Don't do me any Favors

**Favor - something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; a kind act**

Why has the term "favor" become misconstrued into a synonym of "loan?"  Doesn't it seem as though favors are too often granted in order to store up favors that you need?  How often are favors performed out of goodwill, referenced in the definition above?  How often do you hear "you owe me"..........?

A favor is not a loan, it's not a deposit into an account of future favors that you get to redeem.  It's not a loan of time, effort, or energy that you are mandated to pay back at a future date.  True favors take place between family, friends, and colleagues.............during times when you could use some help, and there are people willing to step in and help because they care about your well being...period.  Favors should not come with a price tag, a scolding frown, or a "you owe me" to follow.

Acts of assistance that do come with a price tag or a "you owe me" later are great events, they happen every day.........they are called trades, barters, swaps, and many other things.  "I'll do this for you if you do something for me."  This is how business is done, it's how we get so much accomplished everyday.  So we should promote it as such.  We should straight-up offer to do things for people for some in-return assistance, if that's what we desire.  Be up front, tell people that what they've asked of you is a huge burden and you would like to get paid back down the road if you go through with it.  I don't think anyone will have a problem with that.

But, please don't offer to do a favor, and then expect something in return for it.  And definitely don't hold a grudge when you don't receive anything back.  Performing a favor that's not with goodwill, and with a greedy heart doesn't help anybody.  We all need help, and we all rely on others to do us favors.  But, let's call a spade a spade, and either do the favor because we care about that person and want to help them out............or let them know up front that you expect to get something down the road.  I help you - you help me, that's how we operate.  But don't take for granted that people are quite often happy to help just because.  Call it a belief in Karma, or call it a generous heart..............that's what you call a favor.

Do you know you're a Fake?

So we have the Super Bowl coming to Dallas in 2 weeks.  I have a guy sitting next to me in Starbucks brokering hotel rooms (at this very moment), selling people on the other end of the phone a bill of goods.  "Oh yeah, I can get you this 2-bedroom suite in Addison, it's kinda far from Arlington but hey, you're not gonna be hanging out in your hotel room anyway.  The going rate for this room is $499, but I can get it to you for about $200 if you can commit."  I know, all of this sounds fairly accurate, but if the person on the other end of the phone could see what I see...........they would hang up.  While he's talking, he's motioning to his buddy the universal sign for cash-money.  While he's dialing he's taking off his watch telling people how it's a $1,000 watch that he got for $400.  He's a fast-talker, which I always guard against anyways.  I can go on - but you get the point.

Do fake people know that you can see through them?  Does this guy know that if he just toned it down a bit, he may do better?  Does he know the perception he portrays?  Or, am I completely wrong?  Is this guy hugely successful, and is he living up to his full potential?  Not sure, but it's giving me the creeps.

Delivering Quick and Quality

I am super anal when it comes to response time. I cannot stand to have an unreturned voicemail sitting on my phone, or an unresponded to email in my inbox. Don't get me wrong, I have multiple of each at just about all times.........but I can't gain comfort or ever justify to myself why I have allowed those to sit there unattended to. This is another bi-product of increasing productivity.......this is a good thing. I don't have a formula for increasing sales that doesn't involve increasing the number of people you touch each day. When you reach out, they reach back........you hope anyway. And there you have it, you now have more emails and voicemails than you can return in a days time. One of my goals in 2011 is to put a system into place for myself that will give me no excuse to have an unreturned voicemail or email at the end of each business day. Then it's on me......and any unreturned message will simply be because of my inefficiency.

Perhaps I am so particular about this because I don't like to be on the un-receiving end of that unreturned message. Often times I'm looking for an answer or suggestions for a specific task that I'm working on. In cases that messages are not returned, my task can be delayed or compromised. I believe that's common for people who are reaching out for me, and I know how frustrating it can be on the other end of this.

Past generations have been trained to take your time on tasks, to do it right the first time, to concentrate on quality and the result will be worth the wait. Today, that train of thought will get you beat. Many of today's generation has a "give it to me now, and give it to me messy" attitude. I don't care what it looks like, if it's spelled right, or if it's presentable, I just need it now. I personally have been guilty of this. But I can tell you in generic terms, with confidence, that if my competitors are quick and sloppy, I will beat them every time. Don't get me wrong, I place an extremely high value in quick.........EXTREMELY high value.

