You're not alone.  Perhaps the most difficult job to fill today is  in sales -- particularly if you're selling an intangible service.   Actually, it's nothing new.  The population of really capable, self-sufficient sale professionals is extremely small, while those posing as sales people -- "order takers" -- is reasonably large.  

It's interesting.  Many people believe selling is the easiest thing in the world.  People who believe that can't sell.  Just like any professional, a sales pro knows what he (or she) is doing and why.  Specifically, they know how to find and qualify prospects on their own.  

For some good ideas on finding and developing sales professionals, see:

Where Have All the Sales Professionals Gone?

As 2010 unfolds, a new and different business climate demands new and different plans -- and new solutions to old problems.  There are a lot of good new ideas and solutions to old problems lurking in the minds of your employees.  The challenge, of course, is to get those out into the open.  

How many times have you been in a staff meeting and asked, "Anybody got any suggestions for how to improve our business?".  Silence.  "What do we need to do to solve this problem?"  Silence.  "What's the problem here?"  Silence.  

The problem?  The questions themselves.  Each of these questions require that the employee first determine the root cause of the problem -- not easy to do on the spot.  If they get that right, they have to sort through the several possible solutions and present the best one -- not easy to do on the spot.  And, finally, they have to avoid stepping on toes of co-workers, other departments and your own.  A minefield, to be sure.  

The solution?  A non-threatening, non-judgmental, no--solution-required question that gets you where you want to go.  What's that question?  

The #1 Planning and Organizational Troubleshooting Question

A lot of business owners have told me recently, "I'm back to doing everything again."  Many businesses have been forced to cut staff deeply enough in this recession that the owners and executives had to step back into doing the work, rather than planning, organizing and designing the work.  Working a lot more in their businesses than on their businesses.  

It's easy to get stuck in that rut, and easy to again become the "go-to guy" during times like these.  And dangerous -- letting your employees lapse into dependency upon yourself is a comfortable and easy trap to fall into.  It distracts you from your best and highest use, which is probably getting the company back on its growth track.  

For some ideas on how to get yourself out of the "go-to" guy role, see:

Want Your Employees to be Independent Thinkers?