Interpersonal Business

Vol. XXIV

Dear Managers,

Preparing for a new year brings a sense of anticipation; a time to reflect on the past year and to prepare to build the fortunes of a new year. What can I do today to prepare to meet these future objectives, while maintaining a close eye on our current expectations? Let’s start by examining what is going well, and what is not.

ARE WE EVER SATISFIED?

Probably not. A manager’s daily emphasis must often be on those areas that are just not working. They become nagging anxieties, like a headache that won’t go away. Difficult issues require added focus and attention. They have a tendency to become magnified by the fact that they never completely pass; with every solution comes a new area of concern ready to take its place.

On balance, these areas of concern are a small fraction of the whole picture. Most areas are working very well. Similar to a medic who deals with life and death each day, our perspective can easily become skewed by constant problem solving. As a result, the many successful areas neither command our attention nor prompt our sense of satisfaction.

DOCUMENT YOUR SATISFACTION

It is essential to begin by bringing greater focus to those aspects of your life and business that deserve your full satisfaction. Develop a comprehensive list of those areas that you feel good about. Essentially, this is a list of all your non-financial business and personal assets. It is time to search for your nagging fulfillments rather than your nagging anxieties! This process will only serve to enhance, replicate and renew itself with proper focus and attention.

Your list should include:

• Areas that have exceeded your expectations for the year
• Individuals who have established increased value to your organization, making
your job easier and more effective
• Steps you have taken that have proven to be successful to your organization
• Personal victories that at one time seemed insurmountable
• Clear benefits you enjoy due to the success of your organization
• Even the smallest of pleasures from both a business and personal perspective

I guarantee that as you develop your document, those areas that may have loomed very large have now been knocked down to a much more realistic perspective. Having spent months in the throws of a very difficult time, the potential exists to retain your sense of anxiety and concern well after the problems are solved. You may awake one morning to realize the crisis has passed … only you didn’t take the time to notice!

Be sure to keep this document for reference in the future. It is all too easy to lose a balanced perspective and overlook the many areas that are working well.

NOW CAN WE LOOK AHEAD?

With the satisfaction document close at hand (Glued to your forehead! Pinned to your shirt!), begin to establish your objectives for the year.

• Define the areas that will best prepare your organization for the opportunities a
new year holds.
• Define and evaluate areas that have not lived up to your expectations.
• Separate the minnows from the whales; know your impact priorities.
• Project your priorities six months in advance – what preparation is required?
• Finalize your agenda and plan of action for the new year.
• Begin to establish your areas of focus for the short and long term with your
staff members.

Now that the two documents are complete, be sure to compare the results. I have no doubt that your bottom line looks pretty good. Sit back and enjoy the many assets of your organization and what you, and those with whom you are associated, enjoyed and accomplished.

SYNCHRONIZE YOUR RESOURCES

Prior to the end of the year it is essential that your entire staff be on the same page. They, too, have the responsibility as professionals to define their individual objectives and strategies for the new year. Establish your expectations for their participation in the planning process. Is it time to redefine the job descriptions of your staff based on their individual strengths and potential?

Review each member’s major and minor roles within your organization. I often find there is a desire to assume a greater responsibility for their roles when I share my confidence in their individual and professional skills. By nature, many underestimate their own potential or don’t want to step on another’s toes. Explain that steel tipped shoes may be required in your organization!

Obviously, the most qualified individuals to establish goals and objectives for your sales regions are the sales associates servicing those regions. While the overall company objectives will need to be established in your office and shared with your associates, it is only their expertise, knowledge and commitment that will allow these goals to be implemented and achieved.

In preparation for the new year, all parties should make the effort to write down the specifics of their individual goals. Schedule a meeting with each associate and ask that they come prepared with their objectives clearly defined. You may find instances where some goals are too lofty, or your perception of a territory’s potential has been overestimated, but a common ground can be found.

All parties gain a much greater insight for having participated in the process. Professionals expect and deserve to be a part of the process that establishes their goals for the year. No one wants to simply be told what their region must produce.

HO, HO . . . HUM!

Outside of the holidays and all they entail, has the month of December become a productivity wasteland? I have found that it completely breaks the rhythm nurtured over the previous months, and can take up to three months to re-establish. We all enjoy the holiday season, but is there a way to make this month a bit more rewarding professionally, retaining our focus and rhythm? With this concern in mind, I implemented two ideas.

