1. My customer has an event that day (You should have invited them sooner)2. No one at my customer golfs (can’t see that being true)3. They are not allowed to golf (can’t see that being true)
Once you have bought into the fact that golfing is important to sales, you also need to know the ground rules. Here are a few of the rules that I live by when golfing with clients:
Golfing is the greatest opportunity to build a relationship or ruin one. Make the most of the opportunity so they want to golf with you again. After all, they probably get hundreds of offers .. and they will golf with those that the have a good relationship with, not the jerk.
‘I have been plagued by a gnawing sense of insecurity since childhood, something that I have tried to work on for years. I didn’t always like myself and found it hard to have confidence in myself or my work. Friends and family would often be frustrated when paying me a compliment because I never wanted to believe them. I thought that they were only saying the words to be nice. But for some reason, turning 40 is making me look at my life and the things that I have accomplished differently. What I am realizing is that I really do have some good stuff under my belt. I am realizing that I am the only one holding me back and that I can have another 40 remarkable years if I let myself. I am beginning to truly believe that age is only a number and that the soul is only as old as you feel”. Read the article here.
My brother was the kid who grew up golfing. A group of them saved their money, got golf memberships and that is all that they did in the summer: golf. He worked at the golf course with a bunch of my friends .. and loved it. He grew up a scratch or low single digit golfer, fated to be a doctor (He is a surgeon). I did not golf.
I started golfing when I was 29. I was working for Dell Computer as an Account Executive and began to quickly realize that the people I worked with (clients – specifically executives and middle management) golfed. Seemed to me that everyone golfed except me.
So, I started golfing. Candidly, it was something that I had to do and I have come to realize that in relationship selling, it is one of my top 10 ‘must haves’ for sales success.
Where else do you get 5 hours with a client? Surely not in a meeting (Although I have sat through my fair share of 5 hour meetings). It provides the opportunity for you to learn about their personal life and what they are like away from the office (serious, playful, thoughtful).
It is also a great opportunity for your clients to get to know you, what you stand for, who you are. All of these things help build understanding and that relationship bridge. It helps you build trust faster than 10 lunches or 20 meetings.
So, if you are in a sales role where relationships are important, I would suggest golf. It was one of the best investments I ever made. Plus, I love telling people that I ‘had’ to start golfing (smile). I wish I ‘had’ to more things like this ….
Body language is an interesting thing. The impact of a smile, the message of a slouch or crossed arms. A simple overview:
Arms
The most obvious pointer concerns what you do with your arms. Crossing your arms over your chest indicates a defensive, almost hostile attitude. People will be afraid to approach you or think that you’re closed-off this way. Your arms form a “blockade” keeping you at a distance from others.
When people have an unfavourable impression of you, they develop a schema (a sort of script) on how to converse or interact with you before you even meet. Keep your arms at your side, or if you’re holding a drink, don’t be afraid to switch hands once in awhile to reach out and speak with people.
Legs
If you’re sitting, you may think crossing your legs is comfortable or attractive, but the truth is that you’re subconsciously sending out signals that you’re a bit closed off.
This has the same logic as crossing your arms – it’s a subconscious signal you’re sending to tell people that you’re not sociable.
Hands
This is a simple one. Don’t wring your hands – it’s a dead giveaway that you’re nervous or anxious. One trick is to hold a drink in your hand. Not only does this make you seem more sociable, it stops you from wringing them!
When shaking hands with others, make sure you have a firm grip. A sloppy handshake can do more damage to interpersonal relationships than you think.
Torso
Believe it or not, the position of your torso when speaking to people says a lot about you. Make sure your entire body faces a person when you’re talking to them. This way, you convey a feeling of friendliness and it tells others that you’re giving them your full attention.
Facial Expressions
Lastly, your facial expression is essential to the image that you project. It’s especially important because most people don’t even realize what their faces are saying to others about them since people are not looking in the mirror all the time.
A few weeks back I was at a meeting and the person called me out, stating that they found my defensive body language very interesting. In that case, they were completely right, because the topic was bugging me. Great observation.
VIA .
Off to IKEA we go, 16 frames acquired. Kitchen prepared, tools laid out, time to begin the project when the conversation begins: “Now, take your time. We know what has happened before” (Correctly referring to errors made in the past).
I am bound to succeed. I work it all out on a grid. I calculate every measurement. I spend more than an hour preparing before a single hole is drilled. I check and recheck measurements. I re-measure, 2, 3 times. Confident in my cautious and fool proof approach, I drill 16 holes. I insert 16 screws. I put up the first frame.
I put up the second and third frame … DANGER Will Robinson .. they don’t fit.
What? But I measured, I prepared, I checked and triple checked? I KNEW THAT FAILURE WAS NOT AN OPTION.
You see, when I prepared my measurements, I used the dimensions that are printed on the IKEA frames to create the grid. Turns out those dimensions are internal dimensions not external dimensions. My measurements were off by 3 CM per frame. So while this is a good cliché and ‘generally’ true. There are exceptions.
Next time, travel to the store – hire a handyman. Much better plan.
I am not sure how this hit my email inbox, but it did and I set it aside. There are some interesting nuggets:
If you are currently a sales manager (Director of Sales, VP of Sales, etc.) or an aspiring sales manager, where do you get your training? If you are like me, you learned on the job by being promoted into management based on your success and communication skills with your fellow account managers. More times than not, you were selected by senior management because you were the best person at the time of the position vacancy.
(Comment: Not the most profound of insights. One would hope you got promoted because you were the best candidate?)
Back in the 70’s, Dr. Laurence Peter wrote a book called The Peter Principle. It focused on how, quite often, individuals are promoted beyond their level of competency (i.e., a good salesperson may not make a good sales manager). So, many of us were never trained on how to manage and strategize sales and salespeople when we started out. If anything, we have been educated through publications, mentors, and common sense based on our own personal experiences with other managers.
