C-Suite Network™

Menu
Search
Close this search box.

Category: Marketing

Categories
Marketing Personal Development Sales Technology

Boosting the Shopping Experience

Estimates hold that more data will be produced in 2018 than in all years previously. Much of that is consumer-focused—what we buy, how we buy it and why we buy it, among other information.

Thanks to the leverage and insight afforded by big data analytics, retailers of all sorts have the ability to enjoy an enormous opportunity to better focus and improve their customers’ overall shopping experience.

Big data analytics can now be used at every stage of the retail process, including identifying consumer trends, forecasting demand, pricing and pinpointing the most efficient means of delivery. That’s a proactive form of decision making, one of the benchmarks of my Anticipatory Organization Model.

That’s also good news for both shoppers and the organizations that serve them. Here are just a few areas in which data analytics is crafting a more rewarding shopping environment for everyone.

Product Recommendations

Most every Internet shopper has experienced “If you like this, consider this” and other similar pitches based on buying history and preferences. But, advances in data analysis and other related forms of technology hold the promise of more interactive, personalized forms of shopping guidance and suggestions. For instance, clothing retailer The North Face now offers an online tool called Fluid Expert Personal Shopper. The system, which uses IBM’s Watson cognitive computer technology, employs a “personal shopper” that can ask consumers questions about gender, location and even the sort of weather conditions where the clothing will be worn. From there, the system can provide specific recommendations.

Although still in an initial, limited stage, programs such as Fluid Expert Personal Shopper hold the potential for an even more comprehensive and useful customer experience. For instance, Watson is now using additional data to develop a “sentiment analysis” feature, which will allow systems to gauge changes in customer moods to better manage interactions with consumers. In effect, shopping systems will be able to interpret in an intuitive manner whether customers are pleased with a purchase, dissatisfied or interested in some other item.

More Useful, More Focused Apps

An increasing number of retailers are using mobile apps as a means to improve in-store shopping experiences and better interaction with store employees. That can begin well before a customer arrives at the store itself. For instance, retailer Nordstrom’s mobile app allows customers to check details such as product availability, size and color before they visit a Nordstrom store. The system also offers personalized recommendations based on gathered customer data. Customers who opt in can also have their profiles—including purchase histories—forwarded to in-store salespeople when they enter a store so they can receive immediate, personalized service.

In another example, Target’s mobile app leverages product location data, a store’s physical layout and customer profiles to offer personalized promotions to customers as they shop in-store. To that end, the company has begun installing beaconing technology at dozens of locations to gather movement and shopping pattern data from customers who agree to be monitored. This, in turn, promises to help customers not only make better buying decisions but to do so more efficiently instead of wandering up and down aisles in search of a particular item.

Greater Delivery Choices

The convenience of mobile Internet-based shopping has afforded consumers a greater range of control over not only when they shop but also where and when they receive items they buy. Locational data provided by the proliferation of smartphones takes that level of convenience and specificity to a completely new level. In one respect, that opens up the possibility that items can be delivered to customers wherever they happen to be—at home, on the job, at a restaurant having lunch and at any number of other locations.

Alternatively, by leveraging geolocation data, companies can also immediately notify shoppers when purchased goods have been dropped off at their homes or other spots. Not only does that lessen the chance of a delivery being missed, but time-sensitive deliveries—such as a gift that the buyer wants to keep secret from a family member—become that much easier to manage.

Consumer data isn’t limited to information about a particular shopper. Big data analytics allows organizations of all sorts to apply that information to make shopping more enjoyable, efficient and customer-focused for a broad range of consumers.

Ready to see the future and plan with greater confidence? Subscribe to my publication, The Technotrends Newsletter, now in its 35th year, and join thousands of leaders who have accelerated innovation and results by applying the principles I teach in my award-winning Anticipatory Organization Learning System.

Categories
Best Practices Body Language Entrepreneurship Human Resources Investing Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

How to Easily Slaughter a Bully When Negotiating

“When negotiating with a bully, the first skirmish starts in your mind.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

Do you recall a time when you were cowered by a bully? Did it make you feel like you wanted to slaughter him? There are strategic ways to fight a bully when negotiating. They start with how you plan your strategy for the negotiation and how you engage him.

