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Kale Flagg
Lack of discipline is another precursor to failure, says Flagg. There are only twenty-four hours in a day. What we do with our time, more than anything else in our lives, determines whether we are a spectator or the lead character in the game of life, asserts Kale Flagg. The truth is that most people waste time. They spend far too much time watching TV and procrastinating, evaluating, and saying they are going to do things, but not actually doing those things. Those people live on an island that Kale Flagg refers to as “Someday Island;” but someday never seems to come.
According to Kale Flagg, it’s important to pick a mountain and start climbing. Flagg has noticed that while people get excited about choosing a mountain peak, when the excitement wears off, most lack the discipline to climb every day, day in and day out. In fact, most people never accomplish greatness in life because they simply stop. They don’t maintain the discipline. Kale Flagg compares it to dieting, working out, and then just stopping. Only in this case, the person alters his or her own destiny by giving up. As Kale Flagg puts it, people lose the chance of becoming legends because they don’t have “stick-to-it-ness.”
Kale Flagg has seen talented sales professionals leave the field due to the high number of rejections that are an inevitable part of the selling process. The former Wall Street entrepreneur offers those who are new to sales and marketing this valuable piece of advice: maintain a large number of prospects.
As Kale Flagg describes, many times a sales manager will allow new employees to come in and start making calls right away. Cautions Kale Flagg–do not do that! Hold people’s hands if you have to, suggests Flagg, but don’t let them start making solicitations until they have a plethora of options on their sales lists. If there are only six names on the list and all those contacts say no, your new sales star has a high probability of being dust, points out Kale Flagg. However, if the prospect has 100 names on that list, rejections from the first five or six will be okay because he or she will still have hope.
A part-time salesperson should be collecting at least five to ten prospective leads per day, according to Kale Flagg. As a serious part-timer, those numbers should increase. Someone who works in sales full-time should see those numbers grow to thirty to forty names per day, every day, once that person starts entering the cold market, suggests Flagg. He says that when someone is building a business, 80% of that person’s time should be spent prospecting. Prospecting means gathering names, setting up appointments, and talking to people, explains Kale Flagg.
In the early days, it’s important to avoid getting caught up in busywork, points out Kale Flagg. He has observed that many people do the busy work, which is primarily organizing and reorganizing prospect lists, inventorying product, and other administrative functions. In those early days, Kale Flagg emphasizes the importance of having new prospects focus on building a list. By spending 80% of their time actively generating leads, Kale Flagg promises that a Sales Manager will not only incite the rest of the team to do the same, you’ll help keep the “fear monster” at bay, away from your sales people.
Kale Flagg has built an impressive career. Today, currently serving as General Partner of the American Redevelopment Fund, LP, Kale Flagg helps other entrepreneurs achieve their dreams.