(Comment: I am note sure what the point of the ‘Peter Principle’ is. Of course people get promoted past their current competency, that is how people grow. One could argue that people are promoted based on a core competency: the ability to grow and succeed in a role. After all, would I promote someone who did not have the skills and could not grow to meet the goals? Of course the answer is no.)
To be a successful sales manager today, you need advanced human, business, and sales management skills that will help you and your team reach the corporate sales quota profitably.
Based on my experiences, I’ve collected the top ten variables to be a successful sales manager in today’s economy (not in any particular order):
1. To succeed in sales management, you need a large ego that is manageable. Daily, you will be tested about your business model theorems and programs, so you need to be strong enough to deal with being critiqued by your boss and your team members simultaneously and be confident enough to stand your position when you know you are right.
2. You must understand sales forecasting and have business vision. It is the key to successful sales program efficiency and evaluations.
3. To be a successful sales manager (and to get paid correctly), you need to understand the variables that are involved in your sales representatives’ quota calculation and its accuracy potential.
4. You must understand paperwork, because all sales managers have it in some volume. Off-line or online, your life will include management and review of sales quotas, expense reports, proposals, employee performance reviews, and sales forecasts.
5. You must have a sense of humor. Sales management by its very nature is a dog and hero syndrome. Some days you’re loved and some days you’re not on everyone’s holiday list. Being able to laugh will get you through the tough days.
6. You must understand technology and marketing strategy. No, not the programming and technical code intricacies of development, but general IT capabilities of your product or service (and yes, I have met sales managers in IT who were technology phobic).
7. Respect for the customer. Senior management teams of Fortune 1000 firms are suspect at best when dealing with salespeople. They have dealt with car salespeople, real estate salespeople and telemarketing firms. Just because your product is more sophisticated does not mean that senior management prospects will trust you. By showing respect to the prospect, you will develop their long-term trust and greater sales opportunities.
8. You must have the flexibility of a poker player to succeed as an IT sales manager. The IT business arena is continually changing. Being rigid in your operational policies and your sales model will only cause failure. Sometimes you just need to roll with your sales team to get the big deals.
9. You must be able to sell IT professional services and applications. You do not have to be the firm’s number one salesperson, but you have to prove to the management team and your account managers that you’ve been there and done that. Credibility always makes allies.
10. You must care about your sales team. Yes, at times they may increase your blood pressure, but they are just like you. They have wives, husbands, significant others, mortgages, car loans, and children. Treat them the way you were treated (or the way you wanted to be treated when you worked for a sales manager). They don’t work for you – they work with you. Hey – it’s only a job.
(Comment: I don’t agree with all of this, but it is food for thought, and that is good enough. I would absolutely make Number 10 – Number 1. One of the mistakes I see all the time. It is all about the team)
“You must manage as if you need your employees more than they need you.”
Interesting quote.
Had a bad day? Your boss isn’t treating you well? Your wife just ran off with the mailman and your pet ferret? Did some kids egg your house?
Well, if you are in sales, leave it at home. When you walk out that door, check your emotional luggage at the door because it is not about you. In sales, always remember it is about the person you are serving, not you. It is about what is bugging them, not you.
This point was brought home to me by my local vet. He may be great with my dog, but when I speak to him he:
1. Is always grumpy. I have never seen him smile.
2. Takes my questions as personal attacks and responds with indignation, how dare I question HIM?
3. He is rude. All the time.
4. He has a sense of entitlement, like I should be using him to support the local community.
He really ticks me off and so I use him as little as possible and his business is under performing (I have heard him complain about the lack of ‘local support’ and had more than one neighbor say they will not go back). The community votes on his sales skills with the mighty dollar, something that he does not see a lot of.
If you are going to use the vet’s approach, you better have the best product on the planet, more demand than supply and a strong propensity for saving because as soon as this dynamic changes your customers will flee.
Remember: It is not about you.
In life, people are so preoccupied with moving ahead, getting to the next level that they forget that to get to the next level, you must do your current task/job/role well.
That does not mean that you cannot be vigilant about new opportunities or that next big job. On the contrary, as a personal services corporation , it is good business to always be on the look out. But, if you are new to a role or in the middle of a challenge, it is hard to have your head thinking about the next role while dealing with the present.
My philosophy: Dig in, build a strong foundation, get the machine in the right direction and gaining speed, then stick your head up and look around.
At a high speed, the wind in your face is quite refreshing …..
14-3/0.5 Local Rule Permitting Use of Distance-Measuring Device
Q. May a Committee, by Local Rule, permit the use of distance-measuring devices?A. Yes. A Committee may establish a Local Rule allowing players to use devices that measure distance only. However, the use of devices that gauge or measure other conditions that might affect a player’s play (e.g., wind or gradient) is not permitted.
In the absence of such a Local Rule, the use of a distance-measuring device would be contrary to Rule 14-3. (New)
While on vacation I read an interesting book: the handbook of coaching. It was not what I expected.
It is a book that explains how to become a professional coach, like an executive coach or life coach. I have always told my wife that she would make an amazing executive coach, as she really understands people and how to manage.
One chapter I found particularly interesting was the do’s and don’ts of management coaching. Interesting thoughts:
I personally found the don’ts very interesting and a good lesson as I have found myself saying ‘Well, I did it this way’ instead of saying ‘Have you tried or considered doing it this way (Without a personal reference)’.
Interesting. Always learning.
This is a powerful statement. I believe that when you really do not know, the best thing to do is admit it. But, I have watched in fascination as people try to cover up when they do not know. Invariably, they lose credibility because if the person asking the question really wants to know, they will continue to question until the truth becomes knows: the person does not know. Why do people attempt to cover up? A few suggestions:
1. They should know. Not knowing will make them look bad.
2. They believe that not knowing is a sign of weakness. So, they will not admit it at any cost, even their credibility.
3. They are being put on the defensive. Those animal instincts of survival kick in and they fight back instead of rationally admitting the truth.
