4 types of salespersons.pdf

THE

FOURKINDS OF

SALESPEOPLE

HOW AND WHY THEY EXCEL

AND HOW YOU CAN TOO

C H U C K M A C H E

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Praise ForThe Four Kinds of Salespeople

Maches book is an enticing and useful look into the diversitythat makes up a sales department and how managers can makethis knowledge work for their bottom line. My listeners loved thecontent!

Lee MirabalVice President, Programming, wsRadio.com, and hostof The Entrepreneur Magazine Radio Show

If youre a salesperson, manager, or a senior executive, you shouldread this book. Its an easy read on complicated peoplesalespeo-ple. It will remind you of yourself and those around you. Machewill show you how to find your way to growth and development.

Scott CromieGroup President, ServiceMaster

Attention all salespeople! Read this book . . . then buy a copy foreach of your prospects and customers! Theyll understand what re-ally makes you tick and theyll buy more from you!

Anthony ParinelloBestselling author of Selling to VITO, the VeryImportant Top Officer

Out of dozens of sales-oriented books Ive read, here is the onethat finally connects the dots. What good are a bunch of tech-niques if you dont know who you are, what drives you, and whatyou can do to overcome your limitations? Read this book andbreak through to reach your potential!

Rick SheldonCofounder, Intelisys Communications, Inc.

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Mache has written a unique sales novel, that will force you to ex-amine who you are, where you are, and where you need to be tosucceed in your sales career. If you read this book (and I have), youhave no choice but to become more successful.

Warren GreshesAuthor of The Best Damn Sales Book Ever: 16 RockSolid Rules for Achieving Sales Success

We sent Maches book to a group of our top sales reps as advancereading for his session [at our national sales meeting] on TakingYour Business to the Next Level. They all read it, loved it, andcame to the meeting having already talked amongst themselves onthe significant impact it had on them.

Al Mason, Director, Training and Development,Printing Division, Jostens

Mache is one of the most dynamic speakers Ive ever encoun-tered. Now hes written a book for salespeople, sales managers, re-cruiters, and anybody who deals with salespeople as part of theirjob. The Four Kinds of Salespeople gets right to the heart of whatmakes people tick.

Jason EhrlicherPresident, Benchmark Lending Group

Mache has written a gem. Underneath the simple title is a power-ful tool to help find your lifes work. If you are even thinking aboutsales, this has to be on your bed-table.

Terry PearceAuthor of Leading Out Loud

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Mache delivers his message to the center of the bulls-eye! A must-read for all in sales, and those contemplating sales for a career. Itsa wonderful picture of clarity of the four sales types. Which oneare you and what are you doing about it?

Ross LiscumCo-owner, Prudential California Realty

The Four Kinds of Salespeople is a barometer for sales profession-als at all levels striving for professional achievement and personalexcellence. Want to know exactly where you are on the foodchain? You may be surprised by what you find.

Rey HernandezCEO, Kemper Cost Management

Maches storytelling had me thinking about how this applies tomy life and those that I work with. Mache addresses inherent qual-ities in all peopleand beneficial changes to balance your life andalign with your true intentions. A must-read for anyone who wantsto become better!

Tom HakelGeneral Manager, Stags Leap Wine Cellars

Ancient seekers of fame and fortunewarriors and kingstooktheir questions to the Oracle at Delphi, whose direction was alwaysthe same: Know Thyself. Mache is a modern-day Oracle of SalesSuccess. If you seek improved performance, allow him to be yourguide along a path of personal self-discovery.

Dean MinutoPresident, Teligent Corporation

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THE

FOURKINDS OF

SALESPEOPLE

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THE

FOURKINDS OF

SALESPEOPLE

HOW AND WHY THEY EXCEL

AND HOW YOU CAN TOO

C H U C K M A C H E

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Copyright 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.Published simultaneously in Canada.

Wiley Bicentennial Logo: Richard J. Pacifico

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmittedin any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning,or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United StatesCopyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, orauthorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright ClearanceCenter, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400,fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher forpermission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online athttp://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used theirbest efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respectto the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim anyimplied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty maybe created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice andstrategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult witha professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for anyloss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special,incidental, consequential, or other damages.

For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, pleasecontact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974,outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appearsin print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wileyproducts, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Mache, Chuck, 1957The four kinds of salespeople : how and why they exceland how you can too

/ Chuck Mache.p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-470-12755-1 (cloth)1. Sales personnel. 2. Selling. I. Title.HF5439.5.M33 2007658.85dc22

2006037911

Printed in the United States of America.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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To my family:My incredible wife Cindy,

My wonderful daughters Shannon and Rachael, andMy terrific son Thomas.

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C O N T E N T S

Acknowledgments xiii

About the Author xv

CHAPTER 1Before 1

CHAPTER 2Parker the Performer 13

CHAPTER 3Paula the Professional 61

CHAPTER 4Craig the Caretaker 105

CHAPTER 5Sarah the Searcher 147

CHAPTER 6After 185

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A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

Life is full of decisions, some major and some minor. It isonly in reflection that I can determine who has made a majorimpact on the pivotal decisions I have made in my life. At thetime, I may not have known how important the decision was,nor who was influencing that decision. Yet, as I look back, Irealize how important the following people were to me, andI hereby acknowledge the positive impact they have had onmy life:

My wife Cindy, my lifelong partner who is the best person Ihave ever met.

My dad Steve, who taught me about work ethics and how totreat the customer.

My mom Jeanne, who would always give me the push Ineeded when I sold myself short.

Jack Levar, who let me learn from one of the best salesmen Ihave ever met.

The late Gordon Lofgren, whose funny little names for sales-people would inspire me years later.

Frank McLaurin, who believed in me before anyone aroundhim did.

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Lynn Brinker, who gave me a tremendous opportunity andtaught me more about tenacity and loyalty in business thananyone.

Dan Brinker, my close friend, who I grew up with in businessand with whom I continue to do so in life.

Steve Azevedo, who continues to teach me how to live life onlifes terms.

Sensei Ryan Neuman, whose influence and teaching showedme the hard road to discipline.

Barney Aldridge, who gave me the means and the push Ineeded.

Joe Titone, who was always a champion of my cause.

Finally, Id like to acknowledge everyone who is in sales,regardless of where they are on the food chain, who wantsmore. It is you who inspire me the most.

Acknowledgments

xiv

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A B O U T T H E A U T H O R

Chuck Mache has spent a quarter century selling, managing,building, and leading sales organizations, with a specialty inhighly competitive industries. He used his breakthrough salesapproach to lead the transition of Benchmark Lending Groupfrom a mortgage broker to a full mortgage bank, and dramati-cally increased the loan volume in a short period, turning thecompany into a midsize player in the California market.

As executive vice president of sales for American HomeShield, Mache grew revenues from $6 million to $100 mil-lion in 10 years, formed strategic partnerships with othermarket leaders, such as Coldwell Banker and Prudential, andrestructured sales teams during acquisitions.

From working in the field to leading the executiveteam, Mache has mentored thousands of sales professionals.Through those relationships, he discovered the four pathsto breakthrough sales, and he is committed to using theseconcepts to build next level sales teams worldwide throughhis speeches, seminars, executive coaching, and consultingprograms.

He is the founder of Chuck Mache Communications.The Four Kinds of Salespeople is his first book. He lives inSanta Rosa, California, with Cindy, his wife of 25 years, histhree children, Shannon, Rachael, and Thomas, and his yel-low lab, Charlee.

To learn more, please visit www.ChuckMache.com.

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The Four Kindsof Salespeople

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C H A P T E R 1

Before

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2As he stood and watched them enter the room, he couldnthelp but reflect on his passion for salespeople. Each of themwas special regardless of their sales rankings within the com-pany. He valued the fact that, on some level, each of the partic-ipants was trying to improve themselves.

Some viewed the meeting as a chance to take a breakfrom the grind of their day-to-day selling. Some came look-ing for pearls to push their top-producing performance evenhigher, the best trying to get better. Some were on the way upand looking to take their selling to a level that would placethem among the best. Some were top producers who, by na-ture of their style, were struggling with internal and externalconflicts, and wanted to redirect some of their negative think-ing and actions. True, they were successful, but they wantedto move to the next level and didnt know how to change.Some were there as a last-ditch effort to see if they could turn


3Before

things in the right direction. And some didnt really knowwhy they were there. They just knew that the meeting wasmandatory, and they were doing what they were doing be-cause that is what the herd was told to do. Nevertheless, heknew that on some level they all wanted to get better, do bet-ter, feel better, and leave with some tangible way to improvetheir selling lives. This he knew for sure, just as he knew thatsome wanted it more than others.

