A Great Coaching Message for Anyone from Coach Lombardi

Be Better in 2010

“Winning Isn’t Everything, the Will to Win Is. ... I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour - his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear - is that moment when he has to work his heart out in a good cause and he’s exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.” Vince Lombardi

Coach Lombardi, of the Green Bay Packers, is recognized among the top coaches (#1) of all time as voted by the 48-member SportsCentury panel.  He believed the will to win was most important to an individual’s accomplishments.

My family grew up during the Depression, and my brothers and I often declare that, “We were brought up in an artificial depression.” We learned to darn our socks using a light bulb.  We learned to stretch a penny - although, sometimes we did do this on a railroad track ...

We learned to win.  We learned never to give up. ... We were lucky to have this heritage.  It has sustained us and continues to sustain us during tough times.

However, discipline is always a virtue and worthy to pursue as a character strength.  In today’s economy, having disciplined people around us helps.  It helps us apply our “will to win” and to strive to become better.  No matter the circumstances, we can work to make a difference - to become better - to use our bodies, minds, and hearts for the benefit of others.

Set some goals for 2010 - ones that you find passion in, and then get someone to challenge you.  Start over with your life if you have to, but live by giving all that you have to what you’ve been given to do and with the resources you have.  You can do this, and the effort at being your best person will make you alive no matter the outcome.  Lance.  “Strive to Win in 2010 ...”

Vigilance Never Ends for Great Sales Managers

As sales leaders, you are at the head of something - a team of salespeople. Their personalities are different.  Their backgrounds are different.  Their beliefs and attitudes are different.  Their motivating desires are different.  And, they have different levels of these things.

You have a job to do - get to a certain level of results through a team of people.  When you are present in some way, they attend to your interests if you have their respect.  If you do not have their respect, they pay attention to other interests.

Let’s assume you have respect as a leader - a sales leader.  And, let’s assume that your team is making progress.  Perhaps, they are even now at the pinnacle of success - #1, at the top.  Either way, progress was made because you paid attention to your team - both as a group and as individuals.

Here’s the proverb. 

Be sure to know the condition of your team.  Give careful attention to your people for riches do not endure forever and a crown is not secure for all generations.  (Solomon proverb: slightly revised).

What does this mean?

Things are ‘always’ breaking down.  Do not rest in your vigilance as a leader.  Keep on watching for possible danger or difficulties within the team or outside of the team.  Standards, tardiness, and dress begin to crumble - slowly at first, then in mass.  Morale begins to drop.  Gossip begins to spread.  Laziness crawls into the hearts of the people.  “The economy makes it difficult to survive - so the people say.”

Your presence diminishes among the salespeople.  You literally disappear.  Success platitudes of past victories still fill the air and new ones are not heard. Goals and direction are not discussed.  Challenges diminish.

No.  Not you!

You lead.  And, the burden of leadership is one you bear ‘all the time.’ You are sure to know the circumstances that affect the way your salespeople work and live.  You watch for factors that influence the performance and outcomes of sales efforts.  You fight to keep the abundance in place - to keep plenty of sales and income flowing to your people. 

You realize that different time periods provide different challenges.  Each one is a new generation of people and attitudes and effort.  So, through different parts of the years, groups of people, and leadership, you protect the culture and its standards for the benefit of others. 

Today and its future will not be lost or diminished without a struggle.  You will never quit in your vigilance.  Each day, your people see you look over them with care and attention.  It is your position and your purpose as a leader.  Be better every day.  Ever build a legacy.  You do this for your people.  Lance.

Great Sales Managers Guard Against Negative Thinking In Any Economy

A few weeks ago, while listening to a favorite morning radio program, I was reminded of the impact on our thoughts in any economy.  The talk show host was speaking with a guest about his views on the financial condition of our country.  The discussion led into postulations about a depression.  After quite a bit of speculation, the lines were opened for callers.

The first caller was angry.  He said he was “sick and tired” of hearing doom and gloom forecasts on every channel - on television, radio, internet, and in print.  He said he liked the radio station, but that he was going to turn it off.  Yes, turn it off - it and every other mode of communication spreading a newscaster’s negative spin.  Why?  Because he had to go to work.  He had to get up in the morning and go to work.  And, he was tired of fighting the pessimism and depression created by the constant dripping of bad news.  He was beyond overload.

You see during the days of Jimmy Carter’s 10% unemployment and 21% interest rates we did not have the various ways to distribute negative commentary.  Internet?  No!  Cable TV?  No!  Talk show hosts?  No!  What did we do.  We just worked through it.

Think about your salespeople and think about your leadership.  How does negative news affect commercial and residential real estate professionals?  How does losing a sale or having a sale placed on hold affect salespeople?  How does learning about the stock market’s ups and downs affect marketing folks?  How does news of an impending depression affect selling strength?  How does hearing negative remarks about a President’s economic moves affect your belief in prospecting and sales goal achievement?  How does filling your mind with all this stuff affect your ability to inspire others?  And, in how many ways and how often do you take in these messages and hold them in your mind?

Turn them OFF.  Even if you turn them off, you will still read a few headlines or hear enough from others to get what’s going on.  It will not mean sticking your head in the sand.  It will mean taking captive your thoughts and then deciding yourself what to take in and for what reason.

Here’s what I recommend for sales managers and salespeople I influence on a daily basis.  Reset what you tune your mind to hear.  Listen to a radio station that has great music.  Turn to movies that inspire you - Braveheart, Second Hand Lions, Cinderella Man, Gladiator, Rocky, Slumdog Millionaire, etc.  Read excellent literature.  Focus on what people do that is admirable. 

