The ability to type and send messages, any time of day, in an array of methods, while arguably timesaving, creates significant communication gaffs. From email to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, and phone-text messaging, bright, eloquent people are reduced to tabloid columnists with the stroke of key. Would-be leaders create irreparable damage to client and team relationships. Friendships are damaged. And the ability to save time ultimately works in reverse.
With the invention of the telephone, the world’s population was forced to learn to communicate without the benefit of facial expression. Early efforts were undoubtedly problematic, and still today, over a century later, misunderstandings occur daily. Advancements in communication technology require similar advancements in education, training, and discipline when it comes to the use of that technology. If it is your goal to be a quality leader (or friend) in today’s environment, then it is essential that you master the communication tools you employ.
Listed below are simple rules for all forms of non-verbal communication. Whenever you find yourself typing, or speech-to-text communicating, if you follow these guidelines, your leadership qualities will be elevated and your friendships improved.
Rules of text-based communication:
1. Do not type or attach anything that you would not feel comfortable seeing on the front page of your local newspaper.
2. Never send text-media when you are mad. You can type it, even store it for review later, but if you hit the last period or exclamation point hard enough to damage your keypad, wait until a cooler head prevails to hit send.
3. Always add the recipient(s) last – in this way you cannot accidently send without truly wanting to do so.
4. Don’t type content you wouldn’t deliver in person. If you can’t say it face-to-face – don’t type it.
5. Never use text-media to communicate on personal issues such as employee reprimands, terminations, or any interpersonal issues.
6. Remember that when you hit send, share or post – you have sent your message into the world for any and all to see – assume this is what will occur and create the content accordingly.
7. Always spell / grammar-check your copy. Regardless of whether your kids talk in text-speak, your written content speaks volumes about your professional capabilities. If you are sloppy here – you are sloppy period.
8. Never use text-media while operating a vehicle. There is no message more important than a human life. And if you take or damage a life while breaking this rule, no amount of messaging will ever set you free.

When it comes to communication technology, just because you can use it at this very minute, with this very thought – doesn’t mean that you should. Tools require skill to create the desired outcome – improve your communication skills and feel the results.

Different sales techniques, based upon the product or service and the prospective “user,” are required to maximize selling success. Selling commodity, easily-purchased products is significantly different than selling expensive, considered-purchase products. But in all cases, sales occur when the benefits received equals or exceeds the price required to obtain it – when “value” is created.

When value is not created, the purchase does not take place, or if it does, “buyer’s remorse” sets in. Value decisions are made daily by real people on a personal basis, at every level of every organization. Making the assumption that business buyers do not make personal decisions is a mistake. All purchase decisions have personal components that must be understood and accommodated as part of the value-building process.

Typically the higher the value (cost/benefit) of the purchase, the more “considered” the purchase will become, because the risk of making a bad decision – for the company or the purchaser themselves – increases. With this increased need for value, the amount of “selling” required to cause the decision to be made in your favor will also increase. As the investment becomes more expensive, more technical, and more competitive;
• The higher in the organization the decision is likely to be made / approved
• The longer the sales cycle is likely to be
• The greater the value required to cause a purchase to take place
• The larger the number of players involved is likely to be
• The more important it is to build relationships early in the process with the right people

Early relationship building allows both seller and buyer to clearly establish reasons to move forward. The seller quickly validates that there is an opportunity to make a sale over time and identifies the needs and person(s) involved. The buyer validates that the seller can meet their needs. Relationships built correctly, at the right time with the right people create the highest mutually satisfactory outcomes – where both purchaser and seller get what they want.

Most high-value RFPs, for example, are awarded to the firm that built the relationship ahead of the RFP being generated – wisely ensuring that the RFP itself was written around their offering. Rarely does an RFP get generated for high-value products or services without such an end-offering in mind. And businesses that simply answer RFP’s as their first contact with prospective buyers close a very small portion of what could be attained.