After all, at the end of the day, he was one himself: a sales-person. After nearly 25 years in sales and marketing, fromselling tires to radio advertising to mortgage loans, to salesmanagement, to executive management, and boards of di-rectors, he knew this much: Nothingabsolutely nothinghappens in a company until somebody sells something. Untilthat happens, its just a start-up that hasnt started anything.Or its a company that is about to go out of business becauseit has no business. He knew this because hed been in start-ups, small companies that hed made large, and large com-panies that grew even larger. Hed been on the streets sellingand in the boardroom selling, and there was no place hedrather be in business than right here, right now, watchingsalespeople walk in. He was ready to prepare them.

Now he was faced with another new challenge. As thenew executive vice president, he was hired to get revenues onthe fast track of a company that had experienced modestgrowth in the past two years. It was his kind of opportunity. Itwas another chance to be the architect of breakthroughachievement.

He had learned a lot while leading, managing, andmentoring sales executives, sales managers, and salespeople.


The Four Kinds of Salespeople

4

First, if you are any good at all in sales, your life is demand-ing. You are a very busy individual who has to prioritize andmultitask each and every day. There are not enough hoursin the day and no time management course can provide youwith more. You need more time. Second, the very best sales-people did not choose to get into sales because it was easy.Only those who have failed began their journey thinking itwas easy. They were mistaken. The very best dont thinkabout easy. They think about successful selling. Easy is whatthe strugglers think about. In fact, if you made a list of whatit takes to be successful in sales, it would include, amongother things: cold calling; overcoming objections; long, fo-cused hours; dealing with rejection; constant change; devel-oping product expertise; gaining trust; finding the need;withstanding threats from the competition; working with un-predictable customers; and learning, learning, and morelearning. Now match that with what most struggling sales-people hate to do: cold calling; overcoming objections; put-ting in long, focused hours; dealing with rejection andconstant change; developing product expertise; finding theneed; overcoming competitive threats; learning quicklyunder pressure; and so on. You get the picture. The lists areidentical. The trick, he had learned, is that the most success-ful salespeople learn to love to do the difficult things thatmost people hate to do.

As the large meeting room began to fill, he reflected on thefamiliar faces in the crowd. With the exception of some of thesales vice presidents and managers who now worked directlyfor him, he did not know them by name. In fact, the majorityhe had never even seen before. The familiarity came from the


5Before

similarities between the salespeople in the room and those hehad worked with and managed throughout his 25 years.

It caused him to reflect momentarily on the journey thathad brought him to this place. Today would be about takingthe company to the next level; about growth beyond anyonescurrent thinking. Today was about personal growth thatwould in turn lead to company growth. He knew the formulafor such success because he began using it many years ago. Itwas a journey that was not without its pain and difficulties.He hoped that the people in the room would get it a lotsooner than he had, but he knew that breakthrough achieve-ment required pain, or major discomfort at the very least. Healso knew that it had great reward that would far outweighthe anguish of getting there.

He found himself recalling the time that he was a vicepresident in a growing company and the CEO had decidedto bring in a new executive vice president to take over exactlywhat he was charged with doing; expanding the sales organi-zation. He recalled the hurt that he felt being replaced, andthe pain associated with knowing that the leader of the orga-nization did not have enough confidence in him to get thejob done. Although hed kept his position as a vice presidentof sales, his role had been reduced and his position in thecompany knocked down one notch. He recalled the decisionthat he had to make; leave and take his talents elsewherewhere he would be more appreciated, or stay, learn from thisexperience, and throw all of his efforts into getting better.Move on to the next opportunity, or elevate all aspects of hisprofession. He thought about his direct boss, the COO, walk-ing by his office late one evening as he was busy taking his



6

game to the next level, stepping in and saying, Im glad youdecided to stay in the fight! He didnt know it at the time,but his pivotal decision to attack his new assignment was thebeginning of breakthrough achievement. Through the paincame the maturity, but only because he began unknowinglypracticing some of the keys to personal growth. Keys such asrigorous self-examination, honesty, and the willingness to dothe things that were uncomfortable, yet made him better.

He had many similar experiences and challenges through-out the 25 years. Some would have positive outcomes, whileothers would not. Many times, he would be completely in theway of himself, unknowingly blocking any opportunity tobreak through. Its been said that were only ready when wereready. This he knew too well.

He would share some of his experiences in this meetingas examples that emphasized the point he was trying tomake. He knew that if he was going to be the leader of themovement to dramatically grow this company that the vastmajority of the sales team would have to buy into the chal-lenge. He knew from his experiences that they would have topersonalize their own journey to breakthrough achievement.He knew that each of them would have to have a customizeddesign for reaching new levels. He knew that they had to seeand believe that there was a payoff for changing their think-ing and their actions. He knew that if he were to be success-ful, he had to do more than just turn the strugglers around.He had to help the best want to get better and he had to givethem the tools to do it.

Comfort zones have no prejudices, he would say,They dwell in many areas and on every level.


7Before

He thought about how our true intentions guide ourlives, whether we know it or not. There is always an opportu-nity to change our intentions, but again, that requires rigor-ous honesty, self-examination, and the willingness to deal inthe truth about our real beliefs. What we truly believe is cur-rently guiding our actions. Our results are a product of ouractions. Our actions are a result of our intentions. Our inten-tions are made up of our thoughts and beliefs from the con-scious and subconscious mind. And, if you want to changeyour life, you have to change your mind.

He chuckled to himself as he looked out, observing thevarious salespeople in the room. Look at them all, he mur-mured softly, with a fondness in his voice. They remind meof me.

He had read once that there were 13 million salespeoplein the United States. Yet, as he discovered some 15 years ago,despite all the shapes, sizes, and styles, there are only fourkinds of salespeople in the whole world. Not three, not six,not five, but four. He had spent the last 15 years validating hisbelief as he developed sales organizations, grew companies,and created motivating environments by getting salespeopleto recognize which of the Four Kinds of Salespeople theywere. And in all of his years of managing, speaking, leading,mentoring, and monitoring, nobody had come up with atype that wasnt on his list. It came down to four. Recogniz-ing oneself requires rigorous honesty. And knowing whichtype you are and what to do makes all the difference.

While The Four Kinds of Salespeople wasnt an exact sci-ence (and, interestingly, that was one of the things that sales-people liked about it), it was, without a doubt, an effective



8

tool for salespeople to use to assess themselves and their realagendas in their careers. It provides salespeople an opportu-nity to pause from the daily tasks of selling to look in the mir-ror, get honest, determine exactly who they are, and whatthey are really after in their sales careers, and most impor-tantly, how to get it. He wanted them to feel the empower-ment that comes from determining which of the four kindsthey were. Clarityhonest claritycan take you places.

He was excited to share his discovery with a new group ofpeople. His passion for helping people was his purpose and hisdestiny. He knew that there were over 200 people expected toattend todays meeting. As he watched them enter the room, hewas fascinated as always by the way each of the people carriedthemselves. While their demeanor was only part of the picture,it was one of the keys to which of the four kinds they were.

Sitting toward the front of the room was a gentleman whoappeared to be organized, really organized, and prepared forthe next two hours. His laptop was in front of him and pow-ered up, a clean yellow pad with two number two pencils tothe side of the pad. He was neatly attired in business casualclothes and appeared to carry himself with confidence. Theman looked like he had focus. Looks couldnt tell the wholestory, but he seemed like an even-tempered, analytical indi-vidual with a fairly controlled ego.

The leader watched the man as he interacted with twoothers in the room. From this distance, he couldnt be cer-tain, but it appeared that the man was giving them some salesadvice. The three of them were definitely engaged in salestalk and the man was giving his opinion to the two attentivelisteners. In any event, personality was just one of the indica-


9Before

tors that guided people in their determination of which of thefour kinds that they were.