Continue reading and you’ll discover how you can easily slaughter a bully in your negotiations.

The Setup: Bully’s Allies

  • Know who the bully’s strongest and weakest allies are and know their strengths and weaknesses.
  • Understand their sway with the bully and access how you might alter their allegiance to him and make them your ally.
  • Devise a plan to have them fighting amongst themselves and think about at what point(s) in the negotiation that you might implement this scheme.

Cost: Price of Bullying

  • Make it clear that they’ll be a toll to exact if the bully attempts to bully you during the negotiation.
  • Consider how you might threaten the well-being of those the bully cares about (e.g. loss of finances, reputation, prestige, etc.) Be prepared to fire a warning shot to display your seriousness.

Strategies: Fighting Back

  • Consider the demeanors you’ll display to exhibit your mannerisms during the negotiation. You should align your desires to move the bully to a place of comfort or discomfort, depending on the situation.
  • Consider your strategies (e.g. pincer move (he’s surrounded with no way out), deceit (a bully will engage in deceit. To combat him, you must be willing to engage in it, too.)

Body Language: Interpreting Signals

  • Gestures that indicate weakening (e.g. breaking eye contact (weakening), speaking verbosely (losing steam and/or attempting to dazzle you with his BS), hands closer to his body (protecting himself), Looking around at/for others (seeking assistance/help), requesting a recess (needs time to collect himself)

 

  • Gestures that indicate strength (e.g. glaring (becoming more resolute), increasing the tone (attempting to convey commitment), asserting more space/puffing himself up (attempting to be perceived as bigger than he is), lack of veracity (he’s fearless about not being forthright – this might indicate desperation and/or an attempt to sway you by lying), insisting that you accept his position (act of intimidation)

 

  • Keep in mind that any of the gestures above may be a ploy. To assess their validity, do the opposite of what’s displayed or match it; your actions will depend on the circumstances at hand. Either way, you’ll glean insight into the validity of is action by the way he responds to yours. Be aware of how the bully shifts his perspective and positioning in the negotiation based on your reply to his actions.

The Trail: Set Markers

  • Be hypersensitive to the direction of the negotiation; know where you’re headed. If you don’t like where it’s going, change directions by invoking red herrings or any diversion you’ve created for this purpose.
  • Have markers denoting exits from the negotiation when you sense you’re in futile
  • Don’t stay engaged in a negotiation that’s not going expectedly if you see no way to make a course correction. You’ll hurt your negotiation position by doing so.

In your next negotiation, take heed of the points above. Assess how and when you’ll implement them. Adopt them as the shield and sword you use to combat a bully. In so doing, you’ll rob him of his powers … and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d really like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.TheMasterNegotiator.com/greg-williams/

#Slaughter #Power #secrets #hiddensecrets #Mistakes #Fight #Negativity #cyber, cyberbullying #Management #SmallBusiness #Money #Negotiating #combat #negotiatingwithabully #bully #bullies #bullying #Negotiations #PersonalDevelopment #HandlingObjections #Negotiator #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #psychology #NegotiationPsychology

Categories
Best Practices Body Language Entrepreneurship Human Resources Investing Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

How to be More Powerful When You Negotiate

“Don’t let your obsession with imperfection deposit your dreams in the graveyard of despair.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

“Wow! That was a fantastic negotiation! It’s almost like you had him dancing on a string. How did you learn to become such a powerful negotiator?” Those were the admiring sentiments bestowed on a senior member of a negotiation team by his junior.

Do you know how to be more powerful when you negotiate? There are strategies and techniques you can employ to accomplish that goal. Discover how to implement the following strategies in your negotiations and you’ll become more powerful when you negotiate, too.

Pre-Negotiation:

  • Planning

In every negotiation, your degree of planning determines your degree of success. In your planning stage, think about the strategies you’ll implement and what might cause them to become altered during the negotiation. Consider how you might challenge the opposing negotiator to make him alter his strategy too; the purpose is to get him off his game plan so that he’ll be more susceptible to following your lead. To do this, compile alternative strategies that allow you the flexibility to adapt to unexpected challenges. That’ll help you prioritize their possibility.