If your product or service requires value to be built over time, start early in the process, work at all the right levels, and help prospective users make quality investments. Don’t wait for prospects to send you an RFP written around someone else’s specifications. Don’t make the assumption that the person that contacted you is the decision maker. Don’t mistake continued communications as a sign that you are likely to get the sale. And don’t assume that “presenting” your offering is “selling.”

Showing up and throwing up

“Showing up and throwing up” is a selling technique used by rookie sales personnel daily. In this process, it is assumed that if you “tell” a prospect everything about your product, the sheer brilliance of the product itself will cause the decision to made in your favor. Great “presenters” are not by themselves great sales people, they are simply great showmen.

Most technical product or service businesses build technical sales presentation teams as their sales force. These presenters work exclusively at the technical decision-maker level because that is the level that engaged with them to start. The only way to win at this level is to convince the “technical” decision makers that they have the best widget and cause them to sell upward or laterally in their organizations to other unknown decision makers. This process tends to be a “show up and throw up” agenda – whereby the technical selling team inundates the technical buying team with all the data they believe is needed to win the order – without understanding any unique customer needs around which to build required value.

Successful high-value sales people spend their professional life learning to build great relationships with the right people and the right value – at the right time – to win the greatest percent of deals. They know how to employ valued company resources and how to choreograph the use of those resources at the right times.

If you need to build a great value to maximize sales, you need to build high-value selling teams – not just presentation teams.

In Lou Gerstner’s book, Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance, Mr. Gerstner is quoted as saying “I came to see, in my time at IBM, that culture isn’t just one aspect of the game – it is the game. In the end, an organization is nothing more than the collective capacity of its people to create value.” Businesses with great internal culture project the same outward. They are more productive as a business because their people are more productive individually and as a team. Leadership understands that happy and engaged people are more productive.

Most everyone has worked in a business where the culture was bad. Where mistakes were punished, poor company performance is blamed on staff, and where dictatorship was confused with leadership. In these organizations, the average employee provides less than eight hours of productivity; taking advantage of every break, commiserating with other employees over e-mail or water-cooler encounters, arriving and leaving at precise times; putting in time for money.

In businesses with a great culture, where everyone’s ideas are respected, work enjoyment and creativity is fostered, mistakes are valued as learning experiences, and success and failure is owned as a team, employees regularly provide more than eight hours of productivity. They work thru breaks, come in early, stay late, eat lunch at their desk, all because they want to. All because they enjoy what they do and are thrilled to be a part of a winning team.
If your culture is great, results will be great. If your culture is poor or worse, your results are likely to follow. Culture and the resulting morale mean everything to your business. If you adopt the “beatings will continue until morale improves” style of management, you have missed the point.

Mistakenly, many people believe that their company brand is their logo. When they think about brand development, they think about logos, colors, creative, and advertising. In reality, your company “brand” is the mind impression generated by someone when they are confronted with your logo, name, product, or service. And the mind impression generated by any individual is a culmination of all experiences that person has had related to your company, product, or service. This includes what they have heard or read as well as actual personal experiences.

Your brand is impacted by all you do and say as well as all that others say about you. From media to word of mouth, there is an independent brand generation engine running 24/7, working in your favor or not. Your ability to build a strong brand, and to make it the brand you want is directly related to everything you do to, or for, every employee, customer, or any other person that becomes informed about you.

When you think of strong brands like Mercedes® or Coca-Cola®, you get an immediate mind impression, including a taste impression in the case of Coke®. Some generate a good mind impression because they have had good experiences and / or heard positive things regarding those brands. Others, who have not had such good experiences or have heard less than positive things about those brands, have a completely different mind impression. Some impressions are very strong because there is a significant amount of experience, while some impressions are much less intense.

If you want to build a strong brand for your company, and you want it to be the brand that helps you achieve your Vision, Mission, and Goals, then you need to build that brand into everything you do, say, and cause to be said about you. From your logo to your advertising, products and services, treatment of customers and employees, commitment to your community and country, and overall business vitality, you must be diligent and consistent. If you don’t build your brand proactively, it will be built for you – good or bad.