To the rear of the room sat a woman who apparently hadbrought nothing with her to the meeting but her cellphone. She was greeting people as they walked by, regard-less of whether she knew them or not. When she did seesomeone she knew, she bellowed their name, got up andgave them a hug. She appeared to be a happy person. Hewondered how happy she really was. He wondered howmuch dirt she got on her uniform when she played thegame of sales. He wondered if she was stuck in a comfortzone or really after it. Strong and smart work ethics werefactors in determining which kind of salesperson she was. Itcertainly was not the only factor, but he wondered what sheactually did with her days. Was she generating meaningfulsales volume, or not?

He looked to the right of the room about halfway backand saw a gentleman doing his best to blend in. With whatlooked like a forced smile, he nodded his head to everyoneand anyone who would come in eye contact. As he watchedthe man, who never spoke to anyone, it was as if he could feelhim questioning his own presence there. He envisioned theman as full of self-doubt: Why am I here? How did I get intothis job? I hope things really turn around for me. Hopefully itwill get easier.

Granted, these were all just first impressions and observa-tions from a distance, and first impressions can be wrong.But the leader had spent the past 25 years in the souls ofsalespeople, and he had no doubt that fear resonated fromthat gentleman.



10

The auditorium was nearly full and he was about togo through his brief premeeting ritual. As the side doors wereclosing and people began to anticipate the start of the meeting,the crowd buzz began to die down. He looked to his left andsaw a man push through the closing door as he spoke on his cellphone. His words, coincidentally timed with the quieting of thecrowd, carried much farther than hed anticipated.

Thank you, he said to the person closing the door, andthen resumed his call while he walked briskly. Lowering hisvoice just a notch, but purposely keeping the volume loudenough for the crowd to hear, he said, I have to go. Im latefor my meeting. People are staring at me. Ill call you at thebreak and well figure out how to save it. Dont worry, theyarent going anywhere.

Most in the crowd seemed to know him and they gave achuckle. He was slapping hands as he made his way to a seatthat had been saved for him. He was obviously an extro-verted individual who appeared to be emotional, passionate,and probably packed a pretty big ego. First impression? Heseemed like a natural-born salesperson.

Differing personalities were just one of the criteria that theleader used to determine which of the four kinds that salespeo-ple were. The picture would get clearer when people exam-ined their work ethic. He had learned that this alone didnt tellthe whole story either. It was very possible to work exception-ally hard in sales and get poor results. Oftentimes, salespeoplein this position would put in endless hours but had a flaw intheir selling process and, therefore, would continue to under-perform. They were stuck in their inability or unwillingness to

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Before

change. These were the hard cases. Getting salespeople to ex-amine their actions, actually what they do each day, begins tocomplete their profile as one of the Four Kinds of Salespeople.It is possible to stay extremely busy doing absolutely unimpor-tant tasks that will never close a sale.

That is why actual sales results are so important. There isno hiding from the numbers. Based simply on the numbers, asalesperson is either:

A top producer who ranks among the best. An up-and-coming top producer who is newor newly

aware. An individual stuck in a comfort zone refusing to go

beyond his current level of productivity. An individual who is lost and doesnt belong in sales.

He had shorthand names for each of them, names thatbrought them alive and would help the audience to under-stand which they were.

For now, he thought about the question he was asked sooften. What if you are a good solid producer who isnt actu-ally a top producer but does get consistent results month aftermonth? After all, isnt the world full of those?

He reflected on the answer hed given time and again.Yes, the world is full of salespeople like that, and they areone reason Im standing in front of you. If you are one ofthose kinds of salespeople, you are in a comfort zone andyouve refused to make any changes. Take the challenge andstep out of that zone.

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But now it was time to start the meeting. He pulled alaminated card from his back pocket; it was a card he carriedfor just this moment. He read it quietly to himself.

I intend to help salespeople understand exactly whothey are.

I intend to help salespeople determine exactly whatthey want.

I intend to help salespeople find their personal path tobreakthrough achievement.

My overall intention is to inspire people to make a pos-itive change in their lives.

He slipped his list of intentions back in his pocket andwalked up to the podium.

As the crowd settled down, he poured himself a glass ofwater from the pitcher on the podium and looked out overthe group. He used this moment to picture each of the fourkinds of salespeople, as he always did before kickoff meetings.

Today, as always, he followed his instincts and thought ofthe people hed seen as they came in. He caught a glimpseof each one as he scanned the crowd: there was the highlyorganized gentleman, with his laptop open and ready; thefriendly woman with the cell phone, but maybe no drive; theman working hard to blend in, and wondering why hes there.And then, there was the man whod just entered, on the vergeof late, performing in the center of his own universe. A Per-former. Thats where hed start today.


12

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C H A P T E R 2

Parker the Performer

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The sales manager had her team assembled in the mainconference room and was about to start their monthly meet-ing. Its the only time they meet as a group and the premeet-ing bantering was usually upbeat. Of course, the conversationwas dominated by exaggerated selling stories led by the samecharacters who chose a career in sales over stand-up comedy.When you spend your days doing all the things that lead toeventual sales theres something therapeutic about engagingwith your peers in premeeting hyperbole.

The sales manager was proud of her team of 12, andmorale was running especially high on this day. She eagerlylooked forward to the meeting in which shed share the goodnews that once again they were the top-performing team inthe company. Its difficult to keep secrets from the good sales-people. They have a need to know, and therefore they findout. So in reality, everyone already knew theyd just had an-

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Parker the Per former

other banner month. However, when it comes from themouth of the boss, there is something official about it.

True to form, only 11 of the 12 sales executives were pres-ent. The meeting was to start at 10 oclock and still noParker. This was not an unusual occurrence. But in aboutthree to five minutes, Parker was sure to walk through thedoor, apologize for being late, and explain how he had beentied up closing or saving the Big One.

Like clockwork, at three minutes past the hour, inwalked Parker. Sorry Im late. I got tied up on the phonewith a guy Ive been working on for the past 90 days. Ivebeen all over this deal. I got past the committee. Meetingafter meeting, lunches, presentations, e-mails, conferencecalls, you name it. Theyre going to be a huge client andthey just agreed to do the deal. This, people . . . is a GREATDAY! With that, Parker sat down and was ready to start themonthly meeting.

As one of the top sales reps in the company for the past twoyears, Parker was showing no signs of slowing down. It wascompletely true to form for Parker to enter meetings in thismanner. Not only were the sales manager and the team used tothis type of behavior, they also knew that Parkers little dramascene was probably accurate. He had just scored once again. Itwas his job to score.

The new salespeople looked on in awe and felt a slightsurge of adrenalin as Parker announced his victory. The veter-ans had come to expect it. Some were put off by his boasting,while others were happy for his success. The rest were bewil-dered as to how he continued to enthusiastically achieve new

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sales milestones. In any case, Parker was one of the best andsince he knew it, hed be happy to explain it to you.

The sales manager said, Parker . . . great job. You con-tinue to kill the numbers. Now lets get the meeting started.

Parker felt great about himself, and with that proud, mag-nified grin, he briefly announced to the team, Thank youand let me take this opportunity to say that you, oh knowl-edgeable one, remain a magnificent sales manager.

The sales manager knew how to handle her top producerand she wasnt going to ding him for being a few minutes late.Even though Parkers ego was larger than the company logo onthe front of the building, and he could be a little irritating, heremained the top producer on the team.

Parker isnt your average sales rep. He is a Performer. Hebreaks company records consistently, dramatically, and withgreat enthusiasm. Selling comes naturally to Parker the Per-former. His ability to relate to people and control a conversa-tion, without coming across as too aggressive, is just part of hisnatural skill set. Hes one of the best, most productive kinds ofsalespeople. Parker and his kind are typically found amongthose who are at, near, or on their way to being the top produc-ers of their company. Performers like Parker are chameleons:they rapidly adapt to the environment and styles of their cus-tomers. It follows that when prospecting, they have a keensense of determining if they have a real customer or not. Andonce they do, they treat that customer better than their ownfamily members. Theyre the kind of elite salesperson that hasa razor-sharp ability to determine if their products and services

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are a match to the potential customers needs. In addition,they can make that determination faster than any other kindof salesperson.

Whats the down side? Performers like Parker can some-times ruffle feathers. Whether through their single-minded en-thusiasm, their love of the limelight, or their goal-directedbehavior, relationships around performers can sometimes bestrained, in the workplace and at home.

