Man’s best friend

This week, I lost a very dear friend to cancer, my golden retriever, Hunter.  While he made it successfully thru his initial surgery, the cancer quickly spread to his liver and he only survived 12 more days.  We enjoyed 11 wonderful years with Hunter but nevertheless, I cannot help but feel great sorrow and loss when I think about him.

In May 2006, Kim and I decided to get a puppy.  It had been a couple years since our cocker spaniel, Dude, passed away and we were ready to give our love to a new pet.  We visited a breeder who had 12 puppies available, a boy, followed by 10 girls and the runt, who was a boy.  We were both drawn to the littlest one, who was wagging his tail like crazy, engaging, bright-eyed and full of life.  We instantly fell in love with him and quickly made the decision to take Bailey home with us.

As we were filling out the adoption papers, the 10 females were playing in the yard, completely unaware that their little brother was being taken away from them, but the other male was whimpering, scratching at the sliding glass door, as if to say, “Please take me too, don’t leave me with these psycho bitches”.  I looked at Kim and said, “It looks like were going home with 2 dogs today”.  After a brief discussion, we had 2 new boys in the car, Hunter and Bailey.

These brothers were inseparable and we didn’t help ourselves by not splitting them more often.  If I took one to the store or for a walk, it was chaos when I got home; dogs jumping all over the place as if they hadn’t seen each other for months.  If one got an ear infection, the other would lick his ear as if to tell me to pay attention to it.  If one had a tummy ache, the other would bark as if to tell us to let him out SOON!

Hunter grew into a beautiful, strong and majestic dog, but he was really a big softy.  He has the gentlest disposition, and all he ever wanted to do was love people.  While a little judicious with his kisses, he was affectionate, kind and sweet to everyone.  Hunter had a ravenous appetite, and even after he ate 8 raw chicken breasts, he never threw up. During the holidays one year, he swallowed Kim’s diamond earrings only to pass them without incident.  Yes, it was me with the strainer.

This past Saturday, we took Hunter to the vet and brought Bailey to be by his side.  We could not operate again so we made the tough decision to say goodbye.  As Hunter lay on the rug, Bailey licked his nose a couple times, but as soon as Hunter stopped breathing, a strange thing happened.  Bailey no longer seemed interested in Hunter, as if his soul had left and the vessel that was his body was empty.  A few minutes later, Bailey was sitting by the door and was ready to go home.  Bailey had said his goodbye to his brother.

Regardless of your religious beliefs and your faith, I am choosing to believe that dogs have a soul, one that is filled with love, happiness and joy.  I know it in my heart.

It has only been a few days, but I miss him terrible and have found myself crying in the middle of the day, just thinking about him, and how happy he made me.  The purest kind of love.  My friends who have dogs or cats have been compassionate and empathetic. They, too, have all suffered the loss of a pet.  For others, they have yet to realize what it is like to experience this type of unconditional love.

Everywhere I go, there are constant reminders of this wonderful dog.  It seems like every commercial on TV or billboard I drive past has a golden retriever.  Not to mention all of the reminders around the house.  And while I tear up when I see these things, I know it’s ok because I had this great, mutual love affair with Hunter and I never want to forget.

We still have Bailey at home but the energy in the house is off.  Bailey now gets to sleep on our bed, he’s getting more attention than ever before, and more cookies than he should.  Neither Kim nor I is ready for a puppy, and that would be a great disservice to Hunter’s memory.  I don’t think Bailey is up for a high energy animal in the house either.  But someday, when we’ve healed enough, I know we’ll be looking for another puppy (or 2) to love.  And maybe, if we’re lucky, the puppy will have Hunter’s soul.

A good friend of mine sent me this poem when he heard what we were going thru.  The author is unknown, but he captured my feelings as if he knew me and my relationship with Hunter.  Goodbye, my friend.  I will never forget how much you loved me.

A Dog’s Plea

Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

Do not break my spirit with a stick, for although I should lick your hand between blows, your patience and understanding will quickly teach me the things you would have me learn.

Speak to me often, for your voice is the world’s sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footsteps falls upon my waiting ear.

Please take me inside when it is cold and wet, for I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed to bitter elements. I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth. Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst.

