I was in the process of making the company I worked for a lot of money. Like tens of millions in a short amount of time. I had made contact with a company in my territory and immediately established a good relationship with the decision maker, who just happened to live a mile away from where I grew up. I was also making a lot of contact with other companies we could potentially work and establishing relationships with them.
In comes my boss….here’s the new sales rep! He’s going to split the business with you!
WTF.
I immediately viewed him as a threat and started searching for other jobs.
Then they made me train him. Not only were they giving him half of my territory, they were going to make me train the SOB?!?!
That’s when my attitude changed. It turns out he was out of a job due to the economy and wasn’t looking to step on my toes. He was also very good at selling and building relationships and I realized I could learn a lot from him.
It took a couple years before we became the friends we are today, but he and I still stay in touch even though we’re both at different companies and live hours away.
If you are having to deal with a difficult coworker or sales rep, first try to spend more time with them to see things from their point of view. Not just a 10 minute meeting a day….you need to go on a business trip with them or a long drive to visit a client.
Try this and give me feedback on what you found!
Sales And Money 