Check out the 16 minute movie Validation ...

Pay attention to the tone of your emails and text messages.  Increase your level of customer service and service to mankind in general.  Give of your time at homeless shelters.  Tell people what you see in them - work ethic, honesty, service to others.  Remind them of who they are - people with a heritage of sacrifice and valor in tough times.  Appreciate them.  Explain your confidence in them.  Do and say what you would say to your child after a hard moment in life.

Pay greater attention to people.  Increase your capacity to listen.  Stay around them more.  Refocus their efforts.  Keep them on plan.  Find ways to be more efficient with time and to do more first appointments in order to get more sales working in your sales funnel.  Talk about and implement strategic actions.  Ask yourself, “What are the needs and problems of my customer or client in this economy?” Put together questions that get centers of influence and decision makers talking about these situation, needs, and problems. Listen for the help they need.  Offer customized solutions.  Communicate more often with customers.  Use internet CRMs to improve your contact frequency and targeted messages.  Put out a newsletter that shows you are focused on the needs and problems you hear.

Really, the action comments above are just a few of the things you can do for those you lead and for those you love.  I’ve taken my first step and it’s made all the difference.  No longer will I listen and watch the visceral messages day in and day out.  I’ve changed my tuned-in places on my radio.  I’ve canceled shows I used to record.  I do not listen to certain talk show hosts - even if I like them.  Why? I’ve got to get up in the morning.  I’ve got to lead.  I’ve got to work. Make your own decisions about what you think about and what you tell your salespeople and your children.  Do it.  It will make a big difference.  It will get results.  Lance.

What Sales Team Standards Do You Fight For?

When we go to a restaurant, we expect the service and food to meet a certain standard.  When we watch our favorite college sporting team, we expect a certain level of play; and, perhaps a certain win/loss record.  When we live we do so at a certain standard of living.  And, when we put on a belt or a piece of clothing, we have certain standards that affect what we think about ourselves.

Do you know of a coach at a major university that was fired or forced to resign?  Why did that happen?  It probably happened because of a win/loss record, or not winning championships, or causing NCAA recruiting violations, or because of players breaking laws.  Standards were either lowered or shattered in the minds of key stakeholders.

Continuing to think of sports, it’s easy to see the many standards present.  Batting averages in baseball - turnovers in basketball - passing percentages in football.  Standards make sports meaningful and memorable.  They also tell us what’s bad, good, and great.  In professional baseball, many people can tell you that a .300 batting average is good and as the number approaches .400 greatness occurs.

In politics, we see evidence of standards being lowered in the news.  Everyone wants to read about politicians who do not follow standard and ethical norms.  And, yes, we all know that standards can be lowered or forgotten in any venue.

What about your sales team.  What are your standards?  Do you have any?  Remember, standards are not goals.  They are accepted levels - the minimum acceptable, what’s good, and what’s great.

They are also accepted standards of conduct, dress, or service.  For example, we don’t go to a business meeting without a tie on. 

Some standards are clear.  Others are hazy or simply not present.

Important standards (minimum acceptable, good, great) for a sales team include:
- Income levels for the salespeople
- Daily, monthly, quarterly, or yearly sales level per salesperson
- Quotes per (period) ...
- Appointments per (period) ...
- Average revenue per sale
- Average gross margin per sale
- Networking standards
- Meeting standards
- Reporting standards
- Dress standards

(Important note:  Great sales teams first establish recruiting standards to maintain or achieve greatness.)

When standards exist , it’s because, for a period of time, a sales manager leads or establishes effort at excellent performance.  Also the process for its pursuit has been designed.  When a sales team follows a sales process, measurements occur for what’s acceptable as a standard.  And, activity management (prospects, appointments, quotes, sales), with its standards, is just one important sales process in a sales system.

Great salespeople will reach great levels of income and revenue performance.  They will do this by achieving specific levels of prospecting, first appointments, and quotes - standard areas for activity management.  Other important standards that also contribute to income performance exist within the face-to-face sales process.  For major accounts’ teams, planning and research standards exist that support strategy making. (Great football coaches study game film the night after each win.)

When standards become important, they are fought for and protected. And, when this happens for a period of time, traditions form.  And, finally the result of this struggle to meet standards and maintain traditions brings a legacy for future generations.  Lowering standards or standing for nothing establishes a negative impact on society and any kind of family or team. 

Establish and fight for standards and you will see sales improvement.  You can do this.  You can be better.  Lance

Do Real Salespeople Say “If, Can’t, or Try?

Today, while traveling from Knoxville to Memphis for Christmas, my mother-in-law called us on her cell phone.  Some of you are thinking that can’t be a good thing.  Actually, I’m lucky it usually is a good thing.  We are fortunate in several ways in our relationship.  Smitty is in good health, she can out walk most women on a golf course half her age (and beat them), and, to borrow an old metaphor, she is as sharp as a tack. 

When Smitty was walking with my bride in the mountains, she later told everyone, “She (my bride) ate my dust!” Smitty’s quick and she’s smart.  She loves deeply those in her family.  And, I admire her.

Well, I’m not sure how we got around to it.  But, one of us said the word “If.” As soon as the word surfaced in our conversation, Smitty said, “That reminds me of something that Papa used to say ... He’d say, “No if, can’ts, or buts.  IF the rabbit had’nt stopped to pee, he would’nt have got his butt shot off!” (just for the record pee and butt were substituted for the orignal syntax.)

