July 2018

Passionately Woo Customers – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #45 – July 24, 2018

Passionately Woo Customers – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #45 – July 24, 2018

Passionately Woo Customers – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #45 – July 24, 2018

A group of startup sales managers are sitting around swapping stories and sharing experiences. Some of the startups are mere months old while others are a couple of years old. At some point, the conversation turns to pipelines, funnels, ideal prospects, customer acquisition and all the other components of selling. Some of the companies are B2B and others are B2C. It’s your basic shop talk. 

These are good people. Decent performers. Ambitious. Driven. Smart. Capable. 

But they’re doing something they’re not even aware of. They’re dehumanizing their prospects and customers. And it’s another teaching moment for me.

I’ve historically focused on the language salespeople use. Most of my career was spent with commission-based salespeople. I cared about the words they used, even away from the customers, because I knew it had an impact on how prospects and customers were treated. Shop talk among salespeople and sales managers fosters whatever the company allows. 

Words like “pursuit” are frequently used. As in their pursuit of customers. I seize the moment. Not with judgment, but with a point-of-view that I know these quite young sales managers hasn’t considered. 

A lead, an “up,” an avatar – these aren’t words I like. I’m not the semantic police or anything. I know we often use terms just to communicate effectively, but when we’re talking about building a business by getting new customers or serving existing customers better – two-thirds of the trifecta of successful business building – we can incorporate verbiage that doesn’t serve us well. Truth is, sometimes our words create challenges making our task even more difficult. Instead, we should incorporate wording that helps and serves our purpose well. 

You can chase or pursue customers. Like prey. Or victims. 

You’ll be better served – so will your customers – if you woo them instead. 

We woo people we love. People we care about. People we hope to develop a deeper relationship with. Wooing involves getting to know them and allowing them to get to know us. Yes, we have an interest, but we want this to mutually beneficial. 

My grandson Easton loves bugs and lizards. Our yard is filled with plenty of both. Easton will pursue them with a dogged determination. He’s pretty good, too. He catches them more often than not. Mostly because once he spots one, he won’t stop until he successfully captures it. We constantly urge him to release them, but he never wants too until he’s enjoyed putting them into a jar or something where they’re contained. He’s 5 so we’re still teaching him that they’re much happier being free. As a little boy, he’s not terribly concerned about what they might want, or what might be best for them. He wants to see them, watch them and play with them. He’s not interested in hurting them, but he’s not thinking about them. It’s a completely selfish endeavor of a little boy. 

Selling always involves people. Words reflect and form our perspectives. Don’t let anybody tell you words don’t matter! They do. I could approach you and if I knew the right thing to say to make you mad as a wet hen, your temper would flare immediately. My words could offend you, hurt you, disturb you, embarrass you or make you angry. My words could foster all sorts of emotions and energies in you. And garner all kinds of responses or reactions. You know that’s true. 

Keep talking about pursuing or hunting customers and it builds within us an image. We’re prowling for customers. We win at their expense. They’re something for us to conquer and drag back home. The spoils of business war. 

If instead, we busy ourselves evangelizing our products or services, then we hope to convert people. We want to influence people because we know their lives will be better if they can see what we see, and believe what we believe. 

If we passionately woo our customers, then we court them with the desire to get to know them better. And we’re driven to help them better understand and know us, too. We seek a relationship with another person, not something to tick on a sales dashboard so we can hit some KPI. 

Passionately wooing customers is about connecting with another human being. One person at a time. It doesn’t matter if you have a number of stakeholders to satisfy. Each of them are individual people. Woo each one of them and you’ll forge a relationship with all of them. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you make a sale to a group? One person at a time. 

If your language hinders people in your company from viewing customers as real human beings, then take some time to change it. It’s a first step to hitting the first two legs of the successful business building trifecta: getting new customers and serving existing customers better. And it won’t hurt your efforts on that third leg either: not going crazy in the process.

Be enthusiastic and passionate about what you’re able to do for your customers. Deploy that enthusiasm as passion. Let the prospects and customers see and hear it. Woo them. That’s how you’ll win their hearts and their business.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

Listen to the podcast

  

Passionately Woo Customers – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #45 – July 24, 2018 Read More »

The Value Of Strange Connections – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #44 – July 23, 2018

The Value Of Strange Connections – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #44 – July 23, 2018

The Value Of Strange Connections – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #44 – July 23, 2018

Read With Aubrey is an online platform based in the U.K. that connects complete strangers with each other so they can read a book together. It’s not like a 2-person reading circle though. There’s a twist. You connect and spend just a few minutes reading the book aloud to each other. People are reporting solid experiences, connecting with a complete stranger simply because you both agree to read the same book to each other. 

