Value & the Bermuda Triangle

I am sure that you have heard the story, it has been used by sales professionals since the dawn of time:  “I don’t know what happened.  I was sharing our story; describing the features and benefits; it was going great.  Then, all of a sudden, he just disappeared.” It is the story of another prospect vanishing into the mysterious Bermuda Triangle.  Your sales rep was using some of their best “material” and trying to develop rapport, yet the prospect simply wasn’t buying. So what happened?  Why did your rep fail to engage the prospect?  There are as many reasons a person doesn’t buy from you when you expect them to, as there are compelling reasons to buy. One of the key factors in creating an environment conducive to a successful close is congruence between your product offering and your prospect’s needs.  “Sounds simple”, you say?  It is simple, just not always easy. Within the business environment, there are three basic levels of interaction between a company and client: Transactional – low degree of interaction; client’s understanding of product is above average; little feedback requested or expected Consultative – supplier expertise & insights expected; several options and solutions available which require clarity; supplier value found in simplifying process Partnership – close working relationship and high degree of trust necessary; longer-term agreement and strategic planning inferred; clear understanding of each other’s needs and responsibilities The challenge arises when the prospect is expecting a level of interaction which is different than that being offered by the sales rep, (either higher or lower).  A customer getting a pack of gum at the corner store, would require (and expect), a different level of interaction than the same customer in a computer store buying his first laptop. It is good marketing to develop your company’s value proposition in order to help differentiate yourself from your competitors.  More importantly however, you must recognize and act on your client’s value requirements in order to service them effectively. The single best method to give yourself a chance of meeting the expectations of your clients is to simply ask what they are.  Clear two-way communication and a conscious decision to understand your client’s expectations, will provide you with the necessary protection from interacting at the wrong level. It is by meeting the expectations of your clients that you can ensure they don’t get lost in the Bermuda Triangle and disappear.

Sales – Sharing the Passion

It shows in everything you do.  We see it in your eyes.  Hear it in your voice.  It has been described as enthusiasm; the burn; passion.  It is passion that sales professionals share with clients.  Passion for your organization’s products, services, or even the commission structure can drive daily activities.

The question is: Where does it start?  How can you create passion within your teams?

There is a story of a husband complaining to the priest during confession about his wife.  “It’s over.  I just don’t love her any more.”

“Then love her.” the priest replied.  “True love is often an action before it becomes an emotion.”

In many ways passion resembles love.  While you can’t control passion, you can create the circumstances which allow passion to develop, (or wane).  It is in the process of taking action that the seeds of passion are planted.

When you take action in a given area you will have new information revealed.  Whether you do something for the first time, or the fiftieth, these revelations are in turn necessary to change your perspective.  New perspectives create passion, (although it may begin only as mild interest.)

It is this passion which induces further action.   Sales professionals share their passion, enthusiasm and energy with prospects and clients every day.

When we share our ideas with another, we have the opportunity reveal a thought or concept that may change a perspective.  Thus, the cycle continues.  If you find yourself without that fire of passion, the place to start is action.  Action is the only controllable portion of the equation.  Action is a choice.  To increase passion, choose to take action and begin the cycle.

- JMC

Beyond Hearing – Truly Listening

“I’ve had enough!! You never listen to me!  Sometimes, I don’t even think that you care.” While the intensity of the conversation may vary, most of us have been on one of the two sides of this conversation at one point. We often profess to be “listening” to the person speaking with us, (friend; colleague; spouse), yet the message seems to get, lost “during translation”.   We missed the point completely. In order to communicate a message, you require both a speaker and a listener.  (The same applies to the written word.  Without you reading this sentence, my message could not be communicated.)  So what is so difficult about the listening portion of effective communication that many of us seemed destined to fail miserably at it? I would submit to you that the piece of the puzzle that is often overlooked is the simple fact that listening is a skill.  Like all skills, it needs to be practiced in order to be improved.  I can imagine that many of you thinking, “What do you mean practice, I hear just fine.” It is in this small distinction that the entire difference is made: The ability to hear and the skill of listening are not the same.  According to NLP practitioners, (neuro linguistic programming), the actual words we use to speak account for as little as 7% of the message.  If this is the case, truly listening to a message and getting it right will require more than just “hearing”. Truly listening to another person is the combination of several key activities.  Interestingly, one activity that is not included in any list of listening keys is talking.  Simply put, most of us would dramatically improve our listening skill if we would learn to be quiet more often. Some of the keys to truly listening to another person include: Be attentive – When someone is speaking, give them your attention.  Ignore distractions around you. Eye contact – Not a catatonic stare, or an eye socket burning glare.  Genuine communicating eye contact. Silence – Not many people appreciate being interrupted or having their sentences finished. Think – Not about your witty comeback.  Think about what you are being told before responding. Re-stating – Confirm that you actually heard correctly, mirror back the message to the speaker in your own words. True, there are environments that truly listening to someone isn’t necessary.  There are times that the “level of listening” will need to vary.  For example a comment between two spectators at a ball game could demand a different level of listening than a comment from a dissatisfied client on the phone. Truly listening is difficult because it forces us to think about the other person, not ourselves.  On the other hand, truly listening to people pays extraordinary dividends.  (And guys, from time to time, it will keep you out of the dog house.) - JMC

Consistency – It worked for the Tortoise

True, he had a slow start. He wasn’t as fast as the competition. In fact, some people would consider the whole event ‘fixed’, until he won.

During the famous race between the Tortoise and the Hare, observers would have been justified in considering it one of the great mismatches of all time. What was the difference? What was the secret edge that the Tortoise found to allow him to win in the end?

Consistency. It is often the difference between started and finished. It is also what your clients are looking for in order to earn their trust.

