Recent events have brought the topic of racism and it's effects to the headlines. As I watch protests and marches on the news, I thought back to my own experiences in sales. Most notably, I recalled a specific training session we had about 10 years ago.
I was working for a very large insurance company and each month we had a meeting in our regional office. The manager of the office would often bring in a sales coach who would talk to us as a group and later in some breakout sessions. This gentleman was old school, to say the least. He had to be in his seventies and would often quote scripture as he tried to motivate us to sell more life insurance. As our group of a dozen or so was much younger, his words were met with blank stares, even though he was our manager's mentor.
During one of these meetings he looked at a young agent who was Latino and said something like, "You should get out there and sell to your peoples." We looked at each other and shook our heads. The old guy wasn't try to be racist with his words, he was trying to say that the agent should work his warm market. Again, old school.
Not long after, he walked over to a part of the room where two African-American agents were and said something to the effect of "coloreds need life insurance too". One guy was visibly irate. The tension in the room was high. The coach was clueless.
Afterward, several people mentioned this to the manager who was responsible for bringing in the sales coach. He responded with a comment like, "Well, you can't teach an old dog new tricks." In other words, he had no intention of correcting his mentor.
Over the years, I've seen and heard well-meaning managers and co-workers make comments that were insensitive and others that were all out racist. But I have reason to believe that things will get better. As younger generations of sales professionals enter the business, these "old school" veterans will be going out the door. Just like the rest of society, those people who still think in these terms will be marginalized.
Our choice is that we can wait for generational change or we can speed up the process. Attitudes need to change quickly and on a systemic basis, not just waiting for the old guard to retire. We can't just keep giving the benefit of the doubt when someone says something insensitive or outright stupid. Shaking your head isn't good enough anymore.
As my own organization has grown so has the makeup of my sales crew. From my perspective it's a good thing. If I can help someone, especially a new agent, grow their clientele by penetrating any market, it's helps me grow my agency. But you won't see me asking that old guy to speak to my sales team.
Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
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