Part of me wonders how we got here. To a place where such an app has an audience. But life and technology have changed. So I embrace it. 

Just a few years ago nobody would have considered meeting a future spouse via some online platform, but today eHarmony and a host of other providers serve a growing market. The same could be said of hopping in the car of a complete stranger, but Uber and Lyft changed that. And Airbnb has turned the hotel industry on its ear because we’re willing to book a reservation in the home of a complete stranger.

“Strange connections” doesn’t mean they’re weird or odd. It means they’re strange because they’re unfamiliar. At least until they become familiar. Uber and Airbnb aren’t strange to us anymore. Many of us can’t imagine not having those services. Are you in love? Married? You were strangers until you weren’t. There was a time when you weren’t familiar with one another. Then a connection formed.

This time of year I’ll walk 4 to 5 miles every morning. Early. There’s a nice dog park along the route I walk. Admittedly, I’m a dog lover. I smile every time I see dogs bound out of the car anxious to go run and play with other dogs. Dogs they’ve never seen before. Their urge to socialize with other dogs is pretty remarkable. 

Read With Aubrey is just one of the more recent examples of how people can make a connection with a single commonality. In this case, reading the same book at the same time. The people may have nothing else in common, but that one thing is enough. Only experience and intuition make me believe that they likely discover other commonalities as they embark on reading the book to each other. 

You’re at some social gathering. As you mill about the room you encounter people without any successful connection. But suddenly you encounter a person wearing a pair of New Balance shoes that happen to be your favorites. You approach this stranger and remark, “Those are my all-time favorite shoes.” They confirm they love them, too – and own six pairs. Shoes! One point of connection. And 30 minutes later you both know quite a lot about each other. 

That’s how it happens. 

Today is Monday so I want to encourage you to seek some strange connections because you’ll discover value. This morning as I walked past that dog park I was thinking of the benefits we get from connecting with people who aren’t already part of our circle. As I watched those dogs hop around playfully together I thought of the valuable business benefits of collaboration – people who discovered a connection through just one single point of commonality and went on to help each other. Would we have known Jobs without Woz? We’ll never know. 

The value of strange connections isn’t about how high you’re flying today. It’s about how high could you fly if you had a few more connections with whom you shared very important interests, beliefs, convictions, or whatever else – like New Balance shoes. 

In a few months when the north winds start to blow we’ll see many flocks of geese and other migratory birds flying south for the winter. They’ll be squawking, flying in formation. We won’t see them flying alone. They’ll always be together. Whatever their differences, they share important things that bond them together to make another annual journey of many miles successfully. It’s a journey they make for their own survival. So they do it together.

Don’t go it alone. 

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

Listen to the podcast

  

The Value Of Strange Connections – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #44 – July 23, 2018 Read More »

Why I'm Inviting SMB Owners To Enroll In The Peer Advantage By Bula Network – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #43 – July 21, 2018

Why You Should Enroll In The Peer Advantage By Bula Network – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #43 – July 21, 2018

Why I'm Inviting SMB Owners To Enroll In The Peer Advantage By Bula Network – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #43 – July 21, 2018

You can read all the details by visiting ThePeerAdvantage.com. Today I want to take a few minutes to share how I got here and why YOU should enroll. I’m also going to give you some value as you embark on your own growth journey.

People provide the power. 

We began our businesses to serve people, our clients and customers.

We were taught some important things by people. Family, friends, teachers and mentors have helped us along the way. 

Experience taught us some other things. We tried a few things, saw how others responded (or failed to respond) and we made adjustments…all based on the feedback of other people. 

We needed some help and began to hire other people to help us find and serve customers. 

Everywhere we look, there’s a reminder of how important people are. And it doesn’t matter if we’re in a high-tech manufacturing space, or if we’re building custom homes. It doesn’t matter if our business is Saas-based, online or mostly offline. Maybe we sell cars, or jewelry, farm equipment or real estate. We may be in the service industry where we provide training, support or tools necessary for other companies to do their job. From the medical field and other health industries to aerospace manufacturing and all points in between, business ownership and entrepreneurship success is determined by people. 

Every business needs customers. If there were no other people involved, that would certainly be enough reason to concentrate more on how we can attract, connect, influence, serve and satisfy other people. 