4. They think that they know, lending credence to the old saying ‘You don’t know what you don’t know’. Or in this case, ‘You don’t know that you don’t know’. I have seen this many times in technical scenarios where people blather on with a technical answer that goes around in circles and really does not answer the question. It is frustrating.
In any case, if you don’t know something – there is a simple solution:
1. If you should know, respect everyone’s time and state: “That is a great question, I should know that. (Apologize if necessary). I will get that information to you by (Insert time and date)’.
2. If you just don’t know and it is something you are not expected to know: ‘I do not know. Let me follow-up with you after the meeting. Can I get the answer to you by (Insert time and date)?’
A simple way to maintain your credibility while dealing with the question at hand. I mention all of this because a few weeks ago I got sloppy on my forecasting review and was in both situation 1 and 3. I should have simply said ‘I don’t know’.
PowerPoint and presentations are a hotly debated topic. Tom Peters has some great insight into presenting here.
But, who is a great presenter? Who do you look to? An interesting point comparing Steve Jobs to Bill Gates is made here (With some good tips), but I am not sure that I agree that Jobs is better than Gates. Jobs takes the ‘simple’, ‘jeans and running shoes’ folksy approach, which resonates well with the Apple market (To use a stereotype that has more than a few grains of truth). Below is a Jobs slide ..
Note the simplicity. Now, one could argue, what else would he put on the slides? The Apple market play is pretty limited.
Gates takes a much different approach, while addressing a much broader audience (consumer, small/medium and enterprise businesses). Below is a slide from CES.
I have seen both present and both have an impact. In the end, it is about style. Jobs resonates with one crowd, Gates with another. For those who have seen me present, I have a specific style and I connect with crowds in a specific way.
Each presenter must become comfortable with their style and then make that style the best that it can be. In my mind, the questions that each presenter should ask themselves is:
1. What is my style? Forceful, analytical, etc.
2. How can I improve it? (Who can you learn from, does it resonate with your target audience)
3. Am I bound to only one style? Do I have the ability to morph to meet the requirements of different audiences?
A few weeks ago, I was asked to do a presentation to a group of about 50 people. I had to cover 2 topics with a 3 hour slot.
The first topic was my business. I know my business. This was the ‘easier’ of the two. The second topic was on the future of the home, entertainment and new business opportunities. This is not my area of expertise.
Many people would have done a bad or mediocre job of this, it had all trappings of a potential train wreck. I knew this could happen, and applied the following ‘personal presentation tenants’ to ensure that it was successful:
1. I practiced. I stood in my hotel room the night before and dry ran the presentations for about 6 hours. When I dry run, I stand up and run the content as if I am presenting. Every time I ran through it, I grew more confident with the content and with my ability to deliver. My advice is that for an important meeting or a presentation, dry run it to increase the likelihood of success and your confidence. Talking out loud in the car, or in a hotel might seem silly at the time, but it works.
2. I made the content mine. I have seen many canned (pre-built) decks delivered in a very wooden way. These deliveries are significantly different than ones where the speaker is passionate and took the time to customize the deck to their own message and for their audience. I brought together several decks to build the messages that I wanted to deliver. Most people take a deck, and deliver it verbatim. If you make the deck ‘yours’, it is apparent to the audience.
3. It was a show. Anyone can read from a slide. The talented presenter knows the content cold and makes the deck ‘come alive’. Use humor, videos and personal anecdotes to connect with the audience, to entertain and make the presentation stand out from others. That is what makes it memorable, your delivery – not the slide.
4. Jazz it up: Take a look at the templates and clipart that you can get free from the Microsoft site. Now, do not focus on glitz over content – but if you put the effort in, it shows.
5. Keep it simple: A slide should not be 42 points.
I use the rule of thumb: What is the single point I am making on a slide? Anything else on it should drive to that point. You do not need to squint to see the content of my slides because they are not cluttered.
Back to that event, it went off without a hitch and people found the presentations interesting and helpful. A plan came together.
A toxic colon is a major factor in the development of food intolerance leading to chronic ill health. You cannot expect to be well if the main organ responsible for ridding the body of toxic waste is under-functioning. When the colon is irritated by diet, stress, drugs, chemicals, and other substances, it tries to protect itself by producing more mucus. This additional mucus can bind with the sludge from refined foods, such as white flour, and build up on the wall of the bowel, narrowing the lumen. This layer of gluey, hardened feces can weigh several pounds and is a good place for harmful organisms to breed.
I think one of the funniest scenes (Maybe the only funny scene) in the movie The Weather Man is when he is told to pick up the take-out and, WHATEVER HAPPENS, don’t forget the tartar sauce. The whole time he keeps saying to himself .. ‘tartar sauce, tartar sauce, tartar sauce’, but random things start popping up. In the end, he forgets, it is the last straw and results in their separation.
Now, I do not know about other men, but I have been upstairs helping Narda put the boys to bed and been asked me to run downstairs and get something. On many occasions, I have run downstairs, done several other things .. taken an extra 10 minutes because I walked by the TV or computer and got distracted .. And returned upstairs to that look of ‘where is the item that I asked you to get that does not appear to be in your hands?’ Yup, many times.
So, on the weekend I had to jump out and do a couple things (get to the bank, go get some hot-tub chemicals) and was asked to go into the grocery store and pick up 10 items. The grocery store is a scary place for a married man. Now, I know that for the single man, it is an exciting place. There are many articles on how to meet women, and they all suggest the supermarket late at night. Well, I can assure you, to the married man it is not that green field .. It is a mine field filled with all kinds of things that we put in the shopping cart when we are accompanied by our better half, only to have them quickly pulled out of the cart when we are not looking.
So, I enter the grocery store. My first observation is of all the other men like me. One hand on the cart, the other holding a list, with that look of ‘WHAT F$%^ING AISLE IS TARTAR SAUCE IN?’ Yes, frustrated, concentrating while still looking very lost.
My second observation, my TOTALLY amazing wife has put everything in order! HA! It works from left to right. I smile at the poor bastard beside me. What is that? Your list reads vegetable (1st aisle), condiment (8th aisle), milk (back), another veggie (1st aisle), bread (9th aisle), feminine product (3rd aisle), pie (front) .. She must be mad at you. Sucker.
