Interpersonal Business

Vol. XXXIX

Dear Manager,

The hiring of one’s staff is the most important aspect of management. It is as close as we get to a treasure hunt, with the gold just a single and fortuitous interview away. A quality staff is a very positive reflection of our business. Will we always hit pay dirt in the hiring process? No. I am convinced, however, that while market conditions play a significant role there are always strong candidates in pursuit of meaningful opportunity. The worst possible reaction to challenging times is to lower the standards established by current staff members.

The hiring process is not what it once was, yet the fundamentals have survived decades of economic and market transition. In a tight job market, the number of quality applicants can often be reduced; the opposite can also be true dependant on the job market. Does this mean we will settle or will we become single-minded in the process to ensure success? Is there an insurance policy available should we crash and burn?!

I can remember once being in the position of needing to hire two new associates simultaneously. After having spent many weeks in my hiring endeavors, I was prepared to offer positions to two outstanding applicants. It seemed so simple and so right when they accepted the positions. Equally as simply, a week later they both changed their minds!

One of the positions had been offered to an individual whose soon-to-be former employer offered her increased salary, flex hours, a bonus, and stock options if she were to reconsider. The second position was offered to a very successful industry veteran who realized that her heart just wasn’t in it anymore and it was “time to do something different.” Even though their commitments to me had been sincere (and their training completed) they had no choice but to reevaluate their situation. I accepted both decisions with a dose of understanding and an equal dose of disappointment.

Certainly there were second place finishers in the original interview process, and pressure was building to fill these positions. Will second best meet the long-term needs of the organization? Is second best simply an easy way out of a more difficult scenario? Is it better to have a vacant position or a long-term commitment to mediocrity?

With an even greater commitment to success I began the process in earnest … all over again. The second search created a new set of demands, as the normal grace period had passed (at least from my own perspective and sense of urgency). The challenge became my resolution to be patient, complete my original objective, and compete for the best.

TARGET THE INDIVIDUAL

First, define the qualities you are looking for in this individual. Begin with the review of similar qualities that you admire in other members of your staff. Write them down and begin to envision them in the individual you are attracting to your organization. Never, never compromise on these fundamentals.

Supply and demand dictate all business markets. Is what you are offering CURRENTLY competitive with market conditions? Is your salary and bonus package aggressive in finding only the best? If you offer commissioned positions, is your commission structure and selling package attractive as compared to similar companies in your industry? In other words, are you looking for a miracle?

WHAT IS THE MARKET OFFERING?

Are you accurately and effectively promoting the benefits, advantages “and virtues” of working with your organization? Be knowledgeable about the advantages you can provide as compared to competitors and the job market as a whole. We should never have to hard-sell a position with our company to anyone. Without question, we should be candid and objective about who and what our organization is and has to provide.

Pre-screen your prospective applicants. There is nothing worse than wasting your valuable time, let alone the time of a poorly qualified applicant. With just a few minutes on the phone, their attitudes and qualifications can be defined.

Have you checked out the best in the industry? Compile an on-going list of top applicants for current and future review. Speak with business associates, fellow staff members and customers to find out who is the best-of-the-best in the marketplace. In a casual conversation at a recent trade show I was given the name of an outstanding salesperson who had just put themselves on the job market (I hired her!). A more aggressive approach to your own research is imperative in all employment markets. In a strong employment market, individuals who understand their value will go shopping.

Have you considered hiring from within? There are surely individuals in your organization who have the proven capacity and abilities to reach for new heights. You never want to reward average performance with additional responsibility, yet the best you have should be considered for increased opportunities.

It has become apparent that the market has begun to provide very highly skilled individuals who wish to work on a part-time basis. These individuals are former full-time professionals who have begun to feel stagnant and are looking for a challenging position that meshes with their changing needs. Due to family and other considerations, flexibility in hours has now become their priority.

The question becomes, can you structure the position(s) to use this dynamic resource? The quality of work produced by highly motivated part-time employees can be simply outstanding. You might even find that these individuals succeed beyond their full-time counterparts. Their professional history dictates their drive and commitment. Why not consider two part-time positions for your next full-time opening?

Are you prepared to meet with an applicant a second or third time? I’m the first to admit that on occasion my gut has told me in less than five minutes that the perfect applicant is in clear view. Let’s face it, the interviewing process is little more than a dance. Expectations are uncertain, and the first interview provides an hour or so to share what you believe the other wants to hear. Only in a second interview can all parties begin to address their honest concerns and expectations.