To understand the context better, Italians in the Mississippi Delta were treated poorly - very poorly.  And, that’s where Papa arrived from Italy to raise a family of three girls.  In a legacy of hard work, eighteen hour days, 10-12 for someone else, and 6-8 sharecropping ground no one else would till, Papa earned a living and eventually land ownership.  For one Christmas, money to buy presents for his daughters was made by gleaning cotton land that had already been gleaned.  Leona Malavasi held a lantern while very late at night Odoni (Papa) Malavasi picked the plants with hands cut up and bleeding from the picking.  Three dolls were purchased for that Christmas which were so precious to the girls that they didn’t open them from their packaging.

Papa didn’t believe in using the word “IF, Can’t, or Try.” Real salespeople don’t either.

There’s more to attitudes and beliefs than people think.  Have you ever heard an athlete on a championship team in the last 5 seconds of a game look at his coach and say, “I’ll try, or I can’t?” How about in a war?  Do you expect the guy or gal next to you to say, “I’ll try?”

Do you think that a salesperson approaches an important presentation or any presentation with, “If only, or I can’t, or I’ll try?” Don’t think so.

How about YOU?  What attitude is nearest to your heart?  The closest one to If, Can’t, or Try is fear.

Even Jedi Master Yoda, the famous wise creature of Star Wars had something to say about this.  “Do or do not, there is no try.”

Great salespeople give all they have to what they do without a hint of “I’ll try, If only, or I can’t.” They just do and then do again and then do again.  There must be a reason that we win 2-5 sales of every 10 quotes and we lose the rest.  There must be a reason that Babe Ruth struck out nearly more times than he hit home runs (1330 to 714).  The reason ... we aren’t perfect.  So, deal with it.  Work as hard and as smart as you can.  That’s all you can DO.

And, when we have a family or we are part of a team, it doesn’t matter what will happen.  It only matters to give all we have for the benefit of others.  To sacrifice our fears and our lives.  To give it all with freedom in the effort.

Now, go do this.  Hang around people who believe in this way.  You can get better.  Lance.

A Crushed Spirit Dries Up the Bones: Be Kind AND Direct

“Please describe what happened in your last meeting with our customer Mr. Handy?” “How much time did you spend last week calling your leads for appointments?” “What networking strategies have you put into place?” What are your key activities for next week.  When Misty asked you to help her last Tuesday, how did you respond?”

Confronting others, as a competency, plays a big part in the success of a sales manager. The ability to communicate straight up with a sales team or a salesperson makes up one of the more important traits of a great sales manager.  Some do it well.  Some avoid it.

In the last month, I’ve battled with others over following processes, developing sales plans, and asking questions during first appointments.  These encounters or confrontations do not necessarily bridle with emotion.  They do require going on the offensive and communicating with questions, assertions, and sometime challenges.

When managing sales teams, situations emerge which require or create confrontation. That is, IF someone establishes sales team and company standards and behavior norms.  When these are important and in place, sales managers must confront salespeople over a variety of issues.  Sometimes a person’s production or appointment activity drops.  At other times, a sales manager responds to a customer complaint regarding treatment by a sale representative.  Other typical issues arising and requiring confrontation include: gossip, tardiness, teamwork, and unethical practices.

Creative, highly driven salespeople often run over or around something in their way - including the sales manager.  Many of these mavericks are exceptional salespeople and at the same time high maintenance.  Gaining their respect is a function of a sales manager’s willingness to stand up to them, corral them, and keep them on the team.

People generally respect directions or rules if the sales manager pays attention to them.  And, even though the best processes are put into place for the benefit of others, they get challenged - either by salespeople who ignore them, forget about them (habits not yet formed), or challenge their goodness.

Let’s take activity management as an example.  Excellent sales team boards show monthly activity levels vs. activity goals, quoting levels vs. quoting goals, and sales goal achievement progress.  The best of these boards include monthly actuals for first appointments set and held, quotes presented, and sales made - all compared to preset monthly amounts.  In other words, sales managers and salespeople track the primary activities which lead to sales and income goals.  When this process is well managed, people stay focused and encouraged.  When it is ill-managed, salespeople either lose track, fake their report, rebel, or lose their spirit of hope.

Great sales managers do not crush spirits in their pursuit of standards and sales goals.  On the other hand, they do not let time pass without taking on those who get behind, rebel, or display poor attitudes.

To balance their coaching communication, outstanding sales managers remember to address people in a kind AND direct manner.  Some managers are direct, but never kind.  Others are kind, but never direct.  Having a Clear Talk session means being both kind and direct - even when firing someone.

One-on-One Discussions - Each salesperson needs these - some more frequently than others.  For example, when a salesperson needs a nice kick-in-the-book, or activity management shows a need improvement, a sales manager sits down to listen first - and then to offer advice and direction (if necessary).  The best of these discussion occur when a person sees the need, says they agree, and offers up correction actions to do - themselves.  See - Say - Do.  And, the manager ends the moment with encouragement and a play for future follow up. 

Sales managers and salespeople participate in these discussions with CLEAR TALK.  They listen first and then tell the truth as best they understand it in a kind and direct manner. Some managers are kind and not direct.  While others are direct and not kind. 

Keep the spirit of a person and a team at a high level.  Do not crush anyone.  Be kind and direct.  You can do this.  Lance.

Sales Management - What’s Coaching All About?

It’s all about the people you coach - the people in your company - the people you serve - your customers, prospects, clients ... THEM.  It’s not about you.

