Leave the door open !

Always leave yourself in a position so that you can come again.

Several years ago I was planning on spending a day working with a salesman and asked that a particular account be scheduled as it held a lot of potential. The salesman advised that he had been told he was no longer allowed on the premises. It seems that he (and competitors too) had been told that certain departments were off limits beginning a certain date and he had been caught twice talking with people in those departments.

Upon calling the plant manager to introduce myself as the new sales manager, he confirmed that the story was true. My salesman would make an appointment with one person then spend the day wandering around talking with others. Thus the plant manager instituted the new policy. We agreed to an appointment time and included the salesman in the meeting. During the meeting, the plant manager set a new policy for the salesman; meet your appointment in the lobby, no going into the office area or production area. Darn close to a death sentence.

This arrangement was tried for several months with sales plummeting each month. By switching up accounts, we put a new man on the account with no restrictions and sales slowly began to build again.

We sales types like to push the envelope but we must know when to back-off. Once the door is shut, it is really difficult to get back in.