Feed me clean food that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.

And, my friend, when I am very old, and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having any fun. Please see that my trusting life is taken gently. I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I draw that my fate was always safest in your hands.

Author Unknown

“What’s your name, again?”

Throughout your life and regardless of your occupation, you’ve undoubtedly met lots of people, whether through the work day or in social settings.  Politely, you introduce yourself while shaking hands and greeting strangers.  As you age, remembering names and specific details about a person you’ve just met becomes increasingly challenging.  In my youth, remembering facts, phone numbers and names was one of my strongest “talents”, but today, my brain simply doesn’t work the way it used to.

Isn’t it a great feeling when a casual acquaintance from the past remembers your name, as well as random facts that you shared months or years ago?  You can’t help but feel special and humbled.  Someone took an interest in what you shared, and cared enough to remember it.

My wife and I have gone to 11 weddings in the past two years, including our son’s wedding this past May.  Inevitably, you’ll run into an acquaintance from the distant past, but simply cannot put the name to the face.  How often have you said to your spouse, “I know that guy…how do I know him?  What the hell is his name again?  Shit, he’s walking over here.  Hurry up, help me!”  You desperately want to make a good impression, or simply avoid the embarrassment of not remembering their name.

It’s become increasingly difficult to remember names and I don’t have the recall I once did.  However, if I do happen to meet someone a second time, I’ll reintroduce myself, shake their hand firmly and say their name 3 times in my head.  For some reason I cannot explain, I won’t forget them after that second meeting.

To help mitigate the risks of embarrassment, I also keep a record of personal facts about people I meet in their contact file.  Any small anecdote, story or occurrence in their lives provides me with a common point of reference stemming from an earlier meeting.

• Spouse’s name
• Children and their names and interests (college, sports, scholarship hopes…)
• Team affiliation (professional and college)
• Hobbies and interests (cooking, art, cycling…)

Any number of unique, personal tidbits can help you re-break the ice, or demonstrate your interest in their life.  This “name-fact” association will also help you remember them in the future.

There are plenty of tricks for remembering names, but the point I want to emphasize is this skill affords you the opportunity to make a personal connection and speaks volumes to the person in that you took the time to remember them.  While the individual may never be able to help you with your career advancement, closing a deal or do anything for you, making the effort to know their name and something about them is endearing and makes YOU memorable.

Finally, I believe you can tell a lot about someone’s character by the way they treat people who can’t do anything for them.  For example, waiters, bell hops, sky caps, garbage men, a grocery clerk, etc.  True, all of these people are paid to do a job and they should take pride in it, but I always make it a point to address them with their name, say thank you and please, be appreciative for their effort, tip when appropriate and smile. For God’s sake, make eye contact.  Nothing is more welcoming than sincere eye contact and a smile.  I am always disappointed and saddened about how abusive and rude some people can be to people in the service profession, but my water glass is always full, my luggage arrives to my hotel room quickly and the eggs in my grocery bag are never broken.

Celebrating Wins and Success

 

Sales is hard. When you close an important deal, or have a terrific year, make sure you commemorate the success with a memento. I’ve been preaching this to sales people for decades and, unilaterally, with each person, they’ve thanked me for this advice and are quick to show me what they purchased for themselves.

I also recommend buying something material and tangible, instead of a vacation or a gift for someone else. The reason is, this is YOUR success, and therefore, YOUR reward as a constant reminder of this winning feeling, and the desire to replicate this experience. A Rolex, a Louis Vuitton handbag or even a house (yes, I had an employee actually buy a vacation home with his commissions) all serve as “trophies”. Memorializing great achievement will sustain the good feelings of success, and act as a constant reminder of what achievement feels like.

While good sales people are also competitive, take the time to congratulate peers when they have wins. Not everyone needs affirmation from others of a job well done, but taking the time to acknowledge the success of a co-worker is gracious and just good manners. Don’t be petty, jealous or make excuses. His or her success is not a reflection on your performance.

Celebrating wins as a team builds morale and can inspire others to work harder or smarter in the future. Through celebration, the opportunity for sharing best practices and understanding different strategies may arise. If you’re miserable, drowning in your own despair and lamenting your peer’s win, people will remember and I doubt they will want to celebrate with you when you have success. The camaraderie built around reveling in individual or team success can feed upon itself and be wildly positive. There’s simply nothing better or more satisfying than sharing victories as a team.

