Sales and Sales Management Blog

January 12, 2012

Are You Too Fat and Happy to be Successful?

Filed under: attitude,career development,motivation,sales,selling,small business — Paul McCord @ 10:24 am
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It may surprise you to learn that I speak to a number of sellers and sales leaders every month who although they mouth the right words, their actions say they’re fat and happy and way too contented to become successful.

What I hear most often in today’s economy, of course, is the complaint of not enough business, no one is buying, the competition is cutting prices to the bare bone or some other form of the statement that business is tough and in order to be successful you have to be sharp, aggressive and willing to put in long, tough hours.

But that’s not the only message I’m hearing.  A few times a month I’ll hear how a seller or company is doing just fine, that although business is down from before the recession, they feel they are doing better than most and they’re still making money.  From others I’ll hear that although their income is down and a new home or new car isn’t in the cards, they’re still doing OK, meaning they’re quite  evcomfortable.

I’m always curious when I hear a seller or a company express comfort and/or satisfaction with their situation when, at the same time, they’re admitting that sales are down, income or profits aren’t where they were, and they don’t expect to see a significant change in the next year or even two.

Really?

Comfortable?

Satisfied?

No sense of loss or itching desire to get back where they were?

Inevitably I find that they either have reached the peak where they have no desire to exert the energy to move beyond or they have accepted the recession as the new norm and believe that their current level of success is all they can expect in this new reality.

Seldom do I get this response from the top sellers and the top companies.  Most often this attitude is expressed by average and even below average sellers and companies, ones that were probably looking for the path of least resistance even prior to the economic downturn.

My experience from years of working with and speaking with thousands of top sellers and top companies is they are never satisfied.  And when they find themselves moving backwards—even if the cause is something out of their hands such as a major economic downturn—they fight even harder to get back to where they were and then beyond.

Once you have reached a point where you’re fat and happy, you’ve peaked; you’ve reached a point where you will not—you cannot—become more successful.

Success demands discontent with where one is at.  It requires a level of dissatisfaction and discomfort.  For top sellers and companies success is an ever elusive goal that can never be reached—and it isn’t quelled and extinguished by an outside force such as a recession.  In fact, those outside forces that seek to kill their desire to succeed only fuel their fire.

Have you reached a point where you’re comfortable and can relax knowing you’re successful?  I hope not, for if you have, you’ve probably reached your peak, and if you have, where can you go from there other than back down?

November 18, 2011

Sometimes Unconventional is Better than Being “Good”

Filed under: attitude,management,sales,Sales Process,selling — Paul McCord @ 2:58 pm
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Ugly. 

Won’t ever make it. 

Worst I’ve ever seen. 

Pathetic. 

He makes a mockery of football as a game of skill. 

You can’t play the game like that.

I suspect every NFL fan recognizes those as recent statements by various football commentators and pundits about Tim Tebow.  All of these men have a certain vision of what an NFL quarterback should be.  For them there is a set of skills that anyone who wants to be a successful quarterback must have.  There are also accepted offenses that can be successful in the NFL and by extension there are others that are doomed to failure if tried.

Football for these folks is a predictable sport—right skills with the right offense mean success and anyone who deviates will inevitably fail.

These guys recognize that Tebow doesn’t fit their predetermined concept of what an NFL quarterback should—must—be.

But the rookie quarterback has something that doesn’t fit into their nice, neat, predictable formula—he has a knack and a drive to win.

He is a winner—one who finds a way to make the football world bow to his talents and more importantly, his will.  Despite all the predictions of failure, he wins.

Certainly Tebow isn’t the only individual who seems to be able to will success.  There are many in every field—including sales.

Unfortunately many times these natural winners end up losing.  Not because they can’t win but because their coaches and managers try to force them to conform to what they believe a quarterback—or salesperson—should be. 

They try to force them to work with a process or system that the individual’s skills can’t support.  They try to make the individual win pretty according to the industry accepted definition of pretty, and thus destroy the individual’s ability to be successful. 

I’ve seen many sellers who had an unconventional sales style (unconventional, not unethical) fail because their manager forced them to work within a system that they were unsuited for.

Process and systemization is currently a hot topic within the sales field.  I’m a big advocate of process.  I have a disciplined, proven process for almost everything I do.  I think most of us need to work within a system that gives us order and as much control of the outcome as possible and every company should have a universal process for their sales team.

But I also recognize that there are some—a few—who are more comfortable and more suited working within their own unconventional, seemingly haphazard system.  Their sales style may be ugly.  It may not make a great deal of sense to the more conventional sales mind.  It may break all the “rules” of selling.

So what?

If it is ethical and the seller is meeting the needs of the prospect without shortchanging or cheating his company, what difference does it make?

Why managers can’t recognize a winner when they see one—as it appears the football commentary world can’t recognize an unconventional winner when they see one—is beyond me. 

Why must we try to force everyone into the same  box just because it works for the majority?

Is it a misguided need to treat everyone the same?  Well, folks, not everyone are the same.

Is it a need for the manager to be in control? 

Is it a trust issue that if the person is successful outside the “rules” he or she must be doing something unethical?

Is it just laziness since it’s easier to treat everyone the same instead of dealing with individuals?

To date, Tebow’s coaches are giving him enough freedom—at least at the end of the game–to be himself and do what he knows how to do—win.  Time will tell if he can continue to will wins from a weak team. 