And, that’s not easy to remember, but it’s even more difficult to be this way.  But, you can.  You will.

When “what you do” becomes about you, you begin to stress, to fear, to take, to forget what’s important - how you benefit others with what you give.  Benjamin Zander would say it’s all about contribution. 

Jesus would say it’s all about love.  Charles Manson or Hitler would say it’s all about them.  What would you say?

What would happen if your sales team woke up tomorrow and arrived at work with the attitude,

“It’s all about what I contribute for the joy of others - to be the best I can be, to try to better - to give of what I have.”

What would happen if they arrived for work with that spirit? How would that change their behavior - their habits?  How would this affect the salespeople, those in administration, those in service or manufacturing ... if the sales team arrived with their focus on “Contribution?”

How would customers react?  How would prospects react?  How would this change their emails, their follow up, their presentations?  How would it affect the amount of passion that others would find in their work - in their message - in their display of value?

It’s interesting when we get involved in the new social media of today.  Those that pitch their products or talk a lot about themselves - tend to lose followers.  Those that give away their expertise and genuinely respond to questions gain.  Hmmmm. 

You can manage salespeople and do it for their benefit.  You can discover what’s important to them - and help them receive it.  You can find out if money, recognition, duty, family, achievement, competition or something else is important.  You can make work fun AND serious - you can ... By changing your point of reference ...  You can recruit salespeople who need to earn more that the sales budget, and then manage them to reach their income levels while screaming past budget.  You can inspire them by your inspiration.  You can hire givers and not takers.  You can.

Contribution.  Yes, it really can be all about getting up today and giving your best for the benefit of others - forgetting yourself and making what you do better to enrich the lives of others.  You can decide to do this.  And, if you want to - you will.

So, if you are a father - it’s all about your kids, it’s all about them.  If you marry - it’s all about your mate - it’s all about her or him When you sell it’s all about your prospect, or client or customer, your vendors, and your fellow employees.  When you manage, it’s about the salesperson.  It’s about their income, their home, their family, their broken down car, their kid’s education.  It’s about about THEM.  Your contribution to THEM. 

Now, go out and make things better. Catch this spirit.  You can, so do it.  Better still, be that way. 

You know, many days I think my dog Cassie did this better than I did.  Oh well, I’m just fighting and striving to get better like all of you.  Lance.

Coaching the Best - The Philosophy

In every field of endeavor, a philosophy (set of attitudes/beliefs) drives the system (people, processes, tools and skills).  It affects the hearts of its listeners.  It brings staying strength to action.  It reinforces confidence in the system as THE structure to embrace for greatness .  It puts purpose and meaning into work.  It inspires. 

For great sales managers who coach well, their coaching philosophy forms early, even at home.  It takes shape from those mentors or authority fiqures whom they allow to shape their thinking.  The list of possible influencers include parents, teachers, team coaches, and bosses at work.

As thoughts form, attitudes and beliefs emerge, and behaviors turn into habits which produce results.  For example, some coaches believe that people cannot be trusted and they micromanage processes.  Others do not believe in the coaching role at all and believe that people will succeed or fail despite their intervention - so they stay away.  Some sales managers believe that people do better when they are afraid.  As a result, they brow beat their salespeople and work to create an atmosphere of fear and control.

When we think of these examples, it’s easy to see how a sales manager’s attitudes and beliefs motivate or empower their sales system.  Their philosophy drives how they install their system and either moves its acceptance and effectiveness toward or away from greatness.  Consequently, their attitudes and beliefs make all the difference in their team’s sales production.  Salespeople leave, flourish, or become demoralized as a result of the created sales culture.  It also attracts or repels great performers.

The attitudes and beliefs of the coach form the spirit of a sales organization.  This ‘spiritual effect’ begins its work during recruitment decisions and continues into employment.

The cultural effects are obvious.  Sales teams operate out of a fearful spirit while others are courageous.  Some are honest and some are not.  Some believe in serving others - some do not.  Some are creative and innovative while others wait for orders from the manager.  We also see more salespeople make confident and winning moves In the heat of the moment or we see them quit in defeat. 

We see these same effects working within the sporting teams we love.  Players operate fearlessly or fearfully.  They believe in themselves or they do not.  How many of us have every witnessed a Little League baseball team or a youth soccer team that was under-performing simply because of the coach?  Most of us.  I’ve even seen the same team lose one year under one coach and excel the next year under a different coach.  Same team.  Different coach.  It was once said about Bear Bryant, the former and late Alabama football coach, that, “Bear could beat your team on one Saturday, and then take your team and turn around and beat his team the next Saturday!”

So, what are the attitudes and beliefs that great coaches accept into their thinking?  How do they get people to reach inside themselves for extra effort, ingenuity, and creativity - to hit a ball to right field, to make extra sales calls, to develop new strategies, or to cold call?  What are the most important attitudes and beliefs that define great coaching?

Here’s what I found from a study of coaches with three (3) national championships or more.  After reading autobiographies, biographies, news clips, player remarks, and videos, the following consistencies emerged.  The top seven (7) attitudes and beliefs for coaching teams to greatness are ..

Great coaches ...
1.  Care about their people and demonstrate this by paying attention to player needs and progress.
2.  Believe that their people have what it takes to get their jobs and goals accomplished. Faith is demonstrated and communicated.
3.  Define success as giving your best for the benefit of others and striving each day to get better. (While goals are important, the effort to reach them is more important.  They make their players responsible for effort applied in the right places.)
4.  Individualize their coaching approach because they know their people as unique persons with different motivations and skill levels.
5.  Teach that the team is more important than the individual.
6.  Expect people to get better - and those expectancies are specific and communicated.
7.  Focus on the process and not on winning.