The quickest route to failure in any new working relationship is in the lack of adequate, formalized training. I am consistently amazed by the number of sales people asked to fend for themselves with NO initial training. Our greatest opportunity for impact with a new individual is in the very first days and weeks of the relationship. A sizable portion of our investment must come on the front end. In addition to your own commitment, ask for the assistance of those who can enthusiastically teach others the fundamentals, details and essence of exactly how to be the best at what they do.

Let the treasure hunt begin. Yes, the current market has indeed changed. We all have the opportunity to compete for the best. Or, we can settle and rationalize that a very difficult job market has ravaged our business. As in all aspects of management, the choice becomes ours. I recently read a terrific quotation relating to management and this exact scenario. “In business the general rule is that people bet on the jockey, not on the horse.”

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2009. 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. XXXVIII

Dear Manager,

Management styles can take on many faces. What is the most effective approach for you? Certainly this can only be determined by each of us as individuals. Effective management has a foundation of strong values and consistency. We all build a platform, a basis from where to proceed. Having worked with many managers, there are some obvious qualities and axioms we can all sink our teeth into. As a manager, our single greatest hazard is to be considered irrelevant.

GIVE ME HONESTY, RESPECT AND DISCIPLINE

With these three qualities in their purest form, it doesn’t really matter what approach we take. Always a two-way street, these single qualities in consistent form will ensure success to all players, and in all areas of endeavor.

In a meeting with a new manufacturer once, I enjoyed the opportunity to see a truly nice guy win. This absolute gentleman was not only at great ease with himself, but with his objective for the day. With simplicity and significant class, he proceeded to endear himself to everyone in the room. By the end of the day, there wasn’t a single person in the room who didn’t wish he was their brother.

In his very personal way, he had captured the imagination, enthusiasm, and motivation of our group in a way I had rarely seen from an “outsider” in the past. His genuine style and clear expectations set the stage, and everyone finished the day with a feeling of benefit and a sense of high anticipation. This guy was a pro! He provided them with respect, honesty and the motivation to create the discipline. I have certainly seen the contrast, as have many of you!

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Individuals with a false sense of power and ego will look to surround themselves with a similar breed. While this may be an effective and fulfilling approach for some, I have found it to be rarely effective for a mature organization. In many instances, the individuals being managed will clearly have greater knowledge and a much higher level of experience and presence than the individual being asked to manage them. Confidence may be at conflict for managers who find themselves in this scenario. By contrast, what greater opportunity for a manager than to work with individuals who are more experienced and knowledgeable than themselves?!

I have also seen management relationships fail due to the lack of professional space. Individuals who fail to understand this critical balance are headed down a road of disappointment. We are not here to be everyone’s best friend. Professional space will promote the respect that is essential to any working relationship. Familiarity breeds misunderstanding and an opportunity to take unfair advantage. In the long term, it can create a perceived sense of favor available only to a select few.

SO, LET’S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD

We’ve all seen new managers who simply try too hard. Rather than listening and responding with their influence, these individuals find themselves selling their positions from the outset. All new relationships require time to develop, allowing all parties to grow into a level of comfort.

It’s only human nature for a small amount of suspicion to exist in the beginning. Understand this reality by allowing the relationship to develop and evolve on its own terms. Encourage the relationship to come to you. Allowing relationships to grow slowly will provide greater respect, understanding and confidence in one’s individual needs. Begin by looking at this development in terms of steps:

THE FIRST STEP begins with a relatively low profile. Nothing can be learned through your own voice. Asking questions and listening should represent 80% of your initial involvement. If you are looking to get up to speed, a sincere willingness to understand will be your greatest ally, and perceived with a high degree of respect by those seeking to assist in your transition. Respect and power are always earned over time and by example, they can never be effectively dictated.

Observation will be your second greatest tool. Ask to observe and participate in meetings or sales presentations. Once again, there should be no need to prove or justify your relevance at this time. This can be very difficult, and you must bite your tongue on occasion. You will see obvious opportunities that need to be addressed, but now is not the time – file them for future reference.