People provide the problems. 

Multi-generational workplaces (which include most larger companies with a headcount of 100 or more) are facing new challenges due largely to the technology of the last 20 years. It’s a terrific opportunity, but it’s also challenging. We’re working harder to foster the culture we want, the collaboration we need and the communication required to elevate the performance of our company. 

From engineering to operations leaders and executives lament how badly they need help leading their teams. All the skills learned in school, and previous jobs, can be leveraged toward greater future success. But it all go for naught if people find it difficult to communicate with and understand their co-workers. 

The most sophisticated development engineers will tell you that the processes and the code aren’t nearly as challenging as making sure everybody is on the same page, supporting the work that needs to be done. 

That’s why there are so many companies, organizations and individuals conducting leadership workshops, team communication workshops, and other team building related programs. The people problem is enormous in both scope and scale. 

Where the head goes, the body will follow.

Grassroots movements are real. They can happen. They’re bottom up, which is why we use the word “roots.” Mostly, these are organic activities that erupt based on something people in the trenches feel is unfair or unjust. Or it could be for a cause the group feels isn’t being supported enough. Grassroots movements can happen inside your business, too. It may be a subtle shift in your culture where you see teammate erode because some employees feel overlooked. Or where employees are confused about what they’re supposed or do, or why they’re supposed to do it. 

The thing about grassroots movements is you likely have little or no influence on them. And they can take on a life of their own. A life you’ll be stuck trying to figure out and trying to manage. If it’s something you need or want (which would be a great bonus), then it’s easy. Unfortunately, that’s not often the case. 

The first day of summer football practice in my freshmen year. We’re out there in sweats and sneakers. Most of us had been playing football since 5th grade, which is when you could start playing football (and yes, it was all tackle back in the day). Here we were, standing in a line facing the coach who was lecturing us on things we had learned many years prior. For example, he told us that our high school used the “three-point stance,” which just meant that people on the line of scrimmage would crouch down and put one hand on the ground. Their other hand would be free. Some snickering began as players found it so elementary that it was funny. I wasn’t smiling yet though. 

The coach went on to tell us, “Whichever way you take a man’s head, that’s the direction his body will go.” If you move your opponent’s head to the right, he’ll go right. Move it left, he’ll go left. 

He said it with such a tone of profundity that I couldn’t help but smile. He glared at me, then said, “Cantrell, you think that’s funny?”

I was mostly shocked he knew my name. And before I could stop myself I replied, “Kinda.” 

He commanded I step forward and get down in a 3-point stance. I obliged. He stood over me holding my head down and said, “Try to stand up.” Here’s a grown man standing over me upright, leaning down on the top of my head with his weight and leverage. Of course, I wasn’t able to stand up.

Proudly, when he let me up he said, “See?” 

Thankfully I didn’t say what I was thinking. Namely, that we or an opponent would be called for holding if we deployed such a tactic, but wisdom prevented me. I may be stupid once, but twice? Not if I can help it. 

He was completely right though. Where our head goes, our body follows. More importantly for today, where YOU, the owner (the leader, the head) go…your people (or organization) will follow. 

It begins and ends with YOU.

Safety. Confidentiality. Privacy. 

I know we don’t seem to care about these things with social media, but when it comes to operating our businesses…we care very much. As entrepreneurs, we’re already showing the world we’re willing to embrace risk and feeling uneasy. But anxiety, fretfulness and worry are common components to our individual and collective loneliness. 

But this isn’t about solving a specific pain. Or providing a specific solution. It’s different. Holistic. Comprehensive. Individual. Powerful.

It’s about being intentional about who you surround yourself with. That’s key. Most of us are just going through life interacting with folks who come into our life, for whatever reason. Some of them we like a lot. Others, not so much. This isn’t about judging the value or worth of people. It’s about gauging the value people can bring to us, and the value we can provide to them. Nearly everybody has some toxic people in their life. People who suck the energy out of us. Getting rid of those folks is easier said than done. Equally difficult, finding people who can give us energy, lift us up when we’re down, challenge us when we need it most, and help hold us accountable – not to what they want us to do – but to what we decide we want to do!

This people problem is tough, which is why most of us don’t change anything. We just keep doing what we’ve always done. Trudging forward with or without any help. Mostly thinking there’s just not a good answer. And we’re just comfortable with it being this way. We don’t know any better.

Everything is hard until it’s easy!

You don’t think there’s a solution because you’re busy. It’s not a problem. 

