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Category: Personal Development

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Management Marketing Personal Development Women In Business

Protect Your Schedule, Time and Attention

Are you constantly competing with others over your schedule? Do you feel inundated by a barrage of interruptions and distractions each day that leaves you feeling as if you worked like a crazy person all day and accomplished nothing as a result?

In my new book, Attention Pays, I outline strategies for busy professionals to protect their time and attention from being fritted away by anyone and anything asking for it.

Here are seven strategies you can being implementing today to take control of your schedule and permit you the time necessary to leverage your attention to accomplish more each day.

Create a personal daily strategic 15-minute appointment – Take this time to determine your top three non-negotiable activities you must complete before you sleep tonight. Several years ago, I challenged an executive leadership team at Comcast to invest 15 minutes of their attention every day in a strategic appointment. They say awesome results, become the highest performing team in their region. Their shared increased focus allowed them to prioritize completion of strategic objectives and invest in their people’s development instead of being distracted by everyday busyness.

Schedule your morning routine – We outlined this routine in Chapter 3 of my new book, Attention Pays. It’s critical that you get this on your calendar so that phone calls or meetings don’t encroach on this important time.

Assign certain activities to specific days of the week – This system has you group regular activities together to maximize productivity and minimize distractions. Will it work seamlessly with every week in the same way? no, but with a system, your team or assistant can schedule meetings on designated days. We worked with a financial services executive to design her ideal week. here is what hers looked like. Yours, of course, will be different:

  • Monday: Meet with team members, senior leadership, and her boss in the office.
  • Tuesday to Thursday: Industry and vendor networking events, client appointments, presentation preparation, and travel. These days were spent outside the office and included a work-from-home day.
  • Friday: As she enjoyed being home for weekends, any meetings were local and never scheduled to finish later than 5pm. If no meetings were scheduled, she focused on strategizing for the upcoming week and catching up on administrative work.

Schedule no talk days – My best friend manages multiple companies, raises my two beautiful God-daughters, volunteers in her community, and enjoys working with her clients. She discovered that on days she doesn’t talk to anyone, she’s massively productive. So, she started scheduling no-talk days – days with no appointments, which are dedicated to strategy and achieving goals. As an extrovert, I found this strategy especially helpful. Could you do this once a quarter to make more progress toward your bigger goals?

Schedule service days – I allocate one day a month on my calendar for pro bono assistance to people in my industry who need help. could you add a service day to your calendar?

Time block – Schedule space in your calendar for strategy, email review, meetings, social media engagement, and personal time.

Create visual recognition systems – Use color-coding to simplify your life. My calendar uses a variety of colors to show speaking, travel, consulting, personal appointments, and administration and business development.

Block out personal time in advance and honor the appointment with yourself as you would a client or employee.

Pick up a copy of Attention Pays to learn more about creating an extraordinary life by ‘unplugging’ from the constant barrage of disruptions and ‘plugging in’ to the tools, strategies, and mindsets that allows you to harness your attention to reach your highest potential.

Categories
Body Language Entrepreneurship Management Marketing Personal Development Women In Business

Focus Outward Rather Than Inward … 4 Steps to Adapting to Your Listeners Why

Watch Focus Outward Rather Than Inward … 4 Steps to Adapting to Your Listeners Why

Another strong distinction between a good and influence communicator is your ability to adapt on the fly without ever skipping a beat.

An influential communicator has the ability to pay close attention to what is happening between them and their listener and adapt to that person’s style, expectations and their WHY.

Avoid getting caught up in your own dialogue missing the opportunity to adapt to your listener’s WHY.  Learn the 4 immediate steps you can Take Action on Today!

Categories
Growth Leadership Personal Development

12-Step Program to Detox Your Team

Does your workplace culture or your team environment resemble a daytime soap opera? Do new workplace dramas unfold among your team members each Monday morning? Are spats and tiffs between team leaders the norm? (Do you often hear music crescendo in the background and then cut to a commercial break?)

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives…

If so, then your workplace culture is ill, and I’m afraid it’s not a make-believe disease a` la General Hospital, nor can it be cured in a 30-minute episode. You may be suffering from “Toxic Team Syndrome!”

I’ve been hired to play doctor to cure these toxic work environments. It’s tough to diagnose your particular problem. I’m no doctor, and no – I don’t even play one on TV. But I’m willing to bet that these problems are merely symptoms of leadership failings and missteps, such as:

  1. Lack of leadership vision
  2. Poor leadership communication
  3. Failure to develop team members
  4. Leaders who are unconscious and unaware of their impact on others
  5. Team members forced to compete against each other (and actually, that statement is an oxymoron)
  6. “Leaders” function more like managers in that they focus only on managing processes, systems, things, and pay little attention to mentoring, engaging, or inspiring people
  7. Bored team members
  8. Leaders who use a one-size-fits-all approach
  9. No emphasis/effort in creating a positive work culture

Thankfully, for you as the executive leader, it’s not a fatal disease – if you catch it early. The first step is to recognize that you have a problem. Don’t be in denial. The bottom line is that you can’t cure the disease if you don’t admit that you’re sick.

So many leaders are absolutely clueless to the work environment they’ve created.

Yep, I did say that you create the work environment. So if your work environment is like a soap opera drama, you can correct it over time. Here, I have listed my

12-step program for detoxifying your team:

  1. Explain to each team member how his/her work contributes to the bigger picture.
  2. Get to know team members and focus on drawing out the best that they have to give. Serve as a mentor, guide, and inspiration to team members.
  3. Leadership is an inside job. Identify your own strengths, limitations, blind spots, etc. Lead from a place of self-assurance and confidence.
  4. Clue people into the bigger picture – share your vision for the organization.
  5. Treat each person as an individual but don’t play favorites.
  6. Don’t participate in, nor tolerate malicious workplace gossip. Establish a professional atmosphere where all team members are treated in a respectful manner.
  7. Reward, recognize and encourage teamwork and avoid creating situations that require team members to compete against one another.
  8. Provide team members with a variety of development opportunities and cross-train team members where appropriate.
  9. Err on the side of over-communication. Effective leaders know they can’t communicate too much with team members.
  10. Ask for, and really listen to, feedback from team members, customers, and superiors. And then make changes where needed!
  11. Work hard to build and maintain trust and loyalty. NEVER discuss one team member’s issues, problems, or situation with another team member.
  12. Strike a balance between setting yourself above (and superior) to your team and being one of the “guys.” Somewhere in the middle is best.

YOUR TURN! What will you:

  • start doing,
  • stop doing, or
  • continue doing or do differently

to “detoxify” your team and your team’s work environment? Share your action plan with us in the comment box below!

To receive solutions to your people problems in your inbox every month, and to receive our report: “7 of Your Biggest People Problems…Solved,” click here.

You might also like:

Leadership Team Accelerated Results Program

12 Powerful Questions to Stash in Your Leadership Toolbox

Leadership Lessons to Push Past Homeostasis

Jennifer Ledet, CSP, is a leadership consultant and professional speaker (with a hint of Cajun flavor) who equips leaders from the boardroom to the mailroom to improve employee engagement, teamwork, and communication.  In her customized programs, leadership retreats, keynote presentations, and breakout sessions, she cuts through the BS and talks through the tough stuff to solve your people problems

Photo

Categories
Growth Personal Development

Product and Brand: What’s the Difference?

The words “product” and “brand” are sometimes used interchangeably. But we think there’s a great difference between the two. A product is simply the item for sale. A brand is the combination of the label, image, logo, promise, positioning, and overall reputation. A product without a brand is generic, and typically sold in bulk. Once that product has a brand, however, the product itself and its provided customer experience affect the brand promise, brand image, and reputation.