The right answer is not somewhere in the middle. The answer is to simply be better. I want it quick, and of high quality. It's amazing that when you demand this of yourself, how achievable it actually is. It takes a little more time, and a lot more attention to detail. It means that you filter through all emails extremely quickly, identifying the crucial ones. Read those emails thoroughly, and right then and there address every detail of the request in the email. If you don't have time or access to give 100% of the requests back, send what you have, identify at you will be sending the rest later, and then don't let yourself wrap up the day until you have done it. This might mean a little more time at work that day, or turning cell phones and other distractions off until it's complete. If you can't get it done later that day, make sure you have it back to them the next morning before the average workday begins.

This is how it is these days. It's the most competitive time in our history (so I'm told).
Delivering quick and quality is no longer considered overachieving.......it is the norm. Don't trick yourself into thinking that I'm over exaggerating.....you're falling behind if you do. If you can't do it, somebody else will.

Managing Mishaps

We do our best with time management.  The busier we get, the more there is to manage, and the more opportunity there is for details to slip through the cracks.  It's a catch-22.  We want to be busier, as busy-ness, often times translates into business.  This comes with the territory.  The downfall to this is that things do slip through the cracks, no matter how hard you try, and how good your intentions are.  I disappoint myself during times when my mis-management allows a disappointing, unintentional outcome for one of my valued teammates.  It happens, and I know it will happen again.  Each time it happens, all I can do is learn how to get better to prevent it from happening again.  The damage control that must be done as a follow up is very costly.  It takes time..........trust building and credibility earning time.  All due to something that could have been prevented had I crossed all of my t's and dotted all of my i's leading up to the situation.  There are rarely bad intentions leading up to things like this, but the damage is done nonetheless.  I hate that trust is put into jeopardy, but I cringe to think about the time that will be spent to un-do the damage..........taking away from time that would otherwise be spent growing sales.

This is something that will always occur in business, in sales, and in management.  We each get to choose how much time and effort we spend fixing these situations.  Good sales people prevent these situations at all costs.  Great sales people fix these situations at all cost, learn how to work through them and instill preventative measures, and build a better team through these times.

Teammates Are Your Strength During Tough Times

Life throws curveballs.  There are times in your personal life that will take away from your everyday life in sales.  Sales is such a fast-moving, competitive atmosphere that you generally feel that you can't afford to take a day off,  or a day away from the craze.  I thrive on the thought of my competitors taking a day away.  A day without competitors brings a day of new opportunities for me.  The truth is, we all need these days away.  We need to take care of our family, and ourselves.

It's days like these when the strength of your team is brought to the forefront.  You must have a support system that ensures opportunities do not slip through the cracks, when you're not there to take care of them.  A support system like this is everyones goal.  Now that I have a network of highly qualified teammates that surround me, I realize that many of them are better equipped to handle the opportunities than I am.  This is the goal succeeded at a whole different level.

When you're building a team, focus on quality and strength.  Do not get caught up in the fear that quality may threaten job security.  I've seen this happen before, and it's a trap.  A trap that will prevent you and your company from living up to its full potential.  Look for people that are better than you.  Find them, embrace them, train them, and learn from them.  You will be a better salesperson/manager/company man for it.  They will make you better.  They will challenge you to become better, and push you to new heights.  If they truly are better than you, than perhaps they deserve your job.  That shouldn't be a fear, it should be a challenge.  Embrace it, and improve.

I Highly Recommend - High Trust Selling

I'm not good at forcing myself to read.  I primarily read on the airplane, during the windows of time when you're not allowed to have electronics on.  Because of this, it takes me quite a while to get through books.  I'm working on improving this.

I am close to finishing this book, and it is excellent.  Definitely one of my top recommendations.  I would consider it a "must read" for both rookie and veteran sales reps.  I have put several tips into action already since beginning this book, and I intend to go back and re-read it very soon.  It's that good.

A Season of Momentum

Momentum occurs in sales, just as it does in sports.  Sometimes you don't realize it because you're caught up in the craziness of each day.  Then you step back and realize, the activities of the past week have all been positive!!  Calls coming in, new clients, new projects, new dollars to spend.  If you realize that momentum is occurring, during the time that it's actually occurring, you can build from it and extend the timeframe that the momentum lasts.  The next call can feed off of the last call which came from a call yesterday which was made to prepare for your call tomorrow.  The team feels the momentum, and reflects it to their clients, and good things continue to happen.  People want to be a part of something good, something positive, something with momentum.  People jump on the bandwagon of hot sports teams all of the time, and they will jump onto your bandwagon all the same.

