The Kingmaker
I nearly called this guy the Jedi.
Because I swear these guys know the Jedi Mind Trick.
In under 60 seconds they can have you saying yes to whatever they are selling.
But I didn't want a “Cease and Desist” letter from the Disney legal team for copyright infringement.
So instead I gave him another powerful sounding name…. “THE KINGMAKER”
These guys are super powerful and also super rare.
And by super rare I have only ever come across two in my 27 years in sales, but I have heard through the grapevine about a dozen others that exist across different industries.
To compare these guys to your average salesman is like comparing a guy who plays paintball with his mates on weekends to a SEAL Team 6 Special Ops soldier.
There is no comparison.
He understands people on a level that most of us can only dream of.
He knows what they want, what they fear, what makes them tick, and he uses that knowledge like a master sculptor, chiseling away objections and doubts until all that’s left is a ‘Yes.’
If you are lucky enough to hire one of these guys into your team, you have just won the salesman lottery:
They will break sales records immediately
They will help the other members of the team make sales, including the veterans (if they can swallow their pride and ask for help)
But most of all…THE WILL MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE A KING
And if you are also the company owner, they will boost your company's earnings into a new orbit.
How To Get a Kingmaker Into Your Team
The first thing you have to do is make sure your company is the sort of place a Kingmaker will move to.
A Kingmaker knows his value, so you better be ready with an extremely generous salary and commission structure.
In fact, if you have a capped commissions structure you’re probably never going to see one of these guys walk into your office.
He wants his commissions to be limitless, you should want that too because the more he makes the more you make (normally)
Aside from the cash, this guy is focused, high-energy and super organized and will not tolerate operations or systems that are below his standard.
So your company better have its shit together and be able to handle the business this guy is about to bring in.
If he has his deals slowed down and he can't get what he needs because of a faulty internal process or lack of software, then he will up and leave.
Get your house in order!
Once your house is in order you may now approach a Kingmaker.
Hiring a Kingmaker
This is a two staged strategy.
First stage is locating a Kingmaker within your industry.
This isn’t easy, but also shouldn’t take too long if you have any sense of your marketplace and see where the deals are going and why.
Real estate and property sales, auto sales, insurance, energy, finance, medical equipment, furniture sales or any one of the 1000’s of different industries that are out there, it doesn’t matter.
Each one will have a Kingmaker in it.
They might not be in your immediate area, so don’t be afraid to look far and wide. Even across state borders.
Keep actively looking in your marketplace for about six months, then there will be one or two names that you will keep hearing about doing an amazing amount of deals.
That is when you need to reach out to him simply for a meeting.
This is not to make a job offer. This is just to introduce yourself and start a relationship.
Believe it or not, you are not the first genius that has thought of poaching this guy from his current employer.
He gets offers every other week from dozens of prospective employers in your industry (and others).
And he isn’t about to jump ship just because you offer him a job, even if it is for more money. He likes where he is currently working and will stay there for now.
But at least you have found a Kingmaker, this brings us to Stage 2
Constantly touching base and staying in contact.
Once you have found your Kingmaker, you cannot let a month go by without some sort of meaningful contact or message.
This can be a casual lunch or drinks meeting, an email about something new in your industry, forwarding a relevant Linkedin post, anything that will keep you and your company in the Kingmakers top of mind.
How long do you do this? Good question.
I have a cousin who works in C-Level executive recruiting, specializes in the medical industry.
He said he has no problem spending up to 5 years keeping in contact with a high-calibre potential recruit. Longer if needed.
This is because a Kingmaker rarely leaves one company unless one of two things happens.
The first is that he can become so incredibly unchallenged at his current workplace that he can no longer stand the boredom.
The second and more common one is if has a massive disagreement with his manager or the owner of the company.
A lot of the time this disagreement comes when the owner or manager believes the success of the sales team is due to his strategy alone and had nothing to do with the Kingmaker.
His ego gets so big that he starts to treat the Kingmaker with disrespect. He is no longer grateful for the results he brings in every month.
And just like in a Hollywood movie the King has forgotten who put him on the throne in the first place.
A small disagreement will turn into a huge argument, things will be said that can’t be taken back and the Kingmaker will lose his respect and loyalty for the company.
This is where staying in constant contact with the Kingmaker finally pays off.
He will reach out to you and let you know he is happy to seriously consider an offer.
Now all that time spent building trust finally pays off.
Make your offer, but remember…
DO NOT LOW BALL THIS GUY JUST BECAUSE HE CAME TO YOU. THIS MAY BE YOUR ONLY CHANCE IN THIS LIFETIME TO GET HIM
Also, don’t make the mistake of trying to mold him into your company’s existing culture or processes.
You should be adapting to him. He doesn't need you… YOU NEED HIM
This may seem extreme and going overboard, but that is what a difference this guy can make to your business.
I have seen a situation once in a team of 12 salespeople, the Kingmaker made up 90% of the monthly sales. (this happened regularly)
And the remaining 10% were sales that he assisted on but gave credit to the other salesmen.
I know this because I was one of the 11 other salesmen in that team.
The Good and The Bad
The Good
Once a Kingmaker joins your team, everything changes.
Sales quotas? He crushes them.
Tough clients? They’re putty in his hands.
He’s not just a top performer; he’s a game-changer. The ripple effect of having a Kingmaker in your organization can be felt throughout the entire company.
His success becomes contagious, elevating the performance of everyone around him. He’s the tide that lifts all boats.
He’s willing to mentor others, sharing his secrets and strategies with those who are hungry to learn.
This willingness to elevate others is what truly sets him apart. He’s not just making sales; he’s making other salesmen better.
The Bad
But with great power comes great responsibility—or some shit like that.
A Kingmaker’s relentless drive and high standards can create friction within the team.
Colleagues, especially people who have been at the company awhile, will feel threatened by his success or the ease he seems to achieve it. (A trick btw, he makes it look easy, but again there is a lot going on that the untrained eye doesn’t pick up with these guys)
Some might even resent the way he seems to operate on a different level, playing by his own rules while the rest of the team follows the standard playbook.
And then there’s the risk of complacency. When a Kingmaker is pulling in massive numbers, it’s easy for the rest of the team to start coasting, relying on his results to carry the group.
This can lead to an unhealthy dynamic where the Kingmaker feels like he’s doing all the heavy lifting, while others are along for the ride.
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Kingmaker
This is probably the easiest part of your job.
Just get out of his way and let him do was he was born to do…sell.
And don’t give him a reason to leave.
So, if you’re lucky enough to find one, you need to keep him happy, engaged, and constantly challenged AND COMPENSATED.
Sales Quote of the Week
"The best salespeople know that their expertise can become their enemy in selling." – Jason Fried
Thanks For Reading and Coming Up Next
Thank you again for taking the time to read about the Kingmaker (rarest of salesmen)
Next I will be profiling the “Veterans”
These are the most experienced guys in your sales team and these older soldiers can make or break your sales targets.
If you liked this article please forward it to a friend who may find it useful or a quick fun read.
If you are reading this email and haven’t subscribed then please click this link “Sales Management Trends” and get our welcome email today.