There is no ‘I’ in team, they say. ‘They’ are somewhat wrong. In sales, as in life, we are who we surround ourselves with. Have you ever noticed that people who spend time with each other on a regular basis have the same catch phrases and mannerisms? Of course you have. These are the tangibles, the similarities you can see and hear.
The same diction isn’t the problem, isn’t the intangibles that effect a person’s ability to succeed or not.
In seemingly insignificant ways, those we associate with on a regular basis rub off on us. They, in part, dictate our day to day operations and how we conduct ourselves on a both professional and personal level. Napoleon Hill discusses the concept of creating a Mastermind Alliance – a group of individuals who are smarter, stronger, more creative and more successful that you. Henry Ford wasn’t the brightest man in the world, but he surrounded himself with people who knew what he didn’t – and for that – became great.
We train our Sales Professionals to surround themselves with positive people. However, sometimes people in our organization forget that that same principle goes for them too.
By allowing negative people into your life, you are green lighting others to interfere with your ability to become as successful as you imagine.
There very much is an ‘I’ in team. YOU are responsible for your team, just as much as you are responsible for yourself. If you have a cancer-type person or group in your life, in order to strengthen your team you must eliminate them. By strengthening your team, you strengthen yourself. By strengthening yourself, you strengthen your team.
Without a solid team around you, you can expect mediocre results.
- BEAT CANCER.
- ELIMINATE BULLSHIT.
- DO YOUR BEST and stop using the word ‘try’ or ‘tried’.
- TAKE PRIDE IN EVERYTHING YOU DO OR DON’T DO IT.
There are plenty of I’s in MILLION$ and BILLION$.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Recent Developments.
This post is not going to be in the format of my normal posts, as it is more of an open letter than a sales training post.
In March of this year I started working full time with a company I'd worked with on and off for since 2005. Unfortunately, our competition has been posting some negative information on the internet about us in hopes that some of the employees we have, should their malicious attacks put us out of business, would go and work for them.
For those that have ever met or spent any time with me, I am certain you would agree that my only desire in life is to do my absolute best every single day in whatever I do. Although, like most, I made some mistakes when I was in High School - I have certainly matured and grown into a man that my family, friends and co-workers can be proud to know.
That said, I find it appalling and poor business practice to attempt to soil another businesses name or reputation. The vacation club world is a small world, most of the players in this business know each other, that sometimes makes for some heated conversations and emails. However, these class-less liars who are parading around the internet posing as unhappy customers have left me no choice but to break our legal team ordered silence and speak out on my "professional" blog.
I am offering a $5000 reward to any person who can find a REAL customer of mine that has had a problem that was not addressed and corrected.
I hope this post does one of two things;
1) Perhaps has the spam artists rethink their business strategy.
2) Helps current or future customers of mine realize how serious I am about creating a team of 'raving fans' and not 'satisfied customers'.
In March of this year I started working full time with a company I'd worked with on and off for since 2005. Unfortunately, our competition has been posting some negative information on the internet about us in hopes that some of the employees we have, should their malicious attacks put us out of business, would go and work for them.
For those that have ever met or spent any time with me, I am certain you would agree that my only desire in life is to do my absolute best every single day in whatever I do. Although, like most, I made some mistakes when I was in High School - I have certainly matured and grown into a man that my family, friends and co-workers can be proud to know.
That said, I find it appalling and poor business practice to attempt to soil another businesses name or reputation. The vacation club world is a small world, most of the players in this business know each other, that sometimes makes for some heated conversations and emails. However, these class-less liars who are parading around the internet posing as unhappy customers have left me no choice but to break our legal team ordered silence and speak out on my "professional" blog.
I am offering a $5000 reward to any person who can find a REAL customer of mine that has had a problem that was not addressed and corrected.
I hope this post does one of two things;
1) Perhaps has the spam artists rethink their business strategy.
2) Helps current or future customers of mine realize how serious I am about creating a team of 'raving fans' and not 'satisfied customers'.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Defined Roles.
Great leaders are considered great leaders because they were able to persuade other men and women to believe in their methods and follow them.
You don't become a great leader by doing everything yourself.
Great organizations are made by great people. Not at the top, but at the center of these great people is a man or woman to whom they all look to for guidance, advise, support and mentorship.
These leaders know how to delegate and know how to grow their team of key people.
****
Sales Professional know that THEY TOO are LEADERS.
To be great at sales, you must be great at defining who you are in your organization and what your role(s) is/are. Too often I witness sales people being asked to preform mundane and non PROFIT PRODUCING tasks.
Listen up!
Set some boundaries.
Define your role.
Preform that role better than anyone could ask of you.
Cash checks.
You'll be a better and wealthier person for doing one or two things incredibly, then for doing many things decently.
You don't become a great leader by doing everything yourself.
Great organizations are made by great people. Not at the top, but at the center of these great people is a man or woman to whom they all look to for guidance, advise, support and mentorship.
These leaders know how to delegate and know how to grow their team of key people.
****
Sales Professional know that THEY TOO are LEADERS.
To be great at sales, you must be great at defining who you are in your organization and what your role(s) is/are. Too often I witness sales people being asked to preform mundane and non PROFIT PRODUCING tasks.
Listen up!
Set some boundaries.
Define your role.