This goes double for brands with physical products. The brand is judged by the branded product. It isn’t the only factor, but it can make or break customers’ experience. Their experience with the packaging, logo, label, price, position, and accessibility directly influence the brand’s image, reputation, and promise. For example, if the branded physical product is out of stock when a loyal customer wants it, the brand’s image is tarnished. The brand is no longer dependable. This happens even if the situation is the retailer’s or distributor’s fault.

Likewise, when your consumer thinks the price is too high, your brand image is hurt. Your customer thinks, “This is supposed to be the same quality product for the same price I paid last time, but now they want more!” They might feel required to warn friends or colleagues to whom they had previously suggested your brand. But the price increase may have been a desire on the retailer’s behalf to make more off of your product. Or maybe the retailer wants to sell their store brand, thus returning more profit, and drive traffic away from your product. Still, in the consumer’s eyes, it’s your brand’s fault.

There are many ways the brand producer can harm their brand: removing quality markers in the name of cost reduction, productivity, or conforming to corporate formats, which your customer sees as devaluing the brand’s image; making drastic changes to the logo or label for “change’s sake” which confuses the customer; diminishing the product’s quality to “increase profit margins,” which hurts the brand’s value perception and quality. The producer can also cut their own sales by doing things that hurt the environment, labor, or the community—this all reflects poorly on the brand’s image.

So, in the branded product arena, the product and how it’s perceived are still the main features of brand building. Keeping your distribution channel open and moving are essential to the brand’s feel of dependability. The product’s pricing, shape, packaging, size, labeling, contents, and availability represent what the consumer thinks of the brand.

This is why we highly emphasize retail merchandising and distribution of physical product brands. So what if your website looks great, or if your persuasive slogan and logo are matched on your baseball hats, envelopes, and stationery—It doesn’t matter if you let the consumer down.

Real brand building takes true responsibility for your branded product once it leaves your hands. Active support, observance, and care at every point in the distribution channel are all essential to building your brand. Your brand’s image is only as good as your customer’s experience and your physical product. If it’s good, they applaud your brand. But if it’s bad, they blame your brand!

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

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

How In-Depth Is Your Communication Planning?

“To communicate more effectively, do so based on the mindset of the recipient.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

Before communicating with someone, what factors do you consider? Too much information, or information not delivered in the manner expected, can go unconsumed. Too little information can meet the same fate; it can also lead the receiver to seek more insight. So, what should you do to enhance your communication efforts?

Determining the degree of information to bestow upon anyone is guided by many factors. Consider the following factors to enhance your communications.

1. Environment

Always consider your communication environment. One that’s too loud or too quiet might incite unintended distractions, which may impact the reception of your message. Depending on the message and your anticipated impact, assess the best environment to deliver it, based on the person to whom you’re delivering the message.

2. Character/Trust

Knowing the character of the person with whom you’re conversing will determine the depth of information you’ll be willing to share. If trust is not a factor, you’ll be more likely to disclose more insights.

If you know you’ll be in a future situation with someone whose trust has not been vetted, or someone whose trust you question, before giving them the ‘inside story’, give them tidbits of information and see what they do with it. You can accomplish this with multiple people by giving each a slightly different version of the same information, stated as a secret that they shouldn’t share; then, see what version comes back to you through other sources. The originator’s signature will be embedded in the version that comes back. Therein will lie an assessing barometer that indicates the degree of trust you can associate with that person.

3. Mood

A person’s mood can change at any moment. That change influences their perception of information.

To enhance your communications, deliver messages based on the mood of the recipient and how your message ties into that mood. If need be, alter their mood before making your delivery.

As an example, if you have to deliver bad news, avoid times when the receiver is in a depressed state. Do this, unless you’re offering insights that you want him to address that’ll enhance his state of mind. To the degree you control the delivery of information, you control the state of mind you’ll put someone into.