With the invention of the automobile over a century ago, and the subsequent move to mass transit, the use of horses for transportation of people, goods, and services transitioned from essential to unnecessary. Along the way, many providers of related products, like wagons, buggies, and buggy whips either evolved into businesses that supported motorized vehicles, or they perished. Those that survived realized that they were in the transportation business, not the buggy or whip business. Those that perished thought the reverse.

Currently, the newspaper industry is going through a similar transition. Some see themselves to be in the “newspaper” business, while others see themselves (correctly) to be in the “news” business. Those that are in the news business, and modify the mediums by which they deliver that news to fit the market demand will survive. Those that do not will go the way of similar buggy whip producers.

All companies, regardless of size or age, must understand their business in terms of true market demand. They must monitor the evolving needs of their market and make the necessary adjustments to remain relevant. As simple as it sounds, businesses go under on a regular basis blaming market factors they could have, and should have, predicted and integrated into their strategic plans.

What business are you really in? What will that business / industry really look like in five, and then ten years? What proactive steps will you take to be relevant to your market and stay ahead of your competition?

Sales training at most companies, if ever offered, consists of sending sales personnel to a one / two day independent sales course. Sometimes this happens annually, but typically it occurs far less frequently. Many sales training programs conducted in-house are events where new products are introduced, in nauseating detail, with the thought that product training is sales training, which it is not.

PRODUCT TRAINING IS NOT SALES TRAINING

Sales is the only critical business discipline in which you cannot get a traditional degree. Sales personnel are expected to know how to sell – presumably intuitively. The thought that one-day seminars will improve your revenue generation is misguided optimism. I would estimate that less than ten percent of all sales personnel are truly selling professionals. Unless you have real pros that seek out mentors, like Tom Hopkins or Neil Rackham and continually build on their own skills, the ability for your business to maximize revenue lies in your ability to provide effective and ongoing training.

LESS THAN 10% OF SALES PEOPLE ARE TRUE PROS

Businesses that excel in the sales area know how to find, hire, and retain self-motivated sales professionals and then continue to develop those skills on an ongoing basis. For tips on how to interview for top reps, see my Sales Representative Interview Form. True sales pros thrive on proper training techniques as well as the opportunity to compete with peers. From inside phone sales personnel to field sales representatives, ongoing skills building programs are essential for maximum success.

At a minimum, consider the following ideas:

1) Provide a time on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis where your sales team comes together for skills building:
a. Objections Notebook: Have each of them keep a spiral notebook labeled “Objections.” During the time between meetings ask them to write down at the top of each page an objection they had trouble handling. At the meetings, work thru how this objection could be handled and have them all write the solution(s) in their books.
b. Win / loss Notebook: Have each of them keep a similar notebook labeled “Win / Loss.” During the time between meetings, have them write down wins and losses and their reasons for each. At the meeting, discuss each person’s win / loss stories and have them all write pertinent learning points in their own books.

2) Conduct at least one multi-day sales training program annually for your entire sales team to learn both about new products as well as how to improve product sales:
a. Combine Technical and Skills Training: If you have new product training to conduct, combine the technical education with sales skills training activities so that your personnel actually apply the knowledge in selling situations. Don’t teach them about a new feature, teach them how to convert that feature to a benefit that will help close a sale. Limit the time your development people spend with your sales team to sporadic windows – too much technology kills the learning process.
b. Keep Them Moving: Good sales people are lousy at sitting for more than 45 minutes without some sort of activity. In my experience, taking regular “game breaks,” where your team is up, moving, and competing works very well.
c. Engage Them With Practice: Mix education of selling skills, competition, and product knowledge with real-life selling scenarios. Roll playing scenarios or knowledge games, pitting one person against the other for fastest correct response, provide stimulation as well as education. If you have sales people who are too intimidated by these activities, ask yourself are really sales people. I actually had a sales rep freeze in a roll play situation, get up and leave the room, check out of the hotel, go to the airport and fly home. He was not a sales person, he was a customer service person, and we subsequently moved his responsibilities accordingly and he shined in the new role.
d. Create Teamwork and Competition: Divide your group into two or more teams and have them compete for prizes over the entire meeting. Get them team shirts or hats or something and pit them against each other. Sales people love to compete and win – the more you integrate that capability with the learning process, the faster the education will become practice.