Several years ago I began a December Promotion program which offers special incentives to our customers. The key to the program is that customers must see their representative and place orders during the month of December to receive the benefits of the promotion. Creating a sense of urgency (now) and the reality of a missed opportunity (don’t you dare), can be a very productive tool in gaining your customers’ attention at an undeniably hectic time of the year.

In addition to our December Promotion, I decided a year ago to change our company’s calendar year for forecasting purposes. Rather than starting our forecasted year on January 1, it begins December 1. By doing so, I believe it brings greater energy to a difficult month, and a heightened emphasis to starting the calendar portion of our year on the right foot. The objective is to insure that everyone is at full speed by January 1.

Not only did this maintain a better rhythm for the group, I found it to be much more efficient to prepare the forecasts a month earlier, as it preceded the clerical crunch inherent with a new year.

HOW YOU START…

The time to finalize your plans is well in advance. Use the excitement and anticipation – that back-to-school feeling – to maintain rhythm in your current year. It will allow you to begin your new year at full stride.

… IS HOW YOU WILL FINISH.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2008. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Vol. XXIII

Dear Manager,

The demands on management’s time can be voracious and unrelenting. What was once our priority must now be delegated to maintain balance and perspective toward the ever-changing needs of our organization. To say the least, this is very difficult. Have you ever completed a day and, in review, been unable to determine if an event occurred on that day or a previous day? As your organization continues to grow, so do the demands and expectations on your time. Everyone seems to want you. Are you effective in disciplining your time for those areas and individuals that can provide the greatest benefit to the organization as a whole?

From a personal perspective, I believe that on a daily basis this is management’s greatest challenge. My expectation to maintain a personal and intimate relationship with all aspects of my business is no longer realistic. What was once my ability to work closely with customers, manufacturers and sales associates must frequently be delegated to qualified assistants.

Certainly, I could make the effort to accomplish it all, and have, but in doing so the quality of my efforts and personal satisfaction diminish, and the greatest asset to my organization, its planning, takes a sabbatical. This chain of events occurs at some point for all managers. A lack of professional purpose and personal satisfaction can best describe this feeling. Conversations seem to become surface in nature, my creative juices dry up; what brought fulfillment in the past is now redundant.

For the manager, fighting these periodic cycles (and we all have them) signals a prime time for reevaluation. If we are unwilling to step back and redefine our personal and organizational objectives, we are destined to continue to accept our current set of circumstances.

In your estimation, have you made time available to focus on the aspects of your business life that can truly make an impact? I have found myself for periods of weeks and months in what can only be described as a “low impact” cycle. I worked as hard as in the past, the company wheels continued to spin and, upon reflection, my greatest achievement was that all disasters were avoided.

Ask yourself: Are any of these low impact cycles fulfilling? Are these periods meeting your long-term organizational needs? Because of a very demanding schedule, have you accepted a cruise control attitude towards your organization’s future? Have you instigated plans and procedures to accommodate all foreseen and potential circumstances? Are you willing to allow your business to simply take its own course?

This is not to suggest that within all organizations there is not daily planning, often low impact in nature, taking place. This month’s Interpersonal is dedicated to the “high impact” responsibilities for a strong business. The high impact aspects of business receive the least amount of our attention, yet without question hold our greatest opportunity. We must develop the resources that will insure our company’s future, energize those around us, sustain our fulfillment, and maintain our personal satisfaction.

As a business owner or manager, beyond all the individual needs and responsibilities of our associates and employees, what is the single priority for yourself and these individuals? There is only one: the continued profitability of your company. If our companies are no longer viable and profitable in the marketplace, all of the peripheral concerns become meaningless. Similarly, I have always stated my absolute and sincere desire for our manufacturers’ profitability, for in the absence of their profitability, my position no longer exists! If we are unwilling to commit the time to those resources that will insure our own financial health, our organization’s collective future is in jeopardy. Find and develop these resources; create a Circle of Influence.

A CIRCLE OF PEERS

Whether you are the company’s owner or manager, I believe all of us have peers to whom we truly listen; people with whom we have a primary relationship. When we are involved in conversations with these people, their words ring true. They have a much deeper understanding of our daily lives and offer an objective, non-emotional viewpoint of our current direction. High impact management is a product of strong primary relationships.

There are two very distinct qualities in a primary relationship. These individuals have earned our highest regard for their opinions and approach to their profession. Their words and examples challenge us; their thought process is fundamentally sound and their judgment and integrity consistent with our own.

