have learned
from personal experience the truth in
those words. However, when it comes
to making a living as a sales person, this
principle becomes a bit complicated.
Why? Because too often, sales people
equate persistence with doggedly
pushing on, even when it is not
productive to do so. They have bought
into a myth that the sales profession
could be considered a ‘sacred cow,’
and the simple idea that the harder
you work, the more success you
will experience.
For example, I can’t begin to count
the number of times over the years I
have had the following mantras waved in
my face by former bosses, sales people,
and even some of my fellow pundits
conducting seminars. Do any of these
sound familiar to you?
– “Sales is a numbers game. The
more calls made the more sales
you close.”
– “Don’t take no for an answer.”
– “Cold-call your way to success.”
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– “Wear them down with persistence
they’ll eventually buy.”
Don’t get me wrong; I admire a
strong work ethic in sales as much as
anybody. What frustrates me is all of
those hard-working, goal-oriented sales
people who follow these rules and work
themselves to the bone while barely
scratching out a living – all in the
name of working hard instead of
working smart.
Let me share a real-life example of
what I’m referring to. Not too long
ago I spent an afternoon with a very
promising but inexperienced sales
representative who had been infected
with this persistence-creates-success
virus. His marketing strategy? We
spent a long, hot, down-the-street
afternoon in his sales territory, dropping
in unannounced on legions of cheery,
sword-wielding receptionists. He asked
them clever, engaging questions, like
“can I have a few moments with
your decision maker?” then “okay can I
have their phone number?” then “okay
can I have their e-mail address?” and
“what is a good time to reach them?”
and … and ... well, you get the idea.
At the end of the day, this poor guy
had worked his tail off, collected some
marginally-useful information on some
marginally-qualified prospects, and had
sold – well, nothing. Oh, but he was
persistent. No, he wouldn’t give up, not
he – at least not on that hot afternoon.
Predictably, I heard later that he gave
it another six weeks before quitting
“sales” – if you could call it that – and
moving into a different field. Chalk
up another example of the persistence
crossing over into stupidity. The travesty
Too often, sales people
equate persistence
with doggedly pushing
on, even when it is not
productive to do so.
was that he was a bright, ambitious guy
given poor direction from his manager.
This, of course, is but one example.
Here are some other common examples
of stupidity disguised as persistence:
– The untrained sales person who
lacks good phone skills and finds that
they have to make 100 telephone calls
to generate two or three marginally
promising appointments;
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