Yesterday I noticed a post on one of the Linked In Groups I follow. The exact content of the post doesn't really matter here, but I can tell you that the person who made it was trying to start a dialogue. He asked, "If [stimulus] happens, is it OK to [response]?"
This is a Situational Dilemma. Situational Dilemma's are sometimes used in the context of an employment interview, but they also describe what many salespeople have in their minds when they attend (or intend to attend) sales training events. Unlike an interview (where we're interested in evaluating the other person's thought process and style), sales people are facing their own personal Situational Dilemma's day in and day out with Suspects, Prospects, and Customers. They are hoping for treatment (i.e., they want advice). Unfortunately, most sales training is about prevention, and Treatment Ain't Prevention.
So back to the post. "Given this stimulus, is this response appropriate?" My immediate reaction to this person's post was to say, "I don't know, what was your intent?"
There are at least a couple of reasons for this question. First, intent is much more important than technique because your intent is the reason you're doing a thing. Your intent will drive HOW you do "it", and HOW you do "it" will affect the other person's experience in the moment. They may not remember exactly what you said or did, but they will always remember how they felt.
Second, you must recognize that "Communication is the result you achieve, regardless of your intent". Said differently, technique still matters. It's possible to have pure intent and yet have a horrible outcome because your technique (think delivery, timing, and style) is poor. If you're not consciously aware of your intent in a situation (in other words, if your automatic pilot is ON), then you're more likely to Act (say and do) and/or Behave in ways that aren't consistent with your goals.
So, let's pretend that YOU are faced with a Situational Dilemma. How do you Apply these little kernels of wisdom? The key is to make sure that your automatic pilot is turned OFF. Outcome Based Thinking is one of the best tools for this purpose. This simple planning process helps you to be proactive, focusing on action that is appropriate for the situation. Let the situation drive your process, not the other way around.
If you'd like to learn more about these concepts, read Stephen R. Covey's work, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"; specifically, the section on the space between stimulus and response. Also, there is no doubt that there are times when it helps to have someone else listening in as you work through the Outcome Based Thinking process -- a coach can help. Got one? Get one. Period.
Some final thoughts. It's been said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, hoping for different results. Before you can get new results, you must realize that you are already getting results -- they just aren't the results that you want. The only way you'll get new results is by doing new things. The good news is that the first 100 times are the hardest!
The automatic pilot is not suited for doing new things, it's purpose is to do old things in an 'automatic', non-thinking way. While there are times that the automatic pilot can serve us, it's absolutely THE WRONG TOOL FOR THE JOB if your goal is to become a master at your craft. Show me a master, and I'll show you a person who knows exactly what he or she is doing and why they are doing it. Nothing that the master does is by accident. Masters are very good at keeping the automatic pilot OFF.
A process can help. Practice the discipline of Plan-Do-Learn. Use Outcome Based Thinking. Need some help? Feel free to give me a shout on Linked In. Be well.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Is your [sales and/or planning] process in control?
Do you have a formal sales process? My observation is that while many organizations do not (63% as reported by one survey), most individuals that I have contact with (I estimate 4 in 5) state that they both have and follow a consistent sales or planning process. However, when asked to document their process, 4 out of 5 are unable to go beyond general statements such as, "I build a relationship with my customers and that's why they buy from me".
If you can't effectively describe your process, then it's going to be hard to describe to yourself or to someone else where you are, where you should be, and how you're going to get and keep on track. That means it will be hard to keep your process in control, and that means that you're more likely to have inconsistent results.
How do you determine your process? First draw a basic diagram - inputs leads to process leads to outputs. Then ask yourself some questions about your actions (what you say and do). For example, HOW do you build a relationship? WHAT specifically do you do and say, HOW and WHEN do you do and say those things, and in what order (think SEQUENCE), such that a relationship is built?
Relationship is NOT your process -- don't confuse the ends with the means. The outcome "relationship" is the result of specific actions made by you and by the organization that you serve (make no mistake, you own both categories). While relationship alone may not win the sale, it will increase the probability that you'll get the information you need to drive right decisions (for both parties) in the moment.
"Process control" is a term that is typically applied to industrial processes, but the concept can be applied to any process where the purpose is to produce repeatable results.
Controlling your process means controlling the things that you can control. Once you have identified what those things are, you take steps to consciously design your process with clear intent (turning the automatic pilot OFF), and then make sure you're consistently following it. From there it's all K-F-C, which stands for:
What happens if your process isn't in control?
So whether it's a recipe, or a sales process, or a planning process, if you can't accurately describe the inputs or the recipe, you're going to have a problem getting repeatable results. Oh sure, sometimes you'll get it right. We call that luck. If you want control, then you must apply discipline.
A few notes on the "C" part of the K-F-C formula.
So that we're clear, when I say "control", I don't mean control over another person. Attempting to exert control over a person or the outcome of a situation will lead to frustration (for both of you) and it also leads to failure over the long run. Instead, we're talking about controlling the things that you can control, what Covey calls "the area of direct control" and "the area of indirect control".
If you're interested in learning more about Covey's circles and the areas of direct and indirect control, you might take a look at "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and other related books, or perhaps you might speak to a coach who is already familiar with these topics. Got one? Get one. Period.
If you can't effectively describe your process, then it's going to be hard to describe to yourself or to someone else where you are, where you should be, and how you're going to get and keep on track. That means it will be hard to keep your process in control, and that means that you're more likely to have inconsistent results.