Today, like all days, Parker had difficulty sitting throughthe meeting. His mind was a continuous to-do list as he re-viewed in his head the things that he had to accomplish tocontinue his sales growth. Making little notes on his yellowpad, this man had very clear intentions: to sell more thananyone and be financially rewarded for it, no matter what thecost. The only time that he really tuned in to this particularmeeting was when the sales manager gave him accolades forhis past months accomplishments. When it came to selling,lack of confidence had never been a problem for Parker thePerformer. With his intentions clear, he would do whatever ittook to finish each month as one of the top producers. If itwas a grind, so be it. That was part of the game.

Todays meeting lasted about an hour. At the end of themeeting, one of the new sales reps jockeyed his way to benear Parker as they left the room. The new rep had immersedhimself in the business from the beginning and was havingsome success of his own. But his learning curve had notcaught up to his desire to achieve, and he needed some help.He was just stuck, like good new reps get. He had alreadysought help from his sales manager and didnt want to admit

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to her that he was still stuck. Why not go to the best, hethought to himself, as he followed Parker out of the meeting.While he knew Parker could provide the guidance he waslooking for, getting him to focus his attention on anythingother than his own needs would be difficult. Parker wasntexactly a giver when it came to helping othersunless, ofcourse, it served him to do so. That was clear to even the newguy. But still, the kid thought hed just throw it out there.Parker, he said, You had another great month. Nice job.Do you have a minute?

With little sincerity, the Performer shot back, Thankskid. Im in a hurry. Whatve you got?

Well, Im stuck on a couple of my deals and I cant getthe customer to move. I was wondering if . . .

Parker the Performer interrupted the kid in midsentence.Listen kid, Im in a big hurry. This is what you have to do.The key to sales is finding the pain. All you got to do is findthe pain. Make their pain go away. When I do that, I make asale. Call me Doctor Parker. Look, I gotta run. See yourmanager. Thats what shes there for. Good luck. With thatParker was out of the conference room and off to his world ofsuccessful selling.

The kid took the hit because he was tough and made hisway back to his cubicle. He thought about it for a second anddecided he was too new to actually say what he was thinkingof Parker the Performer.

With the kid out of his mind as fast as he had entered it,Parker made his way to a nice office that overlooked a largesprawling manmade pond that flowed along the outside of theoffice complex. The company was on the top floor of a three-

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story building that was one of many buildings. Parkers officewas among a row of the nicest offices. He had earned his placeon this row as one of the companys top producers. Parker wentinto his office, sat down at his desk, and began doing what hedoes best. His office was a sales sanctuary. He had awards dat-ing from last month and well into the past. Awards that he hadearned in his old company were lined up. Photographs ofhimself and his peers from various incentive trips to exoticplaces covered the walls. File rack after file rack held currentclientshot, warm, and cold prospects. Over in one corner ofhis office was a whole pile of stuff. It looked like clutter. Callit the forgotten corner, where old phone messages and a pile ofunread weekly and monthly reports lived. You could tell Parkerwasnt big on reportsexcept for the ones that ranked himalong with his peer group. Those he kept tacked in front ofhim on the wall by his desk with his name highlighted, oblivi-ous or not caring how his colleagues might react.

One thing was evident. Parker had a system and he wasvery successful at what he did. He loved to sell and he espe-cially loved the financial reward that came as a result of hisefforts. His customers trusted him and all the customer satis-faction reports showed it.

Parker was concluding a phone call when his sales man-ager walked into his office and sat down on the leathercouch. Parkers couch. In that split second, Parker remem-bered the one-on-one session hed had with the president sev-eral months earlier. At that meeting, Parker had expressed hisdispleasure at some of the recent changes in the companyssales policies. The new couch arrived the next day. He wasgood at getting things he wanted.

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When fellow salespeople would drop by his office andmake themselves comfortable, Parker could often be heardsaying, Now be careful, youre sitting on the presidentscouch. It wasnt long before the entire office knew whereParker had gotten the new piece of furniture.

Parker, I want to talk about a subject that is very sensi-tive to you, the sales manager said. She used the direct ap-proach with Parker.

Whats the deal? Are we selling the company? Parkerwas also a fisherman.

No, Parker. Its about your office. As you know, one ofthe companys initiatives this year includes an aggressive ex-pansion plan. Were adding four new sales teams that willbring our sales organization to nearly 200 strong.

There were 12 teams in the company, each with 12 salesreps. Even though Parkers team was number one again, topof the current teams, that didnt do anything to dismiss hisconcerns. Parker didnt like the thought of any changes thatcould get in the way of his individual objectives. Expansionin the past had meant operational wrinkles that needed iron-ing out. Adding four teams was no small expansion. ButParker knew that arguing about the overall strategy and its ef-fect on the existing business would be a fruitless discussion,so he opted to get right to his point. Just tell me the partabout my office. Im buried here trying to make us bothsome money. Parker was now fully attentive. His officemeant a tremendous amount to him. It was his temple wherehe displayed all of his past accomplishments, and althoughhis ego couldnt fit inside his office, the rest of his mind andbody were quite comfortable.

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Were reorganizing the two sales floors and were goingto move you down the hall. Before you react, let me just tellyou that its a nicer office with an even better view. The salesmanager, having earned her degree in Parker the Performer,knew exactly what was coming.

Boy, Im taken back by all of this. Here I am, the top onour team, and in the top five in the company the last threemonths. Number three, year to date. Now Im hearing thatI am the one who has to move. Parker was visibly upset ashe poked his thumb in his chest. While Parker will go togreat lengths to explain that change is not a problem withhim, every time something changes that affects his world,regardless of the size of the change, Parker has an issue.He can be a very high maintenance individual. While thesales manager reaps the reward of his production, she earnsevery penny.

Did you hear me when I told you it was a nicer officewith a better view? By the way, its exactly 16 paces from thisone.

You walked it off?I walked it off. The sales manager was continuing her

firm approach. Shed been through it too many times.Parker was now in full Performer mode. Thats not the

point. Im busting my ass for this company and moving myoffice is a big hassle for me. Why arent any of the other peo-ple on this row moving? Now Parker was getting heated.

The sales manager took a deep breath and faced into thestorm. First of all, I appreciate your work ethic, and it appearsto be financially paying off for you. Second, several membersof the team on Producer Row are moving. Nobody has a

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problem with it. Just be a team player and dont sweat the lit-tle stuff. Youll have a nice office. Look at it as an upgrade.

Ive always been a team player and will remain one. NowParker had to preach. I just want you to know that Im not veryhappy about this and it would be nice if I had a little more re-spect from management. I hold company sales records, youknow, although I do expect them to be broken. And after a dra-matic pause and another patented thumb to the chest, By me!

Does that hurt? the sales manager said, trying to makelight of the situation. Parker, its about a 50-foot move. Itsan upgrade. You are appreciated. Lets move on. The facili-ties team will be by to work out the move details. Id appreci-ate your full cooperation. Now we both have a lot to do.Thanks for understanding. The sales manager was out in aheartbeat. She knew he would get over it.

Parker sat at his desk. He knew that this move was not amajor change, yet he still was having difficulty with that lastconversation. On one hand, he felt put out that he had tomove. Didnt they realize who he was? Didnt they realizethat he was often recruited by the competition? He had beenon such a high from this mornings sale and the accoladesthat he received at the meeting. During the meeting, he satthinking to himself, Im Parker the Best, Parker the King,Parker the Dragon Slayer, Parker the Sniper. And now this!Suddenly, he was Parker Packing Boxes, Parker the Dis-placed, or simply Parker the Annoyed.

Since Parker is a Performer, his strengths can be his weak-nesses. He runs so high on emotion that he can also run low onemotion. While his day started out so strong, he just let a little

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change get in the way of his selling day. How was he going tohandle it?

h

Like Parker, all Performers have the following characteristics:

They are emotional. They are intuitive. They are passionate. They are very competitive. They are extroverts. They are impatient. They have large egos. They are natural-born salespeople. They are top producers.

h

Parker went about his business, but now he felt that un-comfortable feeling that he experienced so often. It wasntexactly anger. It wasnt exactly depression. It wasnt the an-noyance at having to move offices. That would all workout. The feeling was one that he gets when things dont gowell. It was an uncomfortable feeling. It made the day a lit-tle more of a struggle and occupied his mind far more thanhe would admit.