At some point the momentum comes to an end.  What now??  Take a deep breath, reflect on what you did to begin your momentum in the first place, how you extended it for as long as you did, and what ultimately brought it to a halt.  Consider other markets, regions, or products in which the same type of momentum could be built.  And go after it.

What if it's a false sense of momentum?  The phones are ringing, clients are being visited, prices and proposals are flying out like crazy..............but the orders aren't coming in.  You get a false sense that "you're back."  People love you again, you're on a roll.  Until you evaluate the #'s, and realize you're just busy, that's it..........not successful.  Great salespeople know the difference between real momentum and false momentum.  And, they don't try to trick anyone else into believing when it's false.

Momentum creates the best moments in sales.  The moments you remember, you build from, and you try again and again to replicate.  When you're in a season of momentum, don't slow down, don't get complacent, and don't trick yourself into thinking you're better than you really are.  Work harder and smarter, and extend that season as long as possible.  Before you know it it will be off-season, and you'll be regrouping.

The Networking Web

What a strange morning.  I'm at a conference, in my hometown.......though 45 minutes away from home.  I find out late last night (while still at conference events) that I need to join a colleague on a roadtrip early this morning, and we're going to meet in downtown.  I happen to have extra clothes with me, just in case I got stuck due to weather.  So, I decided to stay in a hotel in downtown, rather than make the roundtrip late night and early morning.  Now, everybody is late due to ice on the roads, and I sit in this hotel................waiting.  This morning feels like any other morning during the week, living in a hotel, waiting on someone to pick me up,  But this time, I'm so close to home.  Strange.

When going after a big sale in my industry, and many others I imagine, 1 of 2 factors generally wins you the job.  Either the lowest price, or the best relationship.  Every now and then a vendor is selected for a different reason:  the best product, local availability, etc...  But, my guess is that 90% of projects are won on price or relationship.  The big problem is, with each job, you can't ever tell which one will win between price and relationship.  You really don't know until the project is awarded.  Most companies don't excel at both price and relationship because, in order to have the relationships you must have a strong sales force.  A strong sales force means more overhead, which means a higher price.  It's difficult for companies to own a market, due to the fact that they would have to have the best relationships and provide the lowest pricing.

So, at a conference like the one I'm currently attending, it's all about building new and cultivating existing.........relationships.  These clients, are clients forever.  It's not a buy once and never speak to again industry.  This is my 5th year to attend this conference, and it's the same faces.  The measuring stick for me is this:  How does year 5 compare to years 1-4 to me?  Each year becomes easier to pre-schedule get togethers with clients.  I have a client with me at every meal and event.  They introduce me to new potential clients.  And the web of the client network spins.  It becomes magical, and business becomes easier and more exciting.  I can't wait to see what year 10 will be like.

Assume to Win

When it comes to positivity vs. negativity, I am a stickler to a fault. I simply cannot handle negativity. I could write for days about this subject, but I'll save that for another time.

A sub-behavior of this characterization is the way in which people assume. A positive person will generally have a benefit of the doubt, innocent until proven guilty kind of attitude. A negative person, not so much.

My frustrations with negative people often stem from being on the receiving side of negative assumptions. For it to be assumed, that part of my master plan was always to create these negative affects. To assume, that stricter policies and procedures a direct result of us trying to bring them down. To assume, that because the economy is down, sales customers aren't buying. To assume, that if you heard it, it must be true.

We all know what assuming does. I think the best answer is to not assume, yes.......but assuming is a human character trait that it nearly impossible to escape. I believe you can somewhat control how you direct your assumptions. Think in the direction of positivity. Assume that I didn't mean for this to happen. Assume that anything is possible. Assume that everything will improve. Assume that you will will win.

In the end, assuming might not change the facts or the results, but it will create a more positive outlook on life, and a more positive glow in the environment around you.

Easy to Talk To?

Being "easy to talk to" is not a dead-set necessity to become successful in sales. But, it's like money and happiness..........it sure does help. You know the type of person that I'm talking about, and you know if you are one of them or not. If you are, you receive those calls each day which drag on much longer thn you were anticipating. If you're not, that's OK.......but I'm pretty sure you would find some benefit by working on improving that skill-set. The biggest benefit is that salespeople that are easy to talk to, tend to be the one's that clients are endeared to. They get appointments easier, and they get more valuable information that may be key in their progression. I don't think anyone will argue that they prefer to interact with people that are easy to talk to, in all facets of life.