I then proceed to go after the 10 or 12 items on the list. Now, this is where I get to the part where men really need supervision. Over the next hour (Yup, it was a slow process) I ran into 2 people that I knew, and well, that just threw my rhythm off … One must chat. I laughed and compared lists with my Insurance Broker … men out on a mission (To which he mentions how his daughter got him, asking him to pick her up a bottle of wine from the store as he walked out .. now he is doing his wife and his daughter’s list). I digress. So, up and down I go and … and I end up with a full cart. And I mean FULL. There were so many things that I had forgotten that I really needed for the house … And of course, this is where my wife and I have a difference of opinion. She likes buying only what we need, I am a bulk up kind of guy. I am the ‘you never know when we could get snowed in for a month, better stock up! Lets go to Costco’ kind of guy. Why buy it over 4 visits when you can do it all at once and store it? (Which is why I came home with 4 bottles of Plax, 6 Lysol, and a few other things on the list that I multiplied by a factor of 4 to 6).
I also ended up with 2 fresh lobsters, 2 jumbo milk chocolate bars (in case we want real hot chocolate), 2 boxes of Dutch cookies, 2 types of ice cream, 4 bottles of wine, light bulbs, 5 bags of bulk candy (for my office), and a host of other things .. But I forgot to get a plunger.
And you know what was amazing? Everything I put in the cart, stayed in the cart and arrived safely at the till. Amazing.
In the end, I got every item on the list. But the 10 item, $40 list turned into a full trunk and $350. Maybe I do need supervision.
Every since I was a little boy, my mother drilled into me that my name is ‘Michael’, not ‘Mike’. When friends would call the house, she had been known for her response of ‘We do not have a Mike here, we do have a Michael’. Most people call me Michael, mission accomplished.
But, there are a few who call me Mike, even though my business cards uses Michael, my email says Michael and I introduce myself as Michael.
I really do not care, but it sends a negative message to me. That person does not really care about me as an individual. If they did, they would have picked up on my preference with regard to my name, which is a very personal thing.
And that creates a small doubt in my mind about that person. Do they pay attention to other details? If they do not care now, what spurs them to care?
For the person in sales, any doubt or dissonance is bad. For the manager, there are two messages that you can send people when you meet them. It is all about the details.
Two leadership thoughts:
“The best leader is the one that can be replaced. When that leader disappears for a time, the team continues on successfully. That leader created a team of leaders, who’s long term goals and team dynamics supersede any leader”. (Me: Reflecting on the fact that the truly strong leader should not look at this fact as ‘I can be replaced easily’, but as ‘I built an amazing team’.
“He was not a bad leader because of the decisions he made. He was a bad leader because he did not make decisions” 1st Sgt. commenting on Lt. Dike, Band of Brothers, Episode 6.
Band of Brothers is one of the greatest war movies (It is actually a 10 part series) ever made for so many reasons. It shows the sacrifice that these men made, the people speaking in the episodes are actual survivors and it is based on facts. These are true heroes and when my boys are old enough, I will sit down with them and watch this end to end. Our youth should know from where their freedom came.
It also provides very interesting perspectives on leadership. There are many leaders in the series, really bad ones and many ‘quiet’ leaders. The most notable is the leader who moves from platoon, to company to battalion leader through humility, strength of character and a clear belief that he would not send men to do that which he would not do himself – he lead by example.
The concept of quiet leadership is tackled in a Best of HBR collection: Stealth Leadership. In every article they focus on the perseverance of the quiet leader who leads continued change and growth. This is a marked shift from the towers of industry and ‘heroic’ nature of leadership that business articles and the media industry often shove upon us. As they state in the preface:
“What comes to mind when you think of inspiring leaders? Heroes taking action amid heart stopping crisis? Towering figures on a white horse … If so, get ready to adjust your sights. Too many charismatic CEOs eventually fail to sustain their organizations greatness … the model for quiet, modest leadership is just as rigorous – if not more so. These heroes give people the respect and freedom they need to excel, within a highly disciplined code of conduct. They motivate people through exacting standards, not charisma. They are “tempered radicals” who lead through example and seek power through collaboration, not confrontation”
One of the articles (We Don’t Need Another Hero: Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr.) provides four rules to handle ethical challenges and make decisions:
1. Put things off tomorrow: When dilemmas escalate, buy time. It can spell the difference between success and failure. Temperatures lower, and time is made to make the right decision.
2. Pick your battles: Protect your political capital – Before taking a stand quiet leaders calculate the risk and returns to that political capital.
3. Bend the rules: Find ways to maneuver within the rules’ boundaries.
4. Find a compromise: An unwillingness to compromise may be morally principled – but it is unrealistic in most situations. Craft responsible, workable compromises.
I personally found these articles very interesting. I know that a week ago I made a mistake, I took a morale high ground when I simply should have found a compromise, despite the other person being wrong. My actions did not further my cause. As it would happen, as I reflected on these articles, the Globe&Mail published an article comparing the heroic ‘type’ leadership of Carly Fiorina and the quiet operational leadership of HP’s new CEO, Hurd. Some interesting facts to ponder, as they relate to leadership:
Reputation: Fiorina: Celebrity CEO. Hurd: Boring ops guy
Claim to fame: Fiorina: Lead the acquisition of Compaq (Which many still wonder about). Hurd: Drove efficiency at NCR, growing profits 5X.
Leadership style: Fiorina: Jetsetter who bought 2 corporate jets while in the middle of corporate layoffs. Showed up at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) with Matt Damon and Gwen Stefani; big spotlight seeker. Hurd is laser focused, having cut 15K HP jobs within months of taking the job. He did not go to CES and shares the spotlight with senior managers to demonstrate new accountability. Hurd’s trademark quote: “You want to go to where the puck is going, not where it has been”.