  • Practice

It’s stated that practice makes perfect. That’s a half-truth because imperfect practice will only serve to make you more imperfect.

To enhance the possibility that you’ll have a winning negotiation outcome, practice implementing your plan. When possible, practice with individuals that possess skills comparable to the opposing negotiator(s). Attune your attention to things you’d not considered and modify your plan accordingly.

Conflation:

Always be aware of how you arrive at your decisions. In your thought process, don’t conflate disparate situations. If you do, be aware that you’re doing so and why.

By accepting conflated dissimilar information as being valid, you might lend more credence than what’s warranted to the skill level of the other negotiator. That will cause you to negotiate differently than if you’d not assigned him such benefits.

As an example, don’t over inflate your opponent’s skills, just because he’s negotiated multi-million-dollar deals. That doesn’t mean he can out negotiate you in your current situation. Don’t disadvantage yourself by thinking he can.

Mental Agility:

  • Mindset

When considering the mindset you’ll adopt for a negotiation, consider the style and type of negotiator you’ll compete against. Consider the demeanor and mindset you’ll adopt to negotiate with that type of negotiator (i.e. soft, middle, hard). In considering the demeanor you’ll adopt, view yourself as being worthy to negotiate with your counterpart and project the image.

  • Subconscious

Your subconscious mind speaks. Do you know what it’s saying when it does? Pay close attention to the feelings and intuitions you have during a negotiation. In some cases, those feelings will emerge from subconscious thoughts you’re having. That might stem from micro expressions your sensing (Note: Micro expressions last for less than one second. They’re insights that reveal the unrevealed thoughts of someone.)

Reading Body Language:

When deciphering body language, you must establish a baseline to compare to. You can establish the baseline of the other negotiator by observing gestures he emits in non-stressful environments. Look for gestures that indicate his happiness (i.e. the degree of felicity), sadness (i.e. stooped shoulders, down-turned face), indecisiveness (i.e. hand to forehead, slight erratic movement). If you can’t establish his baseline, due to whatever prevents you from doing so, compare his actions in the negotiation to what’s normal in such situations. Once you establish that baseline, you can use it to compare his future actions/reactions.

In every negotiation, there are advantages to be had. If you know how to enhance those advantages by the strategies you implement, you’ll have a greater chance of a successful negotiation outcome … and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d really like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.TheMasterNegotiator.com/greg-williams/

#Power #secrets #hiddensecrets #Mistakes #Fight #Negativity #cyber, cyberbullying #Management #SmallBusiness #Money #Negotiating #combat #negotiatingwithabully #bully #bullies #bullying #Negotiations #PersonalDevelopment #HandlingObjections #Negotiator #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #psychology #NegotiationPsychology

Categories
Best Practices Body Language Culture Entrepreneurship Human Resources Investing Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

What Mask Are You Wearing Right Now?

“The mask you wear is a display to others of who you are. Always be aware of when and why you’re wearing that mask.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

What mask are you wearing today and how many times will you change it? The mask you wear affects your psyche.

A mask is a metaphor for the persona you project to others. It’s how you represent who you are. It’s the way you wish them to perceive you and the way you see yourself. Depending on the circumstances, you’ll wear different masks at different times throughout the day.

Some might say, changing your mask alters who you are; you’re not authentic. But who are you, and who’s to say when you’re authentic? You’re not who you were five years ago, or five minutes ago; you’ve changed. Does that make you inauthentic? No!

Since change occurs daily, moment to moment, do you not continuously morph into who you just became, while transitioning into who you’re becoming? In that transition, do you observe who you are in that moment? By being observant, you’ll note the direction in which your life is heading. You’ll note if you require change before displaying the mask you’re about to adopt. That will allow you to morph into a different mask to cast a different persona if you require it.

The point is, if you recognize the mask you’re wearing at any time and you’re aware of why you’re wearing it, you’ll be more mindful of why you display the personality you project, what promotes you to do so, and the circumstances that lead you to that point. You’ll have greater control of your life, the purpose for which you’re living, and a greater sense of where you’re headed in life.

So, what mask are you wearing right now and why are you wearing it right now? If you have an answer to that question, it’ll be easier to change that mask when it’s warranted. That will also mean that you’re at a higher level of recognition and control of your life. Those are invaluable factors from which to sustain growth, harmony, and success in life. Do that … and everything will be right with the world.

What does this have to do with negotiations? 

In every negotiation, negotiators wear multiple masks. It’s called their persona. They do so to create and project the right image for a phase in the negotiation that’s appropriate for that phase. The mask they adopt adds to the perception you have of them. It may be a mask of harshness, sorrow, bullying, or tenderness. Its intent is to affect your psyche. The mask worn may represent negative manipulation, which is different from one worn to serve the greater good of the negotiation.

You must be mindful of the mask you perceive, as much as the one you project. Your mask intertwines with the other negotiator’s mask. Therefore, the mask that both of you display is based on what’s perceived.

If you want to increase your negotiation abilities, you need to know how and when to adopt a mask that suits the situation. You must be savvy when detecting the purpose of the mask shown throughout the negotiation, too. By enhancing your mental agility to observe, detect, and adopt the appropriate persona during different stages of the negotiation, you’ll experience more winning negotiation outcomes.

Remember, you’re always negotiating! 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d really like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

#Mind #Brain #Thinking #Success #Emotion #Lies #Business #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #liars #Mask #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions

Categories
Management Marketing Personal Development Sales

Sales Managers: Are You Unintentionally Setting a Low Bar for Your Team?

Most sales departments often talk about setting the bar high. But there’s another bar for sales managers to consider. It’s not the high bar that sets the desired standard, it’s the LOW bar – and that can be a job killer for sales managers.

The “low bar” is the lowest level of performance acceptable to keep their job. And you set it by what you allow your salespeople to get away with. You may not see the negative impact immediately, but it’s a morale killer to the other higher performers on the staff.

Here are seven examples of how the “low bar” gets set on your sales team…

If you allow… The “low bar” you’re setting is.. How to fix it…
1. Salespeople to routinely miss goal If you miss you’re sales goal, there’ll be no consequences. So don’t worry about it. Adopt a three strikes and you’re out policy.
2. Salespeople to be rewarded for reaching only 80% of goal 80% is really good enough. 100% becomes the REAL stretch goal. Stop all incentives for anything less than 100% of goal. Be more realistic about the goals you’re setting.
3. Salespeople to routinely show up late for meetings It’s okay to be 5-15 minutes late. Hope your advertisers feel the same way! Start meetings no more than two minutes late. Reserve the front row of chairs or those closest to you for late arrivers so they just can’t sneak in undetected.
4. Salespeople to not enter everything into your company CRM The CRM isn’t all that important to you. The problem is “garbage in, garbage out” or “lack of information in, means lack of information out.” You’ve greatly reduced the effectiveness of CRM. If it’s not in the CRM, it didn’t happen. No ifs, ands, or buts.
5. Salespeople to go long stretches without engaging in a two-way conversation with their accounts It’s ok to take long time accounts for granted and put them on auto-pilot. There are no consequences for not doing your job. If a rep goes more than X weeks/months without a telephone or in-person conversation with an account, they lose it – and the commissions that go along with it.
6. Salespeople to not use the valuable tools and research you’ve provided them Anytime we bring in a tool for you to use, you can just ignore it, then we’ll make it go away if enough of you don’t use it. Using these sales tools regularly is part of their job. Make it an item on their performance evaluation.
7. Salespeople to text, check email or otherwise fiddle with their mobile phones during your sales meetings. The content of the sales meeting isn’t important enough for your full attention. Heck, YOU aren’t important enough for their full attention. Movie theater rules apply. No texting, message checking or anything else during meetings. Allow for checking of content or for Googling that directly relates to the topic of the meeting. If they have to take a call, make them leave the room.
7+1. Salespeople to blame the customer, the competition or other people in your company for their lack of success You don’t have to be personally responsible for anything. It’s okay as long as you tried. Problem is, you now have a culture of finger pointing and backbiting instead of positivity and teamwork. Always bring the conversation back around to what could YOU have done better? Did you provide value to the customer before trying to make a sale? Did you make a recommendation that makes sense (or did you just take their order)? Did you reduce their risk? Were you proactive? Were you persistent? Were you resilient?