And maybe it’s not a problem. But there’s an enormous loss of potential. 

It’s not that where you’re at, or what you’re doing is awful. It’s not a question of failure versus success. It’s a question of how much greatness are you leaving on the table? How much profit are you not realizing? How many problems are you not solving as quickly as you could? There are so many “what if” questions that are easily answered when you purposefully and intentionally surround yourself with other business owners. The connection and understanding are almost instantaneous. Because you’re surrounded by other business owners, you all get each other. And that makes all the difference in the world.

Courage needed.

It requires big courage to give and accept service from others. The kind of service that moves the needle. Not the kind of safe service where you sit in an audience listening to some pundit or expert hold forth. For a few hours you feel a reprieve from the duties of the day, and you feel good that you’re trying to fuel your mind with something worthwhile. But nothing said is going to stick. It never does. You’re going to forget all about this stuff within 24 hours. Maybe less. That’s just the courage to be distracted. Nothing wrong with it. But that’s not what this is. 

This is life changing. It’s business changing. 

Because it works! 

It works because you’re all business owners, high achievers. 

It works because you all understand each other. Instant empathy.

It works because seven business owners getting together on a regular and consistent basis accelerate getting familiar with each other. The more we get to know people – and the more they get to know us – the closer we get. The more we’re able to help each other. Lean on each other. 

Care. Compassion. Empathy. These are the drivers. 

Judgment. Impositions. These are forbidden. And these are the single biggest obstacle I have to overcome to educate business owners about The Peer Advantage by Bula Network. We’re so accustomed to people in our life telling us to do this, don’t do that, and nitpicking our ideas or plans. Or we’re used to folks always saying, “Yes.” What we need are people who will listen to us, understand us and give us feedback to help us grow, improve and transform. 

If you see it, you see it. If you don’t, you don’t. 

Just because I see the value of placing you in a virtual room with 6 other business owners willing to help you doesn’t mean you see it. If you do see it, go to ThePeerAdvantage.com and scan over the information. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click that APPLY NOW button. There are a few questions to help me learn more about you and your business. Once you submit it, we’ll schedule a phone call to see if this opportunity is a good fit. Together we’ll figure it out. 

You qualify if you own a business with at least $5 million in annual revenue. 

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

Listen to the podcast

  

Why You Should Enroll In The Peer Advantage By Bula Network – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #43 – July 21, 2018 Read More »

Be Good, Then Become Better (Your Leadership Includes Your Behavior) – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #42 – July 20, 2018

Be Good, Then Become Better (Your Leadership Includes Your Behavior) – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #42 – July 20, 2018

Be Good, Then Become Better (Your Leadership Includes Your Behavior) – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #42 – July 20, 2018

Texas Instruments said Tuesday afternoon that CEO Brian Crutcher resigned for violating the company’s code of conduct related to personal behavior. I’m sure in the coming days we’ll learn more. Crutcher had been with the company for 22 years when he was just recently appointed CEO effective June 1st. Chairman and previous CEO, Richard Templeton will reassume the roles of president and CEO. The company said this is a permanent move, not interim. 

Barnes & Noble. Intel. Texas Instruments.

It just keeps on rolling. Bad behavior from the high places.

It doesn’t defy explanation. Maybe power does corrupt. It certainly presents the temptation. 

Or maybe it’s what you often hear said of fame or wealth. They amplify who we really are. If we’re jerks, then our jerkiness is amplified.  If we’re decent and upright, then that too is amplified. 

Who knows? Really, who cares?

I’m tired of excuse making. And explanations. Not because I don’t want to understand, but because I already do. Some people behave poorly. Some always have. Some will always find a way to behave badly. 

Ethical and moral behavior are not outliers. I rather believe they’re the norm. Not because I’m naive, but because I’m optimistic. 

We decide how we’ll behave. We choose. I have no idea what the TI CEO did, but he’s accountable. Responsible. 

His salary was $1 million. Stock options and other incentives would have compensated him over $9 million a year more. TI is a $15B company. Money can’t buy wise conduct. It’s priceless with no cost of entry other than a mind made up. 

I’m not going to deliver an ethics lecture. What I will do is encourage us all to behave ourselves. 

For four years or so I coached a local college roller hockey team. The players were good. We went to the national tournament each year, achieving the Elite 8 one year (our best result). These were college guys who would hear me repeatedly admonish them with a single word, “Behave!” They weren’t highly compensated CEO’s who had been elevated from the COO role like Brian Crutcher at Texas Instruments. They were young college guys, but they clearly understood the instruction (okay, it was more of a plea). Behave. 

