Friday Evenings

There are so many gratifying things within what we do.  I'm sure I share the sentiment of many people when I say that one of my favorite things is Friday evenings when I'm in town.  The more challenging the week, the better Friday evening is.  It is the best sense of decompression.

For my family, Saturdays and Sundays are filled with events that keep us running and leave us tired when it's all said and done.  Friday evening for me is the time to put the phone and computer away, sit back, and simply enjoy family and reflect on the week.  I wish I could stay awake longer to enjoy, but I normally crash from exhaustion fairly early.

Now that it's 3pm on Friday afternoon, I already feel more relaxed.  I'm sure every person and every profession feels the same way about Friday evening that I do.

**  Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack all in the same chair at the same coffee shop..........equals........a very productive day catching up on computer work.

Birthday Blessing

In past years I have taken a small portion of my birthday (day) just for myself.    I will normally turn my phone off for an hour or two (something I never do), grab a cup of coffee and a newspaper, and just relax.  It's perfect.  It even seems that I've been out of town on my birthday the last few years, which is fine............because I have still found time to relax.

Today was different, and I wasn't really looking forward to it.  Amy had to leave town for a funeral, which left me on Daddy duty.  Of course I didn't mind, especially during the circumstances you simply do what you need to do.  But, this wasn't the way that I would have chosen to spend my birthday.

Now that I successfully got all of the kids where they needed to go on time, to the right location, and received them back...........successfully............I suddenly realize that this is exactly what I wanted to be doing on my birthday.  I loved hanging out with the kids this morning and taking them to school.  My daughter presented me with a birthday card when I picked her up from school, and her and her teachers performed a rehearsed rendition of "happy birthday" to me.  It was a birthday present that I will not soon forget.

I received so many blessings today from the time with my kids, that I can say it's one of the best birthdays I've had.  It's amazing how these things can creep up on you when you least expect them.  There's no way that I could do the work that my wife does every day, but I think we all had fun with it today.

**  My 6-year old son telling me how to pack his lunch this morning was comical.  He was getting frustrated with me and tried to take over.

I don't make the rules

I was reminded today that clients get to make the rules, not me. As a salesperson, the challenge is finding a buyer who is willing and able to buy your product. Once that is accomplished, following their rules to execute the agreement should be the easy part.

Once they say, "I'm leaning towards giving my business to you, but here are the next steps you must take"..........assuming these steps are within reason.........the hard part is now over and the steps should simply be details.

It doesn't always proceed that easily. For some reason as salespeople we think we get to make the rules. We get caught up in how it's "usually" done, and we don't remain flexible to meet the needs of the client. Then we must get slapped into shape, and reminded that it's not our job to make life difficult, but to appease every reasonable request that makes our clients lives easier. Hopefully, it's a coworker that's slapping us into shape, and not a client.

There are enough challenges in sales, following the rules of a willing buyer should never be one of them. Stay flexible, and remember that you are a solution provider.

**. Remember dinner at the Courtyard last night? Breakfast was much worse. I think this was a new Courtyard with a new design.......and I did not dig it. Hopefully it's a trial design and it gets nixed soon.

Travel Pains

The family life of a traveling salesman is not normal. There is a long list of pro's and con's, and it's definitely not for everyone. One of the con's is not being available to be home when needed unexpectedly. I needed to be home today, my family needed me. There was no reasonable way for me to make that happen. Last night, we didn't even have a hint that I would be needed today........this morning, it was very clear.

90% of the time, it's not a big deal that I'm not in striking distance to home, on the whim of a phone call. We can plan out when I'm absolutely needed, and when I'm not. Today fell into the other 10%. Today was painful, not so much for me, but my family.......and specifically my wife. There is a lot of give and take that comes with this profession, and it's painful when the family takes the brunt.

Like anything, you must measure the value obtained at the end of the pro and con evaluation. Is it worth it?? My family has experienced it for long enough that the question no longer really needs to be discussed, it's nothing new........but that doesn't help during the painful times. When it sucks, it sucks........and there's nothing you can do other than hope that it doesn't suck too often.

There are huge sacrifices being made by every traveling salesman, and especially their family. The sacrifices are the biggest reason to make sure that time on the road is time well spent, and it is our responsibility to make sure that these sacrifices are not being made in vain.

**. When this Courtyard in Fountain Valley told me that they serve dinner downstairs, I was assuming something decent. I'll know better next time.......a very disappointing dinner. Not that it will necessarily change my mind, after all it was the only place in walking distance.