High-level sales productivity inherently brings its share ofdaily problems. The very best salespeople view these as hurdles

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and not monumental challenges. Its the nature of selling.Salespeople are almost always reliant on other departmentswithin a company to fully execute a transaction. Whether itsservice, distribution, operations, shipping, administration, youname it, there is always a department or two involved in mak-ing it happen. That means human interaction and that meansfrom time to time, there will be errors.

Parker was checking his e-mail when he received aphone call from the distribution manager about one of hisorders. Apparently the order did not ship as scheduled andthe customer would not receive it per the order instructions.Since it was month end, this glitch would affect Parkersend-of-month numbers. It was company policy not to useovernight shipment unless it was an absolute emergency.This would take the approval of his sales manager.

Parker didnt receive the news of the error well. Heshouted at the distribution manager: You guys are in-credible. I bust my butt to make a sale and you guys canteven ship it. I swear you should change the name of yourdepartment to the Sales Prevention Team. I want thatorder in overnight so my client receives it when I prom-ised it to him.

The distribution manager was used to Parkers bullyingand while he personally didnt care for Parkers self-centeredways, he recognized his passion and successful track record.Parker, you know that takes approval of your sales managerand has to be deemed an emergency. And by the way, theSales Prevention Team has a 95 percent customer satisfac-

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tion rating. Please accept my personal apology for the mix-up. Well try to do better in the future. The distributionmanagers comments were dry and to the point with a bit ofsarcasm. He was all business.

Parker hung the phone up and called his boss. He wasentering his full court press mode. I dont appreciate theway I was just talked to by distribution. Shipping screwed upan order and I want it in overnight so that we dont lose thedeal. Not only do I have to put up with their incompetence, Ihave to take their crap. It shouldnt be that way and I want itfixed. And you know what, I tried . . .

The sales manager listened to a solid three minutes ofParkers one-sided venting. When he was through, she gotthe vitals she needed to approve the overnight and said tohim. Parker, its done. Ill approve it and the customer willreceive it tomorrow. Theyre a great customer and we dontwant to jeopardize our relationship with them. And, yourmonth is still intact. Buddy, were all on the same team.Relax.

Thank you, Parker said and he hung up the phone stillstewing, at only a slightly lower temperature.

The sales manager cleaned up Parkers relationship is-sues with distribution as best as she could and approved theovernight. Meanwhile, Parker went about his day.

h

Performers are driven people with a character defect of impa-tience. They can be very reactionary which sometimes translates

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to a pompous, self-centered, and unreasonable demeanor. Thevery best Performers have this flaw harnessed and have learnedfrom their experiences. Theyve come to realize that without ateam effort, they would be far less successful. Therefore, thebest of them consciously cultivate the habit of practicingwithin their own company the same relationship and problem-solving methods they use while selling. After all, a Performerwill never unleash negative behavior on prospects and cus-tomers. The best ones are positive within the company as well.Parker had a lot to learn.

h

Later that day while driving home, Parker continued to havethat uncomfortable feeling. Maybe it was of missing some-thing in his life. He couldnt pinpoint it. He knew that saleswas a grind; in fact, life was a grind. He had never known anyother way. To be successful, Parker the Performer felt that hehad to step on internal toes when he needed to. You had tobe tough to survive and nobody was tougher than Parker thePerformer. Still, he was bothered by his feeling and maybeeven by the need to step on toes.

Sales can be very lucrative and Parker was living thatdream. He owned a beautiful home in a new development,wore the finest clothes, and drove a beautiful Corvette thathe was sure was the envy of all on the road. Victory Redwas the color and it had four hundred horses in that V-8.While it was loaded with everything, Parker really got a kickout of the push button starting capability on the end of hiskey chain and the throaty growl of the engine. He drove the

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complete package that really impressed peopleat least itseemed so from Parkers viewpoint.

He sat at a red light and thought about how his day hadstarted out so good as he closed a deal that hed been workingon. So what if he was late to the meeting, the best salespeopleare kings. He would have liked to help the new kid whoasked for advice but thats the sales managers job and time ismoney. He was still irked about having to move offices andthe whole conversation hed had with his manager about themove. He thought about how he had gotten the overnight ap-proval on the shipping error.

Operations need to get their act together. Parker wasntbig on empathy for others. He reflected on the grind of theday and said quietly to himself, Nobody ever said it wouldbe easy. With that, he maneuvered his prized possessioninto the gas station to fill up.

h

Performers are passionate people whose emotions can be eithertheir friend or their enemy. The better the Performer, the betterthey have a handle on this issue. It follows their productivityand the more they harness the beast, take control of theirnegative side, the better their chances of staying in the sellingzone. You wont find long-term top producers whose emotionsare out of control during a major percentage of their sellingday. Performers are challenged by this every day, however, andthe best recognize the danger of running too high or too low onemotion. Parker the Performer knows this, but it doesnt make itany easier for him to stay focused and positive consistently.

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Parker grew up in the area and he had been getting gas atSteves Service Station since he was a kid riding with his par-ents. Oddly, it has had the same owner all of these years. Stevewas an old man now, although he looked 10 years youngerthan his 80 years. His service station was in mint condition. Ithad changed over the years, as hed weathered all of the con-versions from conventional full service stations with fewpumps that included auto repair work, all the way to the 48pumps on eight stalls, a car wash and minimart that stoodtoday. Parker flashed back on the Steve whod towered abovehim in earlier years. Then, Steve had stood over six feet tallwith a build that included very muscular arms and shoulders.They werent the show muscle that was built in a gym likethe physique Parker had sculpted as an adult. This was workmuscle constructed from twisting wrenches, mounting tires,and whatever Steves previous life had brought him.

For as long as Parker had been going to the station, it was athriving place. Steves work ethic was a big part of that. Loca-tion didnt hurt either. In earlier years, it was a fairly rural areaand Steve made his name with the three-stall garage where hekept some of the finest auto mechanics busy six days a week.Steve built his business on honesty and hard work and hetreated his customers like they were part of his extended family.

Parker was always perplexed as to why Steve hadnt re-tired many years earlier; he was certain that Steve could fi-nancially do so. In any event, Parker pulled into the stall, gotout, swiped his credit card, and began filling up. Steve wasrepainting his white curbs and looked up to give Parker awave. Parker walked over to say hello to Steve as hed donefor the past 15 years whenever he had the time.

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The years had been good to Steve but 80 is 80. Todaywhen Steve stood he was a little crooked, age had takenmuch of his muscle, given his hands a little tremor, and helooked over his bifocals as he greeted Parker. Same embroi-dered name on his shirt, same pocket protector, same tiregauge in his pocket, and the same warm smile.

Hows that Corvette runnin? That seemed to be Stevesfirst question every time.

Its going 55 while its getting gas, Steve. Parker wasquick witted and it always made Steve laugh.

Well, Steve said, Are you making lots of sales down atthat big outfit of yours?

Yeah, Im doing great, Steve. Sales have never beenbetter.

Over the years, Steve knew this much about Parker: hewas either sky-high or down in the dumps. Despite the words,today Parker looked like he was having a downer. Steve neverprobed into peoples business and didnt offer advice unlesshe was asked. There wasnt any kind of person that Stevehadnt dealt with over the years. Kind, caring, forgiving,angry, jealous, fearful, you name the personality and the emo-tion, and Steve had experience in dealing with them. Thatswhat 40-plus years in this business will bring you.

Parker and Steve made small talk about the weather, fam-ily, and baseball. As they spoke, you could hear horns honkingas people either drove by or left the station. Steve would smileand wave at each driver. Parker was always amazed at the vol-ume of exchanges that would go on in a short period of time.

Parker had to say something. Steve, youre amazing! Inabout two minutes, eight people have honked and waved at

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you. Its always like that every time I talk to you. Whats upwith that?

You salesmen always exaggerate, Steve kidded. Butsince you asked, Ill tell you this much. Ive seen a lot in myyears here on this corner. Ive met all kinds of people with allkinds of dispositions. Lucky for me, everyone needs gas fortheir vehicles. Ive made lots of friends who owned stationslike mine. Most of them are dead or nearly dead now. Stevechuckled without a smile. I learned early on that the happi-est people dont focus on happiness. They focus on helpingother people. No matter what business theyre in.

Just then, Steve saw a lady struggling to put oil in her car.Parker, I gotta run. Say hi to your mom and dad when youtalk to them, and with that, Steve was moving across the lotto the lady in need. Parker couldnt believe how fast Stevecould move for his age.

