Two Enemies Of Brand Sales

‘Doh dushman brand sales ke – ahankaar aur alaspan – inse dhoor raho’
(Avoid the two enemies of brand sales – ego and laziness) is a saying worth remembering.

In brand marketing, professionals extensively study consumer behaviour, customer behaviour, retailer behaviour, and more. However, an equally critical area that demands attention is salesperson behaviour. (The term ‘salesperson’ is used here to include both salesmen and saleswomen.)

Having worked across thousands of towns and villages, spanning various product and service categories, and interacting with lakhs of salespersons, a clear conclusion emerges:

There are two major enemies of brand sales, or rather, two harmful traits that can severely impact sales performance. These are:

• Laziness
• Ego

Both these traits can:

• Destroy brand sales
• Induce sales decline
• Prevent the achievement of sales targets and growth

By interacting, working with, studying, analyzing, and reviewing lakhs of salespersons, I have found that these two enemies of sales have been the front-runners among the causes of failure in achieving sales goals, as these traits easily become a part of the salesperson’s behavior.

Brand marketing brings a lot of ammunition out of the arsenal, in terms of advertising, product quality and range, margins, promotions, packaging, salaries, allowances, and several other elements, including pricing competitiveness and large networks. However, it is the quality of the soldier, the lieutenant, and the general that makes the difference between winning and losing in brand sales.

When I say soldier, I mean the salesperson; when I say lieutenant, it refers to the area manager; and when I say general, it could be the head of sales nationally. The salesperson’s thinking, attitude, and behavior are as important in distinguishing winning and losing brand sales as any other element of the brand marketing mix.

Hence, it is important to focus on addressing, correcting, and eliminating these two enemies if brand sales are to prosper.

Laziness (alaspan) can manifest in various ways:

• Inability to be on time in the marketplace or for appointments
• Failure to follow reporting systems
• Neglecting to present the product or service range as trained

All lazy habits contribute to the downfall of brand sales. Identifying and eliminating these behaviors is crucial to ensuring long-term success in brand marketing and sales.

Just like in cricket, every bowler must bowl six balls to complete an over. Similarly, in brand sales, a salesperson must make a minimum number of calls daily before considering their work done.

• In pharmaceuticals, a medical representative may need to visit doctors.
• In jewelry and consumer durables, a salesperson may need to make 25 visits or calls.
• In FMCG, a salesperson may need to make 40 visits or calls.
• For cigarettes and soft drinks, a salesperson may need to make 75-80 visits or calls daily.

These targets are determined by both company policies and industry standards. If a salesperson fails to complete their assigned calls, it amounts to laziness, leading to declining sales and unmet sales objectives.

Even if a salesperson makes sporadic calls without regular follow-ups, it still constitutes laziness and hampers brand sales success.

Only regular visits and calls can promote a disciplined approach, leading to growth in sales and brand sales targets being met. Just as every human being is regular about meals, bathing, and sleep to stay healthy and functional, a salesperson must maintain regularity to keep brand sales healthy. Failing to do so can cause them to fall into laziness, leading to a disaster in brand sales.

Almost all companies provide their salespersons with tools to present their products to customers, retailers, distributors, or consumers. However, failing to present the entire range properly or taking shortcuts, cutting corners, and doing incomplete tasks are all symptoms of laziness. These behaviors ultimately prevent a salesperson from achieving the brand’s sales objectives, leading to decline, losses, or over-expenditure, and causing low productivity for both the brand and the company.

Laziness is a big enemy of brand sales. It may appear innocuous, but it is actually a deadly obstacle to achieving brand sales objectives and growth. Imagine a bowler telling his captain that he would bowl only three balls in an over instead of six—would he even be in the team?

Discipline among salespersons means:

• Regularity
• Full range selling
• Complete presentation
• Full coverage
• Making calls as per norms

All these factors, along with many others, must be implemented by a salesperson to be recognized as a true professional. Remember, professionals do not allow laziness to creep into their daily work—they actively avoid this enemy of brand sales at all costs.

The second enemy of brand sales is ego.

Because of an ‘I know it all’ attitude, often hidden behind the curtain of experience, qualifications, or sheer ego, salespersons become unwilling to learn new things. This results in:

• Resistance to adopting new technology
• Unwillingness to explore new techniques
• Avoidance of new customers, new markets, and emerging potential areas

If salespersons are stuck in their ego, they would rather not step into the market because they refuse to keep an open mind. However, sales and ego do not go together.

In my 30 years of experience, I have never seen a successful salesperson who allows ego to interfere with sales. If you hear these statements from any salesperson, be sure that they have adopted the enemy – ego.

Instead of keeping an open mind and embracing learning and growth, some salespersons cling to their ego, allowing competition to take away their sales and causing a decline in sales performance and even potential incentives.

Ahankaar leads to haar – defeat.

Salespersons who are:

• Unwilling to change
• Ridiculing and dismissing new ideas, technologies, and techniques
• Stubborn, adamant, and stuck in their old ways

…have not only accepted ego as an enemy of brand sales, but they have also embraced it.

Every salesperson must actively avoid this second enemy – ego to ensure that brand sales grow and their own career flourishes.

While analyzing a salesperson’s behavior, whether during selection, recruitment, training, or performance reviews, it is critical to identify and remove these two enemies.

If left unchecked, laziness and ego will not only hinder the company and brand’s success, but they will also stunt the career growth of salespersons.

Even a few individuals holding on to these two enemies can drag down the overall performance of the entire sales team, causing significant losses and missed opportunities.

When salespersons meet customers, retailers, distributors, or franchisees to achieve sales targets and business growth, they must consciously eliminate these two enemies—laziness and ego.

If these enemies are not eradicated, both the salesperson and the brand will suffer.

The ultimate recommendation: Avoid ahankaar (ego) and alaspan (laziness) at all costs.