Juggle from the Top

Sure, all sales are different, with different sales cycles, seasons, closing rates, and sales duration. But, we all face similar challenges. Your industry may only call for closing 3 deals per year, or possibly 10 deals per day. I believe it's all relative. We all manage, balance, juggle, track multiple projects at once. Whether you balance 5 or 500 projects at once, the challenge remains. How do you stay on top of everything hot? How do you determine what's hot? How do you prioritize so that nothing falls through the cracks? The answer is.......you don't. Even the best lose track. It's a matter of positioning yourself so that the fewest amount of low priority opportunities are the only ones that are at risk of neglect. For successful, fast-paced salespeople, setting the expectation that nothing gets neglected is an unreasonable request. Just pick, choose, and place your priorities.

Managing projects is often associated with juggling........don't let any opportunities hit the floor. The better the salesperson......the more opportunities.......the more balls in the air to juggle. To prioritize, you must juggle from the top. Look at the big picture from above. Analyze each opportunity carefully, determine it's priority, and decide how much of your time should go into keeping this ball in the revolving circle. From the big picture, what does this opportunity mean? Is it key in you success, your development, your network of opportunities? If not, give it one last good toss and let it remove itself from the circulation. Choose the opportunities that are most important, and put all of your efforts there.

This is not a new or a foreign concept. The 80/20 rule has been preached for years. We just all need reminding, as we all lose focus. Juggling never gets easier, we just get better at it. Like anything, it takes practice, concentration, and your full attention.

** it's funny how the most important thing to me when eating on the road is convenience to my hotel. I'll pick a restaurant that I would normally never choose, if I can walk to it from my hotel. And I'll choose a hotel based on what restaurant I can walk to. Tonight is BJ's, I can work with this.

Wardrobe Edition #1

I've posted about my packing tendancies before, and the importance that I place on my packing efficiency.  Wardrobe issues overall are of huge importance for a traveling salesperson, so I'm starting a Wardrobe Edition to this blog, here's Edition #1:

When packing for a 3 day trip, what is the proper number of pants, sportcoats, ties to take?  First, in my mind these are the only items that bear discussion.  Shirts along with unmentionables must never be re-used......and on the flip-side, the same pair of shoes can be worn every day (keep in mind I'm striving for efficiency to carry on a suitcase rather than check it, and size 12 shoes take up a lot of room).  Here's my strategy:  For a 3 day business trip, you must have 2 sportcoats, 2 pants, and 3 ties.  If - you never see the same person on more than one of the days - you can get by with only 1 sportcoat and less than 3 ties.  You can never take less than 2 pants, and the only variance is to take 3 pants.  On the days you wear the same sportcoat, do not wear the same pants.  And when in doubt - it is possible to get 3 coats, 3 pants, and everything else into a carry-on.........it's just not pretty, and you definitely can't wiggle on the shoes.

**  Along the same line of Starbucks being my comfort-zone...........I'm sad to say that I get very excited when I find new efficient packing/wardrobe ideas.

The Old and the New

If you are selling for a reputable company, you likely benefit from your companies history, references, and existing client base.  These are benefits that we inherit by default, but ulitmately did not have any involvement in.  When evaluating companies to sell for, one of the major factors that we (as salespeople) consider is the companies history and reputation.............for this very reason.  We all know it's easier to sell a product for an established company, as opposed to a start up company.

But guess what else comes with it?  Negative experiences from a past regime.  Things don't always go perfectly, and particularly, things are not always handled correctly.  Turning these past experiences around is much more difficult than earning new business from scratch.  There is an art to recognizing and admitting to past short-comings, presenting an approach that will resolve and prevent this from happening again, and then delivering with perfect execution while under the microscope.  This is a process that takes patience and desire, and you will only succeed if you can outlast the odd's............which are stacked against you from multiple angles.

You have no choice in this approach but to be anything less than genuine, sincere, and grateful.  You may actually find some of your most redeeming sales skills hidden deep within while going through this. 

**  A colleague jinxed me last week when he said "I haven't had an American Airlines flight leave on time yet this year."  I found that odd as I was having pretty good luck.............until he said that of course.  My last three flights have been delayed by an hour or more.

Stick with it

So often, sales/clients/accounts/opportunities.........come your way simply by staying the course.  It's a natural reaction for a sales rep to cut bait and move on when a sale or client is lost.  Hopefully, when you're on the losing side you are able to remain in a state of professionalism and respect, and you don't go down by losing your cool and burning bridges.  This topic is for another day, actually it's an entire book in itself.

It's not a prophecy to say that nobody likes to lose.  But it takes control to lose with class, wish success to the other parties, and move on.  Once you do this, you have set yourself for the follow up.  Stay in touch periodically.  Make yourself available as a resource, and display an eagerness to earn another opportunity.  Sales people move very quickly day-to-day, but successful sales people know that this profession is a marathon rather than a sprint.  A sale lost should be just that, a sale lost.  It shouldn't be a client lost, a market lost, or an item to scratch off of your list and forget.

I don't like the theory that there is enough business out there for everyone, as that sets an expectation of regular failure.  But, I do believe that losses can be embraced, learned from, and cycle into future business.  Most sales reps cut bait, great sales reps leave their bait in the water and throw more lines out (OK, I don't fish, I really need to find a new analogy.  That one got away from me.)

** Through my years of travel, I have managed to never step foot in the state of Georgia, which is home to the busiest airport in the country (Atlanta).................until today.

Momentum

Momentum occurs when several factors combine to move in a positive direction towards an objective.  This is my own personal definition, now let's see what the dictionary says:  "force or speed of movement; impetus, as of a physical object or course of events."  Not too far off, specific to the course of events. 

In sales we have the opportunity to create and win with momentum.  The keys to this are, in order:  create the opportunity, identify building blocks, assign tasks, execute the game plan, follow through, and finish.  The one that we miss the most often is the second key............identify building blocks.  Our sales building blocks can come in many forms, such as:  pre-existing relationships that can contribute toward your efforts, past success stories, six-degrees of separation, neglect of a competitor, right place at the right time, and innovation..........to name a few.

Momentum begins to build once we are able to identify the combination of building blocks related to your specific opportunity.  What separates the bad, the good, and the best..........is the ability to assign tasks within your team that will best exploit the building blocks in which you've been presented.  The wrong person on the wrong task will kill your momentum.  Once your game plan is in place, the last three keys are the gimme's for any seasoned sales person.  Momentum will carry you through at this point, and all factors will meet at the finish line...........hopefully in victory.  It's important to understand that this approach does not guarantee victory, it only guarantee's that you are putting yourself in the best position to be victorious.  If victory is achieved, another building block has been established, and momentum continues.

Momentum comes in spurts, and only lasts for a short period of time.  The sooner you recognize it and the longer you sustain it, the more victorious you will be.

**  I find it sad that Starbucks is my comfort zone.  No matter what city I'm in, or what culture I'm trying to adjust to, I can find my peace and comfort at the Starbucks on any random corner.  I'm not proud of this by the way.

Anchor Down

In my business there is a big difference between anchoring yourself to a product that you win and lose with day in and day out, versus affiliating yourself to the product that you believe gives yourself the best chance to win on that particular day. When you anchor you create: loyalty, credibility, stability, constancy, and believability in both your company and the product in which you're anchored to. Competitors envy you and strive to one day be like you, and potential business partners line up to join you.

There is something special about a business relationship joined this tightly. Sure, it has it's ups and downs and good and bad days........as any close relationship both in an out of business does. But the uniqueness of this relationship allows it to not waiver.

We see glimpses of these partnerships in the common marketplace. One that comes to mind is the early partnership between Apple (and their life changing IPhone) and AT&T. Tons of consumers switched phone carriers simply to own the iPhone. Now, this was unique in that AT&T was not exclusive to Apple, which later ended their exclusivity as Apple was made available through Verizon.

This is one example, and each has it's own unique structure and agreement dynamics. But in the end, its hard to argue the value in choosing a company to live and die with, and staying true. A truly loyal partner will make you more successful than the "company of the day" strategy ever will.

** New Orleans is unlike any other city that I travel to, and I can never make up my mind whether I want to spend more time here or not. There are so many things that I like and dislike about it..........but there is no doubt that the food alone is worth the trip.

Waiting........

How can we get anything done when we're always waiting on others? We definitely can't increase productivity by doing everything ourselves. Herein lies the catch 22. I need to increase productivity, though I can't do what I need to at the moment because I wait on others...... So, I start a new project, move onto another task, reply to a different message......and I wait. Now, with multiple tasks partially complete, I juggle and prioritize and wait and plan and prepare and theorize and assume and imagine and initiate and predict.....and wait.

Quality people with clear objectives and good communication - that's the answer. I have a great network and team, but even then, this process is unavoidable. And I'm as guilty as anyone (maybe more so) of keeping people waiting.

When looking for ways to increase efficiency and productivity, look no further than the turnaround time and decision making willingness from your team members. Right or wrong, turn it around, make a decision, and keep moving. Juggling unfinished business costs big money.

** I've taken time away from blogging for the past week and my brain misses the exercise. I'm sure the lack of sleep hasn't helped, time to get back on track.