He liked Steve and his station was always clean, but Parkercertainly didnt think Steve was an expert on success. He wasan old man in a gas station. Happiness is winning the quarterlycontest and that trip to Hawaii. Parkers intentions were clear.

h

Weeks clicked off and Parker continued his assault on the com-pany quota. His sales were 30 percent over the previous yearand his income followed. The thing about Performers is thatwhile they are not the most detail-oriented people in the world,they execute the life of a sale very well. They begin with theend in mind and are full of confidence. They are very visualpeople and have a built-in capability that allows them to pro-

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ject in their minds a positive outcome to their selling efforts. Inother words, once theyve determined that they have a realprospect, they convince themselves that the prospect will be-come another customer. From this point on, Performers ac-tions follow their beliefs. Clear intentions.

This thinking earned Parker his quarterly contest as hefinished in the top 10 during the quarter. The companysmonthly sales meeting was held on a Friday and manage-ment dressed in Hawaiian shirts in recognition of the contestand its winners. A five-day paid vacation in Hawaii was agreat perk, but more importantly to Parker, it was the recogni-tion of being a winner. As the vice president of sales called upeach of the winners, they were given a lei by the president towear as a trophy. As the lei was placed around Parkers neck,he yelled to the crowd, The thrill of the kill! Everyonelaughed, including the president. Parker was pumped as helined up with his peers and a member of the marketing de-partment took their picture for the next company newsletter.

Later that afternoon, when the less committed were start-ing their weekend early, Parker was making follow-up callson the leads he had developed during the week. He knewpeople were generally in a good mood on Fridays and secur-ing appointments for the following week would be less diffi-cult than on Monday. As Parker concluded a call, one of hisfellow salespeople came in. Parker knew that this guy pridedhimself on receiving information before it was announced.While he wasnt quite a conspiracy theorist, he did have hisshare of paranoia. In any case, he loved to focus on stirringthings up more than he did on sales, and he did his best to

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take people with him on the mental journey to the land ofoverreaction. The guy did, however, have a good hit rate onearly information.

Parker, have you heard the latest? the Chirper said as ifhe were about to announce the most earth-shattering newsthat had ever hit the company.

No, but Im certain youre gonna tell me. Parker washalf paying attention.

Keep this between the two of us, but theyre taking awayour individual admin assistants! The Chirper should be soenthusiastic on his sales calls.

How do you know this? Parker was now at full atten-tion. His livelihood was being threatened.

I know this, said the Chirper.How do you know this?I know this.How?I know!Okay, okay. Stop! Parker leaned in. When?Monday! the Chirper was in heaven. Giving early news

to Parker was such a thrill.Parker grilled the Chirper for everything else he could

think of but that was all he knew. That would be one of thedumbest moves they could make, Parker said over his shoul-der to the Chirper as he strolled down toward the coffeemaker.

The moment Parker knew he was out of the Chirperssight, he changed direction and marched directly to his salesmanagers office. He stormed in, unannounced, and said,This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. What are

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you people thinking? Parker was worked up. He was good atletting his emotions get in the way. I just heard that you aretaking away our admin assistants. Do you realize what that willdo to my revenue? Without pausing to allow the sales man-ager to answer, Parker barreled on. Im a top producer in thiscompany and I rely on my admin to do all the things that allowme to stay in front of customers. My admin assistant com-pletely follows the job description that you guys laid out for theposition. She handles all the sales support issues and keeps thenonsales crap off of my back. Shes terrific. And so am I. Mynumbers are 30 percent over a year ago. The company is kick-ing butt. First you make me move offices and now youre tak-ing away my admin? Whats next, a comp cut? By this point,Parker was in full Performer high-maintenance overreaction.He was angry; in fact, he was borderline enraged. He contin-ued on for another few minutes until he had to pause for air.

Are you done yet, Parker? the sales manager asked witha firm look that matched her tone. Shed been down this roadtoo many times.

I just think this is complete crap! What more do youguys want from me? All I do is top produce. Thats all. Thatwas his best Parker the Performer turned Parker the Perse-cuted. Same guy, different mode.

Listen to me, Parker. I dont know where you heard whatyou heard. Its true and Im going to ask you to keep it quietuntil Monday. The sales manager let her comments mari-nate for a moment.

So it IS true! You guys are amazing. Parker stood upto leave. The persecuted always create an us-versus-themstance.

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Sit down, Parker. Im not finished. As usual, whoevertold you this did not have the whole story. Now Ill tell youthe whole story but I want your word that you will keep it be-tween us. It affects the lives of many people. Some peoplewill be let go on Monday, and Id like you to think of themfor a second. You and your admin assistant are fine and stay-ing intact. The sales managers laser eyes were now burningthrough Parker.

He started to get that feeling of discomfort that he getswhen he lets his emotions override his better judgment. Hisselfish ego was being exposed. He didnt like himself verymuch right now, but he was feeling some happiness overhearing what he thought hed just heard.

The sales manager went on to explain that the top 10 per-cent of the salespeople were retaining their administrative as-sistants; for them, it would be business as usual. Theremainder of the organization would share a pool of assistantsunder a new plan that had been tested and developed overthe past several months. Several on the administrative staffwould be reassigned and others would be terminated due tothe reorganization. It was all going to happen on Monday.

Parker was humbled. He apologized for his outburst asthe sales manager reminded him that theyd been down thisroad together on many occasions. She asked him to thinkabout his behavior here today. She suggested that he wouldnever treat a customer as he had just treated herand askedhim to explore within himself why he would act this waywithin his own company. She emphasized his tendency to aroller coaster personality that takes him to highs and lows ona frequent basis.

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You know, Parker, she said as she lowered her voice toa whisper. People get in your way, and you just mow themdown. A person keeps doing that, and they run out of sup-porters. Not to mention friends. Now she leaned in andstared directly into his eyes. After a while, it doesnt feel sogood.

Parker nodded his head in agreement. He gave his assur-ance that he would keep things confidential, apologizedagain for his outburst, and left his managers office. Hewalked back to his office, carefully avoiding the Chirper,closed his office and left for the weekend. On the drivehome, he was embarrassed that he hadnt for a moment con-sidered the outcome for the people who were about to be ter-minated. They would not even have jobs and all he could dowas think about how it would affect his sales. He didnt likehimself very much right now and wanted to shake this feel-ing as fast as possible. He also didnt like the way he had onceagain let his emotions take control of his interaction with hissales manager. Parker was not happy and he knew that some-thing had to change for this Performer.

h

Performers have large egos and at times it will appear that theyare out of control. In fact, they sometimes are. This usually oc-curs within their organization and is ignited when there is achange or mix-up that threatens their immediate sales success.It may be that miscommunication occurs in operations, ac-counting, customer service, shipping, you name it. Its not un-usual for the cause of the mishap to be traced right back to the

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Performers themselves. However, this is usually determinedafter theyve already done the damage.

h

Parker pulled into the gas station at around five oclock.Traffic had been horrific, even for a Friday. He recalledSteves comments about helping other people that he hadso easily discounted the last time they talked. The key tohappiness is helping other people, or something like that?he said to himself.

Maybe there was something to it. Could the old man beon to something? There he was over in the corner of the lot.This time he was planting petunias under the sign that dis-played the stations gas prices. It was an impeccable flowerbed with multiple colors. Steve was busy adding purple andred to the mix.

Hey Parker, hows she runnin? Steve was speaking ofthe Corvette that Parker had gotten washed at lunchtime.

Just great, Steve. How are you doing? I see youre hard atit. Parker was often on a high at the end of a hard week. Butdespite his words, Steve could tell that Parker was in a littlefunk today. Steve turned back to the flowers. While tendingto them, he thought to himself how life was a real struggle forParker the Performer and how it was too bad that he didnttake more time to appreciate all that he had.

All of a sudden there was a tremendous screech thatlasted for what felt to Parker like an eternity. Parker was sostartled that he jumped back about two feet. Steve justlooked up directly at the squealing tires as dark smoke and

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burnt rubber filled the air. Then there was a horrific sound ofthe impact of an accident. Metal on metal.

Thats a bad one! Parker, call 911 right now! Tell themtheres been a bad accident and people are hurt!

But how do you know that? Parker said.Just do it now! Steve said more sternly than Parker had

ever known him to be.Parker looked at the wreck and then back toward Steve.