The second quality these individuals provide is the courage to be honest. Their objective opinions can address a very specific, immediate topic or offer a general assessment of our current direction. These individuals have the rare quality to almost feel our pain, and to enjoy our success as if it were their own. And yet, their greatest influence is in their ability and willingness to tell us when we are off track, and we listen. As we mature in our career, these are the individuals within our industry who will assist in illuminating our path. These are the peers who should make up our Circle of Influence.

THE PERSONAL CIRCLE

There are individuals who, from a personal health and financial perspective, can often individually or collectively impact your life and business at an even higher level than yourself! Unlike a circle of peers, your personal circle includes professionals outside your specific industry for whose time and guidance you most likely pay. Building and maintaining an ongoing relationship with your personal lawyer, accountant, banker, clergy or physician can hold keys to your ultimate success. Depending on your position within your organization, it is not uncommon for many of your personal/professional relationships to impact your company as well.

You will note I used the word “personal” to describe each of these professionals. Have you personally chosen these advisors? It is more common than we are willing to admit that these relationships are not chosen, but are developed purely by chance. NOW is the time to analyze your existing primary relationships. Are these the individuals whose advice you would trust? On a daily basis, are these the individuals who are capable of assisting you in making the very best possible decisions for you personally and for your organization? Unfortunately, it is human nature to make use of their services only in times of need or personal crisis.

We all know individuals who have suffered the effects of bad advice. In times of crisis your options are reduced, yet decisions must be made. I would be willing to guess that most of us decide to proceed with what is familiar, hoping that what is familiar is good enough! Establishing confidence in your circle is essential.

SCHEDULE TIME TO MEET WITH AT LEAST
ONE MEMBER OF YOUR CIRCLE ON A WEEKLY BASIS

Now that we have discussed both the personal and professional influence in your circle, take the next step by writing down their names on a piece of paper. With your current list complete, resolve to make it a priority to meet with these individuals on a consistent basis. Outside of your family, are there relationships more important than these?

Your Circle of Influence will reward you, strengthen you and, when given the chance, lead you. There is so much opportunity for the low impact aspects of our lives. Resolve to give equal billing to the high impact and influential aspects. What greater priority can we bring to ourselves individually, or to our company, than to surround ourselves with a group of personal and professional advisors who will strengthen the whole? There is never enough time to meet all of the expectations in our day. Now could be the time to change our priorities, making time for the obvious impact that only these types of advisors can provide.

So much of our lives seem to be left up to fate (and often default!). There is huge benefit in maximizing the strengths of this group towards one single purpose: our future. One of the greatest values in these relationships is inspiration. We can all become so involved in our life and business that a new perspective will be both enlightening and refreshing. These individuals should challenge you and, by doing so, will bring you personal satisfaction for having made an impact on your personal and professional lives.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2008. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Vol. XXII

Dear Manager,

Dedication and patience are essential to early success. I have often asked a new associate to put up blinders for the first 120 days. During this critical time, negative influences from internal and external sources can distract, disturb and derail the initial enthusiasm and confidence in one’s objective. While it is human nature to form opinions, how can anyone effectively evaluate a new career after two weeks or even two months? One hundred twenty days of absolute dedication is a minimal investment in the grand scope of one’s career.

Can anyone develop the foundation, experience and knowledge required for a quality decision without this initial commitment? It cannot be done. Those who allow the negatives to affect them need only look as far as their own attitude for proper evaluation of their initial success.

A commitment to the reality of this process is essential. Acceptance of the challenge and a positive outlook will ease the early frustrations. Initial effectiveness for a new sales associate will not begin for ninety to one hundred twenty days, and it is only in the second year that they can effectively and strategically compete with an experienced associate. Once again, it is human nature to not want to accept this reality.

There is a faster track to success that only a small percentage of sales people seem to embrace. As I have suggested, our personal attitude plays a major role in our ability to succeed.

There is a single quality that I have determined always makes the difference. I can best describe it as a quiet confidence; a knowing approach and attitude towards the task at hand. In two very simple words, it is the difference between IF and WHEN. The word IF implies a wait and see attitude and an acceptance of those factors that may be in control of their ability to succeed. The alternative is WHEN, and this style is very different. With every fiber of their spirit, a WHEN person believes they will find success. They understand the dynamics of their position and set their sights in a very clear direction: straight ahead. They are not burdened by IF, as they have too much to accomplish within their own objectives and abilities. They have refused to put themselves in a position that requires them to even consider IF. In essence, they have accepted full responsibility for their ultimate success.

