You’ve probably heard the well-worn story about the genius engineer who charged a hefty fee for what seemed like a tiny fix.
Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865–1923), the electrical wizard of his time, was called in when Henry Ford’s River Rouge plant faced a stubborn generator problem that baffled Ford’s own engineers.
Steinmetz observed quietly for days, making calculations no one understood. Then, he pulled out a piece of chalk, marked one precise spot on the generator, and told the team exactly what to do. Problem solved.
Ford, impressed but skeptical, balked at the $10,000 invoice for what looked like five seconds of work. Steinmetz’s now-famous itemized bill read:
- Making chalk mark on generator: $1
- Knowing where to make chalk mark: $9,999
Sales managers: Do you know where to make your chalk mark when fixing a sales performance problem?
Too often, we aim for the obvious and default to teaching or reteaching “more hard skills.” Don’t get me wrong—hard skills are vital. But after working with hundreds of sales organizations, I’ve seen that many missed revenue targets have nothing to do with hard skills. The real culprit? Soft skills—especially emotional intelligence.
Here’s an example.
A rep consistently fails to establish clear next steps with prospects. You coach them—again—on exactly what to say. They nod in agreement. And then… nothing changes.
Before you reach for the “let’s drill the script one more time” playbook, take a closer look at your chalk mark. The root cause might be low assertiveness and self-awareness.
When a prospect says, “Call me in a couple of weeks,” a rep lacking assertiveness defaults to people-pleasing mode. “Okay, I’ll give you a call back in two weeks.” There is no real commitment or date on the calendar. The salesperson follows up leaving multiple emails and voicemails.
They are officially in chase mode or worse---sales stalker mode.
The fix. Dig into your salesperson’s beliefs systems which are telling them, “Don’t be pushy.” When you understand a salesperson’s belief systems, then and only then can you help them be aware of these limiting beliefs and the impact on their sales success. With increased awareness, you teach them to be more assertive, asking for what you need nicely. You can create positive belief systems. Being assertive is not pushy. It’s professional clarity.
Sales performance problems are rarely solved by grabbing the nearest wrench and tightening the most obvious bolt. Like Steinmetz, your value as a sales leader lies in diagnosing the right end of the problem—and making your mark exactly where it matters most. In sales, that chalk mark is often on the softer side of the selling skills.
Good Selling and Leading!