But Steve was gone. Where did he go?While Parker called 911 to report the accident, he

looked around for Steve and out at the crash. Everythingwas so surreal at this point. The street was completepandemonium. Shattered glass, pieces of cars, the smellof burnt rubber, punctured radiators hissing, and peoplescreaming.

A man in a black Yukon had run the stoplight and hit awoman in a Volvo station wagon broadside at the driversdoor. People were crowded around the Volvo trying to get in-side. Parker finished the 911 call, and found himself rightnext to the wreckage. He had no recollection of walking fromthe flower bed to the middle of the street. Later he would re-flect on the peculiarity of Steves disappearance and his ownappearance at the actual wreck.

At that moment, an ambulance and a fire truck pulledup. It had been less than 10 minutes and Parker felt enor-mous relief to see the emergency crew. The firefightersbrought out the Jaws of Life equipment to free the woman,who was not conscious and was bleeding from the head pro-fusely. On top of that, there were children and a babyscreaming in the back seat. Four people total in the Volvo.

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The firefighters were struggling to pry the door off so theparamedics could get to the woman. Crushed as it was, thesolid door wouldnt budge. Using their giant tool, they ma-neuvered it to gain leverage but the door was too mangled.Police were now on the scene and attending to the man inthe Yukon. He was unhurt and two police officers were talk-ing to him. Another officer was directing traffic amidst theflares that had been set up on the roadway. She was doing herbest to get traffic to move along.

The frame of the Volvo was so impacted that none ofthe doors would open. The car had actually taken on a U-shape from the collision. The firefighters were continuing toattempt to get in the car when a voice suddenly boomed,Step aside!

Parker was surprised at how the firefighters so willinglycooperated with Steve. They stopped what they were doingand moved over. There Steve stood holding a very heavycrowbar. He was holding it with one arm, the bar perpen-dicular to the ground like a staff. With the strength of a man40 years younger, Steve flipped the crowbar up to his otherhand, wielded the flat end into a corner of the door, anddrove the bar deep into the mutilated machine. Then he letout a loud quick exhale as he popped the imbedded crowbarwith both hands and his body. With that, the door flew offthe car, allowing the professionals to take over.

Parker could not believe what he had just seen. He wasstill holding his cell phone when one of the paramedics pulledhis head out of the wreckage and said, You! Come here!

Parker looked behind himself to see if the paramedic hadbeen yelling to someone else. No such luck. He was talking

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to Parker. They had removed the unconscious mom from thecar, strapped her onto a gurney and put her in the ambu-lance. The firefighter and the paramedics were getting thechildren out of the car. A little boy appeared to be hurt,though maybe it was only cuts and bruises from the impact.The paramedics were taking special precautions with thebaby who would be thoroughly examined. Luckily, the babyhad been in a car seat. The child in the far rear appeared tobe completely fine. When the paramedic pulled the unhurtgirl out, Parker saw that she looked to be about eight yearsold. She was screaming for her mother. The paramedic whohad called for Parker looked at him and said, Take this girl.Talk to her while we get her family taken care of. Ill be backfor her. Tell her its going to be okay. The paramedic gavethe little girl to Parker. How was the paramedic to know thiswas Parker the Performer, who spends most of his time think-ing about himself?

Struggling to push away thoughts of panic, Parker lookedaround for Steve. There he was, back at the gas station. Infact, he had just gotten out of Parkers car, having moved itfrom the gas pump. Steve was walking over to his flower bedand did not look at Parker, who stood holding the little girlshand. Parker needed Steve right now to help him with the lit-tle girl. But Steve knelt down in his flower bed with his bodyturned away from the wreckage. Parker thought about yellingto Steve but it was two hundred yards away and the commo-tion would drown his words out.

The little girl stood by Parkers side, holding his hand.Her body was erect as if at attention and she was sobbing.Tears rolled down her bright red face as she stood shivering

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and holding this strange mans hand. She was looking at hermother, who was being attended to by paramedics. Herbrother and baby sister were loaded in the other ambulancethat had arrived once it was determined that so many peoplewere involved in the accident.

Parker had no idea what to do at this point. This is the lastsituation that he wanted to be in and one that he had neverbeen in before. He knelt down on one knee and put himselfat eye level with the little girl. Her squinting eyes now movedfrom her mother and were looking directly at Parker.

Everything will be okay. Your brother and sister didntlook like they were very hurt and theyre taking care of yourmommy right now. Parker was giving it his best shot.

I dont want my mommy to die! I dont want her to die!Please dont let her die! The little girl was terrified as shescreamed her words through her crying.

Listen to me. Thats not going to happen, as he used hisbest confident voice. I promise you that she is going to beokay. With that Parker prayed in his head like he never hadbefore. He asked that the mother make it through her injury.

The little girl leaped into Parkers arms and put a bearhug around him that nearly knocked him over. Parker couldfeel her trembling and now Parkers eyes welled up withtears.

Im scared. I dont want to lose my mommy. I love her,she said.

Itll be okay. Trust me. How many times in his life hadhe said that? Your mommy just got hit pretty hard but shellbe okay. The doctors will take care of her. Now Parker washugging back as hard as the girl.

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Please, God, dont let my mommy die! The little girlwas praying.

Parker started silently praying with her. He said he wassorry for every time he was selfish and didnt think about oth-ers. He asked for forgiveness for not being grateful for thethings that he had. He said he regretted how he had treatedpeople who were only trying to help him. He wished hecould take back a lot of his self-serving actions. He prayed forthe mother to pull through this mess. Now tears were rollingdown Parkers face, too.

At that point, the paramedic who had given Parker the lit-tle girl came back for her. Come on, sweetheart. We have aspecial place for you to ride and then you can be with yourbrother and sister.

The little girl released her vice grip on Parker. Just beforeshe left, she reached up with her tiny hands and wiped thetears from Parkers face. Goodbye, she said, now appearingto be a little stronger.

Thanks, man. You did good. The paramedic pattedParker on the side of the shoulder.

No problem. Parker, who was still on one knee, wasdazed. What just happened? He watched as the little girl gotin the ambulance with the other kids who had both beentreated for minor cuts. A thorough examination would takeplace at the hospital. He stood up and ran over to the para-medic and found out what hospital the family was beingtaken to. He planned to call later that night to find out aboutthe mom.

The cleanup crew was busy moving the metal. Trafficcops were still attempting to get a smooth flow going and

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the two ambulances left for the hospital. The driver of theYukon was being handcuffed and put in the backseat of apolice car. Apparently, he failed a field sobriety test. Parkerflashed onto some of the many times he had driven whileunder the influence.

Parker the Performer used his shirttail to wipe his eyesand face as he made his way out of the street and on to the lotof the gas station. His shirt was soaked through from sweat,his tan pants were dirty, and his shoes were filthy from thewhole event. He walked over to Steve who was just finishingplanting his petunias.

Steve looked up over his glasses and stood up. It took hima while. He was smiling at Parker. You alright? Steve said.

Parker nodded and asked, How did you take that crow-bar and . . . ?

Steve interrupted Parker midsentence. Here are yourkeys, he said, as he reached in his pocket and handed themto Parker. I just moved your car. I didnt take her for a spin.Steve tried to lighten Parker up.

Thanks. Parker was talking slow and his mind was stillon what had transpired. Im gonna go home and take ashower. Ill talk to you later, Steve. He turned and made hisway to his Corvette.

He was about 10 feet away when he heard Steve say,Hey, Parker!

Parker stopped and turned around. He was still verymuch dazed.

You took fine care of that little girl for a minute and gaveher hope. That was good work. Im proud of you. Steves de-meanor turned to serious.

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How did you know that from here? You know what?Never mind that question. Parker had enough for one day.Ill talk to you later, Steve. Thanks.

Later that night Parker phoned the hospital and learnedthat the mother was going to make it. She had suffered a se-vere concussion, a broken collarbone, and required somestitches to her head but would make a full recovery. Addi-tionally, the kids all were fine. They had the standard cutsand bruises that an impact of that nature delivers. They wereall very lucky.

Parker was overjoyed with the news. He hung up thephone and let out a YAAAAAAHHH at the top of hislungs, as if someone had just cheated death. He lay in bedlater that night and was very thankful for the days out-come. In fact, he felt better than hed felt in quite sometime. He couldnt pinpoint his newfound feelings exceptthat he was overjoyed by the news that the little girl stillhad her mother. He spent the weekend reviewing theevents of Friday afternoon. The sound of the crash, Stevetelling him to call 911, the crowbar incident, the para-medic, the little girl, the drunk, and the mothers positiveoutcome. Especially fresh in his mind was his interactionwith the little girl.