4. Objective

When it comes to parsing information, always consider your objective and outcome sought before doing so. If the mood, character of the person, or environment is not right for the delivery, abstain from doing so. Rushing forward at inopportune times can severely detract from the message and your objective of delivering it. In some cases, you may want to give a snippet of information as a ‘coming attraction’. That’s one way to set the stage for what’s to follow.

What does this have to do with negotiations?

In a negotiation, the factors that determine the impact of an offer/counteroffer are determined by the factors mentioned above. If the mood is one of hostility, there may not be the degree of acceptance to an offer then if the mood was more upbeat and open. If there’s trust in the character of the person you’re engaged with, you’ll extend more trust when such is the pivotal point upon which a negotiation may hinge.

In order to engage in more successful negotiations, you should tend to the factors above. They’ll enhance your negotiation efforts … and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating.

What are you thinking? I’d really like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free 5-minute video on reading body language or to sign up for the “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

#HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #Psychology #Perception #rejection #leadership #HowToImproveyourself #Communication

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Management Skills

Back on the Horse

I had writers block during the month of March. I typically write about cybersecurity or about leadership, both passions of mine and areas I work in but I was not sure what to write about that would be useful, educational, and interesting.

The reason I’m writing about not writing is to talk a about goals and getting back on the horse when things don’t go as planned. One of my goals or intentions for Q1 this year was to write and publish 12 articles. I was on track up through the first week of March; however, I hit the wall and by the end of the quarter I had written nine instead of 12 articles. Missed the goal by three, which may not sound like much, but for someone who is not great at completing what they start, it was a big blow for me.

When I sit down and set goals I tend to start off with a bang, but over time, when the rubber meets the road things often fall apart or I lose steam before I ever cross the finish line.

Why am I telling you this dirty little secret of mine, why would someone who helps others reach goals tell you that they have difficulty in reaching their own goals? Because I want you to know that if this is an area of challenge for you, that you are not alone. Whether they are work goals, organizational goals, family goals, or personal goals it can be isolating and we feel alone in our “failures.” I put the word failure in quotes because we often say to ourselves that we have failed when we have missed the goal, but we only fail when we let missing the goal get the better of us, when we don’t get back on the horse.

If this sounds familiar let me tell you that you’re normal and you are not actually alone. For me I really think it’s about focus, which turns out to be my word for the year. I’m trying not to have as many squirrel moments and stay focused on the task at hand, trying to overcome the shiny object syndrome that I have.

That is why I was excited when my friend Susan Trivers recently invited me to her workshop about singular focus. She talks about 3x3x3. You pick one outcome to focus on for the next three weeks and then you set an appointment with yourself three times a week for three hours at one time to only focus on that outcome. Over three weeks that is 18 hours of dedicated focus. The thing I liked about it was that the outcome can be anything, even a question that needs to be answered. My first 3x3x3 is my podcast, C-Suite Success Radio and getting all my shows moved over to the C-Suite Radio platform. Check back in three weeks to see if I have accomplished this mini-goal.

When things don’t go as planned as they often don’t, a short-lived pity party may be in order, but that can’t last long if you are serious about accomplishing new things. To quote my favorite line from The Big Bang Theory “Buck Up Sissy Pants” and get back on the horse.

If you have goals you are trying to reach and need someone to give you a kick in the pants or help you work through the plan reach out to sharon@c-suiteresults.com.

Categories
Best Practices Growth Management Personal Development

One Question You May Not Want to Ask as a Coach

What is coaching?  It is a process that uses trusting relationships to inspire insights and new options to create positive change for individuals and teams.  Ideally, it is a predictable process.  If we know what questions to ask and which to avoid, it can become more predictable.

Coaching with adults is rarely about telling them what to do (it can happen children’s sports). It is instead about asking great questions at the right time.  The purpose of asking great questions is to help people uncover new options on their own.  These new options ideally improve their ability to create positive change and/or positive performance improvement.

