Interpersonal Business

Dear Manager,
As managers we have the distinct advantage and opportunity to enjoy an overview of the philosophies, attitudes and approaches to “doing business.” It is a fascinating slice of life and only we, as managers, have the luxury of a front row seat. We have a clear view of our customers, with the opportunity to compare their operations to those of their competition. We have a clear view of our sales associates, with the opportunity to compare their business to that of their peers. We have a clear view of our fellow managers, with the opportunity to compare their skill and approach to that of their counterparts in our industry.

In all instances, there is an elite group that stands alone when compared with others. Who are these individuals, and why? This is an enormous equation, one founded in some very basic fundamentals. What single quality and factor consistently stands out, setting these individuals apart?

In an interview with Lucille Ball I recently say, soon after she retired from television, she was referred to as an icon in American television, having set a new standard for comedy in television and in her profession over her thirty-five-year career. What allowed Lucy to appeal to the masses in the 50’s as well as in the 90’s? When asked by the interviewer what quality provided her staying power as compared to other performers of her time, she simply responded:

“IT WAS MY RELENTLESS ATTENTION TO DETAIL.”
So often in American business this very simple axiom has become lost. As managers, there is no longer the accountability to insure its singular priority. What was once a foundation for business success in their early years has, in many instances, been cast aside. Being relentless about any aspect in life or business requires tremendous discipline. There are so many factors that will take us off course. For attention to detail to succeed, it must be accepted as a way of life.

To avoid confusion, there is a difference between relentless and obsessive. An obsessive approach makes the assumption that we live in a perfect world; all its aspects should fit within our expectation of this perfection. A relentless approach understands the real world, and accepts the challenges required to maintain the highest standard that is individually possible.

A high standard of detail fulfillment creates a very strong foundation for many secondary fundamentals of success. It comes down to developing a high standard and insuring our very best effort. Often we learn this standard from working with others who have set a high standard for themselves. It is highly contagious once you fully understand the value of its application.

My introduction to this relentless approach to business was in my teens while working in my uncle’s grocery store. I can remember spending hours and hours sweeping, cleaning and organizing areas of the store, over and over again, whether (to me) they needed it or not. At times I felt I was being asked to maintain the store as if it were Disneyland! If tasks were not completed to my uncle’s satisfaction, he barked out a name on the intercom from his office overlooking the store and everyone’s heart dropped to the floor.

With time, I found pride in knowing I helped to create one of the cleanest and most appealing atmospheres for our customers and employees. It simply felt so much better to work in this environment. I saw the value in my uncle’s sense of detail, and accepted its many benefits as my own.

Attention to detail and the personal touch for business has apparently become a thing of the past. We see it in the (lack of) service at the local gas station to the prolific use of automated attendant phone systems. Certainly, a case can be make that times have changed. To accept the notion that “no one seems to notice, or “I just don’t have the time,” or “they didn’t call me back,” or my personal favorite, “it’s someone else’s job,” are simply a crutch, and only fuel an acceptance of this lesser standard as the norm.

It is for this reason that management and its staff must get back to doing the little things that have been lost in today’s business environment. Believe me, they will be noticed and even exalted by those with whom you do business. Now, more than at any other time in our business culture, you will set yourself apart from your peers and will be remembered as one of an elite group that stands alone.

HOW DO WE ESTABLISH THESE PRIORITES FOR OUR ORGANIZATIONS?
The process for managers begins with their own attention to detail. We set many examples as managers, defining our priorities through our actions rather than through our words. Whatever your priorities are for your organization, the example must start at the top. Define your objectives in detail to your staff. Initiate new systems and review their progress to insure that the standards have been met.

All too often, management can be distracted by the “big picture,” sending a signal of acceptance to its staff that the details are no longer important. The relentless aspect in our objectives must come into play. Keep a log of your priorities to insure they have, in fact, been completed, both personally and by your staff. It will not take long for everyone to understand that you absolutely expect to meet these priorities. You must maintain a single-minded, no compromise attitude towards your organization’s fundamentals.