Thank God, she still has her mother! Parker said tohimself.

h

Monday morning rolled around and Parker was back atthe selling game. Today, however, Parker the Performer was

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different. For the first time in as long as he could remember,nothing was bothering him. Usually the weight of thetasks that were in front of him completely consumed him: tar-get list of potential clients, presentations to prepare, follow-upsales calls, and all the detail required to successfully closedeals and maintain a large customer base. Victories,headaches, and disappointments, it was all part of the sellinggame. But those things were not eating him like they had inthe past. Granted, he was focused on them, but they were notweighing as heavily as they had just last week.

He was pouring coffee in the break room and still some-what puzzled by his newfound attitude when the new kidwho had approached him weeks ago for advice walked in.The kid did not acknowledge Parker and this time Parker un-derstood why.

Hey kid, about before. I was pretty busy at the time. Butif you want, I can spend some time with you later today onyour deals. I have about an hour at around four oclock. Youinterested?

The kid thought aliens had taken over Parker and he let itshow. Are you talking to me?

Yeah, Im talking to you.Man, Parker, that would be great. Ill come to your of-

fice at four oclock. Parker could see the kids whole de-meanor change; the kid was happy.

Parker went back to his office and before he attacked hismorning he wrote the following e-mail to his sales manager:

First of all, I know that your job is difficult and youre con-stantly being pulled in many directions. I also know that Im

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not the only sales rep on your team, although sometimes Iact like it. I want to apologize for the hard time I gave youabout the move last week. I know youll take care of me.Also, I could have approached the admin layoff discussionwith more empathy for others. Once again, you showedthat youre doing your best to take care of me. Im going tocontinue to put up great numbers and I just want you toknow that Im also going to work harder on the things thatseem to cause internal conflict. I recognize my part in all ofthis. Thanks for everything youre doing.

He reviewed what he had written and before he hit thesend button added one final sentence: By the way, recordmonth coming our way! YES!

Then he hit the send button.

While Parker was a high-energy person, like most Perform-ers, today was different. He genuinely felt good about himself.His intentions had always been to sell more than anyone atany cost. Empathy for others had never been high on his list.His success came from focusing his energy on using his naturalability to sell. Its what all Performers did. But something waschanging in Parker the Performer. Yes, he wanted to be thebest, and during some months he was. His number three rank-ing in the company had him well into the six-figure incomeannually. On paper, he was a tremendous sales success.

Parker knew that as a Performer he was emotion-drivenand at times struggled with the highs and the lows of the salesenvironment. Being a victim of his own emotions could causesome time management difficulty. Functioning in one of his

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lows was usually caused by a negative experience during theworkday. Perhaps he lost a customer. Perhaps he didnt get thecustomer he was expecting to close. Those were minor in com-parison to his reaction when things internally didnt work outlike he had expected. In any event, a negative experience coulddamage his short-term productivity. Too often he ran the risk ofsinking into that low. When this would occur, productivitywould plummet and his day would come to a halt.

Parker had always been aware of his emotional ups anddowns. Like the best of Performers, he had learned to guardagainst staying down too long and was experienced at deal-ing with the difficulties in returning to the selling state ofmind. He was where he was because he had learned to battlethrough this emotional roller coaster. But the battle was mak-ing him tired.

Does the job have to be such a grind? Am I the cause ofalmost all of my issues? These were the questions he pon-dered as he thought about his recent interactions with theshipping department and his boss. For the first time, hethought about how they must feel when Parker the Per-formers ego is going crazy. He was constantly boxing every-one into a corner with his words. This was perhaps whatmade the job such a grind.

Now, for the first time, Parker was rethinking his inten-tions. He had a new concern about how he was treatingpeople and his personal struggle with the emotional rollercoaster. While maintaining balance in his life had alwaysbeen a challenge, Parker recognized that he was goingthrough too many highs and lows for no reason. Parker was re-

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alizing that he could get awfully worked up over little issues.Compared to what he had just gone through with a little girlwho had nearly lost her mother, his issues were nothing. Ontop of that, it never occurred to him to think of the other peo-ple around him and what they might be going through. Hisonly focus had been on getting the sale, taking care of his cus-tomer, and getting more sales. He was true to his intentions.

He went through his day in much the same manner ashe had in the past. He was completely focused on salesgrowth. However, he made one slight change. Parker thePerformer was going to consider the feelings of those withwhom he worked. When issues arose that in his opinion im-peded his sales goal, he would take a lighter approach. Hewould replace his aggressiveness with assertiveness. Hewould keep the same focus on problem solving but with atouch less of the reactive, maniacal Parker. He would makea concerted effort to really weigh the impact of all the is-sues, and communicate in a less attacking manner. Hewould focus on having empathy for other people and to thebest of his ability not let his ego and strong will get in theway. He wanted to continue to feel better about himself, ashe did when he helped the little girl. He would help otherswhenever he couldand with no agenda other than tohelp. He expected nothing in return. He just wanted to con-tinue to feel good. He would make sure that he remained fo-cused on his mission of selling.

At four oclock, the kid came into his office. He had a listof five questions for Parker that he wanted counsel on. Thekid took a cautious demeanor as he laid his issues out. Parkercould tell that the kid had the potential to be a solid producer.

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Parker was entirely focused on the kids feelings andneeds. Amazing in itself, since this may have been a first forParker. He was not just paying attention to this kid, but hewas consciously focusing on someone else, someone whowasnt a potential sale, and someone who couldnt help hisfinancial bottom line. It was all new to Parker and he didhis best not to let his mind work its way back to his own to-do list. It dawned on Parker that he had spent his entiresales career using his intuitive skills to close sales and hadrarely put these skills to use outside of this effort. Havingspent most of his time concerned about himself, his sales,and his victories, he now felt good helping someone. It gothim out of himself for a minute. These feelings were new tohim. He was feeling happiness without chasing happiness.

Parker took one question after another and the kid madenotes throughout the discussion. As they were talking, the salesmanager walked by Parkers office. Within seconds, she reap-peared outside the window with a puzzled look on her face.Parker flashed a smile; she returned the same and moved on.

Im half crazy! Parker thought to himself. Then Parkerspoke and gave the kid his full attention. This is what Imseeing and hearing. I believe you have tremendous potentialin this business. It really all boils down to what your true in-tentions are. I thought I was clear on mine, and for the mostpart I am. Im going to make a few tweaks to my intentions.Kind of a new and improved me, if you will.

The kid was all ears. He wanted what Parker had. Hewanted to be a top producer. Parker continued. This is whatI would do if I were you because this is what I do. I wouldmanage by dollar opportunity. I try to be a perfect manager

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of OPPORTUNITY. It looks like youve learned to qualify aprospect rapidly, which will save a tremendous amount oftime. It didnt take me long to learn that either. Some peopleit takes forever. Some never get it.

Parker was getting animated now. Once Ive determinedthat I have a real opportunity to work with, I focus my timeon the gatekeepers and decision makers that will turn my ef-forts into actual sales. Too many people have fear aroundthis. Have no fear. Rejection is your friend. If youre not get-ting rejected, youre not making sales. Parker was in full Per-former mode now.

I use a very simple system. Some people subscribe to acomplex time management system. Im sure it works forthem. But Im not a real detailed analytical person. This iswhat I do. Which opportunity is hot? Which opportunity iswarm? Which opportunity is cold? I simply focus on hot untilthe deal is closed or until it is determined that it should be inone of the other categories. Then I try to move warm to hot orcold as fast as possible. Parker went on, This one is big, kid,so listen up. Do everything that you can every day to advanceyour deals into sales. If youre not advancing your opportuni-ties to a potential yes or even a no, then youre not selling.

Also, I sparingly work the cold pile. The reason for thisis, if I have a cold file, it is truly cold. Thats how good I am.A Performers big ego is never going to go away. Parker wasrolling now. Three simple buckets categorized as hot,warm, and cold. Nothing keeps me from working the hot andwarm piles or its a bad day. Are you with me?

The kid looked up from his yellow pad that he was fever-ishly writing on and nodded his head. Parker could

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