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42 FEDA News & Views Next Salespeople continued ships and show empathy are all necessary arrows in the salesperson's quiver. Sadly, communications training is sorely lacking in higher education. Let me share a small example that led me to this conclusion. My marketing coordinator has worked with me for the last two years of her undergraduate degree in management. We often talk about the classes she is taking and debate how I do everything wrong according to her professors. I was very excited when she enrolled in the required public speaking course. This was right up my alley. In an attempt to help her with her first presentation, I wanted to know about the audience size and room she would be speaking in. With an odd expression, she said she really didn't know. Ok, how many people are in the class? She replied that she wasn't sure. I asked if she had ever attended class. Her response was the most shocking and points to the heart of my conclusion. She said, "Um, it's an online course." She proceeded to tell me that she is supposed to video tape a speech and upload it to a site for her instructor to view. I must add that her instructor was three time zones away. Now I may be a bit thick but how is this supposed to qualify as "public speaking?" I hope she got a discount. One of the other challenging fac- tors this generation is bringing to the table is a reliance on asynchro- nous communication. Simply put, they don't speak face to face. You see it every day, and I must admit that I am guilty as well. Texting and emailing do not require two people to occupy the same moment in time. While this practice appears to be highly efficient, one can argue that the positives are outweighed by the lack of context and nuance of a conversation. How many times have you sent an electronic message and it was taken the wrong way (I'm talking to you mister all caps). If 93 percent of all communication is non-verbal, how can asynchronous correspondence be efficient at all? I suspect that their might be a fear of personal interaction. I often ask my office mate to fix a website issue or do something a little different with one of our marketing pieces. As I watch her battle through to find a solution, I am amazed that picking up the phone is not one of her tools. She will get the answer, I guarantee that, but she would rather slog through a mountain of web advice versus speaking to a live human being. I have spoken to several of my contemporaries and they have all observed the same phenomenon with their junior employees. Verbal communication is deemed less reliable. A Great Source for Sales Recruits Before I am accused of writing a whining piece, I would like to offer some solutions to this impending crisis. There are a couple of areas where sales-minded individuals can be found. With regard to college students, I would comb the ranks of the amateur athletes. Several manufacturers I used to be involved with have found reasonable success recruiting these young competitors. Several years ago, a sales manager mentioned that he goes after collegiate athletes when looking to fill a sales job, but he goes one step further. He believes that individually- timed competitors, such as swimmers or track athletes, make the best sales candidates. It probably had something to do with being a swimmer at LSU in his college days, but he has a valid point. Those who excel in individual sports have several of the same characteristics as those who excel in selling positions. Introduce yourself to coaches at a local school. There may be some diamonds in the rough. Another possible source are recent veterans from the armed services. While teamwork is stressed, individual accountability is a core concept in the training. A couple of clients, who focus on hiring vets, claim that the work ethic, maturity and discipline of service people have been a welcomed addition to their team. A few years on the belt doesn't hurt either. One client has announced that he won't hire anyone under 40 anymore. Don't overlook those who are looking for the last stop in their career. Before I leave you, I would be remiss in not suggesting that sales is not for everyone. Some have the right basic temperament and others will find it extremely chal- lenging to excel in the profession. Do yourself a favor and try to fig- ure this out before you invest a ton of money in training. A client of mine has invested considerable time and money in a testing program designed to draw out the basic characteristics necessary to predict sales success. Based on their work with an analytics group, this client has been able to successfully reduce the number of "wash outs" in their sales organization. Furthermore, they have been able to pinpoint specific weaknesses in individuals and offer specific training designed to overcome the challenge. If the education system is not going to produce salespeople, employers must take on the responsibility. Fortunately, there are several options out there. Beyond the Carnegies and Toastmasters of the world, several of my cohorts offer training seminars and coaching for the sales profession. Good salespeo- ple are not the product of trial by fire methods. Professional development and investment is the best way to take good raw materials and make them great. Good luck and I am always here to help. About the Author: Jason Bader is the managing partner of The Distribution Team, a firm that specializes in helping distributors become more profitable through strategic planning and operating efficiencies. The first 20 years of his career were spent work- ing as a distribution executive. Today, he is a regular speaker at industry events and spends much of his time coaching individual distribution companies. For more information, call (503) 282-2333 or contact him by e-mail at Jason@ Distributionteam.com. Also visit The Distribution Team's website at www.thedistributionteam.com. Those who excel in individual sports have several of the same characteristics as those who excel in selling positions. Introduce yourself to coaches at a local school. There may be some diamonds in the rough.