Incompetent Salesman

I am a commercial lender for a local bank in Memphis, TN.  My job requires me to be equal parts credit analyst, special assets (aka bad loans) specialist, customer service, and, yes, salesman.  In a typical week, I am on the job about 45-50 hours.  About 10 hours is wasted because I tend to procrastinate, but some of that is made up with weekend work or homework.

My sales goal this year is $6 million in net loan growth – approximately $7-8 million total if you consider payoffs throughout the year.  That’s a hefty goal when you consider I only did $3 million last year.  Most of my growth last year was from existing clients.  But, this year doesn’t appear to offer that luxury.  With a small portfolio, I anticipate that 80% of my goal must be met from new clients.  If I am being honest with myself, I would suggest that only 10-20% of that time is spent on sales.

This is my dilemma.  I am an incompetent salesman.  I lack that innate ability to make people instantly love me.  I often struggle with asking for the business.  But, more to the point, I have a hard time actually starting the process from the beginning.

The truth is, I am a damn good banker.  I won’t say it out loud to my coworkers, but maybe three people here have a better grasp on managerial accounting than me.  I can look at a business and quickly ascertain their strengths, weaknesses, and creditworthiness.  Once I start to write an analysis, it turns out better than most on the first try.  If I happen to reread (which rarely happens) and edit, I could win a Pulitzer for my insightful remarks.  Maybe that’s a little much, but credit underwriting is my unique strength.

Thus, once a company actually begins working with me, I generally have a customer for life.  I quickly learn enough about a business to be a trusted consultant and many of my customers ask me for thoughts on a regular basis.

It’s getting a business to move their accounts that alludes me.  I am an incompetent salesman.  But, that is going to change.

Starting today I will do something to sell everyday.  When I do, I will write about it.  If I find a helpful tip or a good story to share, it will be here.  If I screw up, it will be here.  If I need to vent, it will be here.  Along the way, I hope to improve my results as a salesperson.

I am an incompetent salesman.  But, not for long.