Posted: June 20, 2022 | Categories: Leadership, Sales

Country music legend Barbara Mandrell once gave some advice to her younger sister, Louise, who is also a performer.  She said, “Remember to always appreciate your audience.  They are giving you the most valuable thing they have…their time. This same rule applies in sales.  We demonstrate that we respect a client’s time.

Early in my career I learned a lesson about respecting our prospect’s time.  I was meeting with a decision maker and we had agreed to a 30-minute meeting.  The meeting progressed nicely, and when the 30 minutes had expired, the prospect kept going and the conversation continued to evolve.  I decided to let him roll, and the meeting ended up lasting close to an hour. I thought it went great.  Later on I found out the prospect was upset that I agreed to a 30-minute meeting and went beyond that.   Huh?  But, but, but…  He was the one who kept talking!

The next day I shared this frustration with my coach/mentor Ed.  Ed said, “You were leading the conversation.  You let that happen”

Then Ed tauaght me something that has worked for me ever since.  Ed said, “If you have agreed to a 30-minute meeting, keep track of the time.  If you reach the 30 minute mark and you are really in to it, you say, “Mr/Ms _______, I noticed that we have reached our 30 minutes we agreed on.  I have allowed some extra time.  Would you like to continue or should we set a follow up call?”  This puts the decision on their shoulders, and shows us that we respect our time as well as theirs.  We are also taking charge of the meeting.

Posted: April 20, 2022 | Categories: Management, Sales, Self-Improvement

“Successful people form the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do” `

`                                        -Albert Gray: “The Common Denominator of Success”

Do you have a vision?  With all your gifts and abilities, do you have a picture of what you want to achieve, and who you want to become?  Let’s assume the answer is “yes” to both of these questions.  Next step:  A plan of action!

We know that realizing your vision will require much planning, persistence, and hard work.  When we plan, we list all the tasks, activities, and resources we need to make the vision happen.  We categorize and prioritize these tasks and list them in proper sequence.  Once we have our momentum established, we will be doing specific things each day that are taking us toward our vision.  But what if we are not in the mood to do our “single daily action”?  It doesn’t make any difference! We have planned well and we know that the task before us is the most important thing we need to be doing.

Here’s an example: My first task today was writing this blog.  My first thought was, “I’m not in a writing mood today.”  Then my special self-discipline angel on my shoulder gave me some tough love:  “Steve, the deadline for your newsletter is this week.  You know this is the most important thing you should be doing now.  Do it, whether you want to or not!”  I did.  Here it is.  How do you like it? (Now I’m in the mood!)

I conclude by asking another question posed by Albert Gray:  Do you prefer pleasing methods or pleasing results?  Your answer to this question can tell you where you are at with “The Common Denominator of Success”.

Posted: March 9, 2022 | Categories: Leadership, Sales, Self-Improvement, Team Building

This past Sunday we attended our usual church service, and after the service ended we began filing out to return to our homes and enjoy the rest of our Sunday. As we were walking towards the door, my wife Joyce turned around and went back to talk to a member of the Praise Band. His name was Gary, and Joyce went over to express her sympathy. Gary’s mother-in-law had just passed away. As I was waiting for Joyce, the minutes started passing by, and before long I realized Joyce and Gary were in a long conversation. Gary’s mother-in-law was very special to him, and he wanted to talk about her. My wife is a good listener, and she is always there for people to listen to them and bring them comfort.

I must confess my initial reaction was impatience…You know…”C’mon, we haven’t got all day” default. That thought quickly passed as I reminded myself that what I was seeing was my loving wife doing what she was meant to do: Give comfort and take time to listen to those who need a sympathetic ear. I went back in the narthex and found a devotion book I could read until Joyce was finished. If the truth were known, Joyce’s conversation with Gary was probably about 10 minutes.

We want to have strong relationships with the special people in our lives. If we run a business, we want our team members to be productive and give us their best. One of the best actions we can take to achieve these objectives is to take more time to get in touch with others, and be a sincere and sympathetic listener.

Posted: October 21, 2021 | Categories: Presentation skills, Sales, Self-Improvement

If you were to review all the commencement addresses since the beginning of time, you would probably be able to make a list of the most vital qualities of success on one page.  I would like to focus on self-discipline.  This attribute is sometimes referred to as the “ironclad quality of success”.  Let me illustrate:

Early in my career, I worked as an account representative for a leadership training company.  I had made a key appointment with the head of a company.  Because I was a rookie, it was required that I have my mentor with me on the appointment.  Jim and I met in the parking lot 15 minutes before the scheduled appointment.  The first question Jim asked me was, “Steve…what is your goal for this call?”  I replied, “I already achieved it.  I got the appointment.  We’ll just go where the music takes us”.  Jim frowned, and said, “Steve, let’s talk through this”  Lesson learned: I should not start preparing for my appointment in the parking lot.  If we are serious about what we do, we prepare thoroughly.

Now let’s look at a “right way” example:  A client of mine had been working to secure a big account for several weeks.  She was competing against some tough opponents.  She got the contract.  Afterwards, she asked the business owner why she was chosen and not one of the others.  The answer was simple:  The boss said, “Because you do your homework”  We can all tell when someone has done their homework, and we respect and appreciate that quality. We believe such a person is self-disciplined, and can be counted on.  Message: Prepare relentlessly.

One final note:  Given all the technology we have today, if we arrive on a sales call having carefully reviewed the prospect’s website, they will know it.  In other words, don’t start off with the question, “So what exactly is it that you do here?”  (Ouch)

Posted: August 31, 2021 | Categories: Leadership, Presentation skills, Sales, Team Building

Have you ever been to a meeting and afterwards heard someone say, “I was going to say something.” Too bad. What if there comment or suggestion that could have increased the profitability of the company, or even saved it from bankruptcy? Idea fluency is vital in a fully-functioning organization. How do we create an atmosphere that encourages even the most reserved to speak up? Here is an example that demonstrates how:

I have a client who sells heavy duty manufacturing equipment. Last week he went to visit a customer, and he gave two different presentations. The first was to the top management team. As you would guess, meetings are a regular thing for them. Each participant had their questions, and they had a hearty product discussion with Carl (My client).

For the next meeting, Carl addressed a group who worked in manufacturing. These people are the ones who operate the machines. This group rarely attends sales presentations and they were reluctant to speak up and ask questions. Carl could sense their reluctance. The seating was in a horseshoe formation, and Carl walked inside the horseshoe to make a more intimate interaction. While respecting personal space, he asked a question to one of the more shy people. At first the participant was nervous, but he soon overcame his fear and started to ask questions and give input. That opened up the floodgates. One by one, others began giving their comments, and Carl could feel the temperature of the group rise.  It was a lively discussion. Carl had strengthened trust with the group and received valuable input that proved very helpful in writing his proposal.  Carl valued and respected everyone’s input, and he got it. Remember to EN-COURAGE others to build a more collaborative team by creating an environment that opens them up.