From Territory Manager to Director: 4 Key Lessons I’ve Learned in My 16-Year Career with Ritchie Bros.

Since joining Ritchie Bros, I’ve been a Territory Manager in large rural areas and in metropolitan areas, a Regional Sales Manager covering Arizona and New Mexico and a Sales Director covering five states in the Southwest. After our merger with Iron Planet I was asked by our CEO to help establish a new Sales Effectiveness team, which is where I am today.

In my current role, I’m a ‘jack of all trades’ but focused on helping our Sales teams maximize their time and effectiveness in serving our customers. On any given day, I could be talking to our sales folks, technical team, operations team, legal team, customers – you name it.

Every day is different but after all this time, I still learn something new almost every day. It’s in this spirit that I want to share some of the biggest lessons I’ve taken away throughout my rewarding career with Ritchie Bros.

1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Don't feel like you have to know the answer to everything. In our business, you can't know it all. We handle every brand and every type of machine: Construction, Agricultural, Transportation, Aerial/Lifting, Classic Cars, even Airplanes, Helicopters and Marine. It’s impossible to know everything.

Once you’ve got your network of trusted advisors established, you can get the answer to almost any question by just asking someone in our organization or customer base.

One of the most valuable sources of knowledge is your customers. I've learned more about equipment from my customers than anybody, because they're passionate about it. For many it’s like talking about their babies. They love to talk equipment and they love to teach you. So if you don’t know something – just ask!

2. Focus on building valuable relationships with your customers

When it comes to your customers, it’s not about taking – you have to give. So much of this comes down to being empathetic, reading your customer, finding out what they really need, providing solutions to their problems and adding value for them.

If a customer looks busy when you visit them, respect that. Trust me: they were not waiting on you to walk through the door. They were busy doing something when you walked in or called them on the phone. Ask them if it’s a good time for them. This may mean you have to set up another time. When you do walk into their office or call them, ALWAYS have something useful and of value to them – information that will help them solve problems or help their business. It’s gestures like this that help solidify strong, long-lasting partnerships with your customers.

3. Treat everyone like a customer

Everyone is a ‘customer’ in the sense that everyone deserves to be treated with respect. For instance, when I was a Regional Sales Manager, my Territory Managers were my biggest customers and now as a Sales Director our RSMs are my biggest customers. They're what I call ‘internal customers’ – and they’re just as important as the people we’re selling to because if they’re calling me, they need something to help our external customers.

In fact, if you really want to soar in life, don’t turn this attitude off when you come home. One of the things I love most about sales is how the principles of what makes a top salesperson transfer into making our personal lives better as well. Even though it can be really hard to do, don’t ‘shut down’ when you get home. Treat your spouse and children like your biggest customers too. Really listen to them, be positive and upbeat, and if requested, help them solve their problems. Treating everyone like your customers is a handy little secret to a better life.

4. Be persistent

You can get straight As in school and still not succeed in life if you have the wrong attitude and give up easily. ‘A’ students often end up working for ‘C’ students. Why? It’s pretty simple really: ‘C’ students have tasted failure before. They know that failure is not the end of the world. They know that they have to work hard and work successfully through others to succeed.

For me, having a strong work ethic and dealing positively with disappointments has been a key to success. Everybody has bad days – but you have to keep smiling and be persistent. YES, it’s hard to do but you can ALWAYS control your attitude. When things go bad, don’t go bad with them. Be intentional about this and decide to stay positive no matter what. In every bad situation, you can find something good. So find it and work from there. Focus your time and energy on what is in your control and roll with things outside of your control. This will help you excel as a salesperson, or in any career you pursue.

Now it’s your turn: what lessons have helped you get where you are today? I’d love to read your comments!