SALESCALL: That Was Then. This Is Now.

It's a sure sign of getting older when you make statements like, “Young people these days. Geesch!” and then ramble on about how different things were when you were their age. I catch my contemporaries complaining in this manner and remind them that they are getting cynical, all the while smiling to myself, grateful that I am not like that.

Young salespeople these days. Geesch! They just don't know how good they've got it. When I was their age, things were much more difficult. Fax machines were called “telecopiers” and they spit out illegible transmissions on rolls of waxy paper that never laid down quite right. The Internet was called “The Library” and we researched companies by searching through business material that was older than some of the wine I have on my shelf. We did enjoy, however, three major advantages over today's sales world: The blessing of patience, a sales day that actually ended and vastly superior communication skills.

Patience—When I started in sales, I was given some advice regarding just how long you can expect to work for success: “Bill, work your tail off for 18 months and you will set yourself up for the next five years.” These days, you can't tell a new rep that. He/she wants instant success and can't believe that after three weeks of hard selling they have nothing to show for it. We were much more patient way back when and much more willing to put in the work. There is, however, one notable exception: When my brother-in-law Peter graduated from Boston University many moons ago, he flew to Atlanta to interview for a job as a journalist. Upon return, he complained that the salary was too low, he couldn't live off of $15,500, and he had no interest in working for a start-up. To this day we still kid him about the status of that start-up, now known as CNN.

The End of the Day—When the sales day was over, we went home and left work behind. There was nothing to follow us home. There were no BlackBerrys, no cell phones and no e-mails to check. When we left work, our personal lives began. Now, there is a very blurry line between Work and Life. We are, as Edward Hallowell's book by the same name points out, crazy busy and new reps lack the understanding that balance is the key. Personally, I think there is something fundamentally wrong with a Wal-Mart that is open 24/7 and believe that all retail should be closed on Sundays. We “pro-Blue Law Puritans” are staunch on this issue—right up until we run out of something and need it right away.

Vastly Superior Communication Skills—Say “Thank you” to a young person and you'll get, “No problem” in return. 'Scuse me? Try “My pleasure” and see how much better that sounds. In written form, their grammar is awful and they write like they talk: unorganized and completely self-centered.

In addition, young salespeople do not know how to properly format a letter. How would they? Their idea of communication is, “Wnt 2 C U 4 prntng.”

Oh, and as for manners: Remember holding a door open for a woman, standing when she approached or left your table, and looking at whomever was speaking as if he or she was the most important person in the room?

Despite the fact that my approach was not stellar at the beginning, I'll take yesteryear over today, thank you very much. At least back then, a prospect's front door was unlocked and there was an attractive receptionist willing to cough up information at a moment's request.

Hey, maybe she was our Internet!

ONLINE: Reach Bill at billf@printtec.com. Check out the Mobile Sales Club Website at www.piamsc.com.