Aligning

Ever have a meeting with a new prospect and find yourself with nothing to say? Completely at a loss for words, so you dive straight into a business conversation, and come across pushy. Whether it’s a blind date or a first call with a new customer, you should never find yourself in this situation.  Doing your homework is the key, and spending a few vital minutes preparing for your meeting or date.

Researching someone was a hell of a lot harder when I started my career, but with social media and mankind’s propensity to want to share every little thing or event on the internet, uncovering personal and professional information about the person you’ll be meeting is literally at your fingertips.  Today, it’s no excuse for not knowing a few tidbits about the person you’re meeting with:

1. Marital status, children, education, former employers
2. People you may know in common through work, church, kid’s sports, community associations
3. Passions like professional sports teams, athletic pursuits (golf, running, skiing…)
4. What does he/she do in their spare time?

I’m a simple guy that likes simple analogies.  Thousands of people are set up on blind dates every day.  A mutual friend thinks the two of you have a lot in common and your personalities will hit it off.  But, is the date truly “blind”?  Of course not.  Your mutual friend shared some pertinent details and justified the logic behind putting you together. And if you’re intrigued, you’ll ask more questions, dig deeper, check out photos on the internet, and start thinking about ways to make yourself sound more attractive and shed light on your best attributes.

Preparing for the meeting, doing research about the individual and company, and anticipating where the conversation might lead, affords you the best opportunity to make the best impression.  After all, as in dating, you want to get to the second date, right?

Once you’ve established some common ground, the next step is to create a connection, build rapport and making the person feel at ease.  What better way than getting someone to talk about himself?  People generally love to talk about themselves; after all, they’re very familiar with the topic, they have a lot of material to cover, they are not at a loss for words, and if you demonstrate genuine interest and ask open-ended questions, people will share a lot of information.

Recently, my wife and I were in the market to purchase a new SUV for me, and while I had a good idea what I wanted, we still wanted to “kick the tires” on a couple alternatives.  I don’t know if I gave off a “do not disturb” signal, but at the BMW dealership, no one approached us for 15 minutes, literally.  Not the impression I would ever want to leave.  Here I am trying to SPEND MONEY and I’m being ignored?  What could I expect if, and when, there was an issue with the service department?

At the Jeep dealership, we met a nice young man, Jeff, who introduced himself with a smile.  He asked questions about the car we drove, wanted to know why we were contemplating a change, taking the time to understand the features that were important to us, our timing for a decision, mentioned a 0% lease option and wanted to know what we would be doing with the old car.  He was genuinely interested in us.  On our test drive, we chatted about the local sports teams, our families and golf (he saw my clubs in my old car!).  While I made it clear to Jeff that I didn’t think the Grand Cherokee was going to work for us, he didn’t take offense.  With his sunny disposition, he continued to be welcoming, helpful, educational and insightful. As we left, he hugged my wife, shook my hand firmly and wished us well, without any hint of bitterness.

I have since referred three friends to him.  My decision was a reflection of the vehicle, not of him.  Jeff didn’t get my business, but I made sure his efforts were rewarded.  No one appreciates good salesmanship like a good salesman.  Jeff also sent me a personal, hand written note after my first referral.  Conversely, no one is more critical of a bad experience.  I don’t know how much business I cost the BMW dealership, but bad word of mouth is a powerful weapon.

Whenever possible, it is imperative to maintain a level intimacy and a high degree of trust with your customers.  When I was a teenager, my dad would always say, “Trust is earned, not given”, and it always stuck with me.  Customers have choices of whom they buy from, but if all things are equal, they like to buy from people they like and trust.  It takes time, commitment, responsiveness and repetition to earn trust, and once earned, it should be treated as a precious gift, not to be taken for granted.

Finally, I think it is important to be able to separate yourself from your “product”, to give you the proper perspective and let you see things through the customer’s lens.  Even when you win, the client’s experience will dictate whether you have a short or long-term customer. In varying degrees, your company has brand recognition, but you have a reputation. Your reputation defines you since it stems from how you interact with people.