Once an expectation is accepted as reality, it becomes a matter of routine. Those you work with will, with time, begin to understand your priorities and (at least on your time) accept them as their own. No one wants to be called “on the intercom” and if we, as managers, are indeed relentless with our own standards, they, too, will be required to participate. While the initial value may not be recognized, with time it will become clear. Just as it was for me, this is an acquired skill for all of us, and is contagious by nature! As I suggested earlier, once this strong attention to detail is understood, there are many other qualities that feed on its foundation. Consider just a few of its applications for your staff relating to:

• Delegation Fulfillment
• Organizational Skills
• Appointment Scheduling
• Product Knowledge & Presentations
• Problem Solving
• Customer Follow Up
• Timely Correspondence
• Customer Relations

These are just a few of the very real benefits of establishing a relentless attention to detail. It can seem very simple; it is not. And it is this very attitude that only further illustrates the magnitude of the problem. No one can deny its value, yet if it were simple it would be a very common and deliberate aspect of American Business!

On a scale of 0% to 100%, are you 20% effective or 80% effective? Are you willing to challenge the priorities of detail fulfillment for yourself and those of your organization to maintain its priority, and to insure its improvement?

Many years ago I was listening to a popular radio commentator whose name you may recognize: Earl Nightingale. He spoke of The Greatest Secret and its impact for business. He referenced his findings with near reverence, and how so many individuals had spent a lifetime in business, never having uncovered the essence of doing business.

What was The Greatest Secret? “To succeed in business we must master and be willing to do the little things that our competitors simply don’t like to do.”

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 and/or INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Dear Manager,
When we started in sales, we probably had a manager who pounded in the virtues and importance of new client development. With any luck we were given a virgin territory that would depend solely on our ability to cultivate new relationships. It’s a very tough way to earn a living, and a very rewarding and successful approach to learning how to sell.

How many clients have you, as an organization, lost in the past year? Statistics suggest that a minimum of 20% of our customers are lost in a given year for a variety of reasons. Without a dedicated effort and strategy toward new account development, sales regions will languish and stagnate. In a strong marketplace, or with a very strong product presentation, new customers will come knocking on your door. In the long term, unfortunately, these market conditions will change. All too often, however, these same sales regions will continue to base the development of new customers on their ability to find us.

We have all known and worked with those who thrive in the hunt and development of new customers. Within this group, we have also known individuals who could only open new accounts (affectionately termed can openers); just don’t ask them to provide consistent service once they’ve achieved their initial conquest.

With time, sales professionals overcome most of the anxieties associated with calling on new customers. And yet, it is this very critical aspect of sales that is least likely to be given the priority it so desperately deserves. Why isn’t more emphasis given to new account development by our sales associates? The answer is simpler than you might think. The development of new customers takes us out of our comfort zones and interrupts our routine.

I would like to take you back to my early years in sales, when I would personally come up with any excuse in the world to avoid the dreaded cold call. At this time, I believed to succeed I needed to perform, and that failure to succeed was a direct reflection on me, personally. The pressure continued to grow, the rationalizations continued to instill guilt, and only on the rarest of occasions would I find the confidence to step up to the challenge.

There was a saving grace: I was still able to open new customers. I did so by following up customer leads and working every angle to develop personal introductions. I was <strong>killer and confident if I could simply arrange a purpose for my initial introduction. I got by the best I could for a period of time; there was no question I would need to overcome my phobic attitudes towards the dreaded cold call.

As I thought it through, it became clear my fears were centered around my concerns of rejection. No one enjoys rejection, and I seemed to enjoy it even less! The key for me was to develop a positive approach that would motivate me to consistently meet an objective. I realized I must first put the rejection issue aside. I could do so by simply setting my objective of making ten brief introductions of myself each week. You will note I called them brief introductions rather than the dreaded “you-know-what.”

My sole objective was to introduce myself and leave some of my wonderful product catalogs; there were no further expectations of these initial calls. In leaving I would express interest in following up after they had looked through the catalogs. As long as I was willing to make the ten introductions each week, I could no longer fail. No one could reject my efforts because my sole objective was to have made the introduction, not make the sale.