How do you determine your process? First draw a basic diagram - inputs leads to process leads to outputs. Then ask yourself some questions about your actions (what you say and do). For example, HOW do you build a relationship? WHAT specifically do you do and say, HOW and WHEN do you do and say those things, and in what order (think SEQUENCE), such that a relationship is built?
- The actions of the suspect/prospect/customer provide real-time indicators to tell you if things are moving the in the right direction.
- The momentum of the project gives you leading indicators to tell you if things are moving in the right direction.
- The end result gives you lagging indicators to tell you if things were moving in the right direction.
Relationship is NOT your process -- don't confuse the ends with the means. The outcome "relationship" is the result of specific actions made by you and by the organization that you serve (make no mistake, you own both categories). While relationship alone may not win the sale, it will increase the probability that you'll get the information you need to drive right decisions (for both parties) in the moment.
"Process control" is a term that is typically applied to industrial processes, but the concept can be applied to any process where the purpose is to produce repeatable results.
- K = know what you want.
- F = find out, are you getting what you want? If you're not getting what you want, then...
- C = change what you're doing until you get what you want.
- If you change the ingredients, the cookies probably won't taste the same.
- If you change the way that the ingredients are combined, you may also change the consistency of the cookies.
- If you change the temperature of the oven or the time that the cookie's are baked... well, you get the picture.
So whether it's a recipe, or a sales process, or a planning process, if you can't accurately describe the inputs or the recipe, you're going to have a problem getting repeatable results. Oh sure, sometimes you'll get it right. We call that luck. If you want control, then you must apply discipline.
A few notes on the "C" part of the K-F-C formula.
- Don't try to change everything all at once. Change one thing at a time (hopefully over several trials) and note the effect that the change had on your results.
- Don't confuse bad timing, style, or technique with bad process.
- Don't try to practice when it's "show time", practice before the event (no one wants to pay for a bad performance).
- Keep a journal so that you can learn over time. In short, practice the discipline of Plan-Do-Learn.
So that we're clear, when I say "control", I don't mean control over another person. Attempting to exert control over a person or the outcome of a situation will lead to frustration (for both of you) and it also leads to failure over the long run. Instead, we're talking about controlling the things that you can control, what Covey calls "the area of direct control" and "the area of indirect control".
Thursday, June 17, 2010
If all you have is a hammer...
I'm sure I'm not telling you anything new when I say that there's been a literal explosion of "stuff" on the world-wide web. Some of it is good, some of it is bad, and some of it is ugly. What's useful and what's not? I'm hoping that this post provides you with a practical answer that you can use TODAY.
To put it in perspective, those of us who have been around for a while remember a world without computers -- I remember my first hard drive (which I installed myself). 20 Mega-Bytes! "There's no way I can fill this up!" Big and heavy as a brick. Yeah. I also remember what it was like to write a training manual before all of these tools existed. Took lots of time and lots of people. Today it's possible for one person to do the same thing that just 15 years ago required a TEAM, some expensive hardware, and many many hours.
So let's get practical. I'm going to list and describe some tools that can help you communicate with suspects, prospective customers (aka prospects), customers, your sales team, trainees, you name it! These tools are simple, powerful, and FREE (yeah, that's right, F-R-E-E). Some of them have more powerful cousins that you'll have to pay for. Think of it as getting a free sample and taking it for a test drive before you buy (a good example for the rest of us).
THESE ARE TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU TO HELP OTHERS.
For each of the tools I'm sharing, I'm giving you a link, but you should also be able to find a good link at the left hand side of my blog (see Links Of Interest). I've clearly identified them as TOOLS to make them easier to identify.
Oh, and a disclaimer, because pobody's nerfect -- this information was accurate to the best of my knowledge at the time I created the post. If there is new info, a change, or if you discover a detail that I omitted, please feel free to respond to this post.
And now for the Meat and 'Taters!
A List Of Tools:
Because I'd like to give you a Free Sample of what it would be like to work with me, and also to show you how you might use these tools yourself, I've created and imbedded the html code for a video that I created using two of the above tools -- Jing and Classic Whiteboard. Enjoy -- and yes, your feedback is appreciated and welcome.
Here's another sample made with Lecturescribe. Notice the diffferent look and feel.
Different tools are appropriate for different jobs. Some tools are most effective when they are combined with others. When you add tools to your toolbox over time, learn how and why to use 'em, and Practice until you are proficient, you become more effective. Over time, your deliberate practice will help you become efficient.
Effectiveness first, Efficiency second -- it does not serve you (or anyone else) to be efficient at ineffective things, and you can't be efficient if you don't practice. Period.
If you want to learn more about this concept, read some of Stephen R. Covey's stuff on "the 7 habits" and/or "the clock and the compass". Or talk to your coach. Got one? Get one. Period.
P.S. If you have another tool that you think is worth mention, please also describe why & how you have personally used it, as well as a brief explanation of how it benefited the person you were working with or for. Thanks for helping to keep this post focused on USE-ABLE.
To put it in perspective, those of us who have been around for a while remember a world without computers -- I remember my first hard drive (which I installed myself). 20 Mega-Bytes! "There's no way I can fill this up!" Big and heavy as a brick. Yeah. I also remember what it was like to write a training manual before all of these tools existed. Took lots of time and lots of people. Today it's possible for one person to do the same thing that just 15 years ago required a TEAM, some expensive hardware, and many many hours.
So let's get practical. I'm going to list and describe some tools that can help you communicate with suspects, prospective customers (aka prospects), customers, your sales team, trainees, you name it! These tools are simple, powerful, and FREE (yeah, that's right, F-R-E-E). Some of them have more powerful cousins that you'll have to pay for. Think of it as getting a free sample and taking it for a test drive before you buy (a good example for the rest of us).
THESE ARE TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU TO HELP OTHERS.
For each of the tools I'm sharing, I'm giving you a link, but you should also be able to find a good link at the left hand side of my blog (see Links Of Interest). I've clearly identified them as TOOLS to make them easier to identify.
Oh, and a disclaimer, because pobody's nerfect -- this information was accurate to the best of my knowledge at the time I created the post. If there is new info, a change, or if you discover a detail that I omitted, please feel free to respond to this post.
And now for the Meat and 'Taters!
A List Of Tools:
- Lecturescribe -- This is a powerful tool for creating multiple whiteboard screens and capturing live onscreen video & audio for the purpose of training or presenting. Outputs the file as a *.swf (flash) file, so you need to know what to do with the file once you have it. I play it in a web browser, no problem once you have the flash player plugins installed. The developer of this tool corresponded with me recently - there seems to be a lag problem when using it with Windows 7, but it works great on earlier versions (previously used it on Windows XP). You'll probably want a pen tablet, I'm using a "Bamboo-Fun" from Wacom.
- Box.net -- This is a file-sharing utility. I first saw it in use on Linked In and have added it to my profile. I've also created a private collaboration folder (controlled access) for use by me and a couple of project team members (think file sharing). Very powerful and easy to use.
- Jing -- I've just started using this tool, which was created by the same folks who created Snagit and Camtasia (powerful screen capture tools). Jing works with screencast.com so you can create files and save them for use and reference online. COOL. I also recommend Snagit and Camtasia, but note that they are NOT free.
- Classic Whiteboard -- This little tool is most useful when used with some type of pen tablet (again, I'm using a Bamboo tablet by Wacom). It's literally a whiteboard! You'll develop good hand-eye coordination with practice.
- Big Time -- Wonderful little "break" or "exercise" timer. I also used it to keep track of how long the oven was on the other day...
- Tiny URL's --You know those humongous URL's you get sometimes? Well, this shortens 'em up.
- Open Office -- It's just what it sounds like. An open alternative (think complement) to microsoft office.
- Audacity -- A simple audio creation and editing tool. I've used it for editing podcasts. A couple of people have asked me to record coaching discussions so they can listen to them on their mp3 player of choice. Files can be exported in a variety of formats.
Because I'd like to give you a Free Sample of what it would be like to work with me, and also to show you how you might use these tools yourself, I've created and imbedded the html code for a video that I created using two of the above tools -- Jing and Classic Whiteboard. Enjoy -- and yes, your feedback is appreciated and welcome.
Here's another sample made with Lecturescribe. Notice the diffferent look and feel.
Different tools are appropriate for different jobs. Some tools are most effective when they are combined with others. When you add tools to your toolbox over time, learn how and why to use 'em, and Practice until you are proficient, you become more effective. Over time, your deliberate practice will help you become efficient.
Effectiveness first, Efficiency second -- it does not serve you (or anyone else) to be efficient at ineffective things, and you can't be efficient if you don't practice. Period.
If you want to learn more about this concept, read some of Stephen R. Covey's stuff on "the 7 habits" and/or "the clock and the compass". Or talk to your coach. Got one? Get one. Period.
P.S. If you have another tool that you think is worth mention, please also describe why & how you have personally used it, as well as a brief explanation of how it benefited the person you were working with or for. Thanks for helping to keep this post focused on USE-ABLE.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Treatment Ain't Prevention
Joe Schmuckatelly carries a load of boxes to the top of his basement stairs. His foot barely catches the edge of the first step and so he trips, tumbles to the bottom of the stairs... and breaks his arm.
Joe's wife (bless her) drives him to the Hospital Emergency Room. He visits with the attending Resident who tells Joe that bone density is important as a way of preventing this type of break. The Doctor writes him a scrip for calcium, and starts to turn away.
Joe speaks sharply, obviously he's in pain, "Wait a minute Doc, my arm is still broken!" The Doctor nods his head and tells Joe that good muscle tone is also important to prevent this sort of thing from happening -- he orders physical therapy and starts to turn away. Joe, frustrated now says, "But Doc, my arm is still broken!"
You get the picture?
Clearly Joe needs some treatment -- he needs to have his immediate problem fixed; the broken arm must be set and put into a cast. He wants to stop hurting. While the prevention steps are important, he needs to heal before the physical therapy can be started, and the calcium treatments will take time before they show an effect.
But Prevention is still important and if Joe doesn't take steps to fix the underlying challenges, he could face another, more serious break in the future. Joe's care should include a mix of both Treatment AND Prevention. In other words...
Treatment First. Prevention Second. Both are important.
I've noticed that the same type of story often plays out in sales training. The trainer (or book) starts by describing the problem (you broke your arm) and then describes that the best thing for you to do is to prevent that problem from happening in the first place! "Obvious" you think.
And that's the problem. It seems so obvious. The challenge is that when you're in the middle of your day, dealing with multiple prospects in different situations, your Automatic Pilot tends to turn on. It's human nature -- it's how our brains work. If we are to be successful in our efforts of applying Best Practices (the stuff that's already been proven to work for the situations we find ourselves in), then we must FIGHT to keep the Automatic Pilot Turned OFF!
Stephen R. Covey talks about it this way -- "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In those choices lie our growth and our happiness."
Turn Off The Automatic Pilot. OK, that's easy to say, but how do you DO it? The answer lies in The Plan-Do-Learn Cycle. Make a conscious choice to set aside time for Planning before your sales visit, and for Learning after your sales visit. How much time should you set aside? As Little As Possible. Avoid Analysis-Paralysis and Ready-Fire-Aim (one is not an excuse for the other).
Use a consistent, SIMPLE process, and don't change it for at least 100 times. Let the situation drive your process -- and Do Not try to force every situation to fit into your process. Be flexible, agile, adaptable.
You WILL make mistakes. The challenge is that you probably won't begin to notice them on your own until you've done it for about 20 times; you CAN accelerate your learning by getting a coach. Got one? Get one. Period.
Joe's wife (bless her) drives him to the Hospital Emergency Room. He visits with the attending Resident who tells Joe that bone density is important as a way of preventing this type of break. The Doctor writes him a scrip for calcium, and starts to turn away.
Joe speaks sharply, obviously he's in pain, "Wait a minute Doc, my arm is still broken!" The Doctor nods his head and tells Joe that good muscle tone is also important to prevent this sort of thing from happening -- he orders physical therapy and starts to turn away. Joe, frustrated now says, "But Doc, my arm is still broken!"
You get the picture?
Clearly Joe needs some treatment -- he needs to have his immediate problem fixed; the broken arm must be set and put into a cast. He wants to stop hurting. While the prevention steps are important, he needs to heal before the physical therapy can be started, and the calcium treatments will take time before they show an effect.
But Prevention is still important and if Joe doesn't take steps to fix the underlying challenges, he could face another, more serious break in the future. Joe's care should include a mix of both Treatment AND Prevention. In other words...
Treatment First. Prevention Second. Both are important.
I've noticed that the same type of story often plays out in sales training. The trainer (or book) starts by describing the problem (you broke your arm) and then describes that the best thing for you to do is to prevent that problem from happening in the first place! "Obvious" you think.
And that's the problem. It seems so obvious. The challenge is that when you're in the middle of your day, dealing with multiple prospects in different situations, your Automatic Pilot tends to turn on. It's human nature -- it's how our brains work. If we are to be successful in our efforts of applying Best Practices (the stuff that's already been proven to work for the situations we find ourselves in), then we must FIGHT to keep the Automatic Pilot Turned OFF!
Stephen R. Covey talks about it this way -- "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In those choices lie our growth and our happiness."
Turn Off The Automatic Pilot. OK, that's easy to say, but how do you DO it? The answer lies in The Plan-Do-Learn Cycle. Make a conscious choice to set aside time for Planning before your sales visit, and for Learning after your sales visit. How much time should you set aside? As Little As Possible. Avoid Analysis-Paralysis and Ready-Fire-Aim (one is not an excuse for the other).
You WILL make mistakes. The challenge is that you probably won't begin to notice them on your own until you've done it for about 20 times; you CAN accelerate your learning by getting a coach. Got one? Get one. Period.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
The Plan-Do-Learn Cycle
Recently I was working with Joe Schmuckatelly on Prospecting Calls. Through previous discussions, Joe and I agreed that an effective pre-call planning process might help him to make significant improvements in the effectiveness of his calls. Joe is a process expert who understands the role and importance of planning related to business issues. Over the course of our meeting, Joe realized that he wasn't applying what he knows about planning to his own sales visits.
To help Joe see what he was missing (and where he was missing it), I shared the Plan-Do-Learn cycle. On the outside chance that it might help you too, take a peek at the picture below...
Because several of my previous posts have focused on the planning process, it's probably appropriate for me to help you see where Plan-Do-Learn fits in the overall picture. Here's the lay of the land:
When you're in the DO phase, you focus on BE-ing fully present, knowing that in every situation there is an element of control and an element of surprise. Sometimes it's appropriate to throw out your plan while retaining a clear sense of purpose (intent).
And finally, the Learn phase takes place after the sales visit, and you should take care to focus in three areas: (1) What were the lagging, leading, and real-time indicators in the call, (2) what could be done to treat the issue you find yourself in, and (3) what could be done to prevent the issue from coming up in the first place?
Joe had two challenges to overcome in understanding this model. First, what are examples of lagging, leading, and real-time indicators for a sales visit? Second, what is the difference between planning and preparing, and why does that matter? This is a great learning exercise. How would you address these two issues? Take a moment or three and jot down your ideas in your sales journal. If you don't have your journal, no worries -- grab that scrap of newspaper over there and jot down your thoughts. You can tape it into your journal later tonight. I won't expand on these issues in this post as Joe still owes me a homework assignment, but I will give you a couple of hints:
Have you set aside time for learning? I recommend 3 to 5 minutes at the end of each sales visit to jot down the important points; you can add more later in the day (make sure to spend Selling time actually Selling). The major benefits of the Learn phase are that it helps you to prepare for your next visit with this suspect / prospect / customer, it helps you to differentiate between treatment and prevention, and it helps you make another entry in your personal Encyclopedia.
Always be prepared. Know the difference between planning and preparation and then apply what you know. Use the planning process to help you see where additional preparation is required. If in the last few hours before your meeting you realize that you're not fully prepared, do the other person and yourself a favor -- reschedule the meeting. Begin with the end in mind. Be prepared. Be. Period.
To help Joe see what he was missing (and where he was missing it), I shared the Plan-Do-Learn cycle. On the outside chance that it might help you too, take a peek at the picture below...
- The Plan-Do-Learn Cycle is the basic approach used for all sales visits. I'm convinced that all successful business people (and salespeople) use some form of this approach, whether they realize it or not. Some industries and disciplines go further by institutionalizing the process (e.g., plan-do-study-act).
- Outcome Based Thinking is the Planning process. Effective communicators use this process, whether they realize it or not.
- The Sales Engine helps you get clear on what your goals should be for a given situation. This sales model was created by studying reality for salespeople who strive for repeat business over time. Take it for a test drive and see if it fits your selling situation.
When you're in the DO phase, you focus on BE-ing fully present, knowing that in every situation there is an element of control and an element of surprise. Sometimes it's appropriate to throw out your plan while retaining a clear sense of purpose (intent).
And finally, the Learn phase takes place after the sales visit, and you should take care to focus in three areas: (1) What were the lagging, leading, and real-time indicators in the call, (2) what could be done to treat the issue you find yourself in, and (3) what could be done to prevent the issue from coming up in the first place?
Joe had two challenges to overcome in understanding this model. First, what are examples of lagging, leading, and real-time indicators for a sales visit? Second, what is the difference between planning and preparing, and why does that matter? This is a great learning exercise. How would you address these two issues? Take a moment or three and jot down your ideas in your sales journal. If you don't have your journal, no worries -- grab that scrap of newspaper over there and jot down your thoughts. You can tape it into your journal later tonight. I won't expand on these issues in this post as Joe still owes me a homework assignment, but I will give you a couple of hints:
- For the first problem (examples of indicators), think about a baseball game. What are the indicators that tell you if you're winning the game? Now apply that to your most recent sales visit. Do you see a pattern?
- Thinking about that same visit, were you adequately prepared? Was there something you wished you had invested more time in preparing for? Did you have a plan? Did your planning process help you to prepare?
Have you set aside time for learning? I recommend 3 to 5 minutes at the end of each sales visit to jot down the important points; you can add more later in the day (make sure to spend Selling time actually Selling). The major benefits of the Learn phase are that it helps you to prepare for your next visit with this suspect / prospect / customer, it helps you to differentiate between treatment and prevention, and it helps you make another entry in your personal Encyclopedia.
Always be prepared. Know the difference between planning and preparation and then apply what you know. Use the planning process to help you see where additional preparation is required. If in the last few hours before your meeting you realize that you're not fully prepared, do the other person and yourself a favor -- reschedule the meeting. Begin with the end in mind. Be prepared. Be. Period.
What is your "Commander's Intent"?
This week I've been revisiting one of my favorite books, "Made To Stick" by Chip and Dan Heath. If you haven't read it, this book is about why some ideas survive and others die and was inspired, at least in part, by Malcolm Gladwell's book, "The Tipping Point". The brothers Heath suggest that sticky ideas share 6 common traits -- they are:
I highly recommend both books to anyone who is interested in effective written and oral communication in sales and in training. The books "Influencer" and "Switch" are effective follow-on books. If you'd like to know why I think so, please feel free to leave a comment or drop me a note asking for more information. Enjoy!
Interestingly enough, the authors start their discussion of "Simple" with a concept known as The Commander's Intent, which is the US Army's approach to a common problem -- once you're in contact with the enemy, your plans often turn out to be useless. Why? Your opponent may respond to your tactics in ways that you didn't (or weren't able to) predict. Unexpected things happen -- equipment may break, the weather may change, or a key asset may be destroyed in battle. There are some things that you just can't control.
"More armies fail because they put all their emphasis into creating a plan that becomes useless ten minutes into the battle."
The Heath brothers go on to suggest that the Army's challenge is akin to writing instructions for a friend to play chess on your behalf. You may know a lot about the rules of chess, and you may know a lot about your friend and the opponent, but if you try to write move-by-move instructions, you'll fail. You can't possibly foresee more than a few moves. The first time that the opponent makes a surprise move, your friend is going to have to throw out the plan and rely on his or her own instincts.
It turns out that the Army has learned that The Act Of Planning is more useful than the plan itself. The planning process forces people to think through the right issues. And, you guessed it, the key to an effective planning process is The Commander's Intent (CI).
"CI is a crisp, plain-talk statement that appears at the top of every order, specifying the plan's goal, the desired end-state of an operation." At high levels (think strategy), the CI might be more abstract. At lower levels (think tactics), the CI will be much more concrete. Either way, the CI never specifies so much detail that it risks being rendered obsolete by unpredictable events.
"You can lose the ability to execute the original plan, but you never lose the responsibility of executing the intent."
An effective CI statement might start with "My intent is..."
I love that statement -- what is your INTENT? Stephen R. Covey talks about this in his book, "The 8th Habit" in the section titled "7 levels of initiative or self-empowerment". Declaring your intent is an effective way of preparing yourself to control what you can control.
Back to "Made To Stick", the book goes on to describe that, "The Combat Maneuver Training Center, the unit in charge of military simulations, recommends that officers arrive at the Commander's Intent by asking themselves two questions:"
Much of what I've written suggests the idea of combat, and you should be cautious about applying the idea of combat to sales or to training. Your prospects and / or students are NOT the enemy. It's not about win-lose, lose-win, or lose-lose. It's also not about sitting on the sideline -- you're not the referee. It's about being IN it; you only win when they win, and that's what win-win is about. Period.
If you'd like to understand more about what collaboration is about, take a look at the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (The TKI) and/or study the writings of authors such as Stephen R. Covey (habits 4 through 6). If you have challenges with BE-ing Assertive, take a look at Robert Bolton's book, "People Skills" (see the section on the submissive-assertive-aggressive continuum).
Or, instead of doing all of this reading, you might just talk to someone who has already done that, so you can learn from that person what works and what doesn't. That would be your Coach. Got one? Get one. Period.
- Simple,
- Unexpected,
- Concrete,
- Credentialed, and
- Emotional
- Stories
I highly recommend both books to anyone who is interested in effective written and oral communication in sales and in training. The books "Influencer" and "Switch" are effective follow-on books. If you'd like to know why I think so, please feel free to leave a comment or drop me a note asking for more information. Enjoy!
Interestingly enough, the authors start their discussion of "Simple" with a concept known as The Commander's Intent, which is the US Army's approach to a common problem -- once you're in contact with the enemy, your plans often turn out to be useless. Why? Your opponent may respond to your tactics in ways that you didn't (or weren't able to) predict. Unexpected things happen -- equipment may break, the weather may change, or a key asset may be destroyed in battle. There are some things that you just can't control.
"More armies fail because they put all their emphasis into creating a plan that becomes useless ten minutes into the battle."
The Heath brothers go on to suggest that the Army's challenge is akin to writing instructions for a friend to play chess on your behalf. You may know a lot about the rules of chess, and you may know a lot about your friend and the opponent, but if you try to write move-by-move instructions, you'll fail. You can't possibly foresee more than a few moves. The first time that the opponent makes a surprise move, your friend is going to have to throw out the plan and rely on his or her own instincts.
It turns out that the Army has learned that The Act Of Planning is more useful than the plan itself. The planning process forces people to think through the right issues. And, you guessed it, the key to an effective planning process is The Commander's Intent (CI).
"CI is a crisp, plain-talk statement that appears at the top of every order, specifying the plan's goal, the desired end-state of an operation." At high levels (think strategy), the CI might be more abstract. At lower levels (think tactics), the CI will be much more concrete. Either way, the CI never specifies so much detail that it risks being rendered obsolete by unpredictable events.
"You can lose the ability to execute the original plan, but you never lose the responsibility of executing the intent."
An effective CI statement might start with "My intent is..."
I love that statement -- what is your INTENT? Stephen R. Covey talks about this in his book, "The 8th Habit" in the section titled "7 levels of initiative or self-empowerment". Declaring your intent is an effective way of preparing yourself to control what you can control.
Back to "Made To Stick", the book goes on to describe that, "The Combat Maneuver Training Center, the unit in charge of military simulations, recommends that officers arrive at the Commander's Intent by asking themselves two questions:"
- "If we do nothing else during tomorrow's mission, we must __________."
- "The single, most important thing that we must do tomorrow is __________."
Much of what I've written suggests the idea of combat, and you should be cautious about applying the idea of combat to sales or to training. Your prospects and / or students are NOT the enemy. It's not about win-lose, lose-win, or lose-lose. It's also not about sitting on the sideline -- you're not the referee. It's about being IN it; you only win when they win, and that's what win-win is about. Period.
Or, instead of doing all of this reading, you might just talk to someone who has already done that, so you can learn from that person what works and what doesn't. That would be your Coach. Got one? Get one. Period.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
What does "Assertive" mean to you?
Recently, I had a discussion with a new client - let's call him Joe - who had invited me in to talk about a challenge that he's facing. Joe is an accomplished industry and process expert and he's met with many a salesperson in his past. He's "seen and heard it all" and has both observed and experienced some behaviors that he doesn't like very much; he's determined to "not be that guy".
And now Joe finds himself in the business of helping other businesses succeed and he recognizes that sales is now part of his job. He acknowledged that, in some cases, he's having a little trouble getting the initial conversation started. If they come to him, no problem! But if he has to go to them, well, he's just not sure how to go about it. He knows that it's necessary for him to contact people he's never worked with before (else his business won't survive), but he needs to find a way to do it that feels right to him (else he won't do it).
In other words, Joe's having trouble with Prospecting, specifically with Making Cold Calls. Without doubt, I'll be referring him to Art Sobczak's excellent book, Smart Calling. The title of Chapter 1 says it all: "Cold calling is dumb, but prospecting is necessary; Smart Calling is the answer".
As a way of exploring the issue with Joe, I shared The Sales Engine. The idea of 3 different types of calls, each done with a specific person for a specific purpose resonated with Joe -- it fit with his personal experiences. Using this model, Joe was able to see that he'd been inappropriately mixing the three types of calls in certain situations. He also saw that he'd been initiating some calls without establishing the entry criteria (the stuff at the ends of the arrows). I encouraged Joe to engage in conscious pre-call planning (turning the automatic pilot OFF), and to use The Sales Engine to (1) help him clarify the goals of his calls and to (2) ensure that he is adequately prepared for each type of call.
The only challenge that Joe had with the model is that our overview of a Sales Call seemed, well, a little pushy. My concern is that he might be pushing into "unpaid consultant" territory. Where's the balance?
I asked Joe to describe to me what the word "Assertive" meant to him. We explored it, and then I shared my observation: Assertive means "getting your needs met". In contrast, Cooperative means "helping other people get their needs met". Is it possible to be assertive and cooperative at the same time? The answer is YES.
These issues are explored in great detail by three resources that are available to YOU right now. The first is Stephen R. Covey's works (both The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People - habits 4 through 6 are about influence - and The 8th Habit - specifically the section on margin vs. mission). The second is the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, aka The TKI (provides an outstanding visual aid and some labels which can help you better understand the 5 conflict styles defined by the model). The third is Robert Bolton's outstanding book, People Skills (see the section on the submissive-assertive-aggressive continuum).
So back to the Sales Call.
And now Joe finds himself in the business of helping other businesses succeed and he recognizes that sales is now part of his job. He acknowledged that, in some cases, he's having a little trouble getting the initial conversation started. If they come to him, no problem! But if he has to go to them, well, he's just not sure how to go about it. He knows that it's necessary for him to contact people he's never worked with before (else his business won't survive), but he needs to find a way to do it that feels right to him (else he won't do it).
In other words, Joe's having trouble with Prospecting, specifically with Making Cold Calls. Without doubt, I'll be referring him to Art Sobczak's excellent book, Smart Calling. The title of Chapter 1 says it all: "Cold calling is dumb, but prospecting is necessary; Smart Calling is the answer".
As a way of exploring the issue with Joe, I shared The Sales Engine. The idea of 3 different types of calls, each done with a specific person for a specific purpose resonated with Joe -- it fit with his personal experiences. Using this model, Joe was able to see that he'd been inappropriately mixing the three types of calls in certain situations. He also saw that he'd been initiating some calls without establishing the entry criteria (the stuff at the ends of the arrows). I encouraged Joe to engage in conscious pre-call planning (turning the automatic pilot OFF), and to use The Sales Engine to (1) help him clarify the goals of his calls and to (2) ensure that he is adequately prepared for each type of call.
The only challenge that Joe had with the model is that our overview of a Sales Call seemed, well, a little pushy. My concern is that he might be pushing into "unpaid consultant" territory. Where's the balance?
I asked Joe to describe to me what the word "Assertive" meant to him. We explored it, and then I shared my observation: Assertive means "getting your needs met". In contrast, Cooperative means "helping other people get their needs met". Is it possible to be assertive and cooperative at the same time? The answer is YES.
These issues are explored in great detail by three resources that are available to YOU right now. The first is Stephen R. Covey's works (both The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People - habits 4 through 6 are about influence - and The 8th Habit - specifically the section on margin vs. mission). The second is the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, aka The TKI (provides an outstanding visual aid and some labels which can help you better understand the 5 conflict styles defined by the model). The third is Robert Bolton's outstanding book, People Skills (see the section on the submissive-assertive-aggressive continuum).
So back to the Sales Call.
- It's not about controlling the other person or their process, it's about driving right decisions.
- It's about qualifying before you present -- or if you prefer, diagnosing before you prescribe.
- It's about having options and exercising the will to explore them.
- It's about thinking win-win, BE-ing collaborative, and exercising the will to step away from an "opportunity" (and possibly suggesting someone else) if doing business is not in the other person's best interests.
- It's about trust.
- It's about integrity.
- Period.
Elephant is the breakfast of Sales Champions
Recently I posted the statement that "It's OK to throw out your plan, but you can't do it if you don't have one." Not too long after that I got a phone call from one of my clients (we'll call him Joe Schmuckatelly) who shared, "Hey, that just happened to me!" -- that is, he'd just made a call where he'd been forced to abandon his plan.
Turns out there was a little more to the story, which I learned when I placed a call to Joe's Sales Manager. Ownership of the account had recently changed hands and they were in the process of re-evaluating their suppliers. Joe had already made two visits to the account to gather information and had asked a lot of questions (which the customer had answered), but Joe was still confused about what was really going on. Were they ready to buy? He thought so, in fact they had recently placed an order; the challenge is that Joe didn't know why they had placed the order. During Joe's last visit, the customer shared some frustration about the questions and had asked Joe to provide a company and product presentation -- a third visit was scheduled so that Joe would have time to prepare.
Joe asked his Sales Manager to join him on this third call, so their first order of business was to conduct a pre-call plan. By moving through the Outcome Based Thinking process, Joe and his manager crafted a mutually-agreed upon plan with primary and secondary goals that were appropriate to the situation including the realization that if you aren't sure what's going on, you should probably be straight, point it out, and ask for help -- put the elephant on the table. Key strategy -- be straight: "I'm confused by blah. What does it mean?" They decided to put this issue on the table before going into the presentation.
Joe owned and therefore ran the meeting (though the sales manager noted that Joe made multiple attempts to hand it off to him). Joe started by stating that he had more questions. The prospect (a VP of purchasing) immediately gave an unhappy look and communicated his frustration in clear language -- he'd already answered a lot of questions so the situation should be clear; he felt that it was time for Joe to start answering his questions. Joe stated that he wasn't sure why they had placed the order, paused for just a second, and then he abandoned ship -- and launched into his presentation.
By the way, this is what the salesperson meant when he said that he'd had to throw out his plan.
At the end of the presentation, Joe's Manager did step in to help execute the plan, starting with something like, "I can appreciate that you aren't looking forward to additional questions from us, but Joe is still asking questions because I'm still asking questions. I'm confused. Here's what we're seeing... What does this mean?"
The Sales Manager said you could see it happening as plain as day. Shields were immediately lowered - because Joe's manager was straight and stated the issue in plain language. Clarification was provided ("we ordered everything from all of our BOM's to do a test of what's been ordered in the past" and "we're not ready to choose our vendors yet."). From there mutual agreements were made as to a clear path forward that made sense for both parties. Putting the elephant on the table yielded direct answers and prevented incorrect assumptions, in both directions.
The Sales Manager's observation was that all of this work could have been done (should have been done) in the First call instead of the Third call. What feedback do you think should he give to this salesperson?
This is a great exercise, so why not invest a few moments to write down your thoughts in your Sales Journal. If you don't have your Sales Journal with you, no problem, you can write on anything that's handy, even that napkin over there. And it doesn't have to be pretty, I won't even mind if you use duct-tape when you put your notes into your journal.
In summary, did they really throw out their plan? Nope, but they did adjust the timing of the execution (questions came after the presentation) and that's OK because the situation should drive the process. It's rare that events go according to plan, but the act of planning helps you prepare for the inevitable surprises.
The challenges weren't with the design of the plan, they were with the execution of the plan, specifically with Joe's timing, delivery, and style. Ultimately, both the primary and secondary goals were executed - with the Sales Manager's help - and Joe got a real-time example of what it means to throw the elephant on the table and eat it one bite at a time. Elephant is the Breakfast of Sales Champions. Period.
I counseled the Sales Manager to be sure to make this an explicit coaching topic during his next regular follow-up with the employee. By talking through the experience, the Sales Manager was able to identify 2 specific behaviors that could be added to Joe's weekly "scorecard" which Joe uses as a self-measuring tool (instant feedback on how he's doing in the moment) and which the sales manager uses as a weekly follow-up tool because follow-up is where coaching opportunities are created.
As a side benefit, the sales manager also learned the value of talking through an experience -- it's the next best thing to being there! And he also learned the value of having a coach -- the coach helps you switch back and forth between "the story" and "what's happening here and now". Do you have a coach?
Interested in learning more about how to build your own scorecard? Please feel free to drop me a line at cook.charlie.2009@gmail.com.
Turns out there was a little more to the story, which I learned when I placed a call to Joe's Sales Manager. Ownership of the account had recently changed hands and they were in the process of re-evaluating their suppliers. Joe had already made two visits to the account to gather information and had asked a lot of questions (which the customer had answered), but Joe was still confused about what was really going on. Were they ready to buy? He thought so, in fact they had recently placed an order; the challenge is that Joe didn't know why they had placed the order. During Joe's last visit, the customer shared some frustration about the questions and had asked Joe to provide a company and product presentation -- a third visit was scheduled so that Joe would have time to prepare.
Joe asked his Sales Manager to join him on this third call, so their first order of business was to conduct a pre-call plan. By moving through the Outcome Based Thinking process, Joe and his manager crafted a mutually-agreed upon plan with primary and secondary goals that were appropriate to the situation including the realization that if you aren't sure what's going on, you should probably be straight, point it out, and ask for help -- put the elephant on the table. Key strategy -- be straight: "I'm confused by blah. What does it mean?" They decided to put this issue on the table before going into the presentation.
Joe owned and therefore ran the meeting (though the sales manager noted that Joe made multiple attempts to hand it off to him). Joe started by stating that he had more questions. The prospect (a VP of purchasing) immediately gave an unhappy look and communicated his frustration in clear language -- he'd already answered a lot of questions so the situation should be clear; he felt that it was time for Joe to start answering his questions. Joe stated that he wasn't sure why they had placed the order, paused for just a second, and then he abandoned ship -- and launched into his presentation.
By the way, this is what the salesperson meant when he said that he'd had to throw out his plan.
At the end of the presentation, Joe's Manager did step in to help execute the plan, starting with something like, "I can appreciate that you aren't looking forward to additional questions from us, but Joe is still asking questions because I'm still asking questions. I'm confused. Here's what we're seeing... What does this mean?"
The Sales Manager said you could see it happening as plain as day. Shields were immediately lowered - because Joe's manager was straight and stated the issue in plain language. Clarification was provided ("we ordered everything from all of our BOM's to do a test of what's been ordered in the past" and "we're not ready to choose our vendors yet."). From there mutual agreements were made as to a clear path forward that made sense for both parties. Putting the elephant on the table yielded direct answers and prevented incorrect assumptions, in both directions.
The Sales Manager's observation was that all of this work could have been done (should have been done) in the First call instead of the Third call. What feedback do you think should he give to this salesperson?
This is a great exercise, so why not invest a few moments to write down your thoughts in your Sales Journal. If you don't have your Sales Journal with you, no problem, you can write on anything that's handy, even that napkin over there. And it doesn't have to be pretty, I won't even mind if you use duct-tape when you put your notes into your journal.
In summary, did they really throw out their plan? Nope, but they did adjust the timing of the execution (questions came after the presentation) and that's OK because the situation should drive the process. It's rare that events go according to plan, but the act of planning helps you prepare for the inevitable surprises.
The challenges weren't with the design of the plan, they were with the execution of the plan, specifically with Joe's timing, delivery, and style. Ultimately, both the primary and secondary goals were executed - with the Sales Manager's help - and Joe got a real-time example of what it means to throw the elephant on the table and eat it one bite at a time. Elephant is the Breakfast of Sales Champions. Period.
I counseled the Sales Manager to be sure to make this an explicit coaching topic during his next regular follow-up with the employee. By talking through the experience, the Sales Manager was able to identify 2 specific behaviors that could be added to Joe's weekly "scorecard" which Joe uses as a self-measuring tool (instant feedback on how he's doing in the moment) and which the sales manager uses as a weekly follow-up tool because follow-up is where coaching opportunities are created.
As a side benefit, the sales manager also learned the value of talking through an experience -- it's the next best thing to being there! And he also learned the value of having a coach -- the coach helps you switch back and forth between "the story" and "what's happening here and now". Do you have a coach?
Interested in learning more about how to build your own scorecard? Please feel free to drop me a line at cook.charlie.2009@gmail.com.
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