self development

3 Crazy Causation Theories

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There is that “correlation not causation” perspective that people talk about.   I ran across it most recently last week reading something, somewhere, about Diet Coke. 

Some article talked about a reputable study a couple of years ago suggesting that you, the Diet Coke drinker, were by some large and scary percentage,  more likely to become obese if you drank Diet Coke vs. someone who did not drink Diet Coke. 

Good Times.  I love Diet Coke. 

Thankfully the article reminded us that the study was flawed because what you really had a hard time discerning was if those people who were becoming or were already obese, had decided to start drinking Diet Coke while “obesing” vs. the other way around so to speak.  Hence though there may be a “correlation” between Diet Coke and obesity, there is not necessarily, “causation” from Diet Coke to obesity.

There is a lot of that crazy “causation” stuff out there in the sales world too. 

Crazy Causation Theory # 1:  Successful salespeople have the best accounts; they don’t make half the calls or presentations you do, but are still raking in the most dough.

Ah….yes…I had the worst sales territory in the world back in my day.  I was insanely jealous of my fellow sales reps that had the best accounts or territory. 

So yes dear colleague of today, you are right; the successful reps often don’t make nearly as many calls as you do and they do have the best accounts.  Truth is though; their phone rings more often and their inboxes fill up faster than yours does.  When they do call out, they are more effective than you.  More often than not, these successful reps artfully cultivate customers, drive referrals through them and in essence, have and continue to deliver greater experiences to their clients thereby creating a misperception to the rest of us about what exactly causes what. 

Hats off to you Jack Barry in 1994, you’re territory was the best, but now I know you weren’t lucky; rather, you made it so. 

Crazy Causation Theory #2; The more calls or offers you make, the more sales you’ll get.

Nope, not in this business.  That adage in sales that  “It’s all a numbers game” is a horrible lie.  Never believe it.  Many of you reading this are you are working with a finite list of existing customers or prospects, or of calls coming into you; which you usually cannot control.

Pounding out calls or making 5 offers/closes on every incoming/outgoing call to a finite universe doesn’t make the sales; quality contacts do.  In Outbound calling, it’s even more dangerous.  Pound out some self serving, rapid fire voicemails or live monologues to your assigned clients hoping to the sales gods above that you caught the customer exactly when they have a need and you’ll put yourself in a worse position 6 weeks later or 6 months later when you try and sell them something else.   Customers want help, not pitches and power dialing.

If you have the world as your territory and the yellow pages as your lead source; yes indeed, it is all a numbers game then.  For a while.  Make as many calls and offers as you want.  And have fun with that as you’ll last about 6 months before you can’t wait to quit.  No worries, your boss already a replacement ready to backfill you who has the same false belief.

Crazy Causation Theory #3:   The harder you work, the more successful you will be.  

That ain’t true in sales.  It may be true for cemetery workers (been there, worked hard despite my co-workers’ slacker cries to “slow down!”).  It may be true for grocery baggers (worked hard there too and loved the job) and forklift operators (worked hard and proudly with no incidents thank you), but it is not true in sales.  Working hard just is not enough. 

Working hard will only get you so far; here is what else you need:

  • Acting skills: ( Be a story teller & have the ability to make your 41st  performance today look and sound like your first)
  • Thirst for knowledge and self learning. (Pssst… the webpage functionality just changed 5 minutes ago and your product offer is now outdated.  Do you really want to wait for the memo or the training on that? )
  • Mental Positivity.  If you close 15 % of your leads /opportunities then you are a ROCK STAR though that means the other 85% reject you.  Working harder doesn’t help you here.
  • Sales Skills; Have no idea where you are in the sales process or what a good question is vs. a bad one?  Good luck working hard here while you are in the dark.
  • Help:  Few sales stars work in a vacuum. They are not afraid to ask for help, seek guidance and even demand coaching.

 

There.  Now go chill and have a Diet Coke.  No causation there to worry about.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

The Best Question For B2B Sales

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It’s not so much figuring out the best question that’s hard.  It’s figuring out what to do with the answer.

I get asked a lot about what are good questions for prospects or customers.  I can give you a bunch and in just a couple of clicks you can find thousands of reputable authors, sales gurus and websites that’ll give you a whole bunch more questions to ponder for your customer contacts.

But what is the best question?  I’ve finally settled on one now.   This one question makes so much darn sense on many levels.    And as good as it is, remember it’s what you do with the answer that really counts.      