These attitudes and beliefs describe a winning philosophy - one that wins for sales teams, families, and even churches.  And, they can be caught.  Now, go out and catch them.  Lance.

The Value of a Salesperson’s Time

How much do you aspire to make next year?  50,000, 100,000, 200,000??

For the sake of an example, let’s use 100,000.  You can adjust the example for your situation.  If you work 2000 hours a year (40 hours per week), you will earn $50 per hour.  Every hour that completes itself contributes the most cherished component of a salesperson’s day - time.

For high activity salespeople, with sales cycles, from initial contact to close, is 90 days or less ...
How do you handle interruptions to sales time?  How does your world interrupt your selling time.  How much of your day do you spend either in front of someone or fighting to get in front of someone?  How much of your day is spent idle?  How much of your day do you react to things rather than schedule them?  How much of your day do you spend prospecting or selling in a face-to-face meeting in order to achieve your sales goal?  And, finally ... how much of your day is spent maximizing the amount of time you spend face-to-face in front of prospects?

And, for major accounts’ sales teams, with sales cycles of 90 days and up, even 2 years or more ...
How much of your time is spent thinking about strategies?  How much of your time involves getting other peoples’ input into next steps?  How much time do you put into writing and rewriting emails, approach letters, responses to questions, powerpoints, etc.?  How much of your time is spent finding ways to get the next important advance accomplished - one that moves the sale another degree in your favor?  In other words, how do you structure your sales time to plan out the next thing to do with the right person(s) at the right time - then do the sales action - and then review your account positioning to plan out the next thing to do, etc. etc. etc.?  Plan - Do - Review, Plan - Do - Review.

For a salesperson, whether high activity or major accounts, time is valuable.  It may be used differently - it’s still valuable.  With 2000 hours in a year, one hundred thousand dollars is earned one hour at a time ... $50 dollars an hour. 

And, once gone, a salesperson cannot recover time - it’s gone - $50 or more each and every hour - burned up by waste or good intentions or a lack of understanding

At $100,000 a year - $50 an hour
At $200,000 a year - $100 an hour

How many sales do you need to make to earn $100,000?  $200,000 ... $300,000
Divide the number of sales in a year by 2000 hours in a year and you know the number of hours available for each sale.

For example, a cellular salesperson for some companies must make 1000 sales in a year to earn $100,000.
1000 sales ÷ 2000 hours = 1 sale every 2 hours (lots of face-to-face time in a week)

In some firms, a commercial real estate broker must make 10 sales in a year to earn $200,000 ...
10 sales ÷ 2000 hours = 1 sale every 200 hours (200 hours mostly made up of planning and reviewing before doing a prospecting or face-to-face activity)

So, do you value your time at $50 or more per hour?  Do you realize that what you do with time is having a dramatic effect on your family’s security or well being, or your achievement, or your security, or the recognition you receive, or just your ability to do your duty - to achieve a minimum sales amount for your company?

Remember these tips ...
- Every meeting does not need to be an hour long.
- Do not automatically say yes to any use of time.
- Every email does not instantaneously need to be responded to or even read.
- The use of the Internet needs to improve your sales during sales time.
- When someone wants to talk with you for “30 sec,” do you just react and by your actions say, “Yes?”
- Schedule more of your day calendar into blocks of productive time.
- Block out time to find new opportunities (lead generation) and time to prospect them on the phone.
- Block out appointment time for face-to-face sales calls.
- Block out time for important strategy sessions (major accounts)
................
We often forget about our most valuable sales asset - time.  The activity trap of multiple tasks, sensory lures, and interruptions get us off track.  Let’s stop the cycle or at least begin the process of slowing it down now.  You can do it.  Keep remembering at the end of the day, and the year, what’s important - really important, and change.  Get better.  Lance.

Personal Responsibility - A Crucial Character Trait

What does it mean to be a ‘good’ salesperson?  How do you find one?  What do you look for?  Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, says that his team’s research found that great companies recruit character first - before skills.

After twenty years of mistakes and successes, and after helping recruit and coach thousands of salespeople, we have discovered personal responsibility to be a crucial character trait to hire for ... along with honesty and hard work ethic.  Doing this improves efficiency and the culture. Salespeople with this character trait require less maintenance and management time.

If we can teach you to recruit someone who behaves in a personally responsible way, then you will find a salesperson who feels an obligation (in life) to act correctly - with or without oversight.  You will find their past to be a mirror of independent and accountable behavior.  When doing sales work, and left to themselves, a personally responsible salesperson remains dutiful and protective of what is expected.  They do their job.

Whatever you are, be a good one.  Abraham Lincoln

‘Personal’ responsibility also means that a salesperson respects and acts on obligations.  It’s kind of like honesty applied to duties. Responsible performance is held close to the heart.  That’s why it’s personal.  A salesperson with a responsible nature highly values commitments.  It’s actually a part of their makeup as a person. 

To employ salespeople, who live out this trait as a part of their core values, impacts the peace of mind of a sales manager.  That’s because, with or without management presence, a salesperson will do their best to do the work that is placed in their care.

Great salespeople work in a reliable and dependable manner.  They keep on keeping on with doing what their role demands of them. Sales managers who recruit for personal responsibility build strength into their culture - strength displayed in customer service, follow up, and promises kept, internally and externally to the company.