You might think the worst person at returning calls sets the low bar for the rest of the staff. Or that the worst performer in terms of revenue, closing rates, proposals, account satisfaction, professionalism, etc. sets the low bar for the rest of the staff. And you’d be 100% wrong.

The fact is YOU set the low bar for the minimum level of performance needed to keep their jobs.

You’re not a passenger, you’re the driver of the sales team. So no whining about “I just can’t get the salespeople to use it/show up on time/stop doing what they shouldn’t be doing/start doing what they should be doing.” When you do that, you’re just admitting to the world that you suck as their manager.

There’s nothing wrong with being demanding or having high standards, so long as those demands are realistic – and you’re ready, willing and able to help them meet those standards whenever they need it. You also need to be ready to “walk the talk” and do what you’re asking them to do.

Setting the “low bar” bar high enough for success also means having uncomfortable and blunt conversations from time to time. Here’s a hint: those conversations need to be a lot more uncomfortable for them than they are for you.

Not everything is in your control, but are you willing to control the things that are?

Categories
Best Practices Body Language Entrepreneurship Human Resources Investing Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

How to Get More Hidden Secrets When Negotiating

“To uncover hidden secrets, get others to disclose them. The real secret is knowing how to entice them to do that.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

“Why were you blathering in there? You disclosed our secrets!” Such were the words of one exasperated negotiator to her team member.

When was the last time you disclosed too much information? Were you aware of doing that? The methods good negotiators use can expose hidden secrets. They know how to silently probe your mind and get you to divulge those secrets when negotiating.

Continue reading to discover what those techniques are, how you can use them, and how you can prevent them from being employed against you.

1. Broad Perspective

Begin your hidden interrogation by speaking from a very broad perspective; I’m talking about ‘side of the barn broad’. The intent is to arouse suspicion that you might be on to something greater than what you’re portraying. Hang just enough bait to get the other negotiator talking. Note what he talks about, how he does it, and any mood and/or body language alterations that occur as he’s speaking. Look for displays of calmness versus tension. 

2. Known Unknowns

Consider citing unknown knowns. Cite information the other negotiator doesn’t think you have. You’ll get his attention. Enhance this ploy by making proclamations that are slightly off the mark. That will loosen his tongue. Observe what that tongue divulges. Even if you think it’s the truth, state otherwise. Note the degree that he’s consistent and convincing. Repeat this process if his words remain suspect.

3. Images and Words

While engaging in the negotiation, invoke conjured thoughts from the images your words create. The effectiveness of this ploy will appear in glazed eyes, him retreating into a dazed like state or one in which he’s melancholia. During that state, pose probing questions to uncover hidden secrets. You should know what questions to ask based on what you suspect is undisclosed.

4. Pattern Interrupts

Introduce confusion into the negotiation by saying or doing something unexpectedly; for the best effect create an impression that’s random. The purpose is to jolt his mind away from his current thoughts and instead focus on something that’s superfluous. Then, ask him to resume where he left off. No matter what he says, provide your assessment of what you thought he was saying before the interruption occurred. Present a perspective that’s aligned with an outcome you’re seeking. Watch what he says in response and how he says it (i.e. lean away/look to the side = putting distance from himself and your words, focusing his eyes on you/leaning towards you = aligned with the intent of his words). Based on your assessment, challenge him with your version of the story and observe how he reacts. If he alters his position, even slightly, you’ll be at the threshold of hidden information.

5. Pace/Sounds

Sounds and the deepness/richness or lack of can lead to different thought processes. Seek to understand the sounds and pace that move your negotiation counterpart to experience different thoughts. Then, employ those sounds as your assistant to uncover deeper/hidden thoughts; you should also consider using a cacophony of sounds to disrupt her current thought process.

If she’s stymied in thought, use the ‘universal focus’ or ‘infinite depth of field’ approach to assist her in liberating those thoughts (Note: In some movies, multiple scenarios occur simultaneously. The viewer decides which one to focus on.) Observe the one she chooses and assess the degree of hidden information that’s contained in that choice.