I’ve got a grandson who is almost 3. He understands the command. Yep, for him it’s a command. We figure he’ll learn otherwise soon enough. Until then we’re doing our collective best to instill in him that behaving is non-negotiable. Because in our family it is. 

What does it mean to behave?

It means you do what’s right. Unless we’re sociopaths we know what’s right. Well, to be fair, I suppose even sociopaths know. They just don’t care. Psychopaths may not know, or care. But I’m not trained in such things. No matter, I’m hoping you’re neither of these things so what does it matter?

Last year there was an interesting article in The Guardian entitled, “Crazy at the wheel: psychopathic CEOs are rife in Silicon Valley, experts say.”

“A true psychopath is someone that has a blend of emotional, interpersonal, lifestyle and behavioral deficits but an uncanny ability to mask them. They come across as very charming, very gregarious. But underneath there’s a profound lack of remorse, callousness and a lack of empathy,” said forensic and clinical psychologist Michael Woodworth.

The article points out that investors and HR departments can protect the founder/CEO in Silicon Valley. And presumably elsewhere. 

Here in Texas high football is legendary. Consider Friday Night Lights (first the book, then the TV show and whatever else came after the book). Young high school boys between 16 and 18 who are talented enough to be scouted by major college programs are entitled. They’ve been catered to and pampered because of their skills. Some behave poorly. With some, the privileges spur even poorer behavior. Like some Silicon Valley CEOs who find protection, these young athletes find it, too. 

We all need accountability. No matter if we’re a Silicon Valley CEO, high school football player or a college kid playing a lower tier sport like roller hockey. NOTE: I do not think it’s lower-tier, but I’m not naive how the world views it. It beats soccer all to pieces. 😉 

We can argue that TI’s board held their CEO accountable. And they did. They do. But no board can hold the CEO accountable at a micro, everyday level. That’s not to say that we need people hovering over us constantly. But it does mean that we can all benefit from more consistent accountability. It serves us. Makes us better. Helps us grow. 

It’s not a lack of trust. It’s responsibility. Value.

My wife and I are far from micromanagers of one another. I don’t keep a hawkeye on her any more than she does me. We trust each other. We respect each other. Yet we still check in with each other. We don’t walk out of the house without informing each other of where we’re going. We’ll text each other when we’re on our way home. These little check-in’s are part of our life that happened organically really. We didn’t sit down and establish rules. They’ve always existed because when we first got married we started answering to each other. In all the best ways. 

It’s spousal accountability. If you don’t see the value, then I offer a major proof that it works (although there’s more to it for sure) – we’ve been married 40 years. 

Our growth individually and together has been helped with that joint accountability. Don’t tell me it isn’t required, or that it doesn’t work. Don’t tell me you own the joint so you don’t need it. Maybe if these dethroned CEOs would have had people in their lives who held them accountable they’d still have their highly compensated gigs. Ten million bucks a year is a big financial loss. The greater loss is reputation and showing the world a lack of integrity. You can always earn more money, but regaining a good name can be very difficult.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

P.S. If you’re the owner of a business you may find The Peer Advantage by Bula Network an ideal accountability circle. You could join with 6 other business owners to work on your problems, your opportunities and your leadership. You can find out more by going to ThePeerAdvantage.com. I’d enjoy talking with you to learn more about you and your business. 

Listen to the podcast

  

Be Good, Then Become Better (Your Leadership Includes Your Behavior) – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #42 – July 20, 2018 Read More »

How To Tackle Performance & Growth Problems – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #41 – July 19, 2018

How To Tackle Performance & Growth Problems – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #41 – July 19, 2018

How To Tackle Performance & Growth Problems – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #41 – July 19, 2018

First of all, don’t ignore and hope things will improve. Avoiding a problem isn’t a wise way to solve it. The sooner you jump on it, the better. Speed is key.

This means you have to see reality quickly. Your measurements – whatever dashboard you have – need to be speedy and accurate. There’s no excuse to not have real-time data today. There’s no excuse to say, “I don’t know” when it comes to the critical measurements that show whether you’re moving forward or not. I’m talking about the key performance indicators necessary to operate your business. 

It’s foolish to manage the work with knee-jerk reactions. You miss your targets one day. That doesn’t mean you burn down the processes, hammer all your people or some other foolish reaction. A day doesn’t a trend make. 

First responders are people willing to go in first. Fire fighters. Policemen. EMT’s. Soldiers. As the leader of the organization, you have to be a first responder. This means you have to be the first person whose curiosity drives you to find out what happened, what is currently happening and what is planned to happen. Curiosity is manifested with questions. Your job in tackling performance and growth problems is summed up in one basic activity, asking great questions. 

“The quality of our questions determines the quality of our business.”

As the top leader asking questions – great questions – it’s important how you ask. Tone matters. 

Harold Geneen, the tyrannical leader of ITT, arguably the first conglomerate, was notorious at berating and asking such difficult, challenging questions he could reduce top executives to mush in front of their peers. It would seem that much of that was intentional. He was successful. But I’m not prone to argue against success because it is what it is. What I may argue – and usually do – is formed as a question, “How much better could he and ITT have performed?” I’m always focused on what could be, searching for the potential to grow. To improve. To be better.

You know you can gather the troops in a conference room and start bombarding them with very challenging questions. You’ve got the right. My question is, “Why?” Why do that? If you answer, “Because I’m the boss,” then okay. True. You are. And don’t the people in that room already know that? Are you so insecure you have to remind people, during times of trouble, that you’re in charge. Honestly, I’d rather remind them when things are great. 😉

So often, when things aren’t going well, leaders form a posse to find the culprit – the person who messed up. I understand mob mentality. And the blame game. I just don’t understand how that helps us solve our performance or growth problem. 

Over the course of operating multi-million dollar businesses since I was 25 I’ve never once experienced searching for an answer to the question, “Why?” and had it fail to reveal any potential human lapses. Simply put, there’s no need to find out who is at fault when you can find out WHAT happened and figure out a whole lot more than just the people side of the problem. 

Be confrontational. Be rude. Be angry. You’ll shut down the people you need to find out the details of the problem, and the possible solutions. 

Foster safe, open dialogue. Make people comfortable to openly discuss the problem. Make it safe for people to own their possible contribution to the problem. 

How?

By putting all the attention on the problem’s solution. Focus on the source of the problem is just like focusing on the person who can most be blamed. It’s too one-dimensional. It doesn’t accomplish anything positive. It may feel good, but the net result is empty. 

People will instantly know where you’re putting the attention. They take their cues from you. What you think is important is what they’ll think is important. Make sure THE SOLUTION is what matters most. 

You won’t be able to find the solution without deep investigation into the problem. But the context is completely different when finding a solution is the goal. 

Remember, speed is key. 

Use another approach, with a different agenda, and you’ll slow the process. You may not even be able to get to the root of the problem so you can find the best solution. 

Instead, you’ll foster covering your butt behaviors. People will deflect. They’ll excuse. They’ll look for others to blame. It’ll kill the accountability you need to have a high-performance organization. 

This isn’t about neglecting challenging questions. You must ask challenging questions. 

Tone and intent matter. If you have the right intent, you’re tone will be right. 

Let’s say sales are trending down slightly. Here we are on Thursday, day 19 of the month. We’re headed toward a month-end revenue number that’s going to be 7% below our projection. Is that a problem? I don’t know. It will be if we miss our mark by 7%, but since we’ve got time before month end…we may make it up. So what does that conversation sound like? Jim is our VP of Sales. 

“Jim, I notice we’re on pace to come in about 7% below our projection. I wanted to get your input on what I might be able to do to help.”

I’m not threatening Jim. I’m not pitching a wild-eyed fit. I want Jim to talk to me about this. By just having the specific conversation you and I both know Jim is feeling some heat. Appropriately so. But he also knows I’m here to help him. Jim’s a smart guy. He also knows I’m removing any excuses he can have at the end of the month IF we fail to hit our target. I’m using speed to solve the problem, not to catch Jim. But my speed will in effect put positive pressure on Jim to do whatever he can with the remaining days of the month. Isn’t that the point? It is if you want to solve the problem instead of something with far less pay off. 

Jim may tell me about pipeline activity I don’t know about. He could tell me about a deal that’s going to hit the dashboard next Monday that will put us 3% over projection with still more month left. 

Jim may remind that the seasonality of the projection, based on the last 5 years, has been that 35% of the total month’s revenues are generated in the final 5 days. When that seasonality plays out Jim commits that we’ll easily hit our projections.

There are any number of things Jim can say. I need Jim’s help. He’s tip of the spear in sales. I need Jim to own the performance, along with me. I can help him do that, or I can make him run scared looking for others to blame, or circumstances to blame. 

Performance and growth problems can be simple, or complex. The questions tend to get better the deeper we go into the conversations to find solutions. That’s appropriate. We help our people ramp up toward the best solution. 

Remember a time when you engaged in a conversation that didn’t start off very well. Ten minutes later it was going swimmingly. What happened? You likely read the situation and started having true dialogue. The other person (or people) began to open up. It got easier. More productive. Foster that inside your company. 

In summary, put people at ease to own their part of it by focusing all the attention on having them help solve the problem. Ask great questions. Get great answers. Don’t accept just any answer. Encourage your team to not accept just any answer. You need truth, accuracy and reality. As you puruse the solution, pursue full accountability. It begins and ends with you. Invite your team to join you by making sure they know you’re a first responder to every problem. Celebrate their contribution to the solution. The blame will come out in process. It’ll be whatever it is. You need to intentionally praise and celebrate the effort and ability to figure out the solutions. 

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

Listen to the podcast

  

How To Tackle Performance & Growth Problems – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #41 – July 19, 2018 Read More »

B2B Sales, Evangelism Style – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #40 – July 18, 2018

B2B Sales, Evangelism Style – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #40 – July 18, 2018

B2B Sales, Evangelism Style – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #40 – July 18, 2018

B2B isn’t necessarily so different from B2C, but today let’s talk about selling in the business-to-business space. One major distinction between B2C and B2B is the sales cycle and the need for relationship building. B2B is usually far less transactional than B2C. It takes longer to close the deal. There may be many more influencers involved in the decision. It’s usually more relationship-oriented, to boot.

B2B sales cycles can be extremely long, requiring patience and lots of follow-ups (and follow-through). There are tons of sales experts you can follow. Many of them are quite good. I especially enjoy the work of Jeffrey Gitomer, whose work I’ve followed for the last 30 plus years. Did I tell you about the time I ran into him at the Sky-Harbor Airport in Phoenix? I was about to board a plane as he was just arriving. I approached him telling him how much I had enjoyed his work. And I told him (truth) that his book, “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless,” was easily the book I gifted most. That’s still true, too. I have no idea how many copies of that book I’ve purchased and given away! We swapped business cards and were on our separate ways. Two days later a FedEx package arrived to my office. It was an autographed copy of Jeffrey’s most recent book at the time. The man is prolific, but he long ago told the world the secret to his ability to crank out books. While the rest of the world is becoming an expert at whatever popular TV show may be airing…he’s writing. But the point is that Jeffrey, while in Arizona had his office send me a copy of his most recent book via FedEx. He’s a man who isn’t driven by transactions, even though buying a book is very transactional. It’s why I love him and his work. 

I hate transactional selling. I used to hate it because I wasn’t suited for it, but through the years I’ve learned to hate it because it reeks of selfishness.

Old school sales guys taught me early all the well-known (and some not so well-known) tactics of the day. I grew up in retail, taught by merchants. Real merchants. Operators. But old-school guys leveraged something over all the tactics and strategies. Standing on their word. Past all the embellishment, exaggeration and other sales tactics was a real where-the-rubber-meets-the-road honesty. If they stood toe to toe with you and shook your hand, you could trust it. As a teenager, it was puzzling to me because it didn’t quite fit. One minute they’re telling a prospect things that weren’t quite accurate, but at the end of the deal, they were also shaking the customer’s hand telling them how they’d stand behind it. And they would. It’s like there were two stages of the sales process for them. First, say what you need to do get them to buy. Second, guarantee you’ll take care of them. And mean it. 

I quickly adapted to altering the first tactic to fit my personal beliefs. I’d ask questions to figure out what they needed to know in order to buy. Looking for hot buttons. Points of interest. Features they wanted and were willing to pay for. The word that always trumped it all for me was congruency. I wanted the customer to buy what best fit their needs and desires. It didn’t matter what I wanted. That made that second tactic super easy – standing behind it. Within a year of selling I had figured out so many things, chief among them – a sales isn’t a sale if it doesn’t stick. I didn’t want any returns. Or complaints. 

Today, nothing has changed. Apply those tactics in the B2B spaces and I’m prone to always (that’s right, always) add another component. Evangelism. 

Many years ago I studied call reluctance. Largely because I suffered it. I’ve even done some call reluctance coaching, but I’m not your man if you’re looking for specific sales coaching (even though I’ve done it for more than 30 years). Call reluctance is a booger bear made even more difficult when people don’t really like or believe in what they’re selling. My solution for call reluctance in such cases is to quit. Find something you love and believe in. 

This is where evangelism makes the difference. And where today’s culture is so much better than when my career started. Sharing stories is the way the world works today! It’s attractive. And gets attention. Largely because there are so many services and products today that didn’t exist 18 months ago. As we chase the technology we have to be open to learning more and more about new things. Things we had no prior knowledge of. 

But I don’t care if you’re selling something unsexy and traditional, or something bleeding edge. Every product and service is benefited by an evangelist thrilled to find out how their thing can change your life. 

Evangelism starts with questions. Where is the prospect right now? What problems do they have? What solutions are they desperate to find? What do they like? What do they hate? It’s not an interrogation, but it’s a conversation with an aim. A purpose. To put the prospect at the forefront of everything. It’s not about you. It’s about them. 

Questions make that clear. 

Think of the stereotypical blind date where the guy is sitting across the table talking about himself. And more about himself. He’s not asking the girl a single question. How do you suppose that’s working out for him? You know. It’s not. 

Take the same couple and flip things. The guy is asking questions to find out more about her. He’s listening. Responding to her answers. His interest and curiosity in her is apparent. It’s a completely different experience for both of them. Better in every way.

You think it doesn’t roll that way with your prospects? It does. And I’ll go you one better. It separates you from the hucksters who live by the idiotic mantra, “Always Be Closing.” You may as well adopt the philosophy, “Always Be Chasing Your Prospects Away.”

Evangelism is driven by a few key things. 

One, belief. Belief in the service or product. An intense belief that the thing can dramatically help the customer. Maybe it’s life-changing in a small way. Maybe in a big way. The Peer Advantage by Bula Network is a new endeavor I’m pursuing. I’m working to build two online, virtual peer groups of small business owners from around the United States. 14 people are going to experience life-changing benefits. I have a very strong belief in it. I know it will be perhaps the most important investment these business owners will make in themselves and their ability to take their companies to whole new levels of accomplishment. Why do it, if I don’t believe it that strongly? Ditto for whatever you’re selling.

Two, value. My belief is driven by the same thing that drives all belief. If there’s no value, then how can you believe in it? Sure, you can believe in the compensation you’ll get for talking somebody into something, but that’s not true value. I’m not focused on the return or revenue I can get from launching The Peer Advantage by Bula Network. It’s important, but only in the sense that I need to be able to serve and keep on serving. That means I need proper resources to deliver the value. You need it, too. First you need to provide extraordinary value to your customers. 

Three, curiosity (interest in the prospect). Without curiosity to learn and understand the prospect, sales evangelism-style, can’t happen. This is closely aligned with point two of value. Both are focused on the prospect (and eventually, the customer). They’re just the opposite of traditional transactional selling.

Questions are the tool. They display interest. Genuine interest. And they help you understand. Not with preconceived answers, but with honest understanding. 

Four, education. It’s show ‘n tell. Once we have a more clear understanding of our prospect we can then extend the courtesy to share with them our answers and solutions to their problems. Not with an effort to close the deal, but with an effort to supply prospects with sufficient information so they can better decide for themselves. When we properly teach our prospects, we can serve them well even if they don’t buy from us. Education empowers prospects to do what I constanly urge you to do, figure it out for themselves. The alternative is to manipulate. Manipulation is where I win, you lose. Evangelism is where we both win. 

Fifth, blatant honesty. I employ the adjective “blatant” because it works. Granted, it comes easily to me. I can get to that third element – curiosity – and within a few questions answered feel like I’m not the right guy for the task. I don’t hesitate to tell some prospects that. In bold terms. It’s not a tactic. It’s just the truth. But part of my blatant honesty flows into the last element.

Sixth, respect the prospect. They can decide for themselves. You’re putting entirely too much pressure on yourself to assume the sale will happen if you control things…and you’ll lose it if you don’t. Surrender the power of choice to the prospect. When you really feel respect for the prospect they’ll feel it. They won’t feel pressured. They’ll relax and be better able to decide what’s best for them, as they see it. You can disagree with them all you want (quietly or openly) and it doesn’t matter. It’s their life. They want what they want. They need what they need. Respect them enough to accept their decision, whatever it may be. 

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

Listen to the podcast

  

B2B Sales, Evangelism Style – Grow Great Small Business Daily Brief #40 – July 18, 2018 Read More »

Scroll to Top