Accolades: Fiorina: Fortune’s most powerful woman in business, for 6 years. Track record at HP is questionable. Hurd: When he left NCR to go to HP, NCR shares fell 13%.
An interesting quote on Fiorina from Winners and Losers 2005 : Fiorina (Loser): “For much of her career, Carly Fiorina’s fans were singing “nobody does it better.” But by the end, they were drowned out by the critics singing “you’re so vain,” accusing the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co. of spending too much time in front of the cameras instead of executing the board’s strategy. She was ousted in February, while HP’s stock was down two-thirds from its peak in 2000.”
It would appear that the glory seeking leader is bound to fail while the truly great leader builds a great team, puts them up high and succeeds with the group.
There is no greater glory in winning alone. However, there is great peril. If you lose, you lose alone and that is a pedestal that no one wants to be on.
The idea of the single salesperson out there winning deals is history. Most sales positions require team work. Today’s sales person needs to demonstrate leadership, acquiring support from technical staff, inside sales reps and support personnel.
The truly great sales person is a strong team leader. Read more on team leadership and going it alone here.
I have always been a big believer in the power of humour. It reduces stress, boosts the immune system and without laughter, what is life? The Pentagon appears to agree. To reduce stress, they have been sending instructors to World Laughter Tour to become certified laugh instructors. Read about it here. Doctors also agree. Even the Bible agrees: “A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22)
The guiding principal: laugh for no reason. (Note: I did that the other day while walking down the sidewalk and a remarkable thing happened, the busy sidewalk cleared as people moved to get out of my way. I almost stopped laughing when they kept pointed .. it was a bit offensive).
I find that in meetings, during presentations and in 1:1 conversations, the ability to laugh or show a sense of humour (At the right time: For example, when your boss slips and dislocates his hip, that is not a good time to laugh) is a key skill. So laugh, and if you have a tough time laughing, try getting certified (no pun intended).
I have seen this time and time again, sales people and managers who work hard to make tasks more complex than they need to be. A world that now includes CRM systems, instant messaging, easy to set-up portals, tools, tools, more tools and instant access information all work to make it more complex.
While watching the move Primer, they made an interesting statement:
How did the Americans solve the problem of writing in space? They invested $1MM into building a pen that could write at any angle and in zero gravity.
How did the Russians solve the same problem? They used a pencil.
In day to day work, it often pays to boil the problem down to base elements. Simpler problems. Simpler solutions.
It is easy to make it complex, hard to make it simple. Leaders need to help teams make it simple.
I do not know where I heard this, but someone said “Evil starts with people saying ‘It’s just business'”.
What a thought provoking statement. Google takes this seriously, their corporate mantra is ‘don’t be evil’. Read about it here.
If you ever doubted the truth of this statement, watch the DVD The Corporation or read about how IBM sped the Jewish Holocaust while profiting from sales to Germany and the Allies.
A thought to ponder as we go about our daily ‘business’ from two perspectives:
1. As we go about, what we do to people through the process of ‘business’ has an impact. We impact them economically, socially and emotionally. Are we proud of what we do and how we act? Do we make people’s lives better.
2. Always remember, you are a number to a company. Act like a Personal Services Corporation and the lines between ‘They need me and owe me’ and ‘I am valuable only as long as our relationship provides mutual value’ will never blur.
I had a very interesting lunch with a friend and we talked about a topic that I have thought about many times: the access of the sales person. If you think about it, sales people (good ones) get to see all levels of the the organization they are selling to. They will meet at all levels – from the junior (if they add value to that client) to the most senior in the organization.
For myself, this has been an invaluable opportunity in a way that stretches well beyond the traditional role in sales. The opportunity is for learning. I realized several years ago that these high talent executives that I was working with are in the positions for a reason: they are successful – smart – experienced. For me, I am always looking at other people with an eye to learning – and the smart sales person uses these opportunities to watch, ask and learn. As an “outsider” you get to see the executive make a decision, see how they treat their people, watch them run a project, manage a crisis or learn about their personal philosophies while out golfing with them – and that privilege is something that many of their subordinates will never get. Be thankful for that opportunity. It is a unique aspect of the sales job that most people do not realize and use to grow. For me, over the last 4 years, it has had a profound impact on all aspects of my life – I have been privileged to work with and learn from some very talented clients – and friends.
Dilbert puts it best in “The Dilbert Principle” (Love that book): “Salespeople can set up meetings with executives of client companies anytime. Employees can’t do that. The only way the average employee can speak to an executive is by taking a second job as a golf caddy. Executives hate talking to employees because they always bring up a bunch of unsolvable “issues”. Salespeople just buy the executive lunch. It’s no contest.”
My personal philosophy: I have a lot to learn from everyone – family, friends, mentors, colleagues and yes, clients.
I found this anecdote interesting, in a meeting the business leader provided the following guidance to his team as they were thinking about growth: “Be the architect of your own rescue. The cavalry ain’t coming”.
It is an interesting statement to ponder. I have personally always adopted this approach, but have witnessed many people who come to the table with the problem and not the answer. The true leader frames the problem and provides options on how to get to a solution. Another cliche that is applicable “Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?”
In my business review last week, I faced this. On my overview, there were many challenges. As I looked at the format of the review (It was provided) I decided to take each challenge and add in the ‘Action’, whether it be an ask of another team, resource ask or an action that my team was undertaking to address that challenge. It drove home one message: our team has challenges, but our team also has a plan to be successful.
So, part of the solution or the problem? The cavalry isn’t coming.
I was in a electronics store the other day and they had a plasma TV hooked up to 2 DVD players. The screen was ‘cut in half’ as a visual advertisement. On the left side was a DVD player that used Monster HD cables, on the right side was a DVD player that did not. ‘Wow’ I said to myself ‘that is a huge difference, too big a difference …’
I looked behind the Plasma and the ‘not using Monster cables’ was connected to the DVD with a regular RCA cable.
Standing beside me was a saleperson, ‘What a crock’ I said ‘Of course it is going to look different, HD cables versus a single silver plated RCA cable. That is like putting a 400 horsepower engine versus a lawnmower engine and saying ‘see, because that engine is made by Porsche, it is way faster”.