In your very next negotiation, attempt to uncover hidden information by utilizing the above strategies. You’ll be amazed at what you uncover … and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating! 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d really like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.TheMasterNegotiator.com/greg-williams/

#secrets #hiddensecrets #Mistakes #Fight #Negativity #cyber, cyberbullying #Management #SmallBusiness #Money #Negotiating #combat #negotiatingwithabully #bully #bullies #bullying #Negotiations #PersonalDevelopment #HandlingObjections #Negotiator #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #psychology #NegotiationPsychology

Categories
Marketing Personal Development Sales

To Find Success, An Entrepreneur Must Constantly Sell to Business Relationships

Many would agree that selling services and products are at the foundation of any successful business. If there aren’t any sales, there’s no money to keep up with bills and the business collapses. But there are so many less obvious “sales” that are just as crucial to your success. Without making these sales, and consistently, your costs will skyrocket. You must make these sales with your support team, not with your prospects.

Your support team is comprised of your suppliers, employees, and outsourced services. You’ll have to use a unique approach for each of these “sales,” so that they will be motivated to provide quality service, take on additional duties, and extend your credit and terms. But your suppliers, employees, and outsourced services all have one thing in common—they need to believe that you have their best interests are at heart before they will give their effort, time, products, and loyalty to you. When they do, though, they can significantly cut your costs, turnover rates, and your need for cash. This significantly boosts your chances for success!

Suppliers. Show that you appreciate the risks suppliers take with your new or growing company. Share your challenges, aspirations, and new opportunities regularly. This will relieve some of their fears once they take a chance by extending your credit and terms—therefore enabling you to grow. Your suppliers worry that you will pay bills late or be a “beg pay.” Create a long-term plan so they know you won’t ditch them for someone else. They have to be assured that they can grow along with you. It takes a lot of time and strategy to prove that you really do have their best interests at heart.

Employees. Your people are the key to your success, but only if they understand that you’re giving them security, a career opportunity, a chance to contribute, guidance, respect, and time off. They need to know exactly how their job affects sales (however removed it may be), why their work is important, and how it shapes their career. Prove that you have their best interests at heart so they will appreciate performance-based pay, bonus structures, and more decision-making influence.

Outsourced Services. Show that you appreciate your outsourced services by communicating your expectations. Make sure you have policies in place that are clear on deadlines and requirements, that constantly improve communication, and that explain the reasons behind your requirements. Make it obvious that you’re easy to work with—make sure your criticism is constructive, and that you give more praise than criticism. Try asking, “What can we do on our end to help you be more efficient?” That can be an effective “sales pitch” for these people.

Plain and simple: Negotiating your business relationships is a sale in itself. They need to know that they can trust you, and that you fit into their growth and development. Understand what their fears are, and work to relieve them. You can do this by demonstrating that you are a true partner and ally, and you will live up to their expectations. You want to help them reach their goals—not just your own.

The only alternative to making these “sales” is to waste money on turnover, high interest, higher supply costs, short payment terms, and lost corporate knowledge. Startups cannot afford to lose this money—it’s better spent growing your business.

This concept is not usually taught in school or covered by the entrepreneurial media. But once you prove you really do have your team’s best interests at heart, you will spend less and generate more!

For more, read on: http://c-suitenetworkadvisors.com/advisor/michael-houlihan-and-bonnie-harvey/

 

Categories
Marketing Personal Development Sales

Sales Culture, Elevated.

This article is part three of a three-part series on the future of sales performance.

In parts 1 and 2, I wrote that:

  • CRM alone not enough; in fact, many companies have found it’s the tail that wags the dog.
  • Process, and even more importantly, methodology are real difference-makers. Coaching process and methodology makes performance improvement sustainable.

In this article, we’re going to dig a little deeper into the coaching that drives long term sales success. Sustaining world-class performance is about sales culture; culture that ingrains process into the operating rhythm of the organization. Process and methodology do no good unless they are internalized by a sales organization, and the process of internalizing establishes a strong sales culture. When a methodology becomes the default go-to-customer approach for your organization, it enables the three goals of a sales system:

  1. Drive deal-winning behaviors, not simple activity-based measures.
  2. Re-vector at-risk deals, identifying and mitigating risks with opportunities.
  3. Replicate winning across, raising the performance of all sellers in the team.

Dynamic coaching culture

CSO Insights has conducted extensive research supporting the value of a dynamic coaching culture.  The research shows that companies whose coaching culture captures analytics from successful sales, refines sales data into define winning sales behaviors – then supports sales leaders as they coach those behaviors across the sales force outperform their peers.  Dynamic coaching culture is different than simple coaching:  there is a closed loop between results and how process and methodology is emphasized by the organization.  This loop drives self-sustainment and continuous improvement.

Dynamic coaching cultures experience far superior outcomes than average sales organizations:

  • A higher percentage of these companies meet revenue plan.
  • More reps make quota. The gains come from across the sales force, not just a few high performers
  • Win rates are higher. This means forecasts are more accurate
  • Late loss rates are lower. Fewer of those resource-sucking late losses that ruin sales productivity
  • Staff turnover is lower. Lose fewer of the people you want to keep, rehab more of the marginal performers, converting them to keepers.

A robust self-sustaining coaching culture builds the foundation for two things:

  1. Sales performance. The outcomes above are worthwhile goals in themselves, but…
  2. Self-sustaining culture (manager bench strength, coaching acumen, leadership succession/career path). Building a sales culture to last means building sales careers worth having.

The Past, Present and Future of Dynamic Coaching

Let’s look at where we’ve been, and where we’ve led our industry: coaching on CRM-resident tools.

I’ve worked with Miller Heiman Group (and its predecessor, Miller Heiman) tools for almost 30 years. Success in my business is all about delivering outcomes for clients. The reason Miller Heiman Group is the largest in the B2B space is that we’re the partner sales organizations keep engaged with longer…we have the least leaky bucket…growing our clients is how we grow.

Based upon thousands of client engagements, I can tell you with absolute conviction that the key to long-term success is in not conducting training events, but executing long term change in selling behavior organization-wide.  A successful engagement is almost universally the one with a robust component of sales manager coaching, where front line managers become the primary change agents.

The gold standard of coaching is personally diagnosed and delivered by the front-line sales manager (FSM).  This kind of coaching is high-touch, requiring not only discipline by the FSM, but a corporate capability in developing coaches and prioritizing coaching activity over the many other demands on an FSMs time.

While manager-delivered coaching is preferable, it is not always available at the right time for every deal.  We have also noticed that a large proportion of coaching is on a core set of selling behaviors.  That is, managers tend to diagnose and coach the same behaviors over and over.  With the right methodology and the right CRM system (one that helps track deal-moving behaviors, not meaningless activities), an intelligent coaching platform is possible.

Where you can go:

  • Instead of manager-initiated intervention, how about system-led?
    • Not today’s activity-based prompts. Selling behavior-based prompts…seller actions that moves deals, not activity that occupies selling time
  • A rules engine, based upon 40 years of Miller Heiman Group expertise, which can diagnose those repetitive selling
  • AI/big data capabilities which can take it even further.

Where are You?  Where Do You Want to Go?

When you’re tracking and managing to activities, today’s CRM can work just fine.  On the other hand, when you’re trying to establish a rigorous selling culture with a consistent management cadence, you can more efficiently accomplish the three goals of a world-class sales system::

  1. Drive winning selling actions. This means actions, not activities.
  2. Change deal outcomes more rapidly identify at-risk opportunities and figure out how to re-vector them toward success.
  3. Replicate success. Learn what behaviors predict success in your business, and turn them into a rules engine for your sales tool to automatically recommend.

We Can Take You There

Miller Heiman Group has leveraged over 40 years of sales performance expertise into a powerful set of tools.  They have bundled methodology with a dynamic coaching application, which can be freestanding or integrated with a CRM system. It helps front line sales leaders by lightening the routinized part of their coaching load, allowing them to concentrate their time on higher level opportunity strategy.  Sellers become more effective by building sound selling behavior habits.  Finally, senior sales leaders see improved results, and have insight-producing analytics into how to improve sales even more.

I’m excited about this new capability, and am thrilled to offer it to clients. Contact me to discuss whether we might drive winning actions, change deal outcomes, and replicate success in your organization.

Categories
Best Practices Entrepreneurship Human Resources Investing Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

How Do You Expand Your Mind for Greater Success?

 “You expand your mind based on the way you think. To heighten that expansion, focus on the way you think.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

“If you could be everywhere at the same time, where would you be?” Puzzled, the recipient of the question said, “If I could be everywhere at the same time, I wouldn’t have to decide where to be.” Wrong, was the reply. “Even if you could be everywhere you’d still have to focus on being in the place that offered the greatest possibility for success”, was the retort.

As we go through life, we learn new things every day. Those that apply learned lessons from one environment into another maximize their learning.

Some people discover new ways to solve problems, apply that new knowledge against other problems and discover that something has changed for the better. Then, they stop, never realizing that they’re more applications for which that new knowledge can prove to be beneficial.

There are times we seek to solve a problem and only focus on one solution. We do so without considering other possible solutions. For example, let’s say you’re looking for a hammer to drive a nail. If you only focus on finding a hammer, you’d omit the thought that you might use a shoe, brick, piece of wood, or any object that wasn’t fragile for that purpose.

By shifting your paradigm from needing a hammer and instead focusing it on what you might use to solve the problem, you expand your thought process. In doing that, you discover new ways to address other challenges. But, you must possess an open mind before that can occur.

Throughout my consultations, trainings, and presentations, I suggest to people that they think about the way they think. I provide the insight above to highlight that.

If you become more aware of the problems you encounter and the resolutions to solve them, you’ll increase your awareness of the wondrous ways of conquering them. That will take you to a higher plane of success from which you’ll view your life’s opportunities from a whole new spectrum … and everything will be right with the world.

What does this have to do with negotiations? 

When negotiating, you’ll encounter challenges and impasses that hampers a negotiation’s success. The determining factor for success will lie in the way you attempt to address such challenges. If you rely on tried and true solutions that worked in the past and they prove to be ineffective, you might succumb to the challenge. Instead, if you think with an expanded mind, one that’s not fixated on one solution, you can turn impasses into learning experiences that lead to greater insights.

So, constantly ask yourself in a negotiation and other facets of your life, how can I use what I’ve learned in one environment and apply it to another situation.

If you constantly look at situations as entries to greater opportunities and insights, your endeavors will adopt a platform from which greater knowledge will flow. First, you must open your mind to having an open mind about how you perceive challenges, problems, and situations. It’s through that open mind that new and greater success will flow.

Remember, you’re always negotiating! 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d really like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

#Mind #Success #Emotion #Lies #Business #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #liars #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions

Categories
Marketing Personal Development

You Already Have a Personalized Web Page on Your Site

OK, I don’t know for sure if that headline is right about you, but let’s just see. You probably are interested in personalizing your customer experience–most companies are–but you are put off by the complexity and expense. So, it might surprise you that you likely already have a personalized page on your website.

It’s your site search results page.

Every person gets to put in a different search and they get back a list of (we hope) relevant results. So, it truly is personalized.

Now, you might be worried because you’ve never thought about your site search as delivering personalization–and because you know that page is probably not as good an experience as it should be. If you are truly serious about personalization, site search is the easiest place to start, for several reasons:

You’ve already paid for it.

You don’t need some fancy whiz-bang new technology to bring in, so you don’t need to justify a big expenditure and you don’t need to run a great deal of risk. You just have to get more value out of what you already are paying for it, which is usually an easy sell.

You can drive great business value from improving just this one page.

On most sites, the site search results page is one of the busiest pages on the site–usually in the top ten and sometimes neck-and-neck with the home page for most visited.

Your best customers use it.

Studies show the site searches convert anywhere from 43% to 600% more than non-searchers–and its probably not because your site search works so well. Instead, it is because your best customers–the ones most convinced to buy from you–stick around and use site search when less-qualified prospects abandon your site completely. Improving site search targets your best customers when they are ready to buy.

It can be the basis of more personalization.

Imagine if your site search engine was so good that it provided excellent results for your most popular searches. You could suddenly start using the search engine as a content recommendation engine, where the words on your page pick out the teasers for related content, similar to how Google AdSense works, by putting relevant ads on a page. If you’ve been struggling with conversion rate optimization, up-sell, and cross-sell, this is where you can start.

With personalized customer experience all the rage, you can take the first step in that direction by measuring the effectiveness of your site search and improving it. Who knows? Once you have your first personalized experience delivering value, maybe it will be easier to justify that big personalization investment.