For all of the ideas above, it is essential that the person driving your training activities is a sales professional. If this is not your sales leader, contract the right talent. I have provided only a few ideas above, and I have employed all of them and many more in the development of successful global selling teams. Like all disciplines, continual training and stimulation is required to gain maximum performance. Invest in your sales team and reap the rewards.

Businesses often start with a tight-knit group of people that have a common vision. If successful, the business grows, sometimes for many years, and the core leadership team remains the same, hiring below them as required. As the business grows, the requirements of the specific leadership disciplines evolve, many times well past the capabilities (or even desire) of the person in the role. Suddenly the business stops growing at its previous rate, frustrations increase, culture is impacted, and what once was fun and exciting is no longer so.

In most cases, the company has hit a Glass Ceiling where the leadership team no longer fits the needs of the business. This is much like a sand-lot baseball team that was really good until it started playing more professional teams. The shortstop always played shortstop, why shouldn’t he continue? Leaders form a bond with many of their early department managers. They like them, and because of the bond developed tend to overlook the gaps in capabilities. In many cases, the personnel filling key leadership roles have zero prior experience in their current discipline. Many times the company leader themselves have never been in the position they are now in, and therefore are struggling on their own to rise to the new demands of the business.

Probably the single most common reason for hitting this Glass Ceiling is the inability of the business to modify its team and talent to fit the current needs. Just like a ball team needs to constantly review each player’s capability, a business must do the same if it wants to maximize performance. From the leader on down, a business’s ability to grow and prosper is completely in the hands of the team. And if leadership turns a blind or un-educated eye to this situation, performance will suffer.

On an annual basis, it is essential that job descriptions for all key positions are reviewed and modified on the basis of what the business needs to go to the next level. How would these descriptions read if you were hiring for each position now? This must be done irrespective of the person in the role. Then, descriptions must be matched against the current personnel, and if they don’t match changes must be made.

In my experience, some early-stage personnel continue to rise to the challenge and evolve at the pace needed. Some would rather not. And some, although they would like to, simply cannot rise to the occasion. If you want to continue to maximize the performance of your company, you need a top performance team. Remember that “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one.” Review your team against what you need, and put the best players on the field every day.

In the process of selling, how many times have you heard an objection related to your price being too high? I will always remember a live Tom Hopkins presentation where he said that every time a prospect says your price is too high, he is really saying “Tell me more.” Your price is too high can be a way to brush you off, or it can be an admission that your prospect wants what you have, but that you have not built enough value to justify the price.

Everyone makes buying decisions based upon value, i.e. the benefits received for the price paid. This applies from hamburgers to real-estate. When a purchaser believes they are receiving enough benefit for the price, the will make the purchase. If they do not see enough benefit, they will not purchase. And if they purchase, but later feel they did not receive enough benefit, they get buyer’s remorse – a feeling with which we can all relate.

The job of the sales professional is to identify a prospect’s pain and need, help the prospect quantify those needs into real dollars, and then offer a solution at a price that provides good value. Many times novice sales personnel focus on a single prospect need and begin closing only to find out that the single need will not justify his / her price. Then, he must either lower the price, or backtrack and start probing for more needs / problems on which to build greater value – a process that is nearly impossible. The sale is lost not because the prospect didn’t have the need or couldn’t afford the solution. It was lost because the sales person did a poor job of building value.

Sales professionals know that their job is to identify the scope of the prospects needs, determine if their product is a solution that fits, quantify the needs monetarily with the prospect, and then present the solution and price. Done correctly, prospects become very satisfied customers. Done poorly, prospects buy from someone else or don’t buy at all. The next time you hear “your price is too high,” ask yourself, “Is your product a poor match for the need?” Or “Have I failed to build enough value?”

“I know what I need to know” means you don’t know what you don’t know. Confused? Every day business CEO’s fail to make the changes and improvements needed to grow, or even survive because they think they know what they don’t. They confuse momentary good fortune with skill, and then make excuses for decline or lack of growth. They see their role as the one who should know it all, and then think they do. They resist change, holding on to past practices and people when the contrary is needed. They allow the needs of the one or the few to outweigh the needs of the many. They resist outside help or worse yet, ask for it and ignore the advice given. They look at their business, and all that impacts it, through their own rose colored glasses, and in the process fail to allow the business to reach its potential.

Your business is like your body. The healthier you are, the better you can perform. Those that take their health seriously listen to medical advice, get regular checkups, and employ exercise and eating habits tailored to their needs. These individuals live better because they feel and perform better. They live longer because they contract fewer ailments and identify other diseases early enough to be treated. They study, they get good advice, and they apply what they learn. Businesses are exactly the same. Those that thrive get good seasoned advice, challenge the status quo, and continually look in the mirror to see what could be improved. They learn from experts, both internally and externally, and they act accordingly. They know that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one, and they apply that philosophy throughout their business life.

Businesses that die or fail to reach their potential are like most people when it comes to personal health. They run from day to day, allowing the fire of the moment to consume them. They get further and further out of shape over time. They think about improving, but push it off until they are less busy, which never occurs. They don’t seek advice, or simply ignore the advice given, preferring to self-medicate. Then, once they are in real trouble, they seek help only to find out it is too late.

If you are a CEO, my challenge to you is to be the healthy business. Be the company that employs regular checkups with qualified talent and follows quality advice for optimal health. Look in the mirror, challenge yourself and team to excel. Grow your business to its potential and be the best employer possible for your employees and your community.

Just like a complete business plan allows you to project actions and reactions into the future, proper budgeting allows the projection of the financial requirements, responsibilities, and outcomes needed to drive success. Just like personal finances, unless you have more income than you can spend, if you don’t budget, and don’t manage to that budget, you will get into trouble. Your business is no different. Quality businesses update their business plans and related budgets annually. Creating quality budgets for the upcoming year requires a disciplined process and complete team acceptance. Do not simply add on to your past budget. Take the approach commonly called “zero-based budgeting.” Build your budgets from scratch including only what is necessary to accomplish your plan. Far too many businesses carry old programs and their related expenses forward, all of which are not needed, driving up their operating costs and wasting critical cash resources.

I recommend the following budgeting process:
• First update the business plan, including all strategies.
• To establish your revenue goals, present your updated product, pricing, advertising, promotion, and support strategies to your sales leadership.
• Get your sales leadership and organization to create a projected sales forecast, by product and by month, which is based upon your strategies. You should be very careful that the sales organization drives the forecasting process so that they are fully engaged in attaining the number. If you impose a projection, they will not “own it” and you will not achieve it.
• Work with the sales organization to arrive at a number that works for both the business and the sales organization.
• Once you have finalized the sales forecast and marketing strategies, you can then ask your operations teams to create their projected budgets based upon attaining the forecasted revenue, products, and timing. Like the sales organization, you want individual, operational departments to arrive at their own initial budgets, again creating buy-in and ownership.
• Once you have all the departmental budgets, you can then compile the projected income statements and view the results. Clearly some adjusting will be necessary. If the budget does not roll up to a workable model, do not simply change a single line item to make it look better. Go back to each department leader and build a revised plan. If you involve the entire team in the process, you will arrive at a budget that everyone owns, making goals much easier to attain.
• Once you have a final, projected income statement, you can generate the cash-flow statement and balance sheet.

The budget process generally takes several weeks; I have traditionally started the process in October of each year with the goal to be complete by the middle of November, allowing proper time to begin timely execution for the following year. If you create a quality budget, monitor your performance to the budget on a monthly basis, and make needed adjustments as your actual versus budget performance “talks to you,” your business results will improve and “surprises” will be reduced.

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