The saleperson looked at me, shrugged and said ‘I never set it up’. He then walked away. I wonder how many people had the same reaction I did, thought ‘Wow, I spent 4K on that HD TV, I need those cables’ and bought?
Something that salespeople need to think about. The world is full of people like this, who make the words Caveat emptor reality. It is all about building trusts and remaining worthy of that trust.
In command, out of control. The good leader with a good team provides direction so that the team is focused on down, not up. Let them resolve the situation.
From management guru Kevin Kelley (I have no idea who he is .. but it is an interesting statement).
In the book Corporate Confidential (Cynthia Shapiro) the author provides an outline of hazards that can kill a career, interesting ….
Some very interesting thoughts to consider. While each should be considered, they need not be obeyed .. but conscious understanding of the implications allows people to see and move around future pitfalls.
Also, a rather depressing view of business. One would hope that the company leadership build a more enlightened environment (or you should build it as the leader).
The day that I blogged on luck I received an email from the man who always told me that “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity”.
What was that mail? I paraphrase (It was a self extracting PowerPoint that I was supposed to forward to others):
Old Chinese Proverb:
This Chinese proverb brings luck. This proverb has gone around the world 8 times, now it is your turn to have good luck. Forward this to 20 people in the next 96 hours and you will receive luck via mail or the internet in the next 4 days.
Constantine got his first letter in 1953. He had his secretary make 20 copies. 9 hours later he won $99M, the largest lottery ever in his country. (How fair is that? Shouldn’t his secretary who did all the bloody work get the big win?)
Carlos received this card while working, but did not send it. Two days later, he lost his job. (Poor Carlos, if he had been working instead of screwing around with chain letters, maybe he would have kept his job). (With his new found time …) Carlos took the time to make 20 copies and mail them out to friends and family. After sending them, he became successful and rich. (The big ah-ha for Carlos was that people are suckers, he realized that people will do anything if you put superstition or ‘get rich quick’ in the message. So, Carlos started the first ever Multi-Level-Marketing company, selling Natural Herbal products that he relabeled from the local Costco and marked up 600%).
Before 96 hours, you must send this letter! This is true! (Whew, I was not going to do it, but now that you say it is true, I WILL. But wait? Who are you? Why should I believe that this is true?)
This was sent to the world by a missionary from South Africa (Ah, well, there is the answer. If it is a missionary sending it out, it must be true. After all, he/she must be a heck of a missionary as South Africa can be tough).
Luck is finally at your door. (Well, if you are, you are not coming in without a winning Lotto ticket. Otherwise, bugger off)
I did not forward this email.
And as luck would have it, the hydraulics on the plane went .. I wasted 6 hours in the airport, missed my connection and am stuck in an airport hotel. I will lose the whole day tomorrow.
That being said, I did sleep in a comfy bed and am quite well rested (Better than the red-eye I was on), the attendant was nice enough to upgrade us to business class, I am having a great bacon and egg breakfast and Serenity was playing on the hotel pay-per-view. All is not lost.
But perhaps I should have forwarded it.
Another small tip from one of my first mentors: I do not say ‘Good luck’, I say ‘Good fortune’.
One cannot control his or her luck (I personally do not believe that luck exists), but one can control his or her fortune. Simply take control, make your own world and control your destiny. God may know my destiny, it may be part of a greater plan, but I was given ‘free will’ to make my own choices and my own fortune.
An anecdote: A XEROX sales rep won rep of the month, again. This rep had a very long track record of success. As the award was announced the district manager introduced the winner with the following statement “Wow, what a surprise. Lucky for the 60th month in a row, our rep of the quarter is …”
Make your fortune. People will be amazed at how ‘lucky’ you have become.
I am almost finished a very interesting (But dry) book – Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking. Blink is about the first two seconds of looking–the decisive glance that knows in an instant. It is about how people thin slice information, making decisions at a subconscious level.
It is a fascinating read / listen . Chapter 3 focuses on a car salesman, imparting what I consider a few very good lessons. This salesman sells about 20 cars a month, roughly twice the average. He has three rules of success:
If you buy a car from him, he will call you the next day to ensure that everything is fine (Good follow-up, building a long term relationship that drives repeat business). If you don’t buy a car, he will call you the next day to thank you for dropping by (Reinforcing relationship, and opening the door to future business). The rep shares that he has a book full of Thank-you letters from happy clients, clients who refer him new business and return years later to buy more cars from him. These are a few simple rules that everyone can learn from.
What was really interesting was how he viewed the thin slicing approach (Thin slicing is making a snap judgment based on very little information). In his case, he avoids the natural inclination to make a snatch judgment based on appearance. He heavily overcompensates to ensure that his subconscious does not allow him to make a quick decision on whether or not the person in front of him will or will not buy a car. To him, thin slicing on appearance is the kiss of death.
He provides the example of a teenager who comes in, gets blown off by one rep and attended to by another only to return in the evening with her parents to buy a car, of the men who come in waving a cheque book saying they are ‘here to buy’ (9 out of 10 do not) or the farmer who comes in dressed in overalls and is ignored, but has tons of cash and buys quickly. I blogged on this topic here.
Instead, he focuses on the individual, working to heighten his senses as he tries to figure out if the person is suspicious or trusting, naive or knowledgeable, cautious or easy going.
First impressions or physical appearance, if allowed, can drown out all other data. The author refers to this as as the ‘Warren Harding Effect’, where the US voted for a handsome and charismatic president who was, by far, the most incompetent and reckless. You can read about Warren here.
As sales reps or managers, people must be very careful about first impressions, as they can be very misleading without experience. I will provide a personal example, while in University I worked in a high end men’s store. After 2 years of being the store lackey, I finally convinced them to let me sell while still doing my lackey job. I would pick up people who the full time staff would ignore or were to busy to service. One night, on a night that was not particularly busy, a man came in who looked a bit shoddy, and he was not ‘jumped on’ like the reps normally do, so I engaged.