I realize to a degree these are mind games, but what is there about sales that is not controlled by our minds? I have shared this concept with others over the years, and I honestly believe it has been very useful. If you establish your objective for a given number of new introductions each week, meet this objective, and then do the proper follow up, you will open new accounts! On many occasions I was floored when a brief introduction would turn into a sale before I could get out the door!

There is no greater high than the development of a meaningful new customer. In a recent interview I was conducting, the applicant looked me straight in the eye and said, “Ya know, . . . . . .i it’s addicting.” It makes me wonder, could there be a support program for the dreaded cold call?! We have all walked out of an appointment with a new customer, feeling success beyond our expectations. We have also realized how close we came to not making that initial call. What if it had not been made? How many others have been lost?

The best approach I have found to this subject is an attitude that each rejection is simply an initial response to a positive outcome still under consideration. Those individuals who are most successful in this arena are tenacious as hell. They never accept an initial negative response. If they believe their products are a match for the customer, it becomes only a matter of time; it’s a matter of when, rather than if.

These individuals accept that it can take from six to ten calls to meet their objective. They understand that with each follow up call their chances for success will increase by at least 10%, and as much as 100%! They have also accepted the fact that it is a pure numbers game. With each rejection, you are much closer to meeting your objective! Ultimately, successful new account development comes down to an individual’s acceptance of the process. Now that we have developed a comfort zone for prospecting, the second aspect is to develop a routine.

Going back to our first sales position, or any sales position that required us to pioneer a new region, survival was terrific motivation for establishing a routine for new account development. The alternative was sitting on our hands and starving to death. Of course we made cold calls, and with fairly uncertain product or (as we know now), the pioneering would not have been required!

It was painful. With luck, we could schedule two solid days of appointments a week, with the balance of our time spent knocking on doors . . . . .. ugly. We accepted this as the package we agreed to, and that this was what the position required of us. With acceptance comes routine. You no longer look at something as a burden once it has been accepted as routine.

As territories and individuals mature, it becomes increasingly difficult to do the things that got us here. Working with existing clients feels good. There may be a sense of responsibility to not over saturate the market and, with our schedules so full, there simply isn’t the time we once had. There is merit in these concerns, yet more often than not they are a crutch. Certainly there are areas of any region that cannot currently handle additional development. From my experience, for every area such as this, there are five areas that are currently underdeveloped for the savvy sales professional. Even in those areas with strong market penetration, are there not other portions of your presentations that could be better represented?

There is good news in the equation that 20% of your account base is lost each year. We now have one full day each week (20% of our time) to re-establish our sales regions to their previous year’s position. It all comes down to do you have the time to handle one more major account in your territory? If so, do you have the time to find it?

As managers we must ask our sales associates to dedicate, without fail, a minimum of one day per week to new account development. This could be represented in two hours each day, two half days, or by simply blocking out a full day each week. There may be times of the year when two days are available, while at other times the pace simply allows no time. Consider not only monthly objectives, but also sales incentives for those associates who understand the value and priority in this program. We all need to be accountable. There may be lots of conversation, yet the only thing that counts is the answer to: are there any new accounts being opened? There are many ways to consistently meet this objective or, as managers, it is time to provide assistance to the regions that cannot.

I have often thought of the option of hiring a full time “can opener” to assist our various territories in new account development. Once the customer was established, they could then be turned over to the existing associate. It’s an interesting concept, and not without conflict. I would be interested in your thoughts, or in the results if you have tried it.

There is no greater impact on a sales region than a new account being opened. I would trade five reorders for one new account. If each customer were looked upon as an income stream, then with each new customer you have created a new income source that will compensate you for years to come. Remember that high when you opened your first new account? Begin to live for that high; if not addictive, it can become habit forming.

Most service and retail industries are in the process of dramatic change and evolution. What will the role of the salesman be in the next ten to twenty years? Will the service function of a salesperson’s job continue to exist with the technology on the horizon? I am not suggesting the world will ever be without salespeople in their purest form. I will suggest that these market conditions require us to return to the days when sales associates lived and breathed for the potential of opening new accounts. If the day ever comes when someone is going to turn out the light, my bet is on the sales associate who opens the last new account.

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 and/or INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Dear Manager,
One of the single greatest factors in a salesperson’s ability to meet both personal and organizational objectives is the ability to consistently establish and maintain an effective schedule. There is truly an Art to scheduling. Management can often underestimate the need for training, individual analysis, and quantified performance in this area.

The highest impact on scheduling can be seen in weekly order production. How does one salesperson write only ten orders per week when another salesperson is never satisfied with less than twenty-five? Each may believe they have maximized their schedules, but have they? There are a series of practical concepts that, when embraced and developed, can bring substantial impact to sales.

NEVER LEAVE A MESSAGE
Have you ever had a discussion with a sales associate relating to a client’s potential and heard the associate say: “I’ve left three messages and they haven’t gotten back to me.” ? Of course they haven’t. Only on rare occasions is it as important to the potential (or current) customer to return the call, as it was to the salesperson to make the call. If your objective is to have a personal conversation with a client, you are least likely to succeed by leaving a message.

I guarantee that you will always be encouraged to leave a message. If you are persuaded to do so, your customer may or may not even get your message. If they do, they may or may not feel the need to respond. Chances are that even if they do respond you will be unavailable, or ill prepared, for the conversation you had envisioned. Compound these frustrations with the inner debate of how soon you should try again to leave a second or third message.

Begin by taking full responsibility for initiating your priority conversations. Since your intent is not to “hound” your customer, think twice before leaving your name and a message. Instead, you might say, “I’m going to be difficult to catch, what is Bob’s schedule?” or “When is the best time to catch him, I will try again.” This will serve your needs well. Should it take six more calls to reach the customer, you now have the option to do so. Without a name, your client cannot feel badgered by your calls, and you will be able to control your objective. As the old adage goes, “timing is everything in sales”, so make your own timing!

Of course, if you are returning a call from a client, you have been asked to call. If your customer is not available, you would be wise to leave your name. And, since they have asked you to call, you are free to try, try again!

THE BIG SIDE STEP
Now that you have achieved your initial objective of a personal conversation, you must deal with the excuses and delay tactics of your clients. I found early in my career that it seemed easier to schedule appointments on the road than those only a half mile from my office. My conclusion was that there was a sense of urgency to see me and fit into my schedule to avoid missing me all together. I began to reference to my local customers, “I’m scheduled to be in your area next week and don’t want to miss getting together with you.” This approach instills that sense of urgency, establishes the importance of your own schedule, and some uncertainty as to your ability to jump to their needs with little or no pre-planning.

For those customers who continue to stall your appointments, take every opportunity to use their statements and conversations to your current and future advantage. If they suggest, “Let’s get together next month”, immediately suggest, “That sounds great! My schedule for next month is filling up, so we should go ahead and schedule your appointment today.” Should you be asked to call back the following month, the best approach is, “In our last conversation you wished to get together this month. Will Wednesday work for you?” All too often, a salesperson’s conversation may be closer to, “I’m following up my last call. Did you still want to get together?”

Sales associates often feel obligated to meet only the needs of their customers’ schedules. This was also true for me for a number of years. I soon realized that if I was prepared for my conversations, I could convince my customers to fit into my schedule 75% of the time! By doing so, my personal productivity could be increased by nearly 30%. Instead of spending valuable hours in the car, I was now spending many more hours with my clients. Don’t be afraid to position and create an equal sense of value of your time in the eyes of your customers. If you have not done so, then why should they. . .

. . .TIGHTEN IT UP
There are salespeople who are very satisfied with a schedule that may include one or two appointments a day. Often, these are also the salespeople who can rationalize how incredibly busy their schedule has become. With limited preparation and planning, all of us can make one more call a day. Can you imagine the impact for an individual and an organization if this could be accomplished on a monthly basis? Sales objectives would no longer be required.

