I’m finishing The Kid, a biography of Ted Williams written by Ben Bradlee Jr. Much of the last quarter of the book is about John Henry Williams, Ted’s only son. In summary, John Henry had every opportunity a person could have to lead a successful and prosperous life. Unfortunately, he was constantly making bad business decisions. As I was reading a few days ago (technically, I’m listening to it on Audible), I started to wonder how this guy never got it. How did he think that the schemes he put together would work? He must have known better. He must have had the cognitive skills to realize that this and that are terrible ideas.
Then, it hit me. There was a skill that John Henry didn’t have that kept him from succeeding. It’s the same skill that many unsuccessful sales people lack. This is the skill that’s easy to disguise in an interview and even easier during the first six months of employment. The quality that every sales candidate must have…
Every sales person must know how to work.
The best method of identifying this skill is to perform deep due diligence. Don’t think you can do it on your own – they’ve conquered the art of interviewing. They’re masters at it. After all, they have to interview for new jobs every 18 months. Perform your due diligence by calling references and asking real questions. Surprise the candidate by asking them for an extra reference when your calling is done. They always have three in their pocket.
Don’t brush off this post. If one doesn’t know how to work, it’s very difficult to impossible to become an accountant, engineer, financier, doctor, journalist, lawyer, etc. However, since the profession of sales has no standardized degree, and offers so much autonomy, a charismatic person can get through a forty- year career without working… and it happens. Don’t let it happen to your organization.