Shortly into the conversation, it became clear that he was there to update his appearance. $2000 later, he was out the door a new man.
In business, people often judge by appearance. But appearance is not just physical, it can be also be organizational rank or the appearance of an office. Sales people are conditioned to look down on the entry level position or middle manager, in that senior sales management quest to get to ‘the top’ (A CXO of some type). Never make that mistake. Everyone is important, perk up your other senses to determine as much as you can about the person: are they a key influencer? are they an up and comer? are they smart enough to get around in the organization (i.e. Can they help you get your deal done)? do they have a backbone to push things through? are they looking to make a name for themselves (i.e. Looking for a successful project to attach their career to?).
Now on the flip side, sales people (and managers) need to really think about how their appearance impacts others as they will be thin sliced. The author took the time to describe the rep as someone who is well groomed, looking like a banker in his suit. He dressed to make a very clear impression – reliable, trustworthy .. someone you want to buy a car from.
Recently, this was reinforced to me by a few recent personal events:
In the world of business casual, people really need to think about how they dress – and most don’t. I see junior people walking around in jeans or untucked ‘hip’ clothes all the time and wonder .. have they thought about what message they are sending? When you go into the office next or when you go to a client, have you thought about the image you are attempting to portray? Have you thought about how you want people to thin slice you? As I have said before, you can tell alot about a person by their shoes.
This is a good one to debate. One of my first mentors provided me with this statement “Perception is reality”. I can still remember saying that to my dad years ago, to his dismay. But it remains something that I believe today.
The definition of reality from www.dictionary.com: The quality or state of being actual or true. That which exists objectively and in fact.
To me, the word ‘objectively’ is the key word. It is hard to argue with certain realities: The sky is blue, water is wet, stone is hard. That being said, beyond the physical elements of the shoe, the rock or water, reality is not concrete.
Take a simple thing like a conversation: I am talking with someone, they say something. My perception is that the statement is offensive. That forms the basis of my reality, the state of ‘actually being true’. Why? Because to me it is true. To me, that statement was offensive.
Now, from the other side – the person did not say it as an offensive thing. The speaker’s statement and reality is that the statement was harmless. To the speaker, the state of ‘being true’, or their reality is that it is not an offensive statement.
If the two people walk away from each other at that point, 2 realities exist. The speaker’s reality that nothing bad was said. The listener’s reality that the statement was rude. But then, what is the actual reality? What is the actual state of truth?
Some would argue that the reality is that it was offensive because the person was offended. Others would argue that because the intent of the statement was not offensive, the reality is that it was not offensive, maybe the speaker was over sensitive that morning.
You know what I think? I think that a single reality does not exist, that two states of truth exist at the moment. That is why they invented the word paradox ( Def’n: An assertion that is essentially self-contradictory, though based on a valid deduction from acceptable premises. An assertion that is essentially self-contradictory, though based on a valid deduction from acceptable premises.)
How do we fix this paradox? The two people could come back together, have a chat and bingo! one of them changes their perception of the situation and a single reality is created – which they now share.
But in the end, the point of the statement is not to point out what the actual truth is. The point of the statement is to demonstrate that people’s perceptions dictate their reality – that which they believe to be true. To me, that is a valuable thing to remember in sales, management or life.
I may perceive my actions as the right actions, thus forming the reality in which I live while others who I work with or sell to may perceive my actions in a completely different way, forming their reality and truths. The key is, can you take the leap to see it from their viewpoint, understand their perceptions? That ability breaks down barriers, changes paradigms and alters the reality in which people operate.
In the end, I think I would change the statement from “perception is reality” to “a person’s perception is their reality”.
Most sales people and managers do not prepare for meetings. Sure, they prepare for that really big presentation, but what about the smaller meetings? Or even a lunch?
One of my first mentors taught me that you always need to be prepared, and that every meeting is important – no matter how long or short. I often run through a quick checklist in my mind before I go into key sales meetings:
1. What is my goal? What is the next step or action that I am seeking in that meeting?
2. What are topics that need to avoid or issues that might be raised? How will I deal with them?
3. I review key data points. At a personal level (Refresh on things that are important to that person or group) and at a business level (Refresh on the dynamics, outstanding issues, etc.)
4. What are my tactics to achieve the goal?
Clients are busy. While they may give you that first cordial meeting – they will not give you a second. They need to move their business forward, and by moving toward a goal in each interaction, both parties benefit and the sales person gains credibility.
BE PREPARED.
incredibly witty movie with a great cast: Richard Dryfus, Gary Oldman and Tim Roth.Do you ever come to the end of a day and realize that you have looked at the same email 3 or 4 times and it still sits there? Do you feel a sense of accomplishment when you get your email down below 100 unread? Are you wasting too much time on internal process? Do you get a sense of accomplishment if you get your internal reports done on time but did not move a single sale forward?
Welcome to the world of ‘busy work’. An old boss of mine described ‘busy work’ as those non-revenue generating activities that reps would cleave to. I have seen many an unsuccessful rep talk about how they respond to email quickly, or are up to date on all of their reports or how they are ‘so busy all the time, lots to do’ – but remain at the bottom of the sales heap.
Why are they at the bottom? Chances are they are busy in the wrong way. What is the right way? It is not doing email, it is meeting customers, driving deals, generating revenue.
Earlier this year I found ‘busy work’ manifesting itself in my email and task list. I would look at the same emails many, many times before actioning them. Outlook was becoming my action item/reminder repository. I was also using Tablet Franklin Covey software, which was becoming problematic. The traditional Covey model of A, B and C was not working for me. My task list was growing, it did not match how I worked and I was getting frustrated.