Proceed with the belief that there will be another, more appropriate opportunity. You will be surprised at how many of your concerns will simply evaporate for lack of future relevance. The ability to observe demands that we hold our initial comments to ourselves. The perception of being critical will only close you out.

In the absence of imminent collapse, show confidence in the status quo and stay completely out of the day-to-day decisions for the organization. How can you possibly establish policy in the very early stages? A lack of a global understanding of the organization puts you at a very decided disadvantage. I have seen individuals make this fatal mistake; they have consistently fallen flat on their face. Seem so obvious, and yet they will consistently fail again, now for the second time!

THE SECOND STEP begins with a healthy dose of encouragement. With your many observations in hand, you are now in a position to align yourself with those individuals in whom you have the greatest confidence. Build a support team to assist in finding a greater depth of knowledge and direction for the organization. Ask more probing questions. Now is your opportunity to ask if your earlier thoughts had been tried. Ask for assistance in your efforts to come up to speed. When asked, individuals will line up to support you.

Begin to provide suggestions from your own frame of reference. Explain real-life scenarios of similar circumstances from your past. This approach suggests a greater understanding of others’ dynamics, and is much less threatening. Similar to my previous example, always stay within your own style and personality.

Trying to be someone you are not will be apparent to those you are trying to manage. Remember, validation comes from within, not from those around you. This is the greatest risk in trying to be a personality type that lacks authenticity. It should be obvious, yet the most difficult things to learn are often the least complicated.

THE THIRD AND FINAL STEP is the reality that the honeymoon is over. After a period of weeks, those around you will feel the level of comfort and confidence you could have only wished for in the beginning. You will be looked to for direction; it’s time to prove yourself. With the knowledge, observations and experience you have secured, it’s time to move forward.

You are now in a position to take a very pro-active role in the direction of those around you. Never fail to ask direct questions prior to coming to a conclusion. Continue to seek the counsel and draw upon the experiences of those who have proven their value. A know-it-all only shows lack of respect for those around them.

Remember, a polished and refreshing style always commands attention. As suggested earlier in this article, good guys can, and do, finish first. There are individuals for whom we all enjoy rising to the occasion, fully supportive of their efforts. These are invariably the individuals who rise to the occasion in meeting and understanding our needs as well.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2009. 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. XXXVII

Dear Manager,

If we are to successfully address these types of issues, we must look for a fresh approach, one that is honest, confident and realistic. No one needs (or wants) to hear the same old shtick! A steady stream of “what ifs,” “could have beens,” “should bes,” “if only they hads,” and “I told them sos,” will often clutter and camouflage the issue at hand. Comments and observations such as these do not reflect the reality that our only hope is to react to the hand that we have drawn. We must deal with today’s reality: “It is or it isn’t, “We will or we won’t,” “We can or we can’t.” Simply put, “ it is what it is.” So, how will we respond?

As an organization, will we choose to rally behind the need, adjusting our focus and approach to continue to assist in improving the product? Or, will we immediately decide that the expectation is too great, and no further time or precious efforts should be wasted? These become the only real questions.

I have found a consistent reality in my twenty-plus years of business: if I am challenged by a certain area of my sales presentation and performance, then many of my counterparts are challenged, as well. Rarely do we stand alone in our struggles, let alone in our areas of success. The immediate goal then becomes to attain a level of performance exceeding that of our peers. With the emotion gone, the playing field is level and the objective becomes much more real and attainable. We know damn well that we’re just as good as they are … and better than most!

Once the challenge becomes crystal clear, the feelings of self-doubt and inertia are gone. We can almost see the finish line.

NOW WE JUST NEED A FEW TOOLS

It’s up to us, as managers, to provide something real that our staff can wrap their collective arms around and implement in the field. Inspiration and renewed focus will take us toward the finish line, yet only a collective strategy will ensure our victory.

1. Begin with your strengths. Each area of challenge holds specific and significant aspects of strength. Are we taking full advantage of these areas? Now is the time to focus and expand upon these strengths within our current account base. Is it time for larger departments to be established? Promote expansion of your strongest departments, suggest better placement and heightened visibility of their most successful categories.

Now, can these same strengths be applied to customers who are not currently participating? Focus on the positives! Use the information you have attained to promote equal success with others. In each case, take a position by leading your customers to the success you know they will have.

2. A customer’s perception becomes “their” reality. Old perceptions die hard, and rarely without our active influence. Become a student and authority of the specific product category. Get to know the subtle but obvious changes, transitions and updates that may not have been noticed or understood.

Remember, you are looking to address your observations in direct contrast to the customer’s false perceptions and misconceptions. Point out the obvious changes in your current presentation. Show that it holds little resemblance to the presentations of the past. If it’s obvious to your eye, it can become obvious in theirs as well. This is no time to be subtle in your comments.

3. Present your facts. In the evolution of any product, conclusions can and will be made by your customers, with or without foundation. Come prepared for your presentations! Initiate dialog with enthusiasm. Speak with your customer’s staff members to determine specific areas of strength and weakness. Take inventories of these strength categories prior to your presentations.

Be prepared to document to the buyer areas that should be re-ordered, let alone obviously expanded upon. Know each of the categories strengths in detail, and do not allow your buyer’s instincts to draw them to a false conclusion. It certainly takes time to prepare, but the facts will rule!

4. Make a full presentation. There are always short cuts to making a full and comprehensive presentation. This is no time to shoot yourself in the foot. A partial or half-hearted presentation suggests lack of inspiration on your part. A slightly overstated presentation suggests commitment, confidence and resolve. Come better prepared than in the past, have a wider range of samples, know your objective and anticipate your success … before you walk in the door.

5. Leave your own perceptions and conclusions at the door. We have all found ourselves in situations where customers have expressed enthusiasm in products we would never have guessed they would be interested in. Resolve to show or at least review all aspects of your presentation. You can never anticipate what may light that fire, even if it has been presented on previous occasions. Certainly focus on your strengths, but never miss that opportunity to review the entire line before you conclude each and every presentation.

6. Pick a product of the week. As professionals we maintain a constant awareness, a sixth sense of products and categories that need and deserve heightened visibility in our presentations. I have known sales associates who take on a challenge each week to focus on one of these very specific categories. It becomes a challenge (and a lot of fun) to see just how many of these products or themes can be successfully placed by the end of the week.

This process does two things: it establishes the category in your day-to-day selling process for the week, and makes it a part of the continuing evolution of your entire presentation. Pick a product, bring out all of your samples, and pull out all the stops in its presentation. At the end of the week compare your sales to the previous week – what a rush! Now, pick next week’s product!

7. Create an assortment. We can all get lulled into selling from a perspective of individual items and manufacturers’ established promotions. Problem: what happens if one of our target items is not available as part of the assortment? Solution: Create your own!

Spend time with your sales materials to establish themes, groupings or dollar-related assortments for multiple sales. In your presentations, explain the value of these assortments then simply ask, “How many of these assortments would you like?”

8. Become more involved. If you have constructive and positive suggestions for improving your presentations, (and you do!) don’t keep them to yourself. Contact the manufacturer with your observations and ideas. Certainly you have been frustrated, wondering “Can anybody hear me?” Never give in to apathy. Find individuals who impact what you do, and take ten minutes each week to email them your thoughts and inspirations. This will go a long way in answering the question that plagues manufacturers, “Is anybody out there?”

These and similar formulas will never guarantee success on their own. Implementation falls on the shoulders of those in a position to affect change. Rather than simply suggesting “fix it,” we have provided our organization with a game plan and strategy for our collective success. Will we win them all? Unfortunately not. Will we win more than our share? Without question.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2009. 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. XXXII

Dear Managers,

I have consistently promoted the value of management having first-hand experience in the realities of those they manage. Few of us simply woke up one morning to management; we all took those first difficult steps. While the transition is difficult for many of us, we can at least fall back on the values that provided us with confidence in our previous endeavors. In my case, the need to expand sales efforts was obvious, regardless of my personal abilities to do so. In many instances, business can thrust very good sales people into a management role, whether they are prepared for management or not. Having field experience does not automatically guarantee success in management!

Eventually, I realized that I could provide a great asset to my organization by drawing on my past and remembering how to think like a sales representative. The closer I could stay to that thought process and set of values, the stronger my organization would become.

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

I have known and worked with several outstanding sales managers who had little or no actual field sales experience. I have known many more, unfortunately, who failed due to their profound inability to relate. I guess it comes down to ones priority in getting on the inside track. Too many managers are distracted by their own course and fail to negotiate the turns. These individuals expect to play the game on their turf and under their rules. Many will fail, never realizing their potential. Those who find a measure of success, yet begin to believe their own press, will never address their shortcomings. From my experience, and without question, this single dynamic consistently robs many managers and their companies of success.

