Thomas Dougherty
Contributing Writer
Service Excellence Training
The service industry, in general, is not known for being the most lucrative place to be. Especially for the frontline team members ie: Service Technicians and Sales Consultants. It is typically considered a “blue collar” field with “blue collar” workers earning “blue collar” wages. How many of you had parents that promoted the service industry, as the place to be, growing up? Most parents aggressively pushed college for their kids. “Enter into a “professional” career with tremendous growth opportunities and income opportunities.”
Well, let’s take a look at those professional careers:
Here’s an article excerpt from the New York Times (2010), which list the top 10 professions and salaries:
| Surgeon | $219,770 |
| Anesthesiologists | $211,750 |
| Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $210,710 |
| Orthodontists | $206,190 |
| Obstetricians & Gynecologists | $204,470 |
| Internists, General | $183,990 |
| Physicians and Surgeons, All Other | $173,860 |
| Family and General Practitioners | $168,550 |
| Chief Executive Officers | $167,280 |
| Psychiatrists | $163,660 |
Pretty impressive list, isn’t it?. However, it usually requires 8 to 12 years of college, plus HUGE student loans.
It leads me to ask, “Could a professional sales consultant crack this list? Could a Service professional crack the list?” The simple answer is yes. Sales/Service professionals can and should be paid professionally.
So, what does it take to get into this Top 10 List?
- Become an Expert– These professionals have all invested a GREAT deal of time and money into their educations. They have likely spent 10’s of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars on their educations. They spent thousands of hours studying and as interns, all while holding down jobs to help pay for their educations. Very little, that is worthwhile, comes easily. You will have to invest in your education. Become a subject matter expert. Master your craft.
- Work Hard-If you want to break into the Top 10,hard work is the answer. [Vince Lombardi said it best,] “The dictionary is the only place that you find Success before Work. Hard work is the price you must pay in order to have Success. Those that are willing to pay the price can have as much Success as they want. ”
Are there people in my industry that made the list?
Right now, in the service industry, there are sales professionals that earn up to and above $200,000 in annual commissions. There are HVAC Technicians, Plumbers, making well over $100,000 annually. I know because I have helped train many of them.
What do the top producers in my trade have in common?
Professional Image-Professional pay starts with a professional image. To be different and better, they must look and sound different and better. Here are a few keys for standing out above the crowd:
- Floor savers
- Floor Mats
- Professional Grooming
- Professional Uniform
- Professional Vehicle
- Professional Communication
- Professional Presentation
Exceed Expectations – Professional pay is earned when we exceed our client’s expectations and deliver exceptional service.
- Guide Vs. Push
- Take the time to develop the Relationship
- Thoroughly Evaluate the Client’s Needs
- Remove Anxiety and Fear
- Thoroughly Design Solutions based on Specific Needs
- Offer Options- Solution/Investment
Set Goals– How do you get there if you have no idea where you want to go?
- Specific
- Measurable
- Action Oriented
- Realistic
- Time Bound
Professionals set personal goals with a detailed description and timeline. Results are tracked and measured daily. They can tell you by source what their close rates and average tickets are, as well as commissions earned. When they don’t hit their goals, they can tell you their plan to improve.
No excuses are given because they know that Excuses + Acceptance = Failure. They know that to earn professional pay, they must give professional performance. So, they focus on improvement daily.
What are you doing to improve performance? What investment are you willing to make to get where you want to go?
In the end the results you achieve are a direct reflection of the reflection in the mirror.
Are you a Sales/Service Professional earning Professional pay? YOU should be! You CAN be.
Success is NOT and Accident. It’s a Result.
Thomas Dougherty – business coach and Director of the PRESS PLAY for Sales System Service Excellence Training