How does this trait affect failure and low performance?  How do the best salespeople react to low numbers?  Responsible salespeople accept blame for less that stellar activity, behavior, or sales results. They accept coaching. They may have to be convinced of their culpability, but when persuaded, they take ownership and work hard to correct themselves and the situation.

Here’s a good structured question to ask. “What are the top three things that motivate you in order of priority?” (Award 3 points if people or a person or a personal motivation is somewhere in the top three.  Award 0 points if they do not have any motivation toward helping or benefitting another person.)

Honesty, hard work ethic, and personal responsibility - crucial character traits.  Learn to screen and interview well for these traits.  Pass and do not hire someone when your intuition warns you - even if the skills are present. Your focus on the mature aspects of a person will mean much to the future of your sales organization, your company, and its customers.  Do great.  Recruit and coach well.  Lance.

Honesty - A Crucial Character Trait

When recruiting great salespeople, hire character first.  And, do you know what character trait is more important than all the others?  Honesty. Yes, honesty. The number one character trait to recruit for is honesty followed by hard work and personal responsibility. 

Honesty is nonnegotiable and must be present for you, the coach, to turn your back and leave things unattended.  It is difficult and just about impossible to coach this trait.  Recruit for it.

The degree of honesty impacts reporting accuracy.  A salesperson who embraces the facts, despite the brutality of them, willingly faces the truth.  This person wants to know their progress numbers toward personal goal achievement.  They do not want to kid themselves or their coaches or managers.  They must know where they are relative to where they need to be and they do not mind if others know.

Honesty brings clarity into a salesperson’s goals and progress toward them.  It keeps what’s important ... important.  It increases the emotional attachment to motivating circumstances.  With reality brightly shining on skills, habits, goal achievement progress, and past behaviors, the ease of future adjustments increase.  A person grows stronger - gets better.

Honest words are sometimes painful, but said kindly and with concern, they free a person for greater improvement.  Honest discussions pave the way for sales training and a more peaceful future.

A very wise man once said, “An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.”

Obviously, honesty impacts customer satisfaction during a face-to-face sales call.  Does the customer discover that a salesperson behaves with honest intent?  Is the sale made with truthful evidence and testimony?  Will the salesperson protect a company’s branded image by steering away from fraud or deceit? These are crucial questions and the impact of handling a customer’s trust will have lasting impressions upon corporate profit.

Honesty sewn within a person’s makeup also makes a statement during normal day-to-day coworker interactions.  An honest salesperson shows up for work on time.  Service personnel can count on the promises that the salesperson makes.

With honor present, salespeople trust each other.  Management can count on sincerity being present in exchanges in communication.  Everyone can operate in a well lit operation of straightforward talk. And, of course, all money is accounted for and in the right places.

One question that’s interesting to ask in a structured interview is, “ Which of these traits is the most important one for the type of sales we do?  Persistence, Self-Discipline, Honesty, or Hard Worth Ethic?  (Award 5 points only if the candidate says that Honesty is most important.  Award 0 points for any other answer.)

How would you respond? 

Honesty, hard work ethic, and personal responsibility.  These are important and related character traits.  Recruit for them first and personality traits (goal-orientation, social confidence, etc.) last.  The culture you build by recruiting with this focus will make all the difference.  Now, go and get better.  You can.  Lance.

Hard Work - A Crucial Character Trait

Great salespeople work hard.  And, along with honesty and personal responsibility toward others, hard work is an essential character trait found in top sales performers.  When we recruit well, background checks, resumes, and other screening and interviewing skills focus on the discovery of this trait.

All hard work provides a profit to a salesperson. Why? ... sometimes work doesn’t produce a sale.  Even so, continuing to work hard strengthens approach methods, presentation skills, and other types of sales muscle.  It also keeps people ‘alive’ and connected to hope as the perseverance they show improves their character.

A salesperson who slows down their work over any time period will see decreases in sales and sales strength.  First, the number of prospects and opportunities they find begin to lessen, then the number of appointments decrease.  This decreases the number of presentations and quotes and finally it impacts sales revenue.  This low activity begins to erode their sales skills and instincts as the number of sales opportunities decrease.  Just like a ship that stays at harbor, the barnacles of misuse corrode their skills.  They rust.

When someone slows down or changes into a “slacker,” they often become a brother to someone who tears down a sales team.  Unproductive people look for something to take the place of their idle hands.  When they stop working, one behavior they turn to is gossip.  Slackers talk about how bad things are and about the faults of their leaders.  Their words and their sluggard work demeanor influence those around them.  So, whether they realize it or not, they begin the work of tearing down what’s around them instead of building it up.

We’ve all seen the effects of lazy salespeople - low sales, bad morale, etc.  Recently, a sales team described a lack of hard work as ... misuse of time leading to poor time management, less energy, lack of passion, gossip, excuses, pity parties, and an inability to find or get results out of opportunities.  They actually refuse to work hard.

(Note: There is nothing better than to find satisfaction in your work - to strive against the grain of mediocre production - to enjoy your work and to fight for the benefit of others.  My dad many times while we were growing up said, “I don’t care what you do ... I don’t care if you’re a ditch digger, just be the best ______ditch digger you can be.”)

When screening candidates, look for ‘hard work’ evidence in their background and resumes.

For example, if you looked into the background of my oldest son, you would find that for eight years he got up at four in the morning to develop his swimming abilities.  Or, if you talked with my business partner, you would find that he picked potatoes for years prior to college.  In other words, look for periods of time where the candidate had to sacrifice something for long periods of time in order to provide for or better themselves.  There can also be instances where this trait is learned through the expectations of the candidate’s family growing up.

