By Roger Jorgenson
Veteran Machine Tools Salesman
(And Father of Bryan “Bud” Jorgenson)
My experience as a salesman and business owner taught me many things. I’d like to share some of them with you, if I could.
Persist. When we are out making cold calls, we get tired, worn out and sometimes frustrated. I’ve found that making those next calls, rather than calling it a day, seems to pay off big time. Don’t ever give up.
Save. We learn quickly that business is cyclical, not constant. So when things are good and money is coming in we need to save. Times will change, sales will drop — having money in savings will help tide us through until business improves and things again get better.
Have Self-Respect. Respect people and they will respect you. You cannot give what you don’t have — if you don’t love yourself you can’t love others, you can’t respect others if you don’t respect yourself. If you are positive it will show and others will feel the same and feed off of you. However you feel and how you treat yourself is the best that you can treat others, so take care of yourself. Treat yourself well and you can then treat others the same.
Communicate. Planning and scheduling are a must, as well as informing the people you work with of your plans. People cannot support you and help you (and you them) if they have no clue what it is you are planning or doing. Communication with others helps both them and yourself, and it shows teamwork and respect. Treating each other in positive ways makes work more enjoyable and successful. The more people you help reach their goals, the better able you are to reach yours.
Build on Success. When you make a nice sale, the best time to make the next sale is… now! Why? When you get a sale, you are upbeat, positive, and you show that you are capable. So work harder when things are going well, because it’s in your favor. Don’t rest on your success — increase it.
Solve Problems. When you are dealing with problems following the sale remember that you are not only taking care of your new order, you are now working on the next one. This customer is watching you (and other customers are too). How you deal with problems now will affect your future.
Have Faith. Don’t forget prayer (if you are so inclined). It sure helped me. It shows that you’re humble.
Learn. Become an expert and know your product, your business, and your customer base. Being a professional allows customers, vendors and employees to work with you, because they will see that you know yourself, your product and your business. Also learn the rules and policies of your company and then follow them.
Have fun, work hard, and be successful as you move forward in sales and in life.
Roger was the founder of Jorgenson Machine Tools, the precursor to Bud’s Machine Tools, and was its owner and general manager until his retirement in 2008. We’ve asked him to share some of his lifetime of wisdom with us for our blog.