Grooming a Future Manager

For as long as I can remember, I knew I wanted to manage people.  Maybe it was the perceived trappings that came with the job:  more pay, stock options, respect.  But, personally, I knew I would be a better leader than an individual sales contributor.

It took 8 years as a sales rep before I was finally given the opportunity to lead my own team.  On the day I was promoted, I was “warned”, jokingly, by one of my best managers, Larry Wainscott, to be careful what I wished for.  He told me that I was leaving the best job at Hewlett Packard as a sales rep, and moving into one of the toughest roles, as a first line manager.

“Why would you leave a role where you can make ungodly sums of money, people basically left you alone if you performed and met your quota, and you have a good manager to provide air cover?  As a first level manager, you will have tons of pressure, less ability to make money, you’ll have daily scrutiny by executives, and you’ll have to be psychiatrist to everyone on your team.”

Larry went on to say, he knew I would be successful and told me to pick up the phone anytime I had questions or entered unchartered territory. Needless to say, I talked to Larry a lot that first year.

The first line sales manager role is more complicated, demanding and exhausting than a sales rep can imagine.  Put is this way; I started referring to Larry as Nostradamus because everything he warned me about came true.  As a sales rep, you feel independent, master of your territory, YOU are the face to the customer, YOU get the spotlight and YOU get to enjoy the thrill of winning.

As a manager, you have to learn to:

• Empower, trust and let go of your people
• Shield the team from minutia so they can focus on selling
• Tear down selling obstacles and streamline processes
• Take the beatings on their behalf when the team isn’t performing
• Share best practices and teach the team how to help themselves
• Learn to celebrate THROUGH the success of others
• Writing countless performance evaluations
• Listen to complaints and excuses from the team
• Be a confidant, lifeline, sounding board and guidance counselor
• Admit you don’t know everything but willing to help with anything
• Understand what motivates and drives each employee
• Set a clear vision for the team, and then distill to specifics based on the individual
• Invest time with less experienced reps

Not to mention having to deal with sub-par performance, taking corrective action, disciplining poor results, handling employee dissatisfaction, lack of work/life balance, frustration, etc.

I’ve had the great fortune of working for some terrific managers, who not only nurtured and molded me and my career, but just as importantly, took a lot of personal pride in helping me achieve my professional goals and personal satisfaction.  They invested the time to understand what my goals were, how I measured personal success, filled in my skill gaps, connected me with influential people and set me up for future success.

Incidentally, early on in the process, these managers weren’t afraid to also tell me why they thought I wasn’t ready for management.  And while it was painful to hear, in hindsight, all of their suggestions were valid.  During these discussions, these managers:

1. Gave me clear reasons why and where they believed I had areas of improvement
2. Gave highly critical and direct advise
3. Held me accountable for my areas of improvement and preparedness
4. Tempered my competitiveness with my peers and got me thinking more as a leader

The best managers were also able and willing to acknowledged their own shortcomings, brokered introductions and exposed me to other leaders (thereby increasing my professional network) who, may have had a unique perspective on the internal political landscape at HP.  There was no ego, there was no hierarchy.  My manager’s interest in my career development felt genuine, like someone, who had a lot of experience and knowledge, helping out an old friend.  They were just as invested in my success as I was myself, and for that I will always be grateful to Larry Wainscott and Scott Anderson.

Today, a selfless sales manager who will take the time to groom successors or invest in the development of their people is rare.  When hired or promoted, most sales reps get a territory or account list and a quota and off they go!  The intimacy we used to enjoy with sales managers has disappeared for any number of reasons:

1. The manager lives out of the area
2. There isn’t enough time nor interest in supporting the growth of the individual
3. It’s simply not in the manager’s skill set

I challenge the managers today to make it a priority to help your people excel, achieve and be satisfied.  The individual will be happier, the organization will benefit, and the manager creates a much better environment to work in.  The ROI can be a force multiplier in the team’s performance, you mold the next generation of leaders, build team loyalty and chemistry, and gain a tremendous amount of satisfaction seeing your people succeed.

 

 

Simple Concept

So, there is always a misconception about who sales people are.  Let me be clear, EVERYONE is in sales at one point or another during their lives.  Selling is the art of convincing someone to do something they otherwise would not.  In the purest sense, a sales person makes a compelling argument or proposal to get someone to spend money in exchange for goods or service, but this skill is applicable everyday to everyone.

Imagine a negotiation with your spouse; taking out the garbage while he is watching a sporting event, doing yard work on the weekend when your spouse would rather play golf, opening up your home to host out-of-town relatives that you’d prefer not to entertain, or even disciplining the kids.

In the work place, you might find yourself trying to convince your boss you deserve a raise or a promotion.  Or, back at home, persuading your child to do their homework now and not procrastinating.  Everyone in your life is a “customer”.

Many of the sales skills used everyday with family, friends and strangers are translatable to professional selling.  One key takeaway is not to lose sight of your objective, closing the deal and getting the client to say yes.

Distractions to closing the deal and losing perspective:

1. Ego
2. Ulterior motives
3. Jealousy and spite
4. Revenge and anger

The most effective negotiators set aside all emotion and personal feelings, and calmly, build a solid foundation for their proposal and sell the concept.  Our goal is to influence a decision by fulfilling a need with the best solution at our disposal, eliminating customer risk and concern, while putting food on your table, and earning the client’s trust for the long term.

In business, you might find yourself trying to convince a manufacturer to prioritize your orders over others, justifying to customers why they should spend more money with you instead of your competitor, closing a contract 3 months early, or looking at alternative solutions which might serve their purposes better.  There are a plethora of circumstances and reasons the client can give you to postpone a decision or pursue an alternative solution.  No doubt you’ve heard the phrase, “analysis paralysis”.  People are generally afraid of change and are far more comfortable with the status quo.  “If it works, don’t fix it” philosophy only works if you’re the incumbent.

There are many tactics and strategies at your disposal to help convince a “customer” to take action.  I’ll cover these in future blogs.

Professional sales isn’t for everyone, and God knows, the pressure to perform can be stifling and suffocating, but it’s the only thing I was any good at; where the correlation between how hard I worked, my professional network, my social awareness and my ability to read people, afforded me the lifestyle I wanted and my family deserved.

To summarize, it is critical to not lose sight of the sales objective, and do your best to ignore distractions and your emotions when running a sales campaign.  And don’t take failure personally, but instead, as an opportunity for improvement, honing your selling skill set and becoming a more effective sales person.

 

Sales 101

July 21, 2017

I am going to try to publish something every day, and while some of the thoughts may be mundane and unrelated to sales, my intent is to provide some insight, best practices and general thoughts of wisdom.

To begin, I do not believe everyone is cut out for this profession.  And while successful sales people often get criticized for the perks and benefits we receive (award clubs, gifts, commissions, travel and entertainment budgets, etc.), make no mistake about it, there are few professions that come with more pressure, demands on time, and often irrational managers and customers.  Sales is one of the tougher jobs someone can have, and while we reap the rewards, no one sympathizes with all the bullshit we have to deal with.

As recently as 10 years ago, sales people were responsible for “proposing and selling goods and services”.  The advent and adoption of internet buying has eliminated the need for that human touch, and consumers are increasingly comfortable buying products on-line.

However, the more complex the need, the more these “buyers” need professional sales people to help them navigate their choices, implement and execute on projects, and ultimately ensure there is a high level of customer satisfaction.  Our jobs, as sales professionals, are to connect the right “solution” to the right client, cut thru the minutia, make improvements over the status quo, alleviate concerns, challenges and drama, and make life easier for our clients.

The first step in effective solution selling begins by understanding the customer and their:

• Needs
• Challenges
• Concerns
• Environment
• Priorities
• Budget
• Hierarchy
• Decision making process
• Incumbent solution providers (your competition)
• Compelling event (Series C investment, acquisitions, headcount reduction, etc)

Successful salesmanship begins when the customer says, “no”!  If we work off the premise that our “solution or product” is a good fit for the client and it will address any or most of the criteria listed above, then our job is to convince the client why they should spend money with us.  Making this compelling argument or business case is an art form, should never be underestimated nor taken for granted, and is the root of what we do for a living.

On July 24, 2017July 25, 2017 By openkimono1 Comment