Interpersonal Business

VOL. XXVIII

Dear Manager,

If not an art, there is certainly a skill required for all managers and salespeople within the process of negotiations. This is one of the primary skills needed to be highly effective in any profession. We began learning this skill early on, long before we spoke our first words. To get what we wanted, we pointed our finger, pleaded with our eyes and, if it served our purpose, we cried. If you think about it, has our approach changed much over the years?!

We have since learned to negotiate with our minds and through verbal communication. We all like to think our approach to negotiations is fair and should be accepted by those around us. “Why can’t others understand my position on this issue?” I believe this is a consistent theme for most managers in conversations with their associates. Just for fun, let’s add some very strong emotions, opinions and egos to the equation. What was a relatively simple issue has now taken on a life of its own.

LEARN TO CHOOSE YOUR ISSUES

I know individuals who seem to turn all levels of negotiations into a battle. Determine the priority of the current topic and its worth in risking future consideration. Most negotiations are simple in nature and can avoid confrontation entirely. Similar to crying wolf, all parties become skeptical of an individual who is consistently emphasizing their position on what they believe to be equitable. If the only acceptable conclusion as you approach a negotiation is your own, is your objective to be fair or to win at all costs? Of greater importance is how your approach to the current topic will impact future negotiations. If productive, long-term relationships are your objective . . .

BEGIN WITH A SOLID APPROACH

If two parties are sincerely interested in the development and proper maintenance of their business relationship they will each establish a high degree of sensitivity to their individual approach. Set aside your desire to be right and, at all costs, avoid pointing out who might be wrong. An approach such as this will only be interpreted as self-serving and will further compromise a sense of mutual benefit.

SEVEN STEPS IN PREPARING FOR PRODUCTIVE NEGOTIATIONS

1. Share the foundation for your perspective. Prepare your thoughts in advance as to why you believe in your position. Give the proper background of the equation to insure the discussion is on a common plane. Do not assume that your sense of priority for this issue is shared by others.

2. Show consideration for another perspective. Accept that no one can fully understand your perspective or sense of urgency. Neither can we fully understand the pressures, demands and dynamics of our counterpart. Acknowledge the value of the other position.

3. Be willing to accept responsibility. There are aspects in any circumstance that, in retrospect, we could have handled better. Don’t be unwilling to admit it! Rather than weakness, this only exhibits your strength while enhancing your objectivity to the issue at hand.

4. Learn from prior negotiations. Perspectives can best be understood through experience. Begin to anticipate what others’ initial objections might entail. There is nothing more effective than diffusing potential objections up front!

5. Never corner the tiger. At all costs, never force a decision at a time of high emotion. When pride and emotions take over, bail out. Allow for cooler heads and the ability for all parties to save face on another day.

6. It is human nature to prefer to be asked rather than being told. This is the most critical aspect in obtaining your objective. Granted, by asking you accept the risk of a negative response; it is worth it. People enjoy helping people, and it is natural to want to be a part of a positive conclusion. Provide the opportunity.

Do not underestimate the value of making a list of your topics or concerns on paper. Outlining your thoughts prior to any negotiation allows you to give focus to the discussion and lessens the opportunity for the conversation to change tracks. As you prepare your words and approach, do not overlook an equally important aspect of negotiating. While verbal communication is effective, body language, and learning how to read it, can also play a major role in the outcome of your negotiations.

“LISTENING” TO NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

As I referenced, we began developing our negotiating skills before we could speak. At that time, a motion of the hand, facial expression or a well-place tear could work wonders! If you know what to look for as your discussions progress, you can develop a direct line to your counterpart’s honest feelings.

In face-to-face negotiations, watch the eyes, gestures and expressions. Are they relaxed, perhaps leaning slightly forward, indicating they are involved in the discussion, or are they leaning back, arms crossed, seemingly detached from the conversation?

At some level, most people will tip their hand regarding their level of comfort in your discussion. They will rarely share these honest feelings verbally, but with proper awareness you will absolutely know when you have touched a nerve. Restating your previous thought with a more acceptable twist will confirm your suspicions. Absolutely listen to their response. You may actually catch yourself forgetting what is being said simply because you have more confidence in the signals you are receiving from their demeanor. Reading body language is the closest thing to reading someone’s mind, and by developing the proper skills I firmly believe that, in most cases, you can.

While it’s a bit more difficult, you can develop this skill and become very effective with it on the phone as well. Begin your conversations with small talk to develop a sense of their current mood. If they have just completed a difficult or unpleasant conversation, or the day has challenged them, you will want to know. In this instance, have a back-up conversation in mind and delay more challenging topics. Listen for a “smile in their voice”, as this is your best time to proceed. Draw out their concerns with simple and direct questions. An unexpected pause in their voice or change in inflection (let alone tone), will signal the need to review your approach.

Once someone has stated their position, it becomes very difficult to reverse. Patience and effective timing are your best allies. Be sure to give thought to the optimum time of the week for dealing with delicate discussions. For example, I would never approach someone on a Monday morning when, for most of us, our only objective is to get back on track. Think of the high and low points in your own week. When will you be at your best, and when would you guess the best time for others to be? As a general rule, avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons all together!

ARE YOU PREPARED TO COMPROMISE?
THE SEVENTH STEP

Let’s be honest. We all enter into the negotiating process hoping to “get what we want;” if we didn’t care, we wouldn’t negotiate! While most individuals desire to be perceived as fair, fairness as an objective cannot be negotiated until both parties have agreed to a similar point of view. How often have you struggled to get across what seemed to you to be a very obvious point in your negotiations? There is validation for all of us in being correct. I also believe there is entirely too much emphasis and personal pride in being right and pointing out who is wrong. What is the value of being “right” if the resolution of the initial objective collapses and critical relationships are compromised? We can all learn to become more effective and aware in our approach with others. The most successful negotiators, the ones who truly win, are those who realize that the victory lies in the satisfaction of all parties.

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. XXVI

Dear Manager,

A challenge for all management is meeting the need, and finding the discipline, to share this quality information. Are you satisfied with the level of information you currently provide to your sales associates? We all agree that we have information that needs to be shared. Is this being accomplished by design, or by default? Have you found an individual talented enough to effectively interpret the meaty topics that will provide the broad-based knowledge desired by your field associates? Allow me to speak from experience: writing a consistent and informative product is very difficult! Dare I ask . . . . . . . .

DOES ANYONE REALLY READ NEWSLETTERS?

We have all seen in-house newsletters come and go. While they are usually introduced with great fanfare, initial enthusiasm seems to fade after a few issues, once again creating an information wasteland. How much information is too much?

More important than content alone, the newsletter must have the ability to convey its thoughts effectively from its reader’s perspective. Without this element, newsletters are simply scanned and tossed aside. We no longer have time for a product that does not inform and inspire us. Topics that will consistently sustain interest in the field include:

• Field tested issues that provide specifics related to your products.
• Timely product updates with a focus on new introductions.
• Detailed examples of your associates’ successes.
• Encouraging fellow associates to explain productive concepts.

While most in-house newsletters contain valuable information, many simply become a means of self-advertising. To consistently hold your reader’s attention you must:

• Insure accuracy of all information provided.
• Address miscalculations and decisions that simply did not work out as planned.
• Limit over-promotion; fight the urge to “rah-rah.”
• Balance empathy and reality with the many successes that deserve emphasis.
• Develop an entertaining theme and style to the letter.

JACK’S BACK!

One of the most creative approaches to the theme and style of a newsletter was that of a company owner I know who recruited his long time friend, Uncle Jack, to assume the position of Sales Manager and “Company Spokesperson.” Uncle Jack was admittedly from another place in time – an era of daring do – yet still had his own way of effectively sharing his message.

Jack was from the old country where they say, “Let’s get down to brass tacks!” Jack was never reluctant to make his point in the most direct and fearless manner possible. No Sales Manager in their right mind would have had the courage to suggest what Uncle Jack got away with promoting; his favorite phrase being, “For crying out loud, what in the world is going on here?!”

You may have realized by now that Uncle Jack was really the owner’s imaginative approach to gaining the attention and inspiration of his sales staff. Jack’s tongue-in-cheek tirades were not just entertaining. Using Uncle Jack, the owner created a vehicle to address challenging issues that would have been considered too direct or inappropriate presented any other way. Jack eventually retired, but is called back on occasion to share his candid views.

Newsletters should be founded on timely information, quality topics that are easily incorporated at field level and an entertaining approach that maintains the reader’s imