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Category: Personal Development

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

How Do You Know When You Make Good Decisions?

“Decisions are the stepping stones you make to move from one phase of your life to the next. To be successful, know where each step leads.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

When called into his boss’ office, he was glowing with pride. He thought, “I took a gamble, made the right decision and now I’m going to get that promotion.” As he walked out of his boss’ office for the last time, with his head hung low, he said to no one in particular, “How do you know when you make good decisions if they’re good decisions?” He was fired for making a decision that caused the company to lose its biggest client.

So, what criterion do you use when making decisions? And to what degree do you know or think you’ve made a good decision at the time you make it? Decision making can be dicey. Consider the following when engaging in your decision-making process.

Overall Goals:

Every decision will lead in one direction versus another. The variation may be slight. But, if you make a drastic decision that takes you further from your goals, you will have wasted valuable time and effort. Because that will put more distance between you and your goals. Before implementing major decisions, consider the impact that little decisions will have on your goals.

Where Does It Lead:

To be more mindful of the decisions you make, question yourself about where a decision may lead. Ask yourself, what will be the outcome of the decision you make and how will it impact other decisions? Will the possible outcome be too costly to bear? How will I and those that I care about feel emotionally about the outcome? If you sense a feeling of dread during this phase, it may be a warning to abandon the decision(s) you’re contemplating.

What if:

Play the ‘what if’ game when considering the decisions you’re contemplating. Ask yourself, what would happen if I didn’t make the decision – where would that leave me? Where would I be if I made it? What would happen next? By posing such a series of questions to yourself, you’ll gain deeper thoughts about where a decision might lead. If it leaves you in a place you rather not be, don’t make it – abandon it.

Consequences:

Decisions have consequences. Consider the ones that are more important more carefully. In part, assess the impact a decision will have on your life or those that significantly impact your life. For greater assessment ask yourself, what combined impact will my decisions have on others and how might that affect me, good or bad?

What does this have to do with negotiations?

During a negotiation, you’ll evaluate a countless number of decisions. Some will be easier to make. Because you will have discovered the paths to take during the planning phase.

For those decisions that might bear strong consequences, consider the outcome carefully. If you think a decision may leave you in a good place now but challenge your position later, it may behoove you to forgo it. There’s always another side to consider when considering decisions. Don’t ignore the consequences of that other side. Don’t make decisions in haste – there may be unforeseen consequences.

Even when a decision can appear to be the light at the end of a tunnel, that light can be a train coming at you. Be mindful of how, with who, and when you make decisions. The more you examine the possibilities of where they may lead, the better a handle you’ll have on the decisions to make … 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/

#Decisions #Emotion #Business #Progress #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Management Marketing Sales Skills

The 3 Levels of Customer Acumen and Which One You Want

Part Four of a Five Part Series.

Customer acumen the third essential pillar of perspective selling.  Consider this situation: you know your prospect’s business in-depth and how your solution perfectly connects to their situation. Still, you can’t seem to make progress on the deal. Why? It’s all because you can’t figure out how they are going to make a buying decision for your proposal.  While also you need the other two, you can’t sell with perspective unless this third pillar, customer acumen, is strong.

To recap, perspective is knowledge or insight that expands a customer’s understanding of one or more business issues. When a seller provides perspective, they apply customer-valued (not just any) insights and expertise about unanticipated outcomes.

This series discusses three foundational “pillars” of expertise (or three legs of a stool) a seller should master:

  1. Business Acumen…The focus of part two. Basically, this expertise helps evaluate a prospective customer’s (or any company’s) operational efficiency and effectiveness, then identify value gaps.
  2. Solution Acumen. Feature/benefit selling is dead.  From part three, perspective selling means translating  your product or service into results/outcomes for a prospective buyer.
  3. Customer Acumen…The third pillar

Customer Acumen: Expertise in Customer Decision-Making

In contrast to business acumen, which helps you understand a prospect from a business/operational standpoint, customer acumen seeks to understand your customer from a social/human standpoint.

I recall a former colleague saying that “every [B2B] customer makes every decision differently…every time”.  By this, he meant that every group buying decision dynamic changes over time, sometimes subtly, but always importantly.  Even if your current opportunity pursuit seems like a straight clone of the last pursuit at the same customer, you shouldn’t simply clone your opportunity pursuit.  Mindlessly repeating the past is one of the easiest – and most serious – mistakes you can make.  To avoid this mistake, customer acumen gives sellers the ability to master each buying decision on a case-by-case basis..

The best sales people approach each new opportunity trying to learn the group decision dynamic currently in play…including in repeat buyers.  Perspective sellers approach each new sale on the lookout for key changes.  Sales methodologies (OK,  shameless plug for my favorite, Miller Heiman Group’s Strategic Selling® (…now,) with Perspective®)  help sellers tailor each pursuit to the needs of each opportunity.

Customer Acumen: Good, Better, Best

Upon examination, customer acumen isn’t a binary “you either have it or you don’t” property. Instead, it grows by degree.  Look at the good/better/best descriptions below.  While reading, try to determine where you and your sales organization land:

Basic Customer Acumen:

For clarification, “Basic” is not the same as “zero”; basic customer acumen represents progress for some organizations.  Here are some characteristics to help you identify that you’ve progressed to this level:

  • Sellers no longer pursue “single-threaded” opportunities with a single persona, counting on that person to facilitate a decision within their own organization..
  • At least for the main value proposition communicated by marketing and sales leadership, sellers regularly learn all the relevant players, what is each trying to solve for, and their motivations.
  • Even at this level, sellers can provide value-adding perspective, facilitating a buying decision among a group of buying personas making an unfamiliar decision. Thus, it’s useful, but far less than possible

As an aside, the HBR article Dismantling Sales Machine, derived from The Challenger Saleby the same authors, make valid criticism of “sales process” by falsely characterizing  that all “process” exists at this level.  While selling activity-based process often tops out at this level, methodology is just kicking in (click here) to learn the differences in more detail).

Basic customer acumen is better than none at all, but it those aren’t the only two options.

Elevated Customer Acumen:

As they elevate customer acumen, selling organizations emphasize mastery of the customer’s buying dynamic.  Where basic customer acumen focuses on understanding individuals separately, elevated customer acumen seeks to understanding a group dynamic…then successfully navigating that dynamic with the customer.

Sophisticated consensus selling methodologies emphasize this level of customer acumen.  Characteristics of this level look like this:

  • Sellers have — and use — tools to discover the group decision dynamic and solve for it.
    • They uncover if there is a ‘bully” in the group herding them along, or its softer cousin, the “first among equals” player.
    • Sellers learn to uncover any rivalries shaping the dynamic, using personal credibility and coaches.
    • They learn how the budgetary authority makes their decisions, who they consult most closely, who their key lieutenants are, what criteria they emphasize etc.
  • A key indicator of elevated customer acumen is that sellers focus on of customer buying processes, and follow metrics to make sure that their selling efforts are aligned with the customer’s buying process.
  • Additionally, sellers articulate a common theme, or customer objective — for everyone, focusing stragglers back on task, and reducing mission creep.
  • Sellers can effectively introduce new decision criteria to the group, but generally as simple extensions of the main/core value proposition contained in feature/benefit marketing materials.  At this level, though they seldom if ever introduce unconventional value or new personas relating to it (and their accompanying criteria) to the group.

At this level of customer acumen, adding perspective happens in two ways. First, sellers can add value to the decision by helping the group make a case for change.  Second, sellers can introduce new value/unanticipated outcomes to the customer…generally restricted to the core value proposition.

World class customer acumen:

Often, a solution delivers value outside the conventional value proposition(s) communicated in basic and mid-level solution acumen. For example, piece of hospital equipment (typically sold to lab personnel, doctors, finance, and purchasing) could reduce error rates, the third leading cause of hospital deaths.  Unsurprisingly, risk managers — well outside of the core value proposition, and outside of the typical collection of personas — cares deeply about. While good sellers can communicate value to the familiar buying personas, elite sellers articulate these next-level outcomes to personas outside of the typical buying group.

World class customer acumen has a few defining characteristics:

  • Sellers understand their offer’s value picture outside of the conventional selling box.
  • Whenever it yields a value advantage, sellers recruit new personas into the decision dynamic,  They can discuss value in a persona’s language, describing persona-specific outcomes. As the prior two parts of this series indicate, solution and business acumen are key foundations.
    • As a result, world class sellers regularly “pack the court” in the decision group by adding players supportive of their solution.
  • They can discuss any and all value drivers at C-suite level, translating it into C-suite language and outcomes.
  • Truly elite sellers can sell so effectively at the executive level that they get “introduced down”

Elite sellers introduce unanticipated value.  They are skilled at adding new personas to a decision team in order to leverage that value. Certainly, most selling methodologies teach sellers how to contact new personas and have meaningful conversations.  Unfortunately, I see too few teaching why or when, much less how to have conversations in a new persona’s language.  Without business and solution acumen, your selling organization will struggle to bridge this gap.  This is why the three acumens form a three legged stool that topples if any leg is missing.

So…

So…where did you land?  Do you know how to elevate yourself and your team to the next level?  Want to talk about it?

Excellent sales people are strong at all of the levels described above.  High-performing sales organizations develop all of these capabilities in their people.

How do you build customer expertise into your sales force? If you’re interested in learning more about how World Class organizations generate their exceptional results, share your questions or comments below. Feel free to contact me directly for more information.

To Your Success!,

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Industries Management Marketing Personal Development Sales Technology

Using Mobile Apps to Transform Business Processes

As our need for just-in-time information flourishes, our reliance on traditional technological processes has decreased significantly. The shift from personal computers to mobile devices has picked up now more than ever. It is difficult to determine whether stationary computers will vanish into obscurity; however, there is no doubt that mobile devices are here to stay. Our reliance on these ingenious pieces of technology is overwhelming. Tremendous time and energy are saved through the use of a mobile device, as we can access information anywhere with ease.

The expansion of new types of tasks that are carried out using mobile devices has arrived. Smartphones can solve nearly every need of their users, from providing detailed directions anywhere around the globe to enabling access to the cloud at all times. We take these benefits for granted as the opportunities provided by our devices become more and more integrated into our everyday lives.

The information that we seek is not freely floating on our devices. Mobile applications are the key to the success of these devices, as they provide a gateway to our needs as consumers. Whether it’s the weather forecast, the highest-rated local coffee shop, a traffic report, or a stock market update, it’s an app that provides the answer.

At just over one hundred billion, the number of app downloads around the world to date is astonishing. And this number is expected to grow even further in the coming years.

Although mobile applications are commonplace today, most consumers think “personal use” when they think of apps. We all understand that there is an app for our favorite social media site or a card game app we can kill time with while waiting, but in what other ways can apps be leveraged, and who can benefit from them?

The answer is businesses.

I have seen businesses of nearly every size begin to see the potential behind creating an app for customers. Retailers can now move even further online to adjust their business model to the changing times. Transportation services have created apps that convenience users by helping them navigate routes and times, all while providing pricing. Some financial institutions allow their customers to scan and digitally deposit checks from their smartphones. These applications are beneficial; however, they are far from the only practical mobile business apps.

Mobile applications for business processes are now more prominent when it comes to how businesses run from day to day. Applications created specifically for the operational side of an organization have gained traction. The benefits of employing an app for use on a mobile device to transform a business process begin with the very reason we use apps in the first place: convenience.

For example, instead of handwriting notes on data or inventory while out of the office, an application that allows data to be entered on the spot by typing or talking removes an otherwise lengthy process. That saved time can then be better spent visiting clients and prospective customers, providing convenience in an otherwise tedious operation.

Another example of a mobile app for a business’s internal use is one that facilitates mobile sales. For deals that close quickly or unexpectedly, organizations can have contracts signed electronically, no matter where a meeting may have taken them. Presentations and data can be displayed at a moment’s notice if needed, as well. Data on previous deals made with a customer can be easily accessed while heading to meet with him or her.

Mobile apps can streamline processes, including supply chain, purchasing, distribution, or maintenance processes, so that a business can run as productively as possible. With information available on demand via mobile device from one accessible location, organizations tend to increase productivity and identify areas that need further improvement, which can reduce cost inefficiencies while increasing revenue.

Communication and collaboration are improved through mobile apps for business processes, as employees begin to more clearly understand roles and discuss the discrepancies highlighted by the application. Employees instantaneously become more productive, as time is saved through the assistance that mobile applications provide.

Business applications can be purchased and modified by organizations, or designed from scratch to fit the unique needs of a business. By creating a mobile app tailored to its business, an organization gains a competitive edge from having something unique in its industry. There are dozens of businesses that specialize in creating mobile apps to fit the unique needs of their customers.

The ways in which mobile applications can be used is seemingly endless, and right now, mobile apps for business processes represent a growing Hard Trend that every organization should address, as such apps can streamline internal processes. If productivity and effectiveness are your long-term goals, ask yourself how you can use mobility to improve every business process.

Innovation leads to disruption, not being disrupted. Learn more with my bestselling book The Anticipatory Organization. I have a special offer for you.

Pick up your copy today at www.TheAOBook.com

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

Negotiator – Do You Know How to be More Powerful?

“Power is perceptional. To control the perception of power, control how it’s perceived.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

“The patient fussed with her fur coat as she sauntered up to the doctor’s receptionist. “I have an appointment in 15 minutes with the doctor. Is she on time to see her special patients today?” The receptionist replied with a taunt to her tone, “The doctor’s patients are all special to her. She’ll see you soon.” With that, the receptionist left her station and engaged in other activities.

Are you aware that you can be perceived as more powerful by the way you present yourself? Do you know how to be more powerful as a negotiator? Continue reading and you’ll discover how to enhance your power in your negotiations.

Display of Empathy:

In the story above, the patient ‘sauntered’ into the doctor’s office, fussing with her fur coat and positioned herself as the doctor’s special patient. She projected an image of someone that was self-absorbed. Had she taken the time to observe the receptionist’s activities, commented about them and conveyed a pleasantry, the patient would have been displaying empathy. In doing so, she would have enhanced her power. Instead, she diluted it.

The display of empathy towards another’s plight is one way to bond with that individual. It also says subliminally that you’re not just concerned about yourself. You recognize the other person for what they’re dealing with.

Never discount the value or role that empathy plays in any interaction. It humanizes you while strengthening the emotional ties between people. And that enhances power.

Your Persona:

I’m the king. Bow down to me – Not! When you project an image of self-aggrandizement, some people will rebuff you. They’ll be appalled at the perception you have of yourself, which will cause them to become rigid to your request. While such a persona may work favorably with some people, over time, they too will become tired of it. Then, they will seek ways to avoid or demean you.

Your persona changes over the course of your life. Always attempt to align it with how you’d like to be perceived. During a negotiation, you can dilute a powerful position simply because your persona rubs someone the wrong way.

Demeanor When Rebuffed:

When you’re rebuffed, how do you feel? I’m sure your answer is dependent on who the person is, what the subject matter was, and where it occurred. Just as your answer depends on those variables, so it does with those you engage with.

To possess more power, limit its display to environments where it’s less likely challenged (e.g. boss vs. subordinate, etc.). In addition, if you know you’ll be in an unfriendly environment, have retorts ready that will subdue the subject of the rebuff. Just make sure you don’t escalate the situation and cause yourself distress.

Some of the reasons people are perceived as more or less powerful are mentioned above. There are more reasons but let those be a starting point. To enhance your negotiation efforts and outcomes, always be mindful of how you’re perceived. To the degree it fits the negotiation, align your perceived power based on the person you’re negotiating with. If it’s not perceived as being threatening or overbearing and that’s what you’re striving to achieve, you will have aligned the perception of your power successfully. That will make you appear to be more powerful … 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 #powerful #Negotiate #Negotiations #bodylanguage #Negotiator #Business #Management #SmallBusiness #Money #Negotiating #combat #negotiatingwithabully #bully #bullies #bullying #PersonalDevelopment #HandlingObjections #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #psychology #NegotiationPsychology

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Marketing Personal Development

Relatability in Your Content Equals Trust from Those You Serve

Don’t just be a superhero in your content…

…let your audience know you live and breathe just like them.

One of the best ways to leverage social media is to illustrate your expertise and show your audience how your particular thought leadership can help move them past the hurdles and challenges that are currently showing up in their lives.

That’s a remarkable ability.

This process not only develops an authentic connection, but, it presents you as a superhero to those you serve.

And rightfully so.

When you factor in all of the education, conversations, random insights and experiences that you’ve encountered over the years that’s contributed to the development of your particular expertise in your space of influence…

…no one does it quite like you, 🙂

Although you have some special superpowers…

…that’s only a piece of the whole pie when it comes to building a memorable and referable online presence.

You see, if you ONLY share stories that show off your game-changing insights, that’s actually hurting, not helping your cause.

How so?

Well, to some people in your audience, they would be intimidated by your thunder and be too scared to even consider hiring you to help them with the roadblocks they have in their businesses and lives.

To them, you seem untouchable, and couldn’t possibly understand THEIR particular challenges because they seem to be beneath you, or that you wouldn’t spend your precious and valuable time helping them work past their seemingly insignificant problems.

As a result, you need to compliment your invaluable expertise with stories that illustrate that you’re a human being and have been in their shoes, too.

Be relatable to your audience

So, how do you achieve this balance?

It’s a matter of mixing in social content and blog articles that not only showcase the value you

offer your audience through your expertise, but also sharing stories that illustrate your life as a business owner and life as a human being.

Although you have an amazing gift for helping people in the way you do, you also live on this Earth just as they do, and even though that would seem to be a common sense assumption, when people are in pain and seek help, it’s important to remind them that you’ve been where they are and you know exactly what they’re going through.

Remind them of this by sharing who you are, who you serve and why you do what you do through the content that you share.

How to be more relatable in your image content

When you effectively strike the balance between superhero and relatable human being, that keeps your audience invested, engaged and inspired in you and your specialized help, which, ultimately leads to cementing familiarity and trust, which then develops into sales when the moment is right for them to buy, because who else would they turn to??

It’s a win-win all around, isn’t it, 🙂

So, what can you do to strike that balance?

Speak in your own voice

This is one of those suggestions that sounds like a piece of cake on the surface, but, in fact, this is one that takes a while to develop.

In my experience, it took me roughly 6-8 months to finally get my writing to a place where I actually felt as though it sounded as if I were having a conversation and not simply writing ideas on a page.

It was a bit of a chore, but, the juice is worth the squeeze.

Once I started to feel more comfortable in my style of writing, I noticed the reaction to these pieces changed dramatically – and by dramatically, I mean members of my audience started to pay more attention and actually ENGAGE the posts.

And here I thought that no one was reading, 🙂

When you write in your own voice and incorporate your vernacular, pacing, humor, personality and tone, that will automatically qualify in a slew of people into your audience.

Consequently, it will also qualify OUT many people, as well. And no, that’s not a bad thing – you’re curating an audience that wants to be under your tent and follow your every word.

In addition, when you share content in your natural voice for your audience, you’re gaining their attention in a unique way because no one else presents specific thoughts and insights quite like you do.

Speaking in your own voice is step one in building a community of advocates, cheerleaders and referral partners.

Share the missteps and failures

If there was someone who was completely resistant to implementing this concept into my own social media and blog content, it was me.

For years, I was under the impression that sharing the failures was a monumental sign of weakness, and I’d avoid it at all costs. I also figured that these types of stories would signal everyone to pull out their tiny violins and they’d play a symphony for me.

Over time, I learned the lesson that vulnerability is actually empowering, and, it’s a signal to your audience that you completely understand where they’re coming from because you’ve lived through massive challenges, as well.

Although you’re living your best life achieving all of the goals you set out to meet, you have fallen down and had situations blow up in your face more than once, and it’s important to point out those failures because it gives your audience the opportunity to learn from your mistakes.

These types of stories also creates connection and camaraderie.

Think about some of the many challenges that you’ve faced and overcome within the past couple years. Think about each individually, write them down and share them with those you serve.

That will go a long way to become more relatable.

Illustrate your process

Although amazing image content of you captured on stage is a wonderful way to illustrate you at the height of your superpowers, balance out those images with lifestyle portraits that break down the fourth wall between you and your audience by sharing portraits that showcase your process.

What does work look like to you? Do you work mostly on a laptop? Do you have an office? Co-work space? Or, work wherever the wind takes you that day?

How do you brainstorm ideas? Do you write ideas down in your phone or laptop? Voice record? Moleskin? Have a wall of post-its or a whiteboard filled with scribbled thoughts?

What does working with a client look like? Is it all virtual? On the phone? In person? In group settings?

Once you translate all of these answers into lifestyle portraits, you, then, are able to demystify the process of what working with you looks like for your audience.

You’re giving them the opportunity to easily envision themselves on the other end of that phone call, Skype Session or one-on-one consultation with you talking through their current, mental roadblocks.

If they can envision it, they’ll be more apt to do it.

Share objects and props that have emotional resonance for you

Although speaking photos and branded lifestyle portraits of you are compelling pieces of content, if you post similar photos of your face day-after-day, month-after-month, that gets pretty damn predictable and boring.

It’s important to spice it up with a variety of image content that doesn’t simply include you.

Although there are quite a few avenues to explore with respect to this idea, one of the main ways I direct my clients to keep their feeds interesting is by sharing images of objects that mean something to them in a way that translates to their audience a deeper sense of who you are as a person and professional.

For example, I’ve shared images of my cameras with my audience and talked about the gratitude I have for discovering this passion for serving others with my art.

For my clients, I’ve captured images of a variety of objects – jewelry, pens, watches, trinkets, coffee mugs, toys, dolls, books, etc – that they’ve used to tell a personal story and give their audience a more insightful peek into what motivates them every day to do what they do.

And that’s the key to sharing these types of images – use these photos in a way that will relate your human being qualities to those you serve. It doesn’t matter if they owned the objects that you share – they’re relating to the emotion and sentiment that you hold for those objects.

These types of shares draw your audience into the conversation, which will go a long way to developing their level of trust they feel towards you, and by extension, the specialized help you can offer them.

When we inspire our audiences to feel and not just think, that gives them a greater sense of connection, and ultimately, it leads to more sales.

That’s why it’s absolutely essential that you talk to them in a way that meets them where they are and reminds them that you knowhow they feel and want to help them get where they want to go.

It’s that simple.

John DeMato is a NYC branded lifestyle portrait photographer and content creation expert who serves speakers, authors, coaches and high-level entrepreneurs across the country. His 50+ e-book, S.H.A.R.E. M.A.G.I.C.A.L. I.D.E.A.S., lays out the how, what and why behind creating a memorable and referable online presence – sign up to get your FREE copy today.

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Culture Growth News and Politics Personal Development

An Empire Crumbles: Why the Jussie Smollett Situation Matters for Business

Last Friday, March 8, actor Jussie Smollett was indicted on 16 felony charges for filing a false police report about his claim he was brutally assaulted in Chicago in February.

Smollett is the actor from the hit show Empire who came forward with a chilling story of assault that included both homophobia and racism. What happened to him sounded terrible, and it shocked the nation.

The problem was that from the beginning nothing added up. The “assailants,” who were identified from video surveillance, were Black men who had a prior connection to Smollett. They weren’t the right-wing Trump supporters Smollett claimed had accosted him. They told police Smollett had paid them to stage the entire ruse. The whole thing appears to have been a pitiful attempt to garner attention and get Smollett a pay raise for his role on Empire.

Serving Smollett with 16 felony counts seems a bit extreme, but the city of Chicago wanted to send a message. Consider what Smollett’s actions unleashed:

1. Civil rights leaders, celebrities, politicians, and others came forward to denounce this kind of attack as unacceptable. They were then each forced to backtrack on their statements once it became clear things were not as it had first seemed.

2. The Chicago Police Department took this situation very seriously. They invested a great deal of time and manpower to investigate an incident that never actually happened. Those resources could have been deployed elsewhere to solve other, real crimes.

3. Incidents similar to this do happen to other people. This type of caper hurts all those people with real experiences of homophobic, sexual, or racial harassment. Now anyone who reports an incident like this will be scrutinized more closely. Is this claim for real? Has it been exaggerated? Or, is it totally made up, like Smollett’s story was?

What lessons are there for those of us in business?

1. Don’t jump to conclusions. In the #MeToo era, it’s natural to want to act quickly to stop harassment and bigotry when it occurs—but sometimes things are not as they first seem. Take time to learn what’s really going on. Don’t make accusations or come to conclusions before doing a thorough investigation.

2. Don’t automatically believe charges of this type are not real. This case stands out because it is so unusual to see an incident of this type staged. While there is always the possibility of a he said-she said issue, most of the time when there’s an allegation, there’s at least some behavior or action that may be questionable. See what’s going on before dismissing incidents as fake news.

3. Put a process in place now. Don’t wait until you’re in the crosshairs of an emotional incident to figure out how you will deal with serious allegations like this. Just like you have a process for evacuating a building when the fire alarm rings, you should have a process for handling allegations of harassment and bigotry.

4. Be clear that there’s no room for hate. Let employees, suppliers, and customers know that you will not tolerate sexual or racial harassment, misogyny, homophobia, Islamaphobia, anti-Semitism or anything of the like. When you are clear that there’s no room for hate in your organization, it’s less likely these situations will occur on your watch.

Linda J. Popky, founder of Leverage2Market Associates, is an award-winning Silicon Valley-based strategic marketing expert who is the author of the book Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters and the Executive Director of the Society for the Advancement of Consulting (SAC). Follow her on Twitter at @popky #mktgabove.

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Growth Leadership Personal Development

The Complexity of Leadership Responsibility

Leaders have one primary responsibility. Facilitate their team toward accomplishing a mission.

However, the mission has become so complicated, ambiguous, and involving so many stakeholders that it can feel nearly impossible to accomplish in a way that satisfies everyone.

This dichotomy is the ultimate challenge in leadership.

When we look at leadership, growth, and change in business, there is only one certainty. Saying, “Because we have always done it that way.” is always the wrong answer. Homogeneous thinking is, and complacency is a sure way to miss something, fail to put something in place or be left behind.

As leaders reconnaissance becomes one of our primary responsibilities, we have to remain situationally aware and understand not only the lay of the land. We also have to become acutely aware of what is out there as far as opportunities and challenges, and how these can affect us, and how our actions affect not only those above and below us but also those adjacent, as well as internally and externally.

I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Bawa Jain, the Secretary-General for the World Council of Religious Leaders at the United Nations, and one of the founders of  The Center for Responsible Leadership.

He poses three simple questions to help resolve these issues and lists these three critical principles towards assisting leaders in finding sustainable solutions to their missions and directives.

  1. Are we making decisions for the present or the future?
  2. Are we acting out of conviction or convenience?
  3. Is this constructive or destructive?

Our answers to these questions can help us build some foundational clarity to our mission that can help us alleviate the challenges behind conflicting stakeholders, ambiguity, and complexity in our goals and directives.

As leaders, we do not have the latitude to think that we are ever “in charge” instead, we have to accept the responsibility that our teams, people, mission and accomplishments are in our charge. It is up to us in our roles to find the most positive, and productive methodologies and outcomes towards meeting the opportunities that we see before ourselves.

You can find our podcast conversation with Bawa Jain on The Leadership Update Brief on C-Stuite Radio.
Ed Brzychcy is former U.S. Army Infantry Staff-Sergeant with service across three combat deployments to Iraq. After his time in the military, he received his MBA from Babson College and now coaches organizational leadership and growth through his consultancy, Blue Cord Management.

Categories
Biography and History Growth Personal Development

Immigrants Built the U.S. Economy

John Francis Houlihan, Michael’s grandfather, came to the U.S. from Ireland in the late 1800s at just 19 years old. The only trip he could book was to New York, on an ocean steamer loaded up with cattle. All the immigrants were required to make the trip above deck, fully exposed to the harsh North Atlantic weather. It was windy and cold, and the immigrants would huddle against the smokestacks at night to keep warm. It was a grueling trip. But it was on that trip that John met Michael’s grandmother, Nellie, who was also a teenager, and they were soon in love.

When they finally arrived at Ellis Island, they were kept in prison-like housing until they were able to prove that they could provide gainful careers. In those days, correspondence took forever, so they stayed imprisoned for many months. Eventually, John heard that he was offered a job cleaning the Sutro Stable, the San Francisco Police Department’s horse stables. John knew horses, but didn’t leave until a job was also secured for Nellie. She was offered a job as a washerwoman in a San Francisco boarding house.

When they arrived in San Francisco, they came face-to-face with prejudice and open hostility toward Irish immigrants because they would take low wages for lowly jobs. And, they were seen as un-American “papists” because of their Catholicism that originated from the Pope.

They were able to scrape up enough money in the years that followed to make a down payment on their own boarding house. After diligently studying the constitution and becoming naturalized citizens, they earned their American right to vote. John was able to work his way up in the stable and became Head Horseman. And Nellie provided cleaning services for transients and managed room rentals.

Unexpectedly, an 8.6 magnitude earthquake and ensuing fire demolished San Francisco in 1906. The Sutro Stable went up in flames, taking all of the horses’ lives except the mayor’s prized Percheron horses. Despite all the confusion and tragedy, John put his life on the line to save the horses. The mayor asked how he could possibly thank him, to which John replied, “Make me a beat cop in the Irish ghetto,” which was the Mission District. It was where John and Nellie called home.

John in fact did serve as a beat cop, where he would walk the streets of the Mission District for four decades. He kept the peace, fought crime, helped during times of need, and served the citizens. He witnessed the reconstruction of San Francisco. He was at the Panama Pacific Exhibition in 1915. The Palace of Fine Arts is the only building remaining from the World Fair that showed the rest of the world that San Francisco was open for business.

John witnessed World War I and saw the flood of Italian immigrants that traveled to the Mission right after. He saw average Americans being forced by Prohibition to break the law. He witnessed the Great Depression, Prohibition’s repeal, and WWII. He saw countless waves of immigrants move into the Mission and work their way toward a better life, just like he did.

During all of that, John and Nellie had three children, two of which died during childbirth. The surviving child, John Charles Houlihan and Michael’s father, was a public servant. He worked alongside others to create containerized shipping. This revolutionized the shipping industry, and reduced shrinkage (or pilfering by dockworkers). Containers could now be locked. This feature alone cut worldwide commerce costs significantly. Container ports were popping up all around the world in the 1970s and ‘80s. Shipping became safe, reliable, and efficient. This means of shipping became the world standard.

American Immigrants Do Not Take Citizenship for Granted

Michael spent his childhood summers with his Irish grandpa, who constantly spoke of the great opportunity America offered him to get ahead. He assured Michael that hard work would pay off in the US. He praised the advantages of American citizenship and was deeply thankful for his chance to get ahead until the very day that he died.

John and his son returned the favor to the country in many different ways, but their lives and their work have improved the lives of many Americans. Think about all the jobs that containerized shipping has created and all the jobs created by Barefoot Wine.

Immigrants are the economy’s backbone. They are the reason why America is “Great”. With open arms, let’s welcome those immigrants who want to work and show their gratitude for the chance to improve their lives. In order to earn the right to vote and become citizens, they must learn about the divisions of government, the right to vote, and why these laws exist, as well as the checks and balances they provide the country.

Americans who are born here don’t have this requirement. They can vote without all of that knowledge, and they can choose to not vote at all. Usually, immigrants don’t take their citizenship for granted. They are eager to understand our government, and they are eager to vote.

Let’s think more about the value of immigrants. Let’s all take the time and effort to vote! Democracy certainly isn’t something that immigrants take for granted. So why should any of us?

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

Categories
Human Resources Personal Development Sales

Know Your Product/Service Through the Customer’s Perspective

Part Three of a Five-Part Series.

You need solution acumen (product or service…applied to the customer situation) to craft win-win solutions.

Previously, I introduced perspective: knowledge or insight that expands a customer’s understanding of one or more business issues. When a seller provides perspective, they apply customer-valued(not just any) insights and expertise about unanticipated outcomes.

Then, I introduced a three-legged stool: the three foundational areas of expertise a seller should possess:

  1. Business Acumen...The focus of part two. Basically, this type of expertise equips you evaluate a prospective customer’s (or any company’s) operational efficiency and effectiveness, then identify value gaps.
  2. Solution Acumen.
  3. Customer Acumen…Where we will go in part four

Today’s topic:  Solution Acumen

First of all, solution acumen is waaaaay more than simple product knowledge. I’ve met sellers who are experts on their products/services, but have only a vague inkling why a customer might care.  Consequently, they have product knowledge without solution acumen.  Ultimately, here’s the source of the disconnect:

Customers don’t buy our products or services.  Instead, they buy results. That is, they buy outcomes our products or services deliver into their lives and businesses.

Importantly, solution acumen means that you can articulate a relationship between properties of your offer and customer-valued outcomes. Knowing your product or service is something.  Knowing all about how your product or service adds value to a customer is everything.

In addition, the price they’ll willingly pay for your solution depends on clarity, certainty, and desirability of those outcomes.

Ultimately, profitability happens when you provide more value for your customer than it costs you to produce. You can only price profitably in two ways: by accident, or by understanding – and pricing to – your customer’s outcomes.  To achieve the latter, you need solution acumen.

What Solution Acumen Typically Looks Like:

Generally, solution acumen comes in degrees.  As sellers go from basic product knowledge to full solution acumen, here are some of the identifying characteristics:

Basic solution knowledge includes:

  • Specs, performance…information a subject-focused persona wants to know.
  • Available product or service options. At a basic level, every seller should understand how their offer can be stripped down, augmented, and/or bundled.
  • Commercial policies.  Similarly, basic-level  knowledge includes ordering procedures, lead times, implementation basics, pricing, available discounts, and the like.
  • Competitors: An essential understanding includes basic competitor profiles, product descriptions, etc.

Intermediate-level offer knowledge might look like:

  • Typical configurations offered, even configurations commonly purchased for specific segments.If your company has developed a standard “small business package”, this mid-level knowledge has been institutionalized.
  • Commercial policies: Above basic level, understand discounting flexibility, how the pricing exception system really works (how the game is played in your company), have complete knowledge of any implementation process, how to expedite orders, etc.
  • Competitive differentiation. In this area, sellers can articulate competitive differences, and confirm/gauge strength of customer reactions to those differences.

Advanced knowledge, aka Solution Acumen is outcome-based, and is characterized like this:

  • Applications/use cases have been modeled, and all affected buying personas’ interests can be articulated.
  • Sellers can map competitive differentiation to customer outcomes. As an aside, my value networks are one way to do this.
  • Ability to brief implementation teams with persona-specific outcomes identified during deal pursuit. A key part of solution acumen is delivering on world-class outcomes after the sale.
  • Additionally, sellers move beyond descriptions of outcomes to quantifying them (measuring outcomes in monetary terms) with prospective customers. Also, instead of mastering the ins and outs of discounting, sellers master upward pricing flexibility: understanding attainable price premium and the required customization in order to fairly and legally price at a win-win price premium.

How Solution Acumen Shapes Perspective Selling

Solution acumen enables sellers to build connections between their offer and customer-valued outcomes. To see how, look at the Venn diagram below:

Customers have value gaps, shown on the left oval.  That is, they have unmet needs and aspirations. Suppliers differentiate themselves through unique capabilities. With solution acumen, sellers’ capabilities are expressed in customer terms — outcomes,– so that customers overlap the two ovals.  Any overlap represents where sellers can provide value. Only in this overlap is where sellers perspective welcomed.

Solution acumen increases as sellers more clearly translate the right-hand oval from “we provide ____” to “you achieve _____”. In fact, this is why solution acumen is so important.  As a result, sellers who clearly articulate a cause/effect relationship between offer/outcome become trusted business advisors.

With perspective, sellers can add to the overlap by:

  1. Proposing new possible outcomes,
  2. Framing the customer situation differently…in a way that promises a better outcome
  3. Framing the decision differently…again, to yield a valued outcome.

Remember, customers don’t care about all of your capabilities, even if they are unique to your offer.  Until they can clearly see one of your capabilities enabling a valued outcome, you risk showering them with irrelevance. For this reason, “perspective” outside of a customer’s desired outcomes isn’t really perspective at all.

Solution Acumen: One Key to Perspective Selling

Remember, because customers buy outcomes, perspective sellers need to articulate them.  Optionally, sellers can tell stories, give fresh insights into a customer’s situation, ask questions to get the customer to consider new issues for themselves…in any combination.

Solution acumen is not the ability to explain seller capabilities as features and benefits.  Instead, it’s the ability to translate their product or service into customer outcomes, then to extend single outcomes into follow-on outcomes.

In conclusion, solution acumen is what connects the seller’s offer to customers’ value gaps.  While some sellers can do this naturally, most need help.  To do this, I help sales organizations revamp their sales materials and product training materials to establish high-level solution acumen organization-wide.

Feel free to comment below or to share this article.  If you would like to talk about building the solution acumen of your organization, let me know.  I’d love to help you build that organizational capability.

To your success!

Categories
Growth Personal Development

Lean Writing: How to Cut the Bloat

Bloat occurs when one word makes another unnecessary.

This post presents tips on unnecessary pairings of words. These pairings weaken your writing.

Free gift: NO! Sorry to shout, but this is the worst of the worst, and it’s creeping like fungus into the wording of countless offers. Use “gift” or “free.” No exceptions. Or, for truth in advertising, if the gift isn’t free, write, “some strings attached”—which no one wrote ever or will.

My personal belief: If it’s yours, it’s personal. The same applies to saying, “My own.” The use of “personal” or “own” implies a need to make sure your claim is clear.

Plan ahead: Have you ever planned behind?

Possibly might: “Might” and “possibly” suggest “maybe.” Choose between them.

Protest against: A protest communicates that one is opposed. You don’t need to say “against.” This is different from using the word, “argue,” since you can argue either for or against.

Unexpected surprise: What is an expected surprise?

Unintended mistake: We can safely assume that a mistake is unintended.

Absolutely certain: Certainty is its own absolute. Avoid “Absolutely,” as an adverb. As an adjective, it can be used with caution. “It was an absolute victory.” That would mean that the victory was unquestionable.

Actual experience or actual fact: “Actual” is generally a tricky word. People use it to give emphasis to something as being real. However, “This was my actual experience” doesn’t make it more believable. In similar vein, a fact is a fact. It has been confirmed as true.

Postpone until later: See “plan ahead.” No one postpones until earlier.

Add an additional: There’s a big clue in this pairing. “Add” is part of “additional.” This is the best possible sign that “add” is unnecessary. Subtract is from your writing. Or subtract “additional.”

Added bonus: This is the cousin of “free gift.” A bonus is something added.

Advance notice: Giving notice is letting someone know something in advance. You can use either “advance” or “notice,” but not both. And please correctly use “advance”. You should have an Advance Directive, not an Advanced Directive to specify your healthcare wishes.

Ask a question: This is so commonly used that most people don’t pay attention. However, to ask is to question.

Usual custom: Customs are what is usual. You don’t need both words.

Difficult dilemma: Dilemmas are never easy. You can eliminate “difficult.”

Direct confrontation: A confrontation is always direct.

End result: Results always occur at the end of a situation or series of action. You don’t need “End”.

Sneaky Redundancies Are the Opposite of Lean Writing

These combinations are  subtler and require thoughtful editing. Look for words in a sentence that say the same thing, i.e., one of them is redundant.

“This winter we may potentially have mild weather.”

“May” and “potentially” say the same thing. Eliminate “potentially.”

“The existence of mild oceanic temperatures implies that global warming may be accelerating.”

“May” is unnecessary in this sentence. Replace “may be” with “is.”

This series doesn’t cover every unnecessary word. Develop a healthy suspicion about your writing. Practice learning to make each word earn its place so you have lean writing.

Pat Iyer is an editor and ghostwriter who works with business people to present their polished best writing. Reach her through patiyer.com.