Have you ever heard anyone say “…because of you, I have a job.” I suspect very rarely if ever to hear this compliment. Throughout my 40+ year career, I never once heard this comment directed at me. However, I have experienced “…because of you, I don’t have a job.”
Generally, most people never credit the salesperson for them having a job. It is more likely that they feel they have the skills, the acumen, the right attributes, the positive attitude, abilities, etc. However, many have cast the blame on salespeople when business is down and they lose their job. They are not wrong!
I experienced this firsthand as a young salesman during the early years of my hotel career. The business had declined for a multitude of reasons. After cutting back from three towels to two towels and then one towel in the room, three bars of soap to two bars, and ultimately a small piece of soap, layoffs were inevitable. As pink notices became a reality, the staff were of course saddened and overwhelmingly disappointed. One day, as I took my normal inspection walk, I met a housekeeping staff on the guest floor. She was in tears as she performed her duties. Knowing that I was one of the salespeople, she approached me and looked begrudgingly at me, and said, “Because of you, I don’t have a job.” She had worked at that hotel in housekeeping for over 20 years. It was all going to come to an end, and she rightfully blamed it on me.
As a young salesman, that comment did not hit home.
I pondered on it for hours and days trying to understand why this sentiment was directed at me. After several sleepless nights, the light bulb flicked on as bright as the north star. She blamed me because I did not bring in the business. It was so true, and the responsibility surely rested in sales or the lack of sales. That was a brutal lesson to learn, and I would have preferred to learn this lesson in a book at school. Having to face her and countless other staff was extremely difficult. I swore then that I would never allow that to happen again in my career.
Sales are everything.
Without it, the hotel is just a building with a lot of cold, empty rooms. Our job was to put warm bodies into those cold, empty rooms. There would be no need for front desk clerks, bellmen, housekeeping, waiters, waitresses, etc., etc. It all begins and ends with sales. Sales bring revenue that pays salaries in any organization or business. Without it, the business does not exist.
I learned the hard way that day regarding the importance of sales. Many people’s livelihood depends on the salesperson doing his job well. That is a story that I will never forget and has provided me great inspiration to hone my skills and be the best salesman possible to deliver the best results possible. It was not only for me but for everyone in the company.
So, support your salespeople, support them so that they can be successful. If they are successful, everyone is successful. The sales department is always a small department in the organization. I have often questioned this because of its importance but it all boils down to budgets. As such, salespeople have to work harder, smarter, and more efficiently. Value your salespeople and the role they play in your business.
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