Here’s one question to ask during a structured interview, “Please tell me about a time in your life when you had to sacrifice in order to achieve something important.  What did you sacrifice?  Why? (Award maximum of 5 points only if candidate mentions something notable, and that time was sacrificed and work effort was expended, and if the candidate explains the motivation as the need to achieve, win, provide for others, or reach a goal.) x no. of pts

Find salespeople who want to work hard - who want to be productive.  If you do, coaching their success becomes easier, and you, as a manager, look smart.  Finally, make sure that they are people who are honest and take personal responsibility for their actions and obligations.  Lance.

Ground Zero’s Message for Sales Teams

Today, my bride and I stood at Ground Zero() in New York City.

When the twin towers of the World Trade Center fell, New York’s finest knew who they were and what they were supposed to do.  They died trying to save people in the towers.  They worked for weeks - 24/7 - pulling bodies out of the rubble.  They sacrificed for the benefit of others with no thought of time or personal protection.  They did what they could with what they had.  They were heroes.

What does this possibly have to do with a sales team?  How does this story apply to someone who sells a service or a product?  What’s the message for salespeople, managers, and executives?

Do what you can for the benefit of others.  Work to protect the revenues and expenses of your company.  Protect the livelihoods of fellow employees - those who build and ship the products or those who provide your company’s services.  Take care of those who buy your product.  Follow up.  Preserve and defend customer rights and expectations.

Do not hire anyone who doesn’t care about personal responsibility or the interests of others.  Hire an honest person - someone with a hard work ethic.  And, build a sales team around people who want to solve problems and fill customer needs.  Keep your distance from people who want to tear things down.

When the economy falters or hardship arrives at your company’s door, work harder and smarter.  Be willing to sacrifice time and effort beyond normal requirements.  Do what it takes to get the job done.  Do what it takes to serve well.  Do what it takes to do what you said you would do.  Do what it takes.  Do what it takes. 

Give your best.  Be courageous.  Walk through one more door.  Make one more call.  Be uncommon heroes. 

Now, go and make things better.  Lance.

Commitment

This is where it begins.  With goals and standards.  With clear job descriptions.  With a push the boat off from shore - do not look back decision - about what we are about.

New hires can smell the certainty of direction - the clear, unconfusing signals - the here’s what we’re about purpose of the team.

Team members know where the coach stands and what is important.  Processes are simple and followed - but, not above being changed.  Processes are built to help people achieve commitments - and to help people, not just for the sake of processes. 

And, most importantly, even without great people skills, each person knows that the coach is committed to their personal success and the team’s success. 

This is never in doubt. 

Now, go and make things better.  You can.  Know who you are and what you stand for.  Lance

“You’ve Got to Learn to Hold Your Mouth Right”

Years ago I enjoyed many days and afternoons fishing with my Grandfather.  He was a Scotch Irishman, who, up into his 70’s was a master carpenter, real estate salesman, business owner, ... well you get the picture - an entrepreneur.  And, he loved to fish - especially with me. 

I remember a particular day that we loved to spend ... starting early in the morning and fishing long stretches of bank while walking from Cherokee Dam to the State Park.  We would finish up there each carrying a croker sack full of bluegill and bass; and, many times, only eating a peanut butter sandwich along the way. 

I remember watching his hands and trying to do everything exactly like him.  If he reeled once, I reeled once.  If he twitched his rod tip, I twitched my rod tip.  I loved him and respected him and he taught me a lot about fishing and life.

Once after fishing the route between the dam and the park, we neared our usual finishing point.  I noticed people fishing from the bank with nice large radio boxes blaring, food, and a lot of loud talking.  I also noticed that they had not caught any fish.  So, I turned to my grandfather, and at age 10 asked, “How come they don’t have any fish?” Whereupon he said, with a serious twinkle in his eye,

“They don’t know how to hold their mouth right.”

Sadly, there are a lot of salespeople just like them.  They’re not really serious about their goals.  They’re not trying to learn.  They’re not trying to get better.  They work with a lot of noise around them and a lot of talking.  They end of being takers and not givers.

But, you’re different.  Goals are serious. Why?  You’ve got to keep bread on the table.  You’ve got to pay bills.  You need a new car or you need to fix your house or you need to provide for your family.

You really know “how to hold your mouth right.” You know that you can be better.  You give your best and you strive to improve.  People respect you.  And, now people count on you.  You’re alive.  You walk with a purpose.  You’re the best salesperson you can be for the benefit of other people. Lance. (By the way, this is a picture of Ryan, my youngest of three sons - and the beat goes on.  L)

Standards build Traditions - Traditions build Legacies

Legacies are the impact of traditions on today’s world ... left behind by people who struggled to meet standards for the benefit of others.

Sometimes people lower their standards without a fight ... and, they build new traditions that leave a poor legacy for those who follow.

Leaders often set the standards for future traditons before the future fight makes them a reality.  They decide NOW what they will stand for in the days to come. 

So, let’s stand for those things that help our country, company, associates, customers, and families - great things, excellent things.  Let’s teach our children to build a wonderful legacy for future generations.  Lance.

(Note:  What are YOUR sales team standards.  What are YOUR minimum standards, average standards, GREATness standards?)

What are YOUR STANDARDS?