Consistency is demonstrated in many different ways, two of the most important are:

1. Doing something every day to support your business.

2. Doing what you say you will do when you say you will do it.

By supporting your business every day, you will develop momentum. It is easy to fall into the trap of ‘start and sputter’. This is where you get a great idea to generate more business. You start the new process for a couple of days only to have the excitement to ‘sputter’ and stop.

As you continue to start and follow through on new ideas, you will develop a track record of which ideas work, and the confidence that you are able to make an idea ‘stick’.

Additionally, doing what you say you will do offers more than just improving the confidence that your clients will have in you. It is your ability to do what you commit to, in a timely manner which will determine much of the perception held by your clients.

As you follow through with your commitments to your clients, you complete the cycle. You develop the habit of consistency necessary to supporting your business daily.

Consistency – it worked for the Tortoise, it will work for you.

– JMC

Corporate Values – Fluff or Foundation?

There has been a great deal of discussion recently regarding the number of executives that have fallen victim to their own choices. Some have revised quarterly numbers in order to improve the corporate image for stakeholders. Others simply operate in a manner that may lead observers to question motives which guide the company.

The topics of corporate values and ethical leadership have been addressed within the media to such an extent recently many companies have begun to display their own values “on their shirt sleeves”.

A recent global survey of senior executives by the Aspen Institute and Booz Allen Hamilton clarified this fact. Of the 365 survey respondents, 89% possess a written value statement. Something that may be of greater value is that nearly three-quarters of executives believe that both executives and employees are under pressure to exemplify these values.

The top four corporate values extracted from the responses provide a great starting place for any company:

Ethical behaviour / integrity (90%)

Commitment to customers (88%)

Commitment to employees (78%)

Teamwork and trust (76%)

(As a percentage of all respondents)

One of the universal desires in companies today, regardless of size, is the development of more business. Have you taken the time to consider the effect that corporate values can make on your revenues?

Companies often study the business principles by which they will operate. If these firms have not taken into consideration values-based principles when developing a corporate identity a new examination of the business foundation may be in order.

3 C’s to Relationship Success

I have found that some of the best teaching lessons will be found in real life experiences. Last year, my sister in law got married. As part of the reception, she and her new husband left a number of note cards on each table requesting ‘words of wisdom’ for the new couple.

One can only imagine the variety of insight that was provided during those few short hours. At our table, we set out to provide suggestions which would be both long-serving and equitable to each of the parties involved.

Commitment – The first ‘C’ as they became to be known is simpler in discussion than in practice. In any relationship, and a marriage in particular, being committed to each other is non-negotiable.

Cooperation – There is a tale about primitive bridge building techniques in which two trees would be felled from either side of the river or gap. These two trees are then lashed together for the length of the overlap creating the foundation for the bridge. In this tale, it is clear that the more overlap that exists, the stronger the final bridge will be.
When cooperating with another person, instead of a 50/50 focus, by each party investing 100% the bond will be that much stronger.

We struggled for a moment to find a third ‘C’ word which we could agree on. I had suggested ‘Compassion’, only to have my wife and her cousin (another female), shoot the idea down in flames. Apparently after you have been married more than 10-15 years, compassion isn’t as necessary as you may think.

We finally agreed on Communication. Clear, open dialogue with a goal toward genuine understanding can be the most important key in a lasting relationship.

Alison and Danny have a bright future in front of them. The 3 C’s of relationship success, if implemented, will help keep the tarnish off.

– JMC

Change happens – deal with it

A couple of days ago I was reminded that it was the direction from which you look at a thing which often determined its value and impact, (or inconveneience in this case).

Like many of the homes in the city, our backyard is currently filled with snow.  Enough snow that our dog Bandit was able to hop over the fence in to the neighbour’s yard to freedom.  While ‘Old Man Winter’ had been doing as should expected of him, I did nothing to avoid the inevitable escape of our freedom craving dog.  (Didn’t we go through this last year).

After I retreived Bandit, I began thinking about how often continuous, yet subtle, changes in an environment cause unexpected results.  (Alright, the results should have been expected, they were simply inconvenient.)

When working with clients or organizations over an extended period of time, subtle yet consistent changes in the environment will create a need to adapt your method of operation.  I could have avoided losing Bandit when the snow got too high.  I would imagine that you could have avoided losing some of your clients when the situation changed around you as well.

 - JMC 

Purpose of our meeting… -or- This is what I want…

It was interesting today how I found myself in two different meetings wondering not how can I provide value in this situation, (as I believe is usually the case).  During this morning’s meetings, I was wondering “what can I get out of this”.

The first, I was meeting as a follow up to a volunteer service project I have made myself available for.  The second, is a contract project that was being presented to me for consideration.  During both discussions, I was considering leverage.

Exploring how I could leverage the relationships being developed in the first case, my time:value ratio in the second,  had become an exercise in focus which was most interesting.

How clear are you about what you want from your meetings?  Do you have clear purposes in mind for them?  I realized that knowing clearly what I was looking for from these two meetings, I was in a better position to explore how I could add value to the situation, (as is usually the case).

- JMC

Made the leap…

Amazingly, it has been almost a year since my wife has had her blog up and running.  The process has been a great way to keep in contact with family, friends and those who care about some of the same things we do, (without forcing her way into the forefront of their minds).

During the past few months, I had been thinking about some of the benefits I could offer by blogging a variety of the thoughts, strategies and suggestions which I have been sharing with clients and colleagues alike.  Yes, there is likely to be the occasional rant, (with buyer expectations changing much faster than businesses adapt, how can I resist comment).

The focus of my attention will be on communication based selling strategies for those professionals interested in shortened sales cycles and increased revenues.

I look forward to our journey together.

Good selling,

- JMC