The first step in challenging this objective is developing a greater sense of urgency to the limited presentation hours in our day. If an appointment normally requires three hours, can it be accomplished effectively in two? While this may not always be the case, I would suggest that with purpose, more often than not it can be accomplished. Once this is accepted, it is now time to begin scheduling appointments based on this assumption. Generally, the salesperson comes better prepared to their appointments, knows the priorities of the meeting, and is much more focused on achieving these objectives in a timely manner. With this thought in mind, there are many instances where a two hour appointment with purpose can out perform a three hour appointment with limited direction.

Don’t be afraid to share with your 9:00 appointment that you also have an 11:00 appointment on that day. Once again, this instills a sense of importance and priority for your time and your schedule. Once this has been established, I have often been amazed by the sense of respect and the encouragement from my customers towards meeting my needs. It can be perceived that only the very best and “in demand” sales professional can be working on a tight schedule.

WE WILL NEED TO RESCHEDULE TODAY!
Creating the need to schedule your next appointment should be at the very top of a salesperson’s appointment objectives. This should be done with very subtle and direct references to product categories that will need to be reordered soon, upcoming promotions, or seasonal merchandise that needs to be ordered. These observations should be referenced throughout the agenda of your current appointment.

You may even wish to withhold presentation of a secondary product category in your current meeting in anticipation of a more focused objective and greater
reward for your next meeting. By the end of your appointment, it should be abundantly clear for the need to reschedule. NEVER leave an appointment prior to scheduling your next appointment. Now that I have suggested never, what if 70% of your schedule was finalized weeks and months in advance!

DIALING FOR DOLLARS!
As salespeople, we have all devoted days on the phone to filling our schedule. We’re trying to catch that elusive “fish” (I mean buyer) in the proper frame of mind, to schedule some time. In most cases, fishing is a hobby not a career. By incorporating some of these very practical skills into your own approach, the need for phone time can be realistically cut in half. And, truth be told, even the most seasoned, professional fisherman would rather catch than fish!

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 and/or INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Dear Manager,
As managers, I think we always hope to have a grip on reality and at least one foot firmly planted. We all feel the responsibilities of our profession, and fully hope that we are perceived in a light consistent with the needs of those we work with. At times, I have wondered if how I am perceived is, in fact, consistent with my own perception. A story was related to me a few years ago, referencing that all relationships have four very basic quadrants, similar to the four panes of a window. The first windowpane represents how we see ourselves. The second reflects how we want to be seen. The third reflects how we believe others see us. The fourth is how we are actually seen by those around us. This very interesting thought process is worth more than an occasional review.

SEEING OURSELVES
In 1980 I convinced myself I was not capable of becoming a manager. On two occasions I had given my best effort to establish an organization of more than one. Twice I had been thrilled to fulfill my goal of hiring an individual for a sales region. In each case, the individual lasted less than a week. I was devastated. I can remember hearing of others “who just couldn’t hire people.” Could I be plagued with a similar malady?

In my mid 20’s, and with a fair amount of anxiety, I was looking for an individual with the ability to assist in the development of one of my sales regions. I enjoyed field sales, but had reached the proverbial wall in my ability to sustain needed increases and properly service my accounts. There seemed to be two options: hire someone (oh god), or leave the only profession I knew (oh my god!). The self- imposed pressures seemed overwhelming.

After a third desperate try, I perceived myself as someone with no future in management. To bring transition to my career, I developed a new mail order company. I hired a family friend to assist me as an employee for the new business, while doing the best that I could individually as a manufacturers representative.

Within a few weeks, my employee pointed out that I obviously needed someone to assist me in the field (just what I wanted to hear). His confidence convinced me to give it another try. With anticipation, we began the process once again. With an incredible sense of relief, we found success (thank God). Within two years, the mail order business was closed, and the sales agency had grown to include six associates.

