When the No-Po Protects their Turf

Most No-Po’s make it a career to be a No-Po. You don’t just walk into an organization and become a No-Po overnight. You have to demonstrate enough clueless skills to convince those around you that you have been put out to pasture. Just to recap the personality traits of a No-Po is someone who lacks influence within the organization to make any purchasing decisions. They are a sophisticated gatekeeper and in the sales training world, my No-Po’s are tired old sales guys who need to be in some sales capacity. Solution = Training Director. They put them in the training organization to manage the slimy vendors who barrage them with endless phonecalls and demand their attention. I’m not one of theses of course.

So they hold steady and protect their turf. They actually hate vendors and because they once knew how to sell, they also hate salespeople.  When they protect their turf, they discourage any solution you might be able to provide and downplay any needs they have. Ultimately, they are competing with you and that’s why they protect their turf. Admitting to needing your service will confirm to their managers that they are deficient in this area so why were they hired? So, they are threatened by you because you possibly could contribute to their jobs being eliminated. 

So how do No-Po’s protect their turf? The following includes things they do to vendors:

Discourage you from calling their boss

Avoid giving you the name of their boss or anyone else within their company

Claim they are set and things are under control

Complain they have way too many initiatives before they even begin to consider your solution

They will not endorse you and provide you with a reference to someone else

They continue to be friendly and ask that you call them next year (with that insipid smile on their face).

 So I say, enjoy that turf you are so tightly protecting and be ready for the next new job offer.