Hopefully those managers who have a Tebow on their team will learn the lesson Denver is learning—not everyone is conventional.  Not everyone needs to be.

October 18, 2010

THAT GUY, Part 1: Don’t Be THAT GUY

Filed under: career development,sales,Sales Failure,selling,small business — Paul McCord @ 2:03 pm
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No one wants to be THAT guy—the guy who is a failure, who can’t pay the rent, who just can’t get it together (ladies, be nice, I’m using guy as an absolutely sex neutral pronoun).  But we all want to be THAT guy—the one who is extremely successful, who has his life together, who everyone envies and wants to emulate.  

What separates THAT guy who is a failure from THAT guy who is a star?

When we boil it down it comes to actions and attitudes.  The problem is there are so many more actions and attitudes that lead to failure than lead to success.  Frankly that’s the reason it is so easy to fail and so hard to succeed.  The path to success is steep and narrow while the path to failure is wide and easily traversed. 

So, what are the actions and attitudes that that sales failure guy has?  Here are a few of the more prevalent actions that that failure guy engages in.  I hope you don’t see yourself in any of these:

1.  That guy loves to hang around the water cooler shooting the breeze with other salespeople.  Once they’ve discussed last night’s ballgame or hot date they don’t miss a chance to bitch and moan about the crappy products and services they have to sell, how lucky that big producer is who just seems to always be in the right place at the right time, how bad management is screwing them, and how they’ll never be able to make their unrealistic quotas in this economy.  That guy knows all the good gossip and all the office’s problems.   

2.  That guy also realizes that he can’t possibly make prospecting calls until he is fully prepared and that means he has to make his own collateral material since the marketing department has no idea what they’re doing.  He can’t use the junk marketing provides so he must spend his time creating a number of fliers and leave behinds just in case he does talk to someone interested in a product or service.  You’ll find that guy at his desk everyday getting ready to make the calls that he never makes.

3.  Many times that guy knows far more than anyone else in the company.  He certainly knows more than his manager and folks in the training department.  But he also knows more than anyone in marketing and certainly more than those dopes in the executive suite.  With only a few days in the industry, much less with the company, he has already figured out what’s wrong with the way the company is managed and with the way the company tries to sell.  In fact, that guy knows so much he won’t be with the company long enough to learn just how little he does know.

4.  Sometimes that guy is an absolute committed professional who will not compromise his professionalism–and everyone knows professionals don’t: cold call, walk into offices cold, send out unsolicited emails, try to talk someone into a conversation they might not want to have, intrude on someone, or ask an uncomfortable question like asking them make a definitive yes/no decision.  That guy can only deal with prospects that come to him since everyone knows that’s what professionals do.  Then he goes and stands with all of the other professionals at the unemployment line.

5.  Often you’ll find that that guy knows exactly how good he is and he doesn’t mind telling anyone who will listen—and he’ll make sure you listen.  He’ll let you know that he is going to be the biggest thing the company has ever seen.  He’ll tell you straight out how many people he knows who’ll buy, what incredible contacts he has, how good a closer he is, and how he has the skills and talent to blow the hell out of all the company’s sales records.  Unfortunately for him and the company he never actually does anything.  In Texas we’d call him ‘all hat; no cattle,’ that is, he talks the talk but doesn’t even begin to walk the walk.  By all means, don’t be that guy.

6.  A very close cousin to that guy above is that guy who makes everything about him.  All of his talk is about what he has done, what he is doing, and what he is going to do.  Sounds a lot like the guy above, huh?  Well he is—but he carries this ‘me’ attitude with him when he gets in front of a prospect.  Consultative selling?  Solution selling?  Meeting the prospects wants and needs?  None of these are important to that guy.  The only thing important is meeting his own wants and needs.  The conversation with a prospect is all about him—how this sale will make him number one in the company for the month; how he sells more of this particular product than anyone else in the company; how he can get the prospect an unheard of discount because he is the top salesperson in the company; how lucky the prospect is to be dealing with him instead of someone else.

7.  Sometimes that guy is an old school guy, using the high pressure, strong-arm tactics of the 60’s and 70’s.  That guy is not only still around, but you can easily find him breaking arms and bashing heads in some traditional high pressure industries such as auto sales, MLM companies, and some others.  Fortunately these industries are rapidly changing and have fewer and fewer old school, high pressure salespeople; but they’re still there and you’ll find them in almost every industry.  That guy’s a dying breed—as you’ll be if you’re that guy.

8.  There was a time when it was cute that every kid who played a sport or participated in any event was treated like a winner.  Everybody got a trophy for doing no more than showing up.  No one kept score because they all deserved to win and no one wanted to crush the kid’s delicate self-image.  Well, it isn’t so funny anymore.  Those kids are now adults and guess what?  That guy wants a big salary and lots of benefits for just showing up.  That guy thinks life owes him the rewards not because he earned them but because he and his parents bought into the Woody Allen nonsense that “80% of life is showing up.”  If you’re that guy you better change your thinking quickly or start looking for a new job.

9.  Are you that guy who thinks he’s Capital Ahab, passing by all the small fish while single mindedly hunting for Moby Dick?  That whale hunter guy is usually a short-timer.  That guy can’t be bothered with average sales.  They’re just a waste of time for after all, all he needs is to land one whale and that will be worth dozens of small sales.  While he’s out starving trying to land that elusive whale, his fellow sellers are making a good living brining in the fish that are all around.  Whale hunters have tall tales to tell when they succeed—but most are telling their tales in the unemployment line.