I have had many years to reflect on this time in my life, and have realized that I learned a huge lesson in this process. Our self-perception is as real as real can get. When taken to the next level, our conclusions can easily preclude, limit, and even eliminate our ability to learn and mature in our given field. I could not accept my inability to succeed; yet in my mind I could no longer risk another failure.

We have all been thrust into situations that through our maturity and experience, we are not emotionally prepared to successfully accomplish. Is this a flaw in our personality that cannot be resolved? From my experience, I now accept that a current shortcoming is simply a difficult lesson that has no bearing on a future ability to find success in a similar situation.

HOW ARE YOU SEEN?
Are your staff’s perceptions important to you… and your organization …or should it be? Do you compromise your own standards in an effort to please? At times, have you tried too hard to sell or justify your position? As a manager, have you become more resistant to the opinions and perceptions of others? Have you simply taken the dogmatic approach to the decision making process? I would suggest that over the lifetime of a management career, all of the above have impacted us.

Tough decisions and their corresponding perception are part of the package in management. Can those around us fully comprehend all of the dynamics in our decision making process? Are others ever aware of the day-to-day demands that impact these decisions? Will we be able to please everyone with the types of difficult decisions that need to be made in managing an organization? The answer, unfortunately, is no. Showing flexibility, knowledge of all aspects and circumstances, and a willingness to come to a decisive conclusion is critical. Over time, how we are perceived by these decisions becomes reality for those individuals involved.

With the fast pace of business in the ‘90’s, there will never be the opportunity to share ones perspective in the hour-by-hour decisions required in running a sales organization. By nature, a clear decision making process instills confidence, and will give those associated with us a sense of stability. Confidence and consistency should be considered your greatest ally. It will speak for you in times when there is no opportunity or need to fully explain.

CLARIFYING ANOTHERS “VISION”
Leading by example is a highly underrated form of management. There can be a perception that management has all the flexibility, while everyone else puts in their hours. This is true to a degree, yet management has the ultimate responsibility for the broad-based livelihood of the organization. Although flexibility is essential for management to be successful, what staff members of an organization may relate to is the hands-on, elbow-to-elbow aspects of the relationship.

When there is a tough or “dirty” job that needs to be done, jump in and do it. There is no stronger example than your willingness to get your hands dirty. Occasionally, take on an “unglamorous” project. Assume responsibility for the worst job. How can anyone second-guess your commitment if you are willing to do what ever it takes to achieve your mutual goal? Never ask someone else to do something that you would not ask of yourself.

I am not suggesting that we forego the need to delegate responsibility as the needs of an organization grow and evolve. I am suggesting that we set an example showing we are never above the very real day-to-day needs of our organization. We learned to accomplish these tasks in the beginning, and we have never forgotten how.

YOUR “VISION” OF OTHERS
THERE IS ALWAYS MORE TO THE STORY! Over the years, I have received phone calls from frustrated customers or manufacturers regarding their perception of an individual associate. The caller, of course, would like immediate resolution of the issue at hand. How often have you gotten off the phone, having just had a conversation that reflected on another individual that, from your own perspective, simply did not make sense? In effect, you are being asked to make a decision or support another point of view based on one frame of reference – theirs.

In such situations you owe it to yourself and the parties involved to step back long enough to confirm or deny your own instincts of what reality truly is. Do not hesitate to end the conversation forming no opinion until you have had the opportunity to discuss the circumstances with all parties.

While this concept may seem obvious, in the fast pace of management it is very easy to form an opinion or jump to conclusions with only limited and or inaccurate information. I have personally found from experience, if it simply doesn’t make sense, in all cases, there is more to the story.

WHAT IS REAL?
In this life, at least, we will never know with certainty how we are actually perceived by those around us. There are indications, but often from those who either wish to tell us what we want to hear, or who are close enough to our reality that they may have lost some of their own objectivity. As managers, we must encourage, consider, and often make changes based on the input of others. The continued success and relevancy of our management style depends on it. As individuals, today’s greatest weakness can indeed become tomorrow’s greatest strength.

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 and/or INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM