The philosopher Confucius simplified it when he said, “Do unto others what you want others to do unto you.” This second definition is very important.

Selling is a two-way relationship. The same applies to managing a sales team. If the team wants to be able to grow beyond what it started out with, it needs to surrender under the guidance of its sales manager. If the sales manager wants to earn the respect of the team, he needs to work hard and earn his sales people’s trust one brick at a time.

I know this much is true: that the Law of Reciprocity is essential to a career in sales.

But as a sales manager, don’t take it as “I did something for you, now you need to do something for me,” kind of relationship. This kind of thinking destroys the whole concept.

The trick is to be IMPLICIT. By doing something really nice, you let your sales people “feel” like they need to do something for you in return, without you mentioning it or even talking about it. Be subtle. But don’t dictate.

All this talk is reminding me of the Trust Account affair. This is true especially for newly-hired sales persons. By “going the extra mile for them” on their base salary, they’d be more inspired to “go the extra mile for you” in their performance. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. All of us were an employee at some point.

Think about it – when was the last time you felt compelled to do something nice because the other person did you a really big favor?

Whether it’s raking dead leaves off your lawn or putting trash barrels back in your garage because you had a late day at work, the feeling to return the favor is definitely present. Now apply this concept to your work as a sales manager. Evoke the Law of Reciprocity. I’m sure you’ll find only good things waiting for you and your career when you establish this kind of two-way relationship with your sales people.

And the best part is that you won’t have to put back my smelly trash barrels…

To learn more about sales management training, get our free video on the sidebar of this post or by clicking here.

Do you believe in the Law of Reciprocity? How does it apply to your work in the office? Leave a comment below.

Are you sailing in life just to make more money?

Or is it the pursuit of balance between your personal success and personal life that keeps you going… even during hard times?

A successful career as a sales manager is a great achievement, a rare feat. But if you don’t balance your office life and your personal life, in the end it’ll leave you with that empty, hollow feeling as if you’ve done nothing and been nowhere at all.

At TopSalesManagerBlog, we are very proud to offer this podcast featuring Mark Warnke, best-selling author of ONO: Options, Not Obligations.

Check out the full podcast here.

Also check out the blog here.

Enclosed is the podcast summary from Brad and Jerry of Salesmanagement20.com:

We are very excited about this episode! We managed to catch up with best-selling author Marc Warnke to discuss his new book, ONO: Options, Not Obligations.  Marc is the founder of the Family First Entrepreneur Movement, an effort to educate entrepreneurs, especially the more successful ones, the importance of getting back in touch with the people in their homes: their families and kids!

Marc offers great advice for sales professionals looking to spend more time to nurture their relationships at home and work fewer hours in the office. He’s teaching business people how to enrich their personal lives by capturing that elusive work-life balance.

Ono is Hawaiian for delicious, and in his book Marc will show you how to achieve, and lead, a truly delicious life.

Parents only have 936 weeks, just about, to spend with their kids from the time they were born to when they leave the nest. Marc asks: how many of those weeks go to your kids? He writes in his book, it depends not on how much money you make, but on how much you save and invest.

How much money do you need to sustain the lifestyle you want for yourself and your kids? Marc encourages everyone to take a look around themselves for material possessions they could throw overboard and live without.

Remember that the lighter the shipload, the faster you can sail to your destination. You can shave years off your ONO timeline if you learn to be thrifty.

Bottom line is, whether you want to travel the world or drive to the countryside with your wife and kids, you’re going to need money. Marc will help you find the right amount to get by without watching their childhood pass by, and how to set yourself on the path to a life of ONO: Options, Not Obligations.

Check out the SalesManagement20.com podcast here.

Other books Marc refers to in the podcast: The Influencer, The Four-Hour Work Week, The Millionaire Next Door, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and Multiple Streams of Income.

To learn more about sales management training, get our free video on the sidebar of this post or by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Reactions to Marc’s book or this blog post, please leave a comment below.