A friend put me onto Getting Things Done, which he learned from a Microsoft blog. This changed my work life in a few key ways:
1. It made me realize that the source of my stress was that I did not have a trusted repository for the things I needed to do. The hypothesis of the book is that the mind is like RAM (Random Access Memory, on a computer) and that you need to flush that RAM into a trusted repository, which eliminates stress. Otherwise, the mind will just keep working and popping things up such as ‘Close that $5M deal’, ‘call that customer’ or ‘change the oil’ with no end in sight. And as the mind has no ability to remember in priority (i.e. It prioritizes ‘change the oil’ in the same way that it prioritizes ‘get your heart medicine so you don’t die’), the randomness will cause additional stress. So, first step, you need to have a system that you trust so that the mind can rest.
2. It made me realize that email is a source of stress and wasted time. I would look at the same emails over and over, either as reminders or as items that need to be addressed and this was a huge waste of time and it created stress. Every time I looked at Outlook, I was looking at hundreds of undone emails .. that nagged at me.
3. It made me realize that the traditional approach of A,B,C task lists did not work because it did not take into account how I worked. I work in the office, out of the office, on the road. I have email, voicemail and instant messenger as communications models. My tasks are not just work tasks, I need a way to figure out my life inside and outside of work. Last, I live in Outlook. Having a task list outside of Outlook that did not take into account how I work each and every day (Which changes) was not working.
So, while on vacation, I took this book and read it. To me, it made sense. I then implemented it, and since then, my productivity has shot through the roof. And you know what? I have referenced it to 20 or 30 people and I know of many who have come back and told me that it has changed the way that they work.
If you want to be more productive, I highly recommend you read the book and then implement the process (If you use Outlook – you need to buy the add-in also, it is amazing). It had a huge impact on me and thousands of others. It may free up some time so you can go out and see a movie.
Paul Shearstone was the mentor who had the greatest impact on my sales career. He is now a speaker and has started to tinker with blogging ….
He provided this trinket of knowledge, Lego Laws of Life on his blog. A very good read.
I have read hundreds of sales/management books and articles over the years and certain things stick with you, like this one: “Less than 10% of sales reps send thank-you notes”.
I am one of those 10% – not just as a sales rep, but as a sales manager and in life (In general). Why? For a few reasons:
I think this applies in all walks of life – be it sales, management or administration.
Say thank-you more often. It makes you a better sales person, manager and person.
For those who would like to be promoted, here is a checklist of ‘leadership potential’ indicators:
I often talk about the ‘5 no’s make a yes‘ philosophy. A much more eloquent way of saying it:
‘Beneath every no / lays a passion for yes that has never been broken’
Stevens, “Esthetique Du Mal,” Collected Poems
This story was once related to me:
A young Asian man rode a 10 speed into the Toronto Porsche dealership. Upon entering, the well dressed salespeople promptly dismissed the prospect and went about their business, except the ‘new guy’.
He decided to help the young man, who clearly was not a sales opportunity. They spoke, he asked questions and at the end of the conversation took the young man’s card, got on his bike and paddled away.
An hour later, he came back with a $150K certified check for a brand new Porsche.
I had this happen to me when I was younger. We walked into a high end boutique in Yorkville years ago after I had just received my first BIG commission check. I was there to buy two nice watches for Narda and myself. Our first ‘post graduation – we are finally making money’ treat.
We were dressed casually for a Saturday stroll, jeans, ball caps and the women at the counter treated us like we did not deserve to be in such a nice store. In minutes, I had enough and we left. We walked across the street, were treated very well and bought two very nice Tag watches.
I then walked back across the street, walked up to that snob woman and stuck out my arm with the new watch and said ‘Your aloof attitude just cost you this sale’ (They carried the same watch). As an aside, I went back to that other store a year later to buy my engagement ring, and then a year after that to buy our wedding bands … Their attitude cost them a good chunk of business.
Remember, you cannot judge a book by the cover. Treat everyone as your best client and you will always win.
Last week I was watching The Apprentice. It was a very interesting study in leadership. The project manager for the male team agreed to the project manager role as long as the team obeyed him, adopting a clear command and control style of leadership.
Through the program, he exerted his control. Two noticeable events:
1. One person on his team made an appointment for 1130. He wanted if for 1100. In front of everyone he told him that he expects him to follow commands to the ‘T’. If he wants 1100, he does not want 1130. He had the guy rebook the appointment.
2. He went to oversee the creation of a costume and left 6 people from the team to brainstorm the creative aspects of the tasks. The 6 did well and were very proud of their output. The team leader returned, told them to pitch him their ideas and without team consultation, over rode the 6 and eliminated all of their work from the presentation.
It was fascinating to watch. Fortunately for this leader, they won. But if they had not won, I can guarantee you he would have been viewed as the weakest link and fired. Why?
It comes down to a personal belief of ‘Win together, lose alone’. As a leader, if you take his approach and dictate the path (all the time), then people will not feel responsible for the team’s actions and output. Those actions are dictated, not collaborative, so there is no buy-in. There is no sense of team. Decisions will be viewed as the leader’s decisions. If they go bad, where will the blame be assigned? The leader. In this case, if they would have lost, the team would have pointed to how he did not discuss the decision to eliminate the work of 6 from the presentation – he just over turned it (Just one example of his poor leadership).
This does not mean that command and control leadership is never warranted. On the contrary, I have personally witnessed it employed effectively on many occasions. But, for this leader, I would suggest that he read the book Primal Leadership. Primal Leadership (HBR) studied effective leadership styles and discussed how the effective leader uses many styles and creates resonance within the team:
He is attuned to people’s feelings and moved them in a positive emotional direction. Speaking authentically from his own values and resonating with the emotions of those around him, he hit just the right chords with his message, leaving people uplifted and inspired even in a difficult moment. When a leader triggers resonance, you can read it in people’s eyes: They are engaged and they light up.
The effective leader employs different leadership styles for different situations (There are 6 styles: visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and commanding). Employing the wrong style in a situation causes dissonance, which often takes the team down the wrong path over the long term.
Lucky for this guy, it was a 24 hour challenge. Another 24 hours or a loss would have seen it unravel – because he did not match his leadership style to the situation.
Michael Weening: a few pictures 