WE WANT IT, AND WE WANT IT NOW!

Patience is also critical to success. We all want the feeling of confidence that we enjoyed with former achievements. This type of confidence can only be earned. It comes from the reality of weeks and months of experience. One must believe in this process. Unreasonable expectations, at any level, can only lead to frustration and disappointment. This is always at the expense of productive time in the field.

Those who influence one’s daily life must also be dedicated and supportive of their ultimate success. All too often, a negative spouse or family member can introduce the IFs, diminishing their opportunity for initial success. At the very least, these individuals should show confidence in their partner’s abilities and their decision to choose and pursue their given career.

While many factors can influence the success of a salesperson, the largest single factor is, by far, the quality, dedication and pure effort of the person themselves. A salesperson is, in most cases, on his or her own. We can all relate to the fact that some influences are outside our control. Yet in most cases, these factors impact less than 25% of our true ability to succeed. How often have you spoken with a sales person who has resigned themselves to the overstated impact of these outside influences? Have you wondered how many actual sales calls were made that day?

I often think of a sales call I made a number of years ago. Having arrived for my appointment a bit early, I had the opportunity to see another salesperson during his presentation. From my perspective he seemed hopelessly ill-prepared. His catalogs were disorganized (if even available), there was little focus to his presentation, and he had difficulty finding his pen.

Months later, I ran into this individual again. I can remember wondering how he could survive in what I believed to be a very challenging, competitive market place. The answer soon became very clear: he showed up. While I had often heard of “missing salespersons” that had not been seen in months, this individual was consistent and reliable.

There are always individuals who literally and figuratively never show up in life. Often, their focus is on the outside factors that have obvious control over their lives and their ability to succeed. In fact, they may be more than willing to spend your afternoon telling you, in detail, all about it.

What these individuals fail to realize is that there is an abundance for everyone, if you are willing to make the effort and show up. There is a fair share awaiting all of us, simply for the taking. If an individual makes the consistent effort, they will get their share. If an individual is organized, well prepared, creative and shows consistent effort, they will get their share and a large share from those who are not showing up! This is the only true secret to sales.

A well-seasoned sales person accepts the fact that there are going to be very good days and days that, shall we say, are much less than good days! Years ago, I can remember being excited, if not proud, about my well-scheduled day. As the day unfolded, my schedule unraveled. At each of my three morning appointments I was greeted by a very apologetic buyer and a cancellation. I have to admit that by noon I began looking over my shoulder, half expecting a piano to fall on me. The afternoon was as disappointing as the morning. It was only after I had completed a rather desperate search for a rest room and found its door permanently locked that I stood at the end of the hall and began to laugh. This is what all sales people must endure on occasion. It is, according to a famous scholar, part of the deal.

What was even more memorable about this particular day was that the very next day was one of my most successful at that point in my sales career. This, too, is part of the deal. Being at your best with the proper mental attitude requires an acceptance of the deal. Our attitudes can be affected in both a positive and negative manner based on the ebb and flow of the success in our days and weeks. The professional sales person is able to adjust this attitude to insure the most positive results, regardless of their most recent sales encounter. How often in sales is a much larger sale lost because we were not in our most productive and receptive frame of mind?

Intangible aspects play a much larger role than the tangibles we most often rely on in evaluating performance. As managers, getting back to the basics of teaching dedication, consistent effort and a genuine trust in the process can often have the largest impact on our organizations.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2008. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Vol. XXI

Dear Manager,

One of the most difficult aspects of management is objectively reviewing your sales regions. Without the luxury of day-to-day personal involvement in each territory you must rely on intuition, comparative sales analyses, and instinct. When is it time to reward a salesperson’s efforts by expanding their territory, and when has a territory matured to a level that it can no longer effectively be serviced by one associate?

These are emotionally charged issues for any organization. Only in very rare circumstances can you reduce a territory and continue to maintain an effective and productive relationship with the sales associate involved. Even less likely to occur is a scenario in which a sales associate will suggest to you that an additional associate be added to their region because they can no longer adequately service it alone.

I believe it is critical in the very early stages of your working relationships to establish fundamental expectations and responsibilities for your sales regions. The first fundamental is the assumption that all the manufacturers you represent anticipate, and have the right to expect, growth in your sales regions. All manufacturers develop their organizations with a single objective: growth. With the absence of growth, neither the manufacturer nor the sales force will survive.