Great coaches and teams of people put their very best into what they do.  Standards, performance norms or accepted levels of behaviors emerge out of their fight for greatness. The emerging standards, produced from great thought and toil, define the limits of minimal and great performance.  For sales teams, these standards include:

Where to Set Standards - Minimum, Average, Great
• Appointments and quotes by person and period
• Closed sales per every ten (10) quotes
• Sales results by a sales person, team, or area
• Income levels per salesperson

Do not confuse standards with goals.  Standards are accepted and measurable levels of belief about what’s right.  For example, think about your favorite college football team - one that has a great tradition.  At a certain number of wins each season, the fans feel either terrible, OK, or great.  And, somewhere between terrible and great, they fire a coach.  That’s because they believe their team ought to win ‘x’ amount of games every season, win the conference once every so many years, and occasionally compete for a national championship.  It’s just apart of the standards in their tradition.

So, what are the minimum expected standards for your sales team?  For a salesperson?  What’s average?  What’s GREAT?  What will you tell new salespeople?  What do you stand for?  What will you not stand for?  When will you feel terrible, OK, or great? 

Knowing these things is vitally important.  Otherwise, what’s the point?  Go and make things better.  Lance

How Do Salespeople Remain Relevant?

Salespeople remain relevant to a buyer depending upon how well they practice the consultative sales process.  In theory, a sales conversation “can be” 100% relevant if the steps below are practiced perfectly.

But, tada!  That’s why we practice in sports and in sales ... to keep striving for greatness. 



First, how does a salesperson remain relevant? By ... 

Adaptation 

1. Adapting to a person’s buying style ... socialite, dynamo, or thinker. 



Listening

2. Asking great questions to understand a person’s situation: their needs and problems relevant to our product or service. 
3. Paraphrasing understanding, taking notes, and summarizing as we “sincerely” listen. 
4. Getting the customer to describe the impact of needs and problems - financially and/or emotionally. 



Presenting 

5. Showing only those products or services that fulfill customer described wants or needs. 
6. Showing only those features and benefits that fulfill customer described wants or needs. 
7. Explaining how the negative impact will be replaced by a positive impact: the new emotions or better financial numbers. 

8. Checking for feedback as we advise - answering questions, or providing solutions to fears or concerns about our advice. 



Finishing and Following Up

9. Helping them make a decision and “opening up a long term customer relationship.” 

10. Following up to make sure that the new customer is satisfied or to help with the use of the product(s) or service(s). 



These steps and others help the salesperson remain relevant during and after the sale.

The sales teams, that great managers coach, fight to get better at making the buying process comfortable for the buyer.

It’s a guess, but I would say that less than 1/2 of most sales experiences are relevant to the buyer in today’s marketplace.  The buyer fights to be adapted to, listened to, and cared about during and after the sale. 

But, you’re different.  You want to learn, use, and even coach sales skills and attitudes that make things better.  You want to build lasting relationships and repeat business.  So, go do it.  Make a difference.  You can.  Many of you are.  Lance.

An Old Key Worth Using

Today, It was my privilege to interview a seasoned veteran for a new sales job.  As I listened to his answers to my rather “structured interview,” I began to learn - to hear the wisdom of dedicated years ...

... and, I was reminded.  Wisdom resides mostly with those who have tried several doors in a productive life. It remains true in disparate areas like marriage, sports, and sales.  Many failures lead to one success - three quotes or so lead to one sale - a lifetime of commitment through trials and testing leads to a greater love among committed lovers.

As the interview continued, I, with years of experience and a few gray hears myself, began to learn that there are still some old keys still lying around, that if found, and then turned, will open important doors. 

Sales plans need wise counsel.

They need others to question them and to offer competing thoughts and wisdom.  And, they especially need those with grey or white hair to offer a smile as they reach in a pocket and bring out an old key worth using.  Then, confidence grows in those that learn from the unlocked wisdom. 

Stimulating Competition or Pursuing Greatness?

The following may be a little controversial. However I do not intend to be divisive… just a little weird or unusual about the subject of competition. Alfie Kohn wrote a book several years ago. I believe it was called, “No Contest: the Case Against Competition.” His heavily researched work concluded that competition was unhealthy no matter how many sales managers decry the thought. (By the way, I love to WIN with the best of them. L.)

In my studies of all coaches with three (3) national championships or more ... very few focused on creating a healthy competitive climate within the team ... so few in fact, at present, I cannot remember one who did. Instead they worked to form incredibly strong bonds between the players in the struggle to give their best, on the field or on the floor, for the benefit of others ... while striving to get better each day.

In the last twenty (20) plus years, I discovered that I can inspire others and I cannot motivate them. I can create a ‘climate’ in which people release their own achievement drive for the benefit of others.

I’ve also discovered that competition lies naturally in the hearts of salespeople, but teamwork doesn’t. And, I’ve learned that teamwork focused on excellence is in the long-term more productive than competition flamed within the ranks. So, I’ve been able to lead sales teams in breaking records with a mature focus on personal goals and team goals. I’ve done this by building emotional meaning into those goals for themselves, their families, and their companies. And, if I’ve recruited well, each of the teams I’ve led have formed strong bonds very much like that of a family. I’ve also learned to teach salespeople to cheer for other salespeople, to encourage them, and share celebrations at team meetings.

Eleven companies, out of 1400, made the cut in “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. In each, a disciplined and relationship-centered company of people focused on striving for excellence - without finger pointing or dancing in the end zone. These companies quietly and incrementally improved for years without flaming out or having mass exits and without depending upon charismatic leaders or lesser motivational forces.

I believe a competitive nature exists. It exists as a spiritual energy - to be harnessed for men and women to fight TOGETHER against the forces of mediocrity and those issues that impede personal and team goal achievement.