Asking questions like “Why did this happen?”, or “Why did you do that?” are rarely the right questions during a coaching session.  These “why” questions can lead down a confusing path which can often waste everyone’s time.

Every morning I walk our two rescue dogs. One morning I decided to take them to a new venue.  I drove in, parked and we walked for about 45 minutes. When it was time to leave, I decided to exit the parking lot from the same place I entered.  It was difficult to safely exit from that location because of a sharp curve and overgrown brush prevented me from seeing oncoming traffic from the left. I needed to make a left turn and crossing over that lane seemed unsafe.

After a moment or two of looking for oncoming traffic, I pulled out only to see a speeding vehicle headed right for my driver’s side door, I quickly accelerated.  The driver missed me by inches. He signaled his displeasure and leaned harshly on his horn.

The next day, at that same venue, I was overly cautious when leaving due to my previous experience.  After a few minutes of reflection, I realized there was another location from which to exit the parking lot.  It was hidden and therefore not obvious.  That is why I missed it the previous day.  Furthermore, there was no signage.

If I had a coach at that moment helping me with this situation, and the coach were to ask me, “Why did that near accident happen?”  I might start listing all the reasons why I was not at fault.  For example, “I could not see oncoming traffic.” Or, “The other driver was speeding!” and/or “There was the lack of signage.”  Even a simple situation like this will open the likelihood of having a blame discussion.  Blame tends to lead us into a loop of confusion and/or a lack of action.  Blame questions lead us away from choices we have control over.

What if that same imaginary coach asked me, “What can you do next time to avoid this danger?”  and, “When can you start doing that?”  These questions focus on behaviors, actions, and the choices and control I do have.  If we agree with the definition of coaching above, “a process that uses trusting relationships to inspire, insight and new options to create positive change” then asking “why” questions is very often a poor choice.  Asking “what, when, and how” questions offer much better choices for identifying positive action and new options.

Of course, there are places where “why” questions can be useful.  One popular occasion is when one is searching for root causes of poor performing processes.  There is the very useful quality improvement technique described as “asking why 5 times”.  This technique is very useful in conjunction with a cause-and-effect brainstorming session.  In this technique, for each major cause, a facilitator asks, “Why is this happening?”   Each time we ask why, in this situation, it can lead us to have a deeper understanding about what is happening in a process.  That is the main point.  In a discussion about process, “why” questions are useful. The discussion is then about the process and not about the person and/or his/her behaviors.  That’s the difference.  Once you identify a process it is useful to ask “why” questions.  Until you identify a process we want to improve, “why” questions can lead us astray.

If my imaginary coach at the dog park first asked me, “What process is not working?”  I might answer, “The process of exiting the park!”   He/she could then ask, “What is the first 15% of that process?”  My answer might be, “Deciding where to exit!”  Finally, if my imaginary coach asked, “How can you improve the first 15% of that process?” I might answer, “Search for a safer exit option!”  “When can you start doing that?” might be the next question.  This would lead me to that same insight I had already reached i.e. a new safer choice for an exit.

“Why” questions can be useful.  But, in coaching situations they can lead us down a wasteful path full of blame.  Using “what”, “when” and “how” questions are likely much more useful and less emotional. Try it.  You’ll see.

Check out the interview on C-Suite Best Seller TV to learn more about how to stop leadership malpractice and replace the typical performance review: https://www.c-suitetv.com/video/best-seller-tv-wally-hauck-stop-the-leadership-malpractice/

Wally Hauck, PhD has a cure for the “deadly disease” known as the typical performance appraisal.  Wally holds a doctorate in organizational leadership from Warren National University, a Master of Business Administration in finance from Iona College, and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania.   Wally is a Certified Speaking Professional or CSP.  Wally has a passion for helping leaders let go of the old and embrace new thinking to improve leadership skills, employee engagement, and performance.