10.  We all know that guy who is a plastic mannequin of a salesperson—the one with all the right “stuff”—the gold watch, expensive car, high dollar clothes.  He hangs out at the right upscale bar after work.  He’s that guy who has all of the signs of success—but none of the actual success.  He works one or two extra jobs and lives in an apartment with no furniture in order to be able to afford the appearance of success.  He works harder to look like a success than if he actually worked to be a success.  Don’t be that guy who so desperately needs to be seen as successful that he’ll spend all of his time putting on the airs and never has time to actually become successful.

11.  That guy can also be an office hermit—so afraid of rejection that he spends all of his time in the office doing busy work and never getting out into the light of day.  That guy is a hard worker, no doubt.  He is in the office early and often leaves late.  He is forever compiling lists, creating collateral material, helping customer service, shipping, finance, the clerical staff and anyone else he can think of.  In fact, he is ready, willing, and able to anything that will keep him from having to leave the office.  That guy would make an ideal office staffer and might even work well in inside sales, but he is a complete disaster in outside sales. 

12.  That guy also comes in the form of an old-time gunslinger; shooting from the hip.  The problem is he isn’t Doc Holliday but is instead Don Knotts’ shakiest gun in the west.   He doesn’t have time to learn anything about the products or services he sells, no time to learn anything about selling, persuasion, or presenting.  Nope.  His game is to go out and wing it figuring if he talks fast enough and makes up enough crap as he goes along he’ll talk ‘em into buying.  Sales gunslingers end up in boot hill pretty quickly in today’s marketplace.

13.  That guy can also be the king of discounts, giving away the store to every prospect he comes across.  Have an objection?  He counters with a discount.  The product not right?  He gives a discount.  Thinking about a competitor’s product?  Discount.  Don’t like the color?  Discount.  Have the hiccups?  Discount.  To that guy the word margin simply means white space around the edges of his brochure where he can write the newest discounted price he is offering you.  In a tough market lots of sellers try to be that guy—don’t because they don’t last long.

14.  Finally that guy is sometimes an eternal optimist, hanging on to every “prospect”—and everyone is a prospect.  He’ll invest time and effort calling and visiting, he’ll do proposals until the cows come home, and he’ll give them all the specs and all the quotes they ask for—no matter how poor a prospect they may be; no matter how unable to afford his product or service they are; no matter how direct they have been in letting him know they’ll never buy from his company.  That guy just won’t cut the dead weight out of his database.  He won’t recognize the tremendous amount of wasted time and energy he puts into non-prospects.

Do you recognize yourself in any of the guys above?  I hope you don’t but probably 30% or more of all sellers fit in one or more of the above categories.  If  you are in one of the above descriptions, you’re flirting with sales failure for these are the behaviors that lead directly to failing miserably in sales. 

Don’t be that guy.

But hang on because in part 2 we’ll take a look at that guy you do want to be.

August 19, 2010

On Being an Optimistic Realist

Filed under: attitude,motivation,success — Paul McCord @ 11:02 am
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Pessimists.  I don’t understand them.  My wife is a pessimist.  At times she drives me crazy.  I get calls and emails from far too many sellers and sales leaders who are pessimists.  I don’t understand why they persist in selling, a vocation that will drive an optimist nuts, much a pessimist. 

I’m an optimist—an unadulterated, unapologetic optimist.  But I’m also a realist.   

That realism part sometimes comes across as pessimism to some.  As I was speaking to a sales leader of a mid-size wholesale company last week, I pointed out that his sales team was failing to take advantage of one of their company’s primary strengths and even though they were on target to chalk up a nice increase in year over year, they were leaving far too much money on the table..

Instead of trying to figure out how his team could take advantage of a significant competitive strength, my sales manager friend became defensive.  He accused me of discounting the achievement he and his team had made. There was no way he said, that he would let my “negative” point of view poison his team members.

I’ve run across many a seller who either accepted personal responsibility for everything that happened to them or refused to accept any responsibility for anything negative that happened in their life.  One group’s attitude is, “I must have complete control of my life.  If I don’t close the sale it must have been my fault; that way I can correct it and guarantee it won’t happen again.” 

The other group’s attitude is, “I’m a winner and if I lose it’s because something out of my control prevented me from winning.  If it weren’t for that, I’d have closed the sale.”

I believe both of these attitudes are attempts to maintain optimism.  I also believe they are unhealthy and detrimental to success.

In fact, I’ve had more than one seller tell me that what I call reality, they call pessimism.  If I point out a potential danger or issue that a client must look out for, to some I’m being pessimistic.  If I include a warning that a particular strategy or tactic might not be appropriate for all or in a given situation, to some I’m being pessimistic.  If I reprimand, to some I’m being pessimistic.  If I point out failure, I may as well have just shot them.

In other words, for some sellers and sales leaders, those of us who don’t wear rose colored glasses or live in la la land are pessimists, bringing them down, stifling their enthusiasm.  There is no room in their life for anything that isn’t upbeat and “positive,” including reality.

Of course, the opposite is also true.  True pessimists have little or no room in their life for reality either.  For them, if it isn’t doom and gloom, they want no part of it.  They simply aren’t happy unless miserable.  If I point out opportunity, they counter with the obstacles to achieving success.  If I give encouragement, they complain about yesterday’s rejection.  If I suggest a new strategy, they point out the failure of their last strategy.