Unfortunately, some managers with field experience choose to forget their lessons and become what they perceive the role of a manager should be. In conversations, it may seem as if these individuals have now arrived at a higher level. With title in hand, a case of amnesia relating to their earlier times sets in. This attitude reflects the very worst in management.

As suggested, I have known managers with no field experience who have, through their own initiative, developed an amazing sense of awareness relating to sales. Fundamentally, these individuals simply want to understand and develop their success on a level playing field with those who can insure their success and whom they consider their peers. These individuals gain high marks for their obvious willingness to learn, experience, and share their desire to develop this understanding.

THINKING LIKE A MANAGER

Having emphasized the value to management in thinking like a rep, I equally believe that the current business climate now require a sales associate to think like a manager! The dynamics of a field sales person are those of independent, individually focused responsibilities. True, their vision is directed towards success. However, given the daily focus on their individual realities, it becomes tunnel vision directed at only one aspect of success: theirs.

In recent years, I have made it a priority in my hiring process to find sales people who also think like a manager. These are the individuals who have stepped out of the singular and often self sustaining perspective of the sales representative, and realized their greatest asset to themselves and their organizations is to assume a management role relating to their sales region.

Those “managing sales” understand and accept a personal responsibility for meeting the growth potential for their sales region. They are the first to know, and are proactive in their willingness to adjust to, the current and future needs of their sales region. They understand their position of strength comes prior to their manager’s inevitable involvement.

There can be huge rewards for individuals who accept this greater ownership. These individuals relate more closely with their managing counterparts. They speak the same language and have a greater understanding of each others needs; conversations reflect on mutual interests relating to “good business decisions,” for their customers as well as their manufacturer. These individuals find a high degree of support from their “fellow managers” relating to their needs and, in more instances than their peers, enjoy the luxury of the benefit of the doubt.

A NEW BEGINNING

The old school suggested a “hands on” approach to management. If this is still the case in your organization, you are living in the past. Let’s be honest, most of the rules and parameters of past sales policies were established to meet the needs, yet minimize the risk, of the lowest common denominator. Do these out-dated sales policies still exist? Who are they currently intended to protect you from? Where’s the flex to make the deal?!

In the past ten years I have seen a remarkable improvement in the standards being established by the sales professional. With a much greater involvement of women in the professional field, the standards set by the highest common denominator of this combined work force far exceeds the pool of talent available just a few years ago. I genuinely believe we need to ask more, and these individuals want more to be asked of them. We can do so by first expecting them to manage their territories and then by giving them the opportunity to do so.

GIVE ME YOUR TOP FIVE

Allow me to describe your top five sales associates:

• Totally self motivated; you never give there sense of determination a second thought

• Creative and almost startling in their approach to a sales challenge

• Always thinking in terms of second and third generation relating to their long term objectives, while maintaining high visibility

• As professionals, they are always looking for, and intrigued by, finding a more productive way

• They enjoy a much stronger relationship with the decision makers in the field and with their manufacturer(s)

• Finally, these individuals challenge you as a manager, by a multiple of five, as compared to your other associates

Are these not the qualities of a great manager, in addition to those of a great sales person? Should we not be asking more of those who have not yet seen the value in thinking like a manager? Are we going to maintain standards that meet the needs of the bottom five at the risk of inhibiting our best?

RISING TO THE TOP

The first step is to develop an awareness of the obvious disadvantage many sales associates are willing to accept. Why is it that so few get all the advantages? A manager of sales first challenges all the policies, then seizes every opportunity to work the system. From the outset, these individuals understand how to finesse a policy to their advantage within the rules (as best as possible). They have a consistent dialogue and ask all the right questions.

Managers reward creativity and respond to ingenuity, especially in an individual who thinks and plans like they do! While these individuals challenge management at a much higher level, they can’t help but be admired and respected for their efforts. In most instances, these individuals get exactly what they want. Those who never ask simply never enjoy the advantage. Who currently gets the advantage? Less than 20% of the whole! It must be time to spread the wealth.

Who are the most successful managers? Those who can relate with and think like a sales person.

Who are the most successful sales people? Those who can relate with and think like a manager.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2009. 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