All's Fair in Love and... Sales
In the world of business, especially sales, how does one navigate through office friendships and coworkers while trying to meet sales goals/quotas? I do not have much experience with cold calls or door to door marketing, but I can image it is difficult to work alongside other employees if they are sometimes your competition. I imagine that office politics is similar to real world politics in that courtesy is always necessary, even if it is not genuine. I don't know how I could work at a job where I am fighting to recruit more clients, close deals or open accounts with new customers and also competing against my coworkers. I mean it's one thing to compete with a coworker when a promotion becomes available, but in the world of sales, it's like a daily competition. Especially if your coworkers start to steal clients away or land bigger deals that make them look better than you. I image the world of sales is lonely since being close with coworkers may hurt your bottom line.Posted by Suzanne on 5/21/2009 12:22:00 AM
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2 Comments:
In my current job, we have sales goals that we must maintain in order to keep from being fired. While this certainly lights a fire under us to perform and sell, sell, sell... it can also put a strain on friendships while we compete for the same customers. The best advice I can give anyone in a similar situation is to talk to your coworkers about the way it makes you feel when they seem to be undermining you for a sale. Have them express any concerns they may have as well. It's a fairly simple measure that should have everyone happy and keeping their job!
Well Suzanne, many times sales representatives are given different territories or regions that they are responsible for. This can take away some of the competitiveness felt in the work place because although they may still be competing for the amount of sales per month, working in different regions can take away the competitive edge. This makes co-workers feel like equals, people whom you can go to for advice or just to vent after a long day. But, if you're in the situation that Amanda finds herself on a daily basis, she is right. Let your co-workers know about a particular situation that bothered you. This prevents resentment and ultimately saves you from any sudden outbursts of emotion that could bring unnecessary tension to the workplace environment.