For one group there is no such thing as failure; for the other, nothing but failure.  For one group, hope is the strategy; for the other, there’s never hope.  For both groups, reality is the enemy.

In my world there are positives and negatives.  There is hope and expectation—based on preparation and training.  There is success and failure.

I expect good things to happen, but take proper precautions to deal with the possibility that the results won’t be everything I hope for.

I acknowledge and learn from my failures (yes, there is such a thing as failure). 

I rejoice in and learn from my successes.

I recognize danger—and opportunity.

I control what I can—and acknowledge what I can’t.

I know my limits—and reach beyond them—and willingly and knowingly accept the risk.

Unfortunately, I know of some managers and trainers who wear rose colored glasses; who refuse to acknowledge to themselves or others that reality exits; who are doing a terrible disservice to the sellers they train, coach, and mentor by intentionally or unintentionally teaching them that optimism is a denial of anything negative or not “positive.”

These rose colored glasses optimists tend to be poor to average producers—but always “on the verge” of a big month.  They just need a little more time.  They always have a prospect who is about to make the giant purchase.  Their big deal is always just around the corner.

They aren’t very teachable (after all, there are no problems to be overcome).  They aren’t well prepared (they’re already prepared, everything’s great). Many don’t work very hard (don’t worry, I got everything under control).

Although I’m sure this perverted view of optimism has been with humans since time immemorial, I do wonder if the “there is no such thing as failure, “everyone’s a winner and gets a trophy,” and “I’m OK, you’re OK” attitude of the past three or four decades has infected more than in past generations?

Although you might not be able to eliminate this perversion from your existing sales staff that has it, I’d certainly advise any sales leader to actively seek to avoid hiring salespeople in the future who have a perverted sense of optimism.  It may seem gung-ho during the interview, but it won’t produce the results you want in the end.

March 14, 2010

Has Your Joy Been Drained?

Filed under: attitude,sales,selling — Paul McCord @ 7:12 pm
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Two years isn’t a very long time.  On the other hand, the last two years have been a very, very long time.  I know of few companies, big or small, or sellers that haven’t struggled over the last months.  I’ve also noticed that a lot of us have become preoccupied with coming through this recession in one piece; some have even become sullen and fearful.  I know a great many, me included, have become so focused on our business struggles and taking care of the opportunities that arise that we’ve lost sight of why we do what we do.

I can’t speak for others but I don’t do what I do simply for the money or because it’s what I know to do.  I do what I do because I enjoy working with sellers and sales leaders, seeing them grow, seeing their businesses change, helping them increase their skills and changing their behaviors.  I do it because I enjoy the change I see in them as they grow.  I enjoy the positive impact I can have on them.  I enjoy the opportunities I have to learn more about sales, management, human nature, marketing, and business, and to grow. 

For the past months—heck, not months, it’s been two years since business started to dry up and eighteen months since business really crashed, so I guess I shouldn’t be talking about months but rather years—I’ve done nothing but focus and worry about work—where my next contract would come from; will I have to lower my rates; do I need to expand the areas that I specialize in; what else can I do to market; what new markets can I work into;, and a million other concerns.   Talking to prospects, talking to other trainers and consultants, writing, developing training programs, experimenting with new social media, and a whir of other things consume my attention while working 16, 18, 20 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Lots of work. 

A great deal of worry.

In the past, my dogs, Mr. B.J. and Ms. Chloe, have taught me a bit about selling.  Recently they’ve taught me about what I, and many of the men and women I work with, have forgotten—why I do what I do.  

Let me explain.

Whenever I go outside and leave the dogs inside, whether for two minutes, two hours, or two days, when I re-enter B.J. and Chloe are thrilled to see me.  They jump up and down, B.J. sits up, Chloe jumps up on my leg until I get down on the floor where they greet me with kisses and whimpers. 

When we fix their dinner every evening they’re in the kitchen watching.  They sit quietly watching whichever one of us is making their dinner.  They know exactly the steps necessary to fix their food and once we get to the point of heating their dinner up in the microwave, they begin dancing around and playing with each other in anticipation. 

Each evening after dinner we take them for a walk.  As with everything else, we have a routine.  After I’ve eaten and move into the den they begin asking to go out.  B.J. asks by sitting up, begging, and Chloe asks by getting up in my lap and pawing my hand.  If this goes on for longer than they think it should, the begging and pawing becomes more insistent barks and whimpers.  When I begin to get off the couch they know what’s coming and the excitement really begins.  B.J. begins rolling on the floor and stretching.  Chloe jumps up on the chair and stands on her back legs, her little arms pawing the air as she works to keep her balance.  Once they get hooked to the leash they can barely contain themselves as they rush for the door.

Later comes treat time.  It starts with B.J. begging and barking.  He’ll sit up in a begging position and stay there for several minutes if he has to.  Once he has my attention I’ll tell him to “show me what you want.”  He and Chloe run to the laundry room where their treats are kept above the dryer.  Both dance and jump around until the treat is in their mouth.

What does any of this have to do with anything?

Well, for me, a lot.

Mr. B.J. and Ms. Chloe’s day is full of what I’ve lost over the past couple of years—joy. 

B.J. and Chloe find great joy in the smallest things.  Their life isn’t consumed with what’s going to happen tomorrow.  They don’t dwell on their problems and issues.  They live life for today and are thrilled with the simplicity of living such as going for a walk, getting a treat, or just having Debbie or I come home.

Life isn’t perfect for them.  They have their share of doggie problems.  They’re not happy all of the time.  They get on one another’s nerves on occasion; they don’t get all the treats they want; they don’t their way all of the time. But they don’t hold on to their problems and they bounce back quickly.  They spend far more time seeking the good things in their life than dwelling on their problems.

I’m sorry to say that hasn’t been me for many months; seemingly forever.  Worse, that hasn’t been a very large number of my associates, clients, prospects, and acquaintances. 

It took my dogs to remind me that the economy and a tough business environment aren’t the determiners of my joy in life.  I love what I do.  I love working with sellers and sales leaders.  My joy comes from what I do and from my family, friends, clients, prospects, and the great folks I work with, not from the accident of circumstances I find myself in.

If you’ve found like I did that the circumstances of the past couple of years have slowly drained the joy out of you, I encourage you to take a lesson from B.J. and Chloe—there’s more to life than tomorrow.  Love what you do and drain the joy out of everything.  As for me, I think I deserve a treat and a walk.

March 11, 2010

Guest Article: “Negativity–How to Overcome That Most Deadly Disease,” by Jonathan Farrington

Filed under: attitude,career development,success — Paul McCord @ 9:28 am
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Negativity – How To Overcome That Most Deadly Disease
by Jonathan Farrington

“Experience informs us that the first offence of weak minds is to recriminate”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Negative people typically suffer from what I call the three “C’s” and are usually found to be: Criticising, Condemning or Complaining.

Here are some tips to help you overcome negativity and to recognise it in others.

Develop and build your own understanding of what is really negative. Do remember that constructive criticism is not negative.

Check your conversation with others, are you being negative? – Check your thoughts and thinking process – remember that if you are thinking negatively the only person you will harm is yourself. Remove those thoughts as you would a faulty slide from a projector, discard them, you have the capacity to do that and your mind will respond if you are strong enough and willing enough to discard a negative thought.

Build a bullet proof screen around you, so that negative comments or behaviour from other people will penetrate. You can do this by instantly recognising negative criticism or conversation.

From time to time, check the company you are keeping. If you have been mixing in the wrong environment, talk to people who are positive. Go out and mix with people you know have positive, constructive ideas. Mix with people who are doing better than you.

If another person’s negativity does get through to you, say to yourself “Why did he or she say that”? You must remember that no positive person becomes so unfeeling that they can’t see life from another person’s point of view. It could happen that someone very close to you says something that can be construed as negative; it may be because they are worried, they are concerned or they have fear. By asking yourself “Why did he or she say that?” You will more than likely be able to understand and by reassurance, conversation and looking at the worry from a different point of view, turn the negative into a positive process.

Have your own negative repellent whenever anyone says anything really negative to you just say “fantastic” – no truly negative person enjoy hearing that word; they really run for cover!!

In Summary:

■  Remember, the negative is always stronger than the positive.

■  Never allow anyone to pollute your thinking

■  As a professional you must take care of your attitude

“The most evil, dangerous and cancerous complaint that humanity inflicts upon itself is to be negative”
Anon

Jonathan Farrington is a globally recognized business coach, mentor, author and sales strategist, who has guided hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals around the world towards optimum performance levels. He is Chairman of The Sales Corporation, CEO of Top Sales Associates and Senior Partner at The JF Consultancy based in London and Paris. Early in 2007, Jonathan formed Top Sales Associates (TSA) to promote the very best sales related solutions and products. TSA is now a subsidiary of The Sales Corporation, based in London and Paris.  Visit his website

March 18, 2009

Guest Article: “The Paradox of Expertise,” by Kevin Eikenberry

Filed under: attitude,career development,developing expert reputation,success — Paul McCord @ 7:28 am
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The Paradox of Expertise
by Kevin Eikenberry

Throughout life most people tend to look up to others who are experts in their fields — whether they are authors, speakers, leaders, athletes or some other expertise. In our minds and in our culture we value – and sometimes even revere – expertise.

For this reason it isn’t surprising that most everyone strives – consciously or unconsciously – to become an expert in some area(s) of life. When you want to be an expert in your work, you strive to learn the skills and tools that will make you more successful. You probably study and passionately practice a hobby or two or other related interests with the goal at least in some part to gain knowledge and expertise.

Reaching new levels of expertise does more than satisfy your sense of self competition. It helps you create better results, achieve more in less time and, when you share your expertise, help others achieve better results as well. Plus, beyond all of these things, your expertise can give you status, promotions and higher pay.

When you think about all those ideas (and many more), it’s not too surprising we want to become experts in our fields and areas of interest is it?

And yet this expertise can also get in your way . . . if you allow yourself to fall into a very seductive trap – the trap of arrival.

When you’re an expert and you’re in the know, it’s so easy to feel like you’ve “arrived” and once you believe you have arrived, you run two major risks:

You “know-it-all”. If you believe you know it all, you have very little incentive to continue searching. If you’re in list trap, you might not listen to people with less experience than you. You also may not be open to new ideas because of your confirmed expertise. Your habits and dedication to become an expert can create a false sense of confidence. Yet when you look at someone else’s situation you realize there’s always something about the topic that you don’t know. But in your field you may miss that fact – after all, if you do know it all, there really isn’t anything else to learn is there?

You’ve “seen-it-all”. Your expertise and experience definitely helps you greatly in diagnosing a situation and seeing patterns that others might not see. At the same time, because of your experience you may miss a subtle difference because you automatically match the situation up to the pattern “you’ve seen a hundred times before.” Your vast experience and exposure may actually blind you to what you really need to see. You must remain open to new possibilities to make your expertise of greatest possible benefit to yourself and others.

All of this proves the wisdom of the quotation from the great basketball coach John Wooden:

“It is what we learn after we know it all that matters.”

What you already know may keep you from seeing what is most important in a given situation.

That is the paradox of expertise.

You strive to gain valuable expertise and when you gain it you may fall prey to the problems that your expertise can cause.

When you approach every situation with the curiosity of a learner, you will avoid many of those problems and actually continue to grow your expert status at the same time!

Potential Pointer: As you strive to grow your expertise realize that it’s a journey not a destination. Remain open to learning new things and applying new techniques. When you match your ongoing openness and curiosity with your considerable expertise, you will avoid the paradox of expertise.

Kevin Eikenberry is a two-time best selling author, speaker, consultant, trainer, coach, leader, learner, husband and father (not necessarily in that order).  Kevin is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that has been helping organizations, teams and individuals reach their potential since 1993. Emphasizing the power of learning, Kevin’s specialties include leadership, teams and teamwork, organizational culture, facilitating change, training trainers and more.

January 19, 2009

Guest Article: “Identify and Overcome the Four Curses of Sales Success!” by Dave Anderson

Filed under: attitude,sales,selling,success — Paul McCord @ 3:21 pm
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Identify and Overcome the Four Curses of Sales Success!
By Dave Anderson

There are certainly more than four curses of success but these four are perhaps the most devastating. Up until this point you can claim to be unaware of these curses and plead ignorance as a reason for falling prey to one or more of them. But once you are aware of them any future deviation cannot be blamed on ignorance. Instead, you must consider your failure as a confession of stupidity!

1. Abandoning the basics.
Thinking you’ve outgrown the basics or that they somehow don’t apply to you anymore is a surefire way to turn your up times into a sudden descent.

2. Getting cocky.
Cockiness is one of the most reprehensible and alienating traits of successful people. You become cocky when you feel superior to those you work with and look down on them; when you gloat and brag about your success; when your pride blocks your growth and causes you to go into denial when someone suggests a way you could improve. When you’re ready to “write it down; build the manual and document the formula” people will secretly anticipate and cheer your fall. And normally, they won’t have to wait too long.

3. A diminished work ethic.
The Law of Laziness declares that, “As prosperity rises the work ethic diminishes.” Keep in mind that the price you must pay for continued success is never paid in full. It is a lifelong installment plan and once you default, your decline is not far behind.

4. Becoming selfish.
Successful people often catch the “Disease of Me” and start to think that the sales department should revolve around their own ego-driven universe. In their selfishness, they turn increasingly inward rather than stepping up and fulfilling the vital role of a sales leader, which is turn more outward and add more value to the people around you.

Three Tips to Overcome the Four Curses

1. Compete against yourself more than with others.
The truest measure of your success is not whether or not you’re better than everyone else, but if you are better than YOU used to be! You can be better than everyone else and still be WORSE than you used to be, which is no reason to beat your chest in pride!

Remember: Your objective is not to become successful and then let your pat on the back turn into a massage. Rather, your objective should be to strive to reach your maximum potential. As long as you continue to grow, you will never reach your maximum potential. It is an endless journey. But it’s the journey that keeps you moving; stretching; learning; hungry and humble.

2. Don’t financially overreact to the good times.
When you’re making good money, pay yourself first and save a few bucks. Don’t fall into the trap that tells you that you’ll never see another poor day. Overextending yourself during the good times can create an inner stress that distracts you and your fear of loss can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, sending you into a downward spiral.

3. Maintain an attitude of gratitude.
The secret of “never being satisfied” is to always be grateful for what you have while you strive for what you want. It is not an excuse to dismiss or disregard your current blessings. (Remember: the more you’re grateful for, the more you’ll have to be grateful for. But when you’re ungrateful for what you have, you’ll soon have even less to be grateful for.)

Peak performance author, columnist, trainer, speaker and radio show host for sales, management and leadership, Dave Anderson walks the talk as a leader. He has led some of the most successful retail automotive dealership in the country-the most recent dealer group he led had over $300,000,000 in annual sales-and now gives 150 presentations, workshops and speeches annually on sales and leadership development around the globe.  Dave is author of over 50 training programs on sales, management and leadership including the books, Selling Above The Crowd: 365 Strategies For Sales Excellence and No Nonsense Leadership: Real World Strategies To Maximize Personal & Corporate Potential.   He is president of Learn to Lead

December 26, 2008

Top 12 Sales Articles of the Year–October: “It Takes a Winner to Become a Champion,” by Billy Cox

Filed under: attitude,sales,selling — Paul McCord @ 6:22 am
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The October monthly winner at Top 10 Sales Articles was Billy Cox’s ”It Takes a Winner to Become a Champion,” originally published at Salesopedia.  Billy’s article is one of 12 monthly winners vying for Sales Article of the Year.

Top 10 Sales Articles selected the 10 best out of the thousands of articles published each week.  The weekly winners then went to head to head competition with each other, the best being named the Article of the Month.  Now, out of the over 500 articles nominated, the 12 monthly winners are now competing for Article of the Year honors.

Each day I’ll be posting one of the monthly winners.  Read them and then head over to Top 10 Sales Articles and vote for your favorite.  Better yet-go there now, read all 12 and cast your vote (for my article, of course).

It Takes a Winner to Become a Champion
by Billy Cox

We’ve all heard “Champions are not born; they are made.”  This is true for YOU were not born a champion; you were born to win.  You were born with the God given potential to be, do or have anything you want in your life.  Zig Ziglar, author, salesperson, and motivational speaker, says, “In order to be the winner you were born to be, you must plan to win and prepare to win. Then and only then, can you legitimately expect to win.”

Research now shows that the talent; or lack of natural talent we were born with is irrelevant to great success.  This means the same skills that make Tiger Woods great are what can make you a champion.

Numerous studies have concluded that nobody is great without practice, experience and hard work. The reality is Preparation is the foundation for any level of Achievement.  Michael Jordan, one of  the greatest players in National Basketball Association history, practiced intensively long after the team practices were over. Jerry Rice practiced so hard that other players would get sick just trying to keep up with him.

The planning and preparing to win strategy works the same for sales, sports, or any aspect of business.  However, if you want to win at sales, how do you practice it?  Elements of sales such as presenting, negotiating, evaluating, product knowledge, or modeling others’ success is directly practicable.

The challenge is… you can practice your performance, but practice alone doesn’t guarantee success. There are many people who work hard for years without achieving winning results.  So what’s missing?  What’s missing is feedback. Feedback means you analyze your performance and you have others analyze your performance. You also compare your results to others in your profession.

Most salespeople don’t seek feedback; they wait around and hope that it doesn’t happen.  Without feedback, you don’t know how good you are.  If you don’t know how good you are, how can you become better?

Once you receive feedback you start practicing on improving key areas that will improve performance.  Example:  Example: Shooting basketball free throws alone won’t work; however, shooting free throws with a specific goal of making 8 out of 10 by practicing the shots, observing the results and adjusting your shot, then doing it over and over again will improve this part of your game. The more focused practice, the better the performance.

Tiger Woods began honing his golf skills when he was 18 months old.  He became the youngest player ever to win a U.S. Amateur Championship at age 18 and he has never stopped trying to improve his game. He still devotes many hours a day to conditioning and focused practicing.

The final step is to prepare yourself mentally.  This means rehearsing your performance in your mind.  Your mind doesn’t know the difference between something you visualize and something you actually do in reality.  Zig Ziglar reviews and practices his speeches for several hours before each seminar, even though he may have given that particular speech a hundred times.  Much of this practice is mentally visualizing his performance and his audiences’ response.  This gives him an edge that helps him consistently deliver a championship performance.

When I began my sales career I was young, inexperienced, and flat broke.  I quickly realized that if I wanted to compete with the top producers and earn the big bucks I had to improve my selling skills.  So, I set specific targets and I focused on improving my sales techniques.  Failure was not an option.  I practiced my presentation and close over and over and over again.  I painfully listened to myself on audios and watched myself on videos, I studied the techniques of the very best in the field of sales. I visualized the results I desired.  Then I applied those skills in real life and in front of real prospects.  I subsequently analyzed my results and then I made slight adjustments.  I repeated this process until I achieved the highest sales honors in my field.  I employ this same approach today in all areas of my personal and professional life.  My ultimate goal is to continually improve my game.

No, winning is not easy…. If winning were easy everybody would do it. This leads us to the biggest question about winning.  If we can mold ourselves into a champion, then why don’t more people achieve winning results?  Most people don’t win because hard work, commitment, discipline and focused practice is not easy. Why?  Because it’s the smallest of improvements, those you can’t even see, that separate superstars from average performers.

Most people constantly look for a magic bullet that will lead to their success.  When people fail they refuse to look in the mirror. They want to blame outside circumstances instead of looking inward. They don’t want to admit that they could have succeeded if they would have just worked a little harder and a little smarter.

So, as we enter the final quarter with high hopes, great expectancy and a burning desire to succeed, take time to identify specific areas of your life and business you want to improve, set definitive targets, and take massive action.  Then get feedback on what works and what doesn’t.  Make slight adjustments to your game and repeat the process.

I’ll leave you with this thought.  Successful people practice while others play, but those who practice today get to play the game they love at the highest level tomorrow, while those who play today will sit on the sidelines tomorrow only wishing they could be the champion they were intended to become.

The good news …Winning isn’t just reserved for the few; it’s available to everyone. Why?  Because you were born to win!  As Zig would say, to be the champion you want to be, you’ve gotta plan to win and you’ve gotta prepare to win. Then and only then, can you legitimately expect to win.

Sending you a little competitive edge!

December 22, 2008

Top 12 Sales Articles of the Year–June, “Set Your Goals, Change Your Life & Celebrate!,” by Zig Ziglar

Filed under: attitude,goals,sales,selling,success — Paul McCord @ 5:54 am
Tags: , , ,

The June monthly winner at Top 10 Sales Articles was Zig Ziglar’s ”Set Your Goals, Change Your Life & Celebrate!,” originally published at Salesopedia.  Zig’s article is one of 12 monthly winners vying for Sales Article of the Year.

Top 10 Sales Articles selected the 10 best out of the thousands of articles published each week.  The weekly winners then went to head to head competition with each other, the best being named the Article of the Month.  Now, out of the over 500 articles nominated, the 12 monthly winners are now competing for Article of the Year honors.

Each day I’ll be posting one of the monthly winners.  Read them and then head over to Top 10 Sales Articles and vote for your favorite.  Better yet-go there now, read all 12 and cast your vote (for my article, of course).

Set Your Goals, Change Your Life & Celebrate!
Written by Zig Ziglar

Studies tell us that only 3% of people in the USA set goals, and they are among the wealthiest people in the nation! Worldwide the percentage is probably lower. Why so low? There are several reasons, but the one that concerns me the most is lack of know-how. When we ask people why they don’t set goals they often say, “I don’t know how.

“Isn’t that remarkable? We send children to school for 12 years in America before they graduate from high school. Many of them go on to trade schools, colleges and universities. We teach them many important disciplines including history, economics, literature, science, and so forth, but we miss one critically important skill: goal setting. We award them their degrees, pat them on their backs, and send them into the world full of wisdom, but ill-prepared, almost always, to design and pursue the lives they really want.

And all that’s required to change this deficiency is a single semester, even half a semester, devoted to teaching goal setting. It doesn’t seem likely that we’re going to change the American educational system any time soon, or the world’s educational system, but that’s not going to stop me from teaching you how to set goals.The letters and phone calls that I receive are social proof that our goal setting programs work. I know that goal setting will help you change your life for the better, it will help you get what you really want from life. And when you do, that’s reason for all of us to celebrate! Whether you’re already a goal setter, you used to set goals and quit, or you’ve never set goals, this lesson will help you build a better life.

Step 1. Dream! Let your imagination run wild while you fill up a blank sheet of paper with everything you want to be, do or have. Many adults have lost their ability to dream and that’s unfortunate. By dreaming you instill hope for your future, and with hope there’s possibility. So your assignment this week is to dream. During this next week devote at least two private sessions to dreaming. I want you to create a Dream List filled with ideas. Your list should include at least 25 dreams about what you want to be, do or have.

Step 2. After you complete your list, wait 24 to 48 hours and read each item on your list and answer the question: Why? If you can’t verbalize in one sentence why you want to be, do or have this dream, then it’s not a dream and it won’ become a goal. Cross it off your list.

Step 3: Ask the following five questions of every dream on the Dream List you created last week.

1. Is it really MY goal?

2. Is it morally right and fair to everyone concerned?

3. Is it consistent with my other goals?

4. Can I emotionally commit myself to finish this goal?

5. Can I “see” myself reaching this goal?

You must answer “yes” to all five questions for each goal, or cross that goal off your list.

Here are some points to ponder: Is it really MY goal or is it a goal someone else wants me to pursue? Is it the right thing to do? Will achieving this goal distract from achieving other goals? Goals are often difficult to achieve. Are you sure you can make the commitment to pursue this goal and see it through? If you can’t “see” yourself reaching this goal, you probably won’t.

Take time during this week to think about the questions above and answer them. Once you’re finished, your Dream List will probably be a bit shorter than when you started out. That’s okay because you’re now closer to identifying the goals that you really will pursue and can achieve.

Step 4: Ask the following seven questions of every dream that remains on your Dream List (or goals list).

Will reaching this goal . . .

1. make me happier?

2. make me healthier?

3. make me more prosperous?

4. win me more friends?

5. give me peace of mind?

6. make me more secure?

7. improve my relationships with others?

If you can’t answer “Yes” to at least one of these questions for each goal, eliminate that goal from your list. Be sure to consider your family when you answer these questions. And do not confuse pleasure with happiness!

Here we go with Step 5: After asking the questions posted in Step 4 you will have eliminated some of your goals. Actually, they were not goals, just thoughts or desires at this point, so you’re better off without them.

Separate your remaining list of goals into one of three categories: Short-range (one month or less to achieve this goal), Intermediate (one month to one year to achieve this goal), or Long-range (one year or more to achieve this goal).

This step will help you quickly determine whether or not you have a balanced perspective between what needs to be done now, versus your dreams for the future.

Remember: Some goals must be BIG to make you stretch and grow to your full potential. Some goals must be long-range to keep you on track and greatly reduce the possibility of short-range frustrations. Some goals must be small and daily to keep you disciplined. Some goals must be ongoing. Some goals (i.e., weight loss, sales success, education, etc.) may require analysis and consultation to determine where you are before you can set the goals. Most goals should be specific. A “nice home” is not as good as a “3,000 square-foot, Tudor- style home with four bedrooms, three full baths, and two living spaces.”

Here we go with the final step: After specifically identifying your goals, write them down! It is important that you have a written list of your specific goals. Then you will begin to do the daily, weekly action steps that will take you closer to achieving that goal. Be selective. You may not be able to work on all of your goals at one time! Don,t over do it. If you only have time to complete one or two goals for the remainder of this year, don’t apologize. Do a little bit more than you think you can, but do not overextend your time to the point that you don’t complete any of your goals. Do not get frustrated by the process! Work the system and it will work for you. I can fill a book with the number of letters that I receive about the effectiveness of this simple goal-setting program. Trust the system.

Once you have identified your goals and plotted the activities that you intend to do to fulfill your goals, pat yourself on the back! You have just spent more time planning your future than most of your friends, relatives or associates will ever invest! Good for you.

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