It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is probably one of the funniest shows on television. For those who have never seen an episode, you should change that. It is a show about a gang of friends that own a bar in Philly. They are constantly trying to either get rich or establish who is the best. While watching a marathon the other day, an episode caught my eye because it had to do with business practices. The episode, “The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis,” involved three out of the five characters trying to get rich from gas. Their plan was to fill up garbage cans with gas and then hold on to them till there was an even bigger crisis. Then they would be the only place to buy from…therefore, making them rich.
Through the failure of the team to sell any gas, I recognized a couple of important components of a successful sales team. First, the group dynamic was off. They immediately failed because none of them realized their strengths, and they eventually stopped working together. In sales, it is important to recognize your strengths and play them up. If you are a fantastic cold caller, then try to increase the amount of calls you make each day. Business managers should encourage weekly or monthly group meetings. This way, a sales rep that may not be an as successful cold can learn from someone who is. Salespeople should be encouraged to share tactics that work for them. The company and team members will start to see their revenue increase.
As the team goes through the motions of setting up and carrying out their business, they come to realize they do not have a game plan. They don’t have the capital, they can’t get the gas and they don’t know who they are supposed to sell to. It is important to have a solid business plan. Make sure you know your product inside and out and know your target market. If you go off on a wild goose chase for leads, you can’t be successful.
Finally, the team lacked solid communication skills. When they tried to explain to a banker why their business was going to work, they couldn’t, and when they finally got in front of a customer, they didn’t know what to say. Good salespeople should know everything about their product, and they should be able to articulate it. Practice how you are going to interact with potential clients. This might mean role-playing with another sales team member until you have learned everything you need to know. Good communication skills also means actively listening to the customer so you can determine their needs and meet them.
While this may have been a stretch, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia can teach sales reps a thing or two about how not to sell.