 

Categories
Leadership Marketing Personal Development Sales

How Economics Betrays Business Leaders Every Day

I hear even highly-respected consultants and business leaders express dangerous misconceptions about price and discounting. I suspect it’s because so many people took basic economics to heart without digging deeper into the underlying assumptions or learning the true role of pricing. No thanks to economics, we often mis-

apply the supply/demand relationship we learned in our introductory Econ courses. You could not make a bigger mistake.

The demand curve is a foundational concept in economics. The law of demand states that lower prices incentivize higher demand (in units). The principle is correct, but only under artificial conditions. Rather, my decades of work in pricing and value have driven a conclusion that most businesses grossly mis-apply supply/demand analysis in the real world.

I’ve met multiple sales people, sales leaders and CEOs who rationalize indiscriminate discounting. Presumably, they are relying on a misunderstanding of the demand curve. This is far more than mere misinterpretation of the law of demand; it kills businesses.

Let’s review: the demand curve represents aggregated behavior of for a commodity: as price falls, additional customers appear, willing to pay the lower price.

Does dropping your price really help win that deal?

The demand curve correctly states assumes that value for your offer is different for each individual. Prospective customers compare any given price against perceived value. As price drops, demand increases when a customer who formerly perceived inadequate value now perceives a positive value from purchasing. Unfortunately, when you capture a sale from that marginal user who perceives borderline value, you simultaneously just trained all of your higher-value users to expect discounts.

While the perceived value of a product or service can – and is – often individual, it isn’t fixed. Value is a perception, and perceptions change. Perceptions of desirability of an outcome, adequacy of substitutes, and environmental/extraneous considerations change constantly. In fact, this is why the sales profession exists.

Drop your price without knowing your value? Stop it!

The demand curve assumes that your product or services is a “fungible” commodity: all units of the same product or service are identical replacements for each other.. That is, it assumes that you have no differentiation. This is ridiculous. For instance compare the price of a one ounce pure gold bar from a no-name mint vs. a one ounce Krugerrand. The demand function you learned in school ignores differentiating features, branding, distribution, availability, support/service, durability, etc. This was done so that the math works more easily. While there is some great advanced economics work that incorporates differentiation, you probably never learned about it. Pity.

Another way that the real world differs from economic models: Customers don’t have perfect information. When your customers don’t know about all alternatives, don’t fully understand value-in-use, or all the ways that your offer provides value to them and their company, they don’t make “economically efficient” decisions. Imagine a prospect who hasn’t figured out that ROI for a contemplated purchase is over 500%. Discounting isn’t the missing selling behavior…it just creates a discount-accustomed buyer. Or worse, makes them question any value which they had placed in the service. Worst of all, there was no reason to discount, and that every dollar of price drop came out of the seller’s profit line.

For these reasons, you should shift a marginal customer who perceives inadequate value to tip in your favor. This avoids the collateral damage to your existing customers willing to pay your existing price.

Your price isn’t just the effect, it’s the cause.

Your price isn’t just a cost figure a customer weighs against your offer’s value. Because of the confusing plethora of differentiation in the real world, consumers use price as an indicator of value. Your price declares your value — or your lack of it. Imagine: you are the incoming CEO of a company that outgrew its peers for decades at a price premium and without discounting before you entered the job. When you encourage sellers to start discounting to “win” deals, what do you think you’re doing to the brand?

My work on value and price

Bottom line: discounting to gain sales is only a smart choice if you, your marketing group, your customer service people, your product group, and your sellers are all powerless to grow customer perceptions of value. I help under-powered clients.

When I work with clients, we usually find that their offers are priced well below the customer’s true value. This doesn’t necessarily mean we raise prices, but almost always helps them see that discounting is merely shipping profit dollars out the door to their customers.

Don’t be “that guy”. Or “that woman”.

The only kind of value there is: customer-perceived value. It’s impossible to have value that the customer hasn’t validated yet…you don’t have value; just a value proposition. Customer-focused conversations and interactions which get your prospects to validate value is the difference.

I’m happy to help you on your journey to understand how you can capture the value your company earns in the form of pricing power. Comment below or reach out to me directly to discuss in more detail.

To your success!

Categories
Personal Development Sales

How to Sell in an “On-Demand” World

When I was growing up in a big family during the 80s and 90s, we would gather around the TV once or twice a week to watch whatever sitcoms were popular.  It might have been Roseanne, Full House, Family Ties, Grace Under Fire, or the like.

We grabbed our snacks and whatever seat was available.  It was a family ritual, because that day and time was the only opportunity to watch the show!

Now, because of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and online platforms like Youtube, we can watch shows whenever we want.  Our TV has become “on-demand” and we expect to be entertained whenever we want to be.

Buying is Now “On-Demand”

The internet has fundamentally changed more than just how people watch television.  It has changed how we access and use information in general.  This has had a big impact on the buying process, and it’s why the sales process also has to evolve.

The buying process used to be full of information asymmetry: The sellers has a lot more information than the buyers.  And therefore the buyers didn’t have easy access to the insights they needed to make the best decisions.

They were at the mercy of salespeople.  That’s why “interruption sales” techniques worked.  The buyer had to act when they had a salesperson giving them more or better information.  If you were a buyer, there was a legitimate chance that the person cold calling you might actually have a solution that you didn’t know about.

Since buyers can now get all of the information they need with a simple Google search, the playing field as been leveled.  They can now move through their buying journey at their own pace and when they want.  The buying process has become “on-demand” as well.

In fact, transactional sales where the traditional sales techniques worked is rapidly being overtaken by automation and AI.  Why should a buyer be at the whims of a salesperson when they can go to a robust web platform, get their questions answered, and place an order?

Buyers Buy When They’re Ready

Salespeople don’t have the control like they did in the past.  They don’t have the same ability to push and pull prospects like they did in the past.  The modern salesperson has to recognize this shift in the dynamic between buyer and seller.  It’s no longer effective to simply urge the buyer to operate on the seller’s schedule.

That doesn’t mean that the salesperson isn’t valuable.  In fact, they’re more important than ever.

But their role has shifted.  Now, it’s critical that they provide guidance for their prospects and customers as they go through their own buying journey.  Research shows that buyers are doing a lot more research before they ever engage with a salesperson.

In this world, salespeople don’t find success by pushing and bothering their prospect.  Instead, success comes when they position themselves as a guide: as a Sales Sherpa™ to lead them through the unknowns and obstacles in the buying journey.  They want to be seen as someone who can help give context and meaning to all of the information out there.  Buyers don’t necessarily know how to make sense of all of the blog articles, white papers, and review videos available “on-demand” to make the best buying decision.

3 Ways to Leverage the On-Demand Sales Landscape

To stay relevant in the on-demand economy, modern salespeople need to become the go-to resources for their prospects and customers.  Here are three ways you can find success in this environment:

1. Position Yourself as an Expert

If you are just a brochure-deliverer and order-taker, you aren’t adding to your prospects’ buying journey.  You want to position yourself as an expert in your field that can answer their questions.  Consistently add to your knowledge base and personal network so you have access to the connections your buyers need.  And offer that information freely and openly so that you are seen as a knowledgeable advisor.

2. Invest in Relationships for the Long-Term

When you first approach a prospect, they might not need what you are offering.  That doesn’t mean that they will never need your products and services.  The goal is to ensure that you are the person they contact when they are ready to make a purchasing decision.  Don’t dismiss a potential contact just because there isn’t an immediate and obvious need.  Cultivate the relationship over time so that you’ve built up trust with them when they’re ready to buy.

3. Stay Top-of-Mind

It’s important that you remain top-of-mind with your network so that you are a natural choice when people are looking for what you offer.  The goal is to create a consistent presence that keeps you on their radar. Use digital platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook to share content from your field.  Use offline relationship building opportunities like conferences and networking events to re-connect with people on an interpersonal level.  You don’t have to be their best friend, but you want to regularly remind them that you are there and available to help.

Categories
Best Practices Culture Growth Health and Wellness Human Resources Management Negotiations Skills Women In Business

Do You Respond or React?

A little while ago, a German PhD student and I were discussing the dynamics of working in international or multicultural settings, when he asked me, “What’s the one piece of advice you would give to someone who was going to work in [that kind of environment]?”

It was a powerful question, since it’s hard to distill the 1,001 ideas that swirled through my head down to one single line item.

Finally, I said, “No matter what happens, don’t react.”

He looked at me, surprised. “So, if someone says or does something that you don’t like, you should just do nothing?”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” I replied. “You can respond; just don’t react.”

“What’s the difference?” he asked.

I went on to explain that a reaction is an instinctive reflex, often influenced by your “fight or flight” tendencies, whereas a response is a conscious decision.

A critical skill that separates bosses from true leaders is the ability to catch yourself when the reflex to react kicks in, and hit the pause button. Then assess the situation from what I like to call a “split-brain perspective” before deciding your course of action. Depending on the situation and your natural tendencies, you may be able to do this quickly, or you may need to take some time to think it through, and return to continue the discussion an hour or a day later.

Either way, the process requires three equally important steps.

Step 1: Acknowledge your feelings

The first step is on the “emotional side” of your brain – the one whose reaction is to be annoyed, offended or off-put by what the other person said or did. Start by identifying what you’re feeling and why. For example, you can say to yourself, “Whenever he asks for something, it always sounds like a command. It sounds like he thinks he’s my boss, and it really gets under my skin.”

Especially in intercultural encounters (but not unusual in any context), it’s common to perceive others as being rude or otherwise feel like their comments are insensitive or inappropriate. Here’s the thing: it is okay to feel this way. You don’t have to deny your feelings; just don’t let them drive you or your reaction. Acknowledge them, and then go to step-two.

Step 2: Seek alternative explanations

This is when the “logical side” of your brain needs to take over, giving the person the benefit of the doubt that there is a perfectly reasonable alternative explanation for what they did or said, and that their intention was not to offend you. Your job is to discover their real reason and intent.

Now, you can remind yourself, “He probably doesn’t realize how that came across. Let’s find out what he meant and go from there.”

You never know what might be under the surface. For example, in Russian, it is perfectly professional to say “do this now,” whereas in English it sounds extremely demanding, “bossy” and abrasive. The problem is that even though the person may be “fluent” in English, they could still be thinking in Russian and translating word for word into English, not realizing that while their statement is technically, grammatically correct, it is contextually inappropriate.

On the flip side, while it’s considered appropriate in English to say, “Can you get X to me by the end of the day? I can’t do my part until I have X from you and the deadline is tomorrow,” in Russian, such a statement sounds timid and wishy-washy. As a result, it might not have occurred to the person to frame it this way, subconsciously assuming it would be inappropriate.

Once you’ve had that quick check-in with yourself to regroup, move on to step-three.

Step 3: Respond thoughtfully

This is where the rubber hits the road, so to speak. Considering everything from steps one and two, you need to formulate your response to the person in a way that isn’t defensive (or offensive, for that matter), and shows that you want to reach a mutual understanding.

Whether you address the issue immediately or at a later time, perhaps when you can have the conversation in private, start by calmly and objectively identifying the comment/behavior. E.g., “I just want to clarify what’s probably a misunderstanding. Earlier, you told me to (XYZ), and the other day you said (ABC). I’m happy to help, but when you say it like that, it feels like you’re giving me orders. I don’t think you did it intentionally, so I wanted to ask you to clarify what you meant.”

At that point the person will have the chance to share their perspective and even apologize if necessary. They might be surprised or embarrassed, and this approach helps them to set the record straight, turning the exchange into a learning experience for both of you. In the end, you get clarity, strengthen your relationship, and allow them to rebuild their reputation with you and others moving forward.