Part 2 of 2
I wrote about Pat Sluder in my previous blog post, telling you how this now 80-year-old sales leader has stayed relevant and successful in a highly competitive business.
He’s made a name for himself as an old-school sales manager who preached activity and quality, face-to-face time with clients. I shared how he embraced change—and the latest in sales technology—in order to stay competitive.
Pat told me, “I’m not sure I like to talk about myself.” He said, “I just hired good people, and they made me successful.” But there’s more to his story than that, and it’s worth sharing.
To that end, here are 10 of Pat Sluder’s Lessons on Success:
- Avoid war stories from the past. People don’t want to listen to, “Here’s how we did it at A to Z Company 20 years ago”. Focus instead on the here and now—and the future!
- Get to know the people you work with. Take a real interest in them. Listen when they talk, and learn about their interests, family and hobbies.
- Embrace new technology and other business tools. Work smarter, not harder.
- Look at age as a speed bump—not a finish line. Pat said that when he turned 65, he just considered that milestone age to be a minor hurdle. He still loved what he was doing and knew he could continue to contribute going forward, so he stayed with it.
- Be patient, and play the long game. Pat is quick to say that sales is about relationships, and these relationships don’t usually come easily. It might take months or even years to build a relationship with a prospect, but people will buy from people they know and trust. Again, be a good listener, and truly care about the other person’s issues and needs.
- Stay current. Young salespeople often are amazed that Pat uses Twitter, Facebook, Venmo and LinkedIn. They are impressed that he knows his way around his iPhone. He defies the stereotype of an 80-year-old by using the tools familiar to people decades younger. By doing so, he is better able to relate to his young salespeople.
- Be a stand-up person. Pat teaches and practices integrity, honesty and being absolutely sincere with clients. Even the young people respect that philosophy. Also, he has a strict rule that this authentic philosophy applies to every one of his salespeople. If they violate it, they cannot work for him.
- Success in sales doesn’t just happen. Pat believes that sales is about action—blocking and tackling, to be specific. Many sales teams and their leaders are looking for an easy way to sell. But there is no magic dust! In reality, the business of sales, Pat says, is a lot like football or golf: Basics—just a few fundamentals really—move the ball down the field or fairway and ultimately win the day. Pat believes that if you practice the basics every day, consistently, you will be successful.
- Knowledge is power! Working smart is much easier—and far less tiring—than working hard. Pat arrives at the office every day at 6:30 a.m. Then, while sipping his coffee, he browses the Internet reading notifications from select sites he subscribes to and absorbing news of new technology. He reviews news from American Banker to find out what his prospects are looking for or what issues they have. He is in the good habit of taking notes of what he learns and passing these daily notes along to his sales team.
- Have fun, and laugh at yourself when necessary. Here’s an example: One morning, Pat was at work early before anyone else. He was going downstairs for coffee, with his hands full, and he fell. Luckily, he was not seriously hurt; he says a fresh shirt and some bandages were all it took for him to get on with the rest of his day. And he laughed when he shared this incident with his sales team! He used it as an example to teach his young team to laugh at their mistakes—because we all make them. He showed them that a mistake is one of the fastest ways to learn something—like not going down a flight of stairs with a bunch of stuff in your hands. Sharing mistakes with others, Pat says, offers teachable moments and creates confidence in the ability to keep moving forward.
Pat is definitely someone who’s lived his life doing what he does better each and every day. If you’d like to learn more about Pat, check him out on LinkedIn.