“Jane” was a perfect example of this. She has the passion for the product she sells, has compassion for the clients upon whom she calls and is very talented at building relationships. Jane’s clients are all health care professionals who work in very busy hospital units. It was refreshing to see her size up a situation to determine how much time she thought was appropriate to spend with the client. It was also exciting (I am a marketing professional after all) to see her counter an objection from a potential client with such aplomb that this client actually purchased her product later the same day.

My business requires that I work regularly with outside sales people. Consequently, I know a good one when I see one. Outside sales people don’t always walk through the door at the end of the day with a fistful of orders or cash. The best ones have regular, repeat business due to the relationships that have been nurtured over months or years. They will generate new business, perform customer service duties and maintain existing business relationships all in the course of the day.

I am often asked for references on sales people in my industry. Sales Managers call to see who I think is a good outside sales rep. My criteria for giving a good reference include this short list:

Effective Use of Time: Does the sales rep effectively use his time with me to update me on his product and changes within the marketplace, or does she just come to my office to “kill time”? I respect those sales people who respect my time. I appreciate a sales call that covers several concerns, products and objectives at one time rather than repeated sales calls for one item at a time.

Follow Up: Does the sales rep respond in a timely manner (for me sometimes this means within an hour) with critical information or answers to questions? Jane’s clients’ primary need is a prompt response time on their cases. Jane showed a sense of urgency in getting them the information they needed to make a decision on her product.

Knowledge of Product/Marketplace: I expect the sales person to be so familiar with their product that they don’t need collateral to do a presentation. Sometimes a sales person has only time enough for the thirty second elevator pitch. Jane literally pitched a client while riding down in the elevator with her, walked with her around a cafeteria while the client got her lunch, then rode back up the elevator with her. You can see that trying to present materials or a power point presentation under these circumstances would be ridiculous.

In closing, I would add that the best outside sales people are a rare breed. They have to be tough enough to hear “no” and keep going back for more, deal with difficult people on a regular basis and juggle a multitude of tasks. This is not a job for your average 9 to 5er. If you are lucky enough to find a good outside sales person, hang on to them because initiative and passion are two things that can’t be taught.

It’s all about passion – if you have passion for what you do, you do it well and it shows. Passion is contagious. Passion can be the difference between being a success or a failure, average or stellar. And passion shows in marketing and business. Business owners and managers that are passionate about their product and/or service are like beacons for me. They are willing to take the risks, make the investments and hard decisions to be successful. Passionate entrepreneurs inspire their staff to be passionate about their jobs, their product and meeting client expectations.

A company or product with passion is worth more than one without, so the money follows the passion. A business owner that has a passion for her product will go the extra distance to make sure that others recognize the significance of the product, the worth, the value.

One of my clients, an automotive dealer, is so passionate about his business that he can rattle off stats about how many units have been sold, how many are “out” (potentially sold), how he’s pacing with the same month last year, what his profit margin will be at the end of the month, and on and on. I always enjoy meeting with him because his passion is overflowing. I feel energized after a meeting with him. Even though his business has been adversely affected by the economic downturn, he is still turning a profit. I think the difference is passion.

My friend who is changing careers is passionate about his potential new position. In fact, he’s so passionate about it, that he’s been working as a volunteer for several years for this entity. Now that the prospect of being paid for his passion is becoming a reality, he’s even more passionate. Like I said earlier, passion is contagious. Pass it on…