Preform that role better than anyone could ask of you.
Cash checks.
You'll be a better and wealthier person for doing one or two things incredibly, then for doing many things decently.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Mickey Mouse Doesn't Have A Bad Day.
Bang! Your plane lands at John Wayne airport and the children start to get excited again. 'Daddy! Are we here? Are we here?' You've just traveled miles by tres chere air. You are 20 Miles from Anaheim and the kids are ready to do Disney for the first time. The look on their faces when the plane lands is worth the $6,000 it cost your family of four to get there, right?
Thirty minutes getting bags, twenty finding the rental car shuttle and ninety minutes getting to the hotel and checking in - you are finally ready to 'do Disney' as the kids would say.
After all of this effort and money, with the ultra pure gleam of anticipation in your children's eyes; imagine that you got to Disney and Mickey Mouse was having a bad day? Mickey Mouse smells like cigarette smoke. Mickey Mouse is hung over. Mickey Mouse is fighting with his girlfriend. Forget all that, what if Mickey Mouse was just mellow. Simply, O-K. How would you feel after $6,000? How would your children feel?
What do your customers get when they call you? How do you make them feel? What personal problems of yours are visible while you are working? In order to be great at sales and customer service - which by the way, are the same thing; You must not have a bad day. That means leaving your personal problems in your car. You must be prepared to give the best version of who you are to every customer or prospect you meet.
Mickey Mouse doesn't have a bad day? Look how successful Disney is.
Business Owners, what are you customers being greeted with when they call or come in to your office?
Mickey Mouse or Grumpy the 5th Dwarf?
Tigger or Eeyore?
Thirty minutes getting bags, twenty finding the rental car shuttle and ninety minutes getting to the hotel and checking in - you are finally ready to 'do Disney' as the kids would say.
After all of this effort and money, with the ultra pure gleam of anticipation in your children's eyes; imagine that you got to Disney and Mickey Mouse was having a bad day? Mickey Mouse smells like cigarette smoke. Mickey Mouse is hung over. Mickey Mouse is fighting with his girlfriend. Forget all that, what if Mickey Mouse was just mellow. Simply, O-K. How would you feel after $6,000? How would your children feel?
What do your customers get when they call you? How do you make them feel? What personal problems of yours are visible while you are working? In order to be great at sales and customer service - which by the way, are the same thing; You must not have a bad day. That means leaving your personal problems in your car. You must be prepared to give the best version of who you are to every customer or prospect you meet.
Mickey Mouse doesn't have a bad day? Look how successful Disney is.
Business Owners, what are you customers being greeted with when they call or come in to your office?
Mickey Mouse or Grumpy the 5th Dwarf?
Tigger or Eeyore?
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Happy Customers = Happy Bank Accounts
(This is more of a rant than a post)
Ravings Fans. If you haven't read that book, you need to to. If you have read it, start practicing the principles outlined more closely. In this world of tweets, texts and diggs it is easy for one person to make or break a company or person's reputation. With that in mind, it would seem so logical to have fair, just and equitable business practices wouldn't it?
The premise of Raving Fans is that satisfied customers are no longer good enough; in order to be a leader in your industry you must create 'raving fans' - a team of people who not like, but love you, your company and how they are taken care of. Imagine, you create one new over joyed customer a week and in five years you have 250+ people who every time someone mentions your product or service, they give your name. If you're lucky, they'll tell a story of how great you were as well.
In the interest of a quick buck, I've dealt with two people in the last 7 days who were more interested in my money today, than much more of my money over the next 5, 10 or 20 years. What these two people have created is the exact opposite of a raving fan. They have created a tech-savvy, intelligent and well connected foe. Instead of the awesome referral sender companies get when they please me, these two companies have created a naysayer. Someone who will go out of their way to tell others not to do business with them.
How does the Raving Fans principle translate into your success? Happy customers translates into a happy bank account.
As a true Maple Leafs fan, I'd rather cheer for the Montreal Canadians then the two people this article is about.
(Please do not discount the credibility of this information over a professional sporting team choice.)
Ravings Fans. If you haven't read that book, you need to to. If you have read it, start practicing the principles outlined more closely. In this world of tweets, texts and diggs it is easy for one person to make or break a company or person's reputation. With that in mind, it would seem so logical to have fair, just and equitable business practices wouldn't it?
The premise of Raving Fans is that satisfied customers are no longer good enough; in order to be a leader in your industry you must create 'raving fans' - a team of people who not like, but love you, your company and how they are taken care of. Imagine, you create one new over joyed customer a week and in five years you have 250+ people who every time someone mentions your product or service, they give your name. If you're lucky, they'll tell a story of how great you were as well.
In the interest of a quick buck, I've dealt with two people in the last 7 days who were more interested in my money today, than much more of my money over the next 5, 10 or 20 years. What these two people have created is the exact opposite of a raving fan. They have created a tech-savvy, intelligent and well connected foe. Instead of the awesome referral sender companies get when they please me, these two companies have created a naysayer. Someone who will go out of their way to tell others not to do business with them.
How does the Raving Fans principle translate into your success? Happy customers translates into a happy bank account.
As a true Maple Leafs fan, I'd rather cheer for the Montreal Canadians then the two people this article is about.
(Please do not discount the credibility of this information over a professional sporting team choice.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)