Before I share it though, let’s think first about the audience you want to ask this question of.  The audience here is small business; a group loaded with owners, type A’s, entrepreneurs, competitive personalities or all of the above.  The audience is full of people who are proud, smart, have healthy egos and who live and breathe their businesses.

So the best question should be one that is grooved right down the center of the proverbial small business plate, look very appealing and inspire a big ol’ swing.  

“What sets your business apart from the competition?” 

Yep.   That’s it. 

Simple but powerful for two reasons:

  • First, it gives your fiercely proud small business person the chance to take a swing and share what they believe is perhaps the single thing that makes them different, or superior than anyone they compete against.  It allows for passionate rant or a perfunctory punch of an attribute, positioning, feature, service, history or benefit that they think is killer or outstanding about their business.   That’s cool.

 

  • Second it gives you a chance to do the hard part, which is to listen and analyze the answer.  It’s a beautiful window to the entrepreneurial soul.   You must use that learning to position you or your products in an appropriate way as you continue that conversation then, or at a later time, with the small business person. 

 

You see the answer to the question is vital.  It is what the small business person thinks is importantly different about their business and is likely what they value in partners and suppliers as well.  When you know what is important to them about them, you can position you, your company or your products in a similar light that will at the very least, get further attention and most likely move the sales process forward at lightning speed.  And if by chance your product or solution helps that business maintain or attain that thing that sets them apart, you’re in.

If the small business person thinks their “50 years in business” is the competitive differentiator then you have to consider that perhaps sharing your long personal tenure in the industry or the healthy company track record you have is a big deal for them when they consider working more with someone like you.  For them; being credible is important.

If the small business person thinks that having a “one stop shop” is a big deal setting them apart from the competition then you know that you have to consider positioning your services as being “easy to use” or “comprehensive and easy to access” because it’s very likely that that is something the small business owner wants out of a supplier or partner.

If the answer to “ What sets you apart from the competition?” is about “our low pricing”, or “the highest quality”, or “the most customers”, or “ our product breadth” or a dozen others then you have a colossal hint at what the buying motives just might be when they consider doing more business with you.

Pitch the question.  I believe it’s the best one out there and small business will hit it hard; just don’t drop the ball; do something with it.

P.S.  If some of you are thinking this is a great question for the C-Suite.  You’re right; similar personalities sit there too.   Have at it.

P.S.S  If some of you are thinking Hey Mark, asking that question you need a little trust first don’t you?  You’re right about that too.  Read up.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

From The Red Book

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I carry a little red book around with me.  I write things in there that I like, I hate, I worry about or get excited about.  I bet you all have a little book or notepad too.

I looked through it over the weekend.   These strike me as things I want to write more about, support or rail against, or just plain share and do something more with. 

How about you?

  • I hate that human condition that drives online business reviews. Have a problem and you rant online no matter how little the issue.  Skews everything. Totally unfair.

 

  • I doesn’t matter much if you have the newest tools or software on your desk (like a new CRM for example) if you have no desire to change your routine or results to begin with. 

 

  • Listening is cool.  But If you can’t get your client to talk to you, what the heck is there to listen to?

 

  • Coaching is hard.  Coaching to stats, processes and order entry is easy vs. coaching to communication, selling and service skills.  That latter will grow the business and former will give you the chance to do it.   

 

  • It’s only a matter of time before what’s credible on the internet matters more than that something is in fact, on the internet.  And that time is very soon.

 

  • Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN and all the rest haven’t changed us.  We have always loved, and needed a network of engaged, trusted friends and colleagues.   That need has always been there; it’s the tools that keep changing.

 

  • Glen Garry Glen Ross is simply the greatest sales movie ever and is Jack Lemmon’s best performance. The language is rough but the Mamet writing is priceless.

 

  • Ever notice on Mad Men how they have to sit the prospects down in the 60’s and explain in detail what marketing and advertising is in order to sell it?  Well we gotta do the same thing somehow these days when we sell online marketing.  It’s still kinda foreign to people.

 

  • Service Reps have the most satisfying job in the world.  You pros here know what I am talking about.

 

  • Open ended questions are so overrated unless you have some trust established; otherwise it’s just offensive. 

 

  • Adult learning theory continues to be disproved over and over again as weak.  It’s about “what” is being trained that matters, not the learning “style” of folks. ( Just as I suspected :))

 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Assume He’s Earned It

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That moment stayed with me all week while vacationing in Maine for a few days last week. 