The second fundamental is the assurance to all associates that as long as a territory continues to grow at a level consistent with the needs of your manufacturers and those of their peers, you would never consider a change or reduction in their territory. This is a very strong statement, and it should be. Why would an organization initiate change, risk valuable relationships, and send the signal to others that there is a penalty for strong performance?

Managers have the responsibility to meet not only the needs of individual territories, but also those of the whole. This third fundamental is the reality that allowing an individual territory to languish brings risk to those territories that have shown strong performance. How would an individual in a strong territory reflect on my performance as their manager if they were to lose a valued manufacturer because I failed to respond to the poor sales performance of another sales region? There are no limits to the number of other organizations more than willing to prove they could out-perform our organization.

Sooner or later, many territories will grow to the point where one individual can no longer effectively meet the needs of their customers and manufacturers. As much as we like to deny it, no matter how talented we are or how effective we are with our time, we must accept our human limitations. This in no way reflects on our ability; it is simply a reflection of our reality.

In 1980 I reached one of these moments of truth. While covering two states for a group of manufacturers, it became increasingly evident that I could no longer service my customers at a level consistent with their needs. There was simply not enough time, and I felt that I was always two to three weeks behind schedule. With my days “maxxed,” I was inclined to cut corners, serviced only the larger customers and forgot altogether about the option of new account development. Obviously, I couldn’t properly service the ones I had!

There are numerous options to assist your mature sales regions in continuing to grow and meet the needs of the organization. The key factor is to reward your associates a first, second and third (if necessary) opportunity to continue to grow their region. One of the first steps is to maximize the hours actually spent in customer presentations, as there are a very limited number of effective hours in front of our customers.

Suggest to your associates the option of hiring a part-time assistant to handle customer service, appointment scheduling, order follow up and problem solving. There are qualified individuals willing to work a few hours in an associate’s office, or out of their own home, in this capacity.

Not only can an assistant increase an associate’s productivity in the field, but also be a tremendous source of relief for a busy sales executive. Scheduling and problem solving are a very essential, yet time consuming aspect of a sales career. It is the time for account development and pure selling that truly impact our sales region’s ability to succeed.

Another approach to expanding the potential of a territory is by an individual, or group of associates combining their resources to hire a field sales assistant or service person. Many customers no longer require the hands-on, routine support provided by a sales professional. Why not use a well-informed sales or service assistant to establish consistent reorder cycles? A strong sales professional knows what their time is worth. With additional time in the field devoted to account development and selling (generating income!), a service assistant can effectively and efficiently meet a sales region’s needs for continued expansion.

It is critical to ask your associates to continue to meet the needs of their customers, manufacturers and the organization. No one enjoys the process of giving something up or taking something away; this should only be considered as a last resort. Give your associates options that will effectively meet your and their responsibilities. Expect them to step up to the challenge. If they choose not to, they must certainly be willing to accept the alternative.

The obvious time for management to make territorial adjustments is when a territory is vacant. At this time there are no emotional ties, or legitimate (or perceived) responsibilities to impact your decision. When a territory becomes vacant, it is your single opportunity to review its needs objectively. All options and innovations are now available to you.

Some questions to ask yourself may include:

• What are the current market conditions in this region?
• Was the previous associate adequately compensated for their performance?
• Is the current line presentation on an upward or downward curve?
• Will this territory effectively support more than one associate?
• Is there the option of adding additional opportunity to the region?

Look at the region based on the needs of today. The reasons behind a very good decision made years ago often no longer exist, while what may have been a very poor decision at the time continues to exist! What changes would you make if the slate were clean? This is a very valuable thought process, even though you may never have the opportunity to bring it to implementation.

Just as there are market conditions that warrant territory division, there are times that warrant existing territory expansion. Do each of your sales regions have the legitimate capacity to provide a reasonable income for their associates? If not, is this a direct reflection on the capacity of the sales region, or the capacity of the individual? Does the opportunity exist to both challenge and reward a sales individual’s efforts, strengthening their position into the future?

Formulate current and long-term objectives for each of your sales regions and discuss these plans with your associates. Establish an understanding of the region’s requirements prior to a time of concern when emotions are calm. Be creative. Offer options. Re-think your current territory divisions or line packages as market conditions change. Territory management and its many ensuing decisions “define” our organization and us, individually, as managers.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2008. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM