Time to Re-Read the “Three Little Pigs"

It’s Time to Re-Read  the “Three Little Pigs”

Someone once said, You must have every sales rep living in a belief house made of brick so they can withstand the attacks that are to come.  

If I were to assign a training manual for managers to use to help prepare their field sellers for the selling season it would be The Three Little Pigs.  You know, the story where the first little pig built his house out of straw and the wolf blew it down with a gentle puff and ate the pig. The second little pig built his house out of sticks but the wolf gave a few extra strong puffs, blew the house down and ate the pig. But the third little pig built his house out of brick and no matter how hard the wolf blew, he couldn’t knock it down.

It was just too strong.

And because the third little pig’s house was so strong, he didn’t have to worry about it falling down so he had time to think about his next counter move because he knew the wolf wouldn’t give up.

This meant that when the wolf climbed onto the roof and down the chimney to get inside the house, the pig didn’t panic. He had already placed a pot of water in the fireplace, got it boiling and let the wolf fall into it. Because he was protected by his strong house, he was able to make decisions that took care of his competition.

The strength of the houses built by each pig is analogous to the strength of every salesperson’s belief system. The stronger one’s belief, the easier it is to withstand attacks on that belief. If a person has a weak belief system it doesn’t take much of an obstacle to collapse that person’s belief house. They end up abandoning their original belief and take on someone else’s.

Our beliefs and our commitments are always being tested.

All field sellers have their belief systems tested every year. Their belief in their company, their products and their pricing are tested to the max. Unfortunately some have beliefs that are as weak as the straw house and the stick house and it doesn’t take much for a competitor or an objecting customer to get those reps to abandon their principles and give in to customer demands. In fact, salespeople with belief houses built of straw or sticks always retreat when the selling gets tough, losing any opportunity of getting a sale.       

Those who have beliefs as strong as brick houses don’t let big bad competitors get to them. They may not win every battle, but they stand fast and protect their company, their products and their margins at all cost. They survive relentless attacks. However, even those with brick house beliefs don’t remain totally unscathed. The foundations of many brick belief houses can be cracked during a difficult sales year. 

Years ago I had a very good dealer who unknowingly had the foundation of his brick strong belief cracked by a competitor. This dealer farmed, raised hogs and had a growing seed business. The company was not only his largest competitor, but also had more market share than any other company in the business. The sales rep for the large competitor was on the bowling team with my dealer. One evening when the team was bowling the competitor told my dealer about the program they had for new customers. He said was giving 3 units of free seed to new prospects and they didn’t have to buy anything thing to get. It was a promotional effort to get to new customers. The very next day the competitive sales rep stopped by and gave my dealer three units of seed free.

A few days later I stopped to see my dealer and when I walked into his warehouse I saw three units of Brand X seed staked in the warehouse. I said to the dealer, “What’s that seed for? He said, “Oh my neighbor sells for Brand X. They have a free seed program to get new customers and he gave three units to me.” I said, why do you think he gave you that seed?” He said, “He wants me to start planting Brand X.” I said, “Are you going to plant it?” He said, “I might as well, it’s free.” I said, “The reason he gave you that seed was so he could say to all of your customers, “Sam doesn’t even plant the seed he sells, he plants Brand X. If you plant that seed he will crack your belief foundation and the belief foundation of all of your customers.”  He sent the seed back and didn’t plant it.

When you’re repeatedly attacked by companies who have no values to sell (or don’t know how to sell them if they do have them) and you’re constantly battling the attitudes of companies who think the only way to sell is to lower price or give product away. When you’re under attack from so many directions at once it often seems you’re the only one trying to do the right thing. This is how belief systems are damaged.  You begin to question whether or not your values are real.      

The bottom line is you’d better check your belief system and the belief system of your sales reps. Find out which ones no longer have a belief house to live in because they’ve lost their belief during an attack. Find out which ones have cracks in their brick foundations so you can patch them up immediately. You need to make sure every field seller has a strong, sturdy “belief house” to live in so they can weather the storm that’s going to come again and again. Too many field sellers are running scared because they don’t believe their company is as good as it needs to be.

That thought process is total hogwash.

There’s no company that can’t compete successfully in this marketplace IF they are willing to do the things they need to do. But you must have a belief house made of brick that will withstand the attacks that come. The last thing you want to find out is that some of your field sales rep’s belief houses have been blown down and they are now living with the neighbors, your competitors. 

Happy Selling, I’m, Rod Osthus