He shuffled slowly, eyes riveted on the beach, his elbow tended by his middle aged daughter as he made his way to a table at the ocean front restaurant. 

He looked well into his 80’s or even into his 90’s, and I had a passing thought that maybe this beach was just one of many he’d seen in a lifetime as a civilian and perhaps as a Serviceman.

But it was what the younger gentleman dining alone said that struck me.  He broke from eating, stood and pulled out a chair for the elderly man and when the daughter mouthed “Thank you” the single diner said  “He’s earned it.”

“He sure has” the daughter beamed. 

The lone diner had no idea what this man had done to “earn it” and nor did I.  But the point is that there was an assumption that he had.

Giving help this lone diner so simply reminded me, was something not given out of pity or helplessness or ignorance or obligation but rather, out of assumed respect for the person. 

That’s a lesson we need to hear more of it seems to me.  There are some assumptions we need to change.

I grow worried that in business (and elsewhere in our lives) there’s a “prove to me” perspective too many of us take when meeting or working with people for the first time.  That we as sales people and managers and trainers sometimes approach prospects and existing customers, as well as new and veteran employees,  as people that need to earn the chance to be “worthy” of our time, our work, our humbleness and our help. That the help we give is a magnanimous gift on our part vs. help being given simply because it has already been earned.

It’s not that the old man in Maine may have served our country or done something great to “earn it”. Who the heck knows what he’s done but the presumption should be more often than not, that we are privileged to help people vs. the other way around.

  • Assume before calling on this prospect that she isn’t inexperienced just because her business is new but rather that she’s a 20 year business veteran now branching out on her own.   Assume that and you’ll do all the research required before you visit or call and be in a far better position to provide real help.
  •  Assume that this new hire class has collective sales experience like no other class before (as in this economy without a doubt they do).  Assume that and giving the “What Sales is Really All About” speech might change to real help in the form of a selling workshop fostering discussion about how to sell in a sketchy economy.
  •  Assume that the owner you are talking to also does most of the selling for his company.  Assume that and slamming in 4 product pitches or 3 trail closes isn’t the help you’ll give today. 

 

You can add your own new assumptions about each member of your staff or the customers in the territory you just inherited or the leader you now report to.  Just make sure the assumptions are that they’ve already “earned it” because chances are they have.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

You Wouldn’t Think…

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You wouldn’t think you’d get farther by doing things that feel weird or counterintuitive to sales, but you will.

  • You wouldn’t think you’d get farther by asking “Can you help me?” vs. “Can you tell me?” but you will.  People like to help people more than they like to serve people.

 

  • You wouldn’t think you’d get farther by fumbling your voicemail message than by delivering it perfectly, but you will.  People like real imperfect people more than real perfect people.

 

  • You wouldn’t think you’d get farther by not trying to close on every call vs. saying “Let me walk away and think about this” but you will.  People like people who listen and think more than they like people who just listen and solve.

 

  • You wouldn’t think you’d get farther by saying “Thank you for your business” vs. “Is there anything else I can help you with today?” but you will.  People more than ever; remember being appreciated rather than the check to see if their wallet was still open.

 

  • You wouldn’t think you’d get farther having a catalogue, a brochure or a handwritten letter in your tool belt vs. just landing pages, links and emails, but you will.  People like to do more than just surf sometimes; people also like to swim.

 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Forest Quandaries

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“If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it really make a sound?”

I get the riddle, I really do.  But I honestly don’t care much about the darned tree and if it makes even so much as a peep.

I do have some things in that forest I do care about though.  You should too. 

  • If you completely rebrand yourself but there is no one there to notice, does it really make a difference?  Think hard about inviting more people into the forest.

 

  • If you spend hours learning about a product but no customer ever asks you a question about it, will you ever sell anything? Grab some stump and tell somebody what you know in an interesting way.  

 

  • If you spend time to get smarter or stronger but never feel a bit stretched or sore, will you ever be either smarter or stronger?  Lift some heavier deadwood.

 

  • If you want to live in the best tree in the forest but never have a plan to find it, will you ever be so lucky to stumble upon it?  Get a knife and carve out a plan.

 

  • If you post a blog in the forest and there is no one there to read it, does it really matter?  Write something so interesting that people care to hike in once in a while. 

 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

What’s Your Trigger?

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Louis Oosthuizen won the British Open Sunday.   And a little sharpied red dot on his golf glove had something to do with it.

That little red dot on his hand was what he looked at before each and every shot.  That glance, that focus on the red dot helped get him “into the zone” and to “dispel the distractions”.   It was and is his trigger.

  Triggers, as any sports person knows, are a big deal.   They can be a stare, a move, or even a thought but regardless of what they are, it is what they do that matters.   And for Louis, that trigger was something that helped him execute in a very tough job under a ton of pressure.

What’s your trigger?

Playing sports, mine was a tap of my left foot before the pitcher began his wind up.  My younger brother (a much better player) would slam his bat to the plate at the beginning of each at bat; a trigger that worked for well for him (and as an added plus, intimidated the opposition). 

But what’s your trigger at work?  We do great things.  We need to perform under pressure and just like Louis we’ve got to execute difficult tasks well (often repeatedly) without much room for error.

For some folks it’s a phrase or a word they say to themselves before the presentation starts, before the call comes in, or before they push that door open that says “no solicitors”.  For other folks it’s forcing that image of a mentor or a respected boss into your head, or it’s a quick look at your kid’s picture on your desk and the thought of who you are really doing this for.

But more often than not, I’m guessing there isn’t a trigger at all.

More often we just do.  We think hard and we work hard for sure, but I doubt many of us consciously while at work have a “trigger” that helps us get “into the zone” or “dispel the distractions”.  

I think we should find one.  One that helps you instantly lock into that zone.   Maybe it’s a head nod with your eyes closed for half a second as you hear the words or see the face that is your trigger.  Maybe it’s something you wear on your wrist you can cast a glance at 15 times a day. 

I have one.   I have a trigger.  I’ll admit I’ve gotten away from using as often as I once did but Louis inspired me to bring it back.  And yesterday (Monday) was the first day I employed it throughout the day in a quite a while. 

Grew the damn business I did.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Thank You Tom Watson

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Caught Tom Watson’s likely last walk over the historic stone bridge at St. Andrew’s yesterday.  A class act Tom is.  And what a thrill he gave us last year at the British Open. 

Here’s a look back.

Originally published 7/20/09

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Thank You Tom Watson

Years ago I heard someone say the difference between soap operas and sports is the “audience” that watches them.   At first pass, some might think the point is that one gender likes soap operas or sports more than the other but the point really is that soap operas and sports are so very similar.

In both lie often incredible and transfixing stories. 

Susan and I couldn’t take our eyes away from Tom Watson’s golf performance at the British Open this weekend.   In the space of 48 hours, we ran a gamut of emotions sitting in our living room and watching this story play out.

And I am so thankful for that. 

As I write this a few hours after he lost in a playoff to Stuart Cink on the final day of the Open; I realize how lucky I am to have invested here emotionally.   At 59 years of age nearly 25 years removed from his last major championship, Tom held the golf world ( and I suspect a whole lot of new weekend TV converts) captive.   Could he be the oldest man to win a major championship?  Could this gentleman, this statesman for the game sit atop the golf world once again and live for real, an improbable heroic story?

There was chest tightening nervousness in my living room as we watched him tee off on hole after hole on Sunday.  At times we refused to watch some of his short putts (his long time nemesis) for fear of either seeing him miss or like a jinx, by watching we might just influence that putt in a bad way.  We literally jumped and cheered when he sank the few birdies he made Sunday and there were tears when we realized he was going to win… and tears again when we realized that he wouldn’t.

It was exhilarating.  It was exhausting.    

I don’t think it matters much whether your deep emotions come out though a fictional story or a real life story, rather, that they just do.   It feels good this collection of intense feelings, a bit like a mental cleansing.  It feels good to have all those emotions across such a broad spectrum, be let out.

And who knows, maybe going for a ride on a wild emotional story once in a while has other benefits too.     Not for nothing, but after watching that tournament; I went downstairs and had one of the best workouts I’ve had in a long time.  I then mowed the lawn in some of the most artistic patterns ever and I swear at my grill, the beer was colder and the cheeseburgers tasted better than they have all summer. 

Thank you Tom Watson.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

5 New Rules For Book Reading

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After a recent conference meeting, I offered to send out a particular book to any sales leader who wanted one of my remaining stash.  Many folks replied requesting the book and my guess is that others used the link I provided to purchase the book at Amazon. 

Super.  I love people who read business books.  They get it.  

It was a little odd though.

Some sent notes saying things like “Please send the book and I’ll pass it on to each leader” or “I’ll send back it back when I am done with it”.  These notes are from people wanting to invest in themselves and are very well intentioned for sure.  I’m convinced though, that our “Library” experiences and our “Textbook” experiences in school have fostered the belief that all books should be treated as we once were instructed to, or as we might treat fiction books today; That books are to be read and read only; That books are to be passed around, or resold or covered in protective paper and never, ever to be written or doodled in.  

It’s time for the old rules to go.  I don’t think those beliefs suit us well when applied to essential books.  These types of books I’m talking about can change your life at work and at home.   

Here are 5 new rules to go by.

1) Never Share:

It’s yours.  You wanted this book to read.  You will, if you do it right, write in this book including in the Kindles of the world.  In a mad rush some day in the future, you’ll lunge for your bookcase because you know that there is this book or this author who has that idea  and you need to read it again to move this effort forward or make something happen.  Make sure that this book is in your bookcase or on your desk when you need it.  Recommend a book?  Yes.  Share a book?  Never. 

2) Never Borrow:

Never borrow one of these types of books from anyone.  Not your colleague, not your spouse, not your friend.  Borrow means you have to give it back.  Borrow is a complete waste of time.  Think you can read a non-fiction critical book and remember the 10 essential themes or tools it teaches?  If you can, welcome to the tiny percentage of folks with a photographic memory.  The rest of us need to skip the “borrow” approach to books.  Never borrow.  Leave that to the fiction and fun books. 

 

3) Always Write In and Highlight In Your Book:

Have a pencil and your favorite color highlighter in hand whenever your read one of these books.  If you are into the electronic readers be careful; you have to get the ones that easily allow you to write, highlight and retrieve (and Nook ain’t one of them).  Books are a collection of moments from great teachers, researchers and leaders and like anything else, offer some moments that are better and more striking than others.  Highlight them or write a note next to that moment.  Your books should be a complete mess of color and notes.  It makes it that much easier a year later or 10 years later, to pick up this book and find what you loved about it the first time you read it.

 

4) Spend Money:

Spend at least $60 of your own money every month on books.  About a $2 dollars a day on ways to be better, be happier, be smarter or be more of whatever it is you want to be.  You decide if you are worth it but if you are reading this, my guess is that you are.  

 

5) Re-Write the Best:

If you take the time to read these types of books (and you must), do so with a small notebook that you’ll never lose (I use a small red moleskin notebook).  When you read, there are concepts that on occasion will make your jaw drop, your eyes widen and your breath quicken as within this book and on this page, a brilliant perspective screams out to you.  These thoughts are so profound that a note or highlight just won’t do and in fact, you should carry it with you. Transfer that tremendous thought to your small notebook.  Carry it with you and look at it often. 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Drawn In

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This post has little to do with work or self development or leadership.

Except, I think, that it does.  

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Why am I so taken by this DVD?  It is nearly 6 full hours of the funeral proceedings for a recent US president.  And all of it draws me in.

I ran it across it a couple of weeks ago while at the Library and had a chance over vacation to watch it.  I spent nearly a day doing so; and don’t regret for a moment that I did.   The video is The Reagan Library’s Tribute to Ronald Reagan.

It’s not the man or the politics I am obsessed with.  That’s not what draws me in.

It’s the ballet and the precision of color guards that are so much the very essence of these services that draw me in.   Even more, it is that beautiful precision interspersed with tightly controlled emotion and tears. That draws me in even further.

It’s the stirring poignant music of choirs and soloists and military bands that draws me in.   Even more, it is that all of that music is juxtaposed amongst non-melodic sounds like the 21 gun salute and cannon fire.  That draws me in even further.

It’s the speeches from heads of states, childhood friends and former presidents that draw me in.  Even more, it is that some of those speeches written with the help of aides and speechwriters while others were seemingly written on a blank sheet of paper the night before.  That draws me in even further.

It’s the thousands of people lining the streets watching the procession of family behind the horse drawn carriage that draws me in.  Even more, it is that you oddly cannot hear a single sound except footsteps and birds chirping as those thousands of people stand in complete silence. That draws me in even further.

I know what it is.   I know why I am so drawn in. 

There is no middle ground here.  It is a palette of only the brightest and the darkest colors standing apart at times, and then, mixing together. 

It’s a place where not only you may cry tears of joy or tears of pain, but you may actually cry both.   There is no middle ground. 

I’m drawn in when you have to invest and where there are, extremes.  The highs and lows in people, places, history and work I think, make it all worth it.  And when these extremes are inexorably tied together, I can’t turn away.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark