|
Maybe I'm idealistic. I believe in teamwork. It is really hard to get anywhere in this world if we don't work together as a team. I understand the individualistic/competitive spirit. After all, I AM an American, and most psychological studies that I've heard of label Westerners as more individualistic than the cooperative Easterners. But I don't really think this is true... at least not anymore.
In the states, there was always the competitive spirit, but I guess I've never been in the position where the competitive spirit would be of any harm to the Organization. "Teamwork" was always the focus of the work that I did...
Today I work in a Chinese Company. We recently expanded and have not yet acquired the number of orders to make our company profitable. I am a sales representative. My job is to make sure we secure clients. I currently make calls to the US looking for clients interested in meeting with us. I have two supers who asked me to make calls for them. Each gave me a list of clients to call and make appointments with. I called and I called and got a number of appointments. Thing is, I figured that they were all new clients and it didn't matter which super each client went to. I just kinda scheduled it so that a super was there and a client was there. I didn't think it'd be a big deal to give the client a wider range of dates to choose from. One group's hitting new york in early february, the other is hitting it in late february. Gives us more of a chance to get the client. What's so wrong with that? I mean, if there was an established relationship already, ok, that client needs to go with that super, but shiite, they're NEW CLIENTS. If anything, these are MY clients. The companies don't even know who my supers are! I'm the one calling the darn people and making the appointments. Is it that important to mark your "territory"??? If it really is territory, why give it to me to call in the first place?
The client is the important person. OUR convenience or pride perhaps, is sacrificed for client convenience. The way I see it, that's the way it should be. How was I supposed to know that they'd get all prickly when I pulled "HER" customer to the other super? Our job as a sales "team" is to work together to locate clients that are open to purchasing our product. It doesn't really matter WHO closes the sale. As long as we work together, every closure is a celebration. you know?
or at least, that's my perception of teamwork... maybe I'm wrong.
|