Here's the flip-side: this skill-set comes with responsibilities, patience, and time committal. You are the person that others call to vent about what's going on, frustrations they feel, and the other people that they don't feel like they can talk to. This takes lengthy conversations dealing with various events, likely to be unrelated to your daily task at hand.

The conversation ends, and then what?? Now you have a choice. Do you want to do something about it, follow up with your confidant, and remain the person that gets called just to be heard?? My personal answer is YES!! But that may not be what you want, and like I said, that's OK. I find that moments like these are when relationships are strengthened, credibility is earned, and long-lasting business is built.

Sure, it's a task, in the midst of many other tasks. Pick the right time to be this person, and you may luck into the opportunity of a lifetime. Choose to become this person, and your guaranteed not to miss this opportunity......and you'll likely make some good friends along the way.

*****if you're ever stuck in an airport for 5 hours, I hope for you it's not the Dayton airport.

A Team to Succeed With

In 2010, I flew somewhere around 115 segments.  Today, was flight #1 for 2011.  I loved the time at home with the family over the Holidays.  I actually can't remember a Holiday Season that I enjoyed more.  Memories were made, bonds were strengthened, and a sense of "home life" was restored.  Now, back to the grind.

I spent the day today with a brand new member of my sales team.  During this orientation, I was reminded of how passionate I am about what I do.  I was reminded that what I do is not a task, or a chore, or an avenue to pay the bills.......it is a fixture of my lifestyle that I thrive on.  The people that I work with are much more than that, they are even more than my extended family.  They are a team that lives, dies, wins, loses, fights, celebrates, and consults together every day.  I interact with them more than anyone else.  I'm not one to determine whether this is healthy or not, but I can't imagine it any other way.  For me personally, my stability in this is my family at home, my supportive wife, and my kids who always show unconditional love.

I can only hope that my passion translated through to my new teammate.  In a sales environment, it is crucial that each team member buy into our goals, and the greater good of our ultimate objectives.  Without this, success is an even greater challenge.  Who wants to achieve the ultimate success standing alone anyways?  I would imagine life is better at the top, when you have others to share success with.

BTW - The Courtyard at Cincinnati Airport looks like anyoutdatedcourtyardusa..........

Be Well to Do Well

The message I heard at church yesterday dealt with starting over during the new year, fittingly.  The sentence that caught my attention was when the Pastor said "you must be well before you can do well."

This got my mind spinning into all of the various areas that we need wellness in our life:  emotional, physical, self-confidence, relationships, moral, pride, esteem............the list can go on and on.  If I want to do well in sales (or anything else) I need to be well in the other aspects of my life.  To get more specific, there are many things that I do to improve myself as a professional.........read books, attend seminars, research best-practices, etc...  But what I'm hearing is that there are other things right at my fingertips that I can focus on improving, which will in-turn improve my career.  Not that I should stop reading and attending seminars, but improving other areas of my life might be the low-hanging-fruit of overall improvement.

We all know that eating well and exercising will increase your energy along with other aspects of life, and that's always an easy one to point to.  But what things that are less obvious can we be working on?  We need to get right with ourselves, and with the various aspects of our life, in order to reach our full potential.  For sure, we can do well in sales even if the rest of our life is a wreck.  But, I've got to believe that this success is not what it could be...........not even close.

So, I now have another avenue to concentrate on, in my desire to be a better professional.  Actually, a lot of avenues. 

**Unrelated note - there sure were a lot of people at the gym this morning, that I have never seen before.  I sure hope they're still there next Monday.

New Year - Recharged

I don't formally make New Years resolutions, but I do love the opportunity to recharge and refocus.  I try to find any excuse during the year to take a step back and evaluate myself, and determine some changes that I can make to improve.  Sometimes these changes are behavioral, sometimes re-prioritizing time, and sometimes better utilizing resources.  There are so many things that I can do better as a husband, father, employee, manager, and salesperson.  Improvement first starts with a change of attitude.  As the year wears on, patience and positivity grows thin.  Positivity breeds positivity, which breeds success and a healthy working environment.  This attitude starts at the top, and reflects throughout the entire team.........it's contagious.

If I were to make a resolution this year, it would be to keep myself in check.  Don't take things too seriously, don't vent frustrations on others, show patience to those giving diligent effort, lead with positivity.  This blog is one exercise that I hope to keep myself in check.  I hope that by sharing in these experiences, and hearing from others, it will help keep everything in perspective.

The new year starts today, and everything else can be forgotten............the good and the bad.  Take advantage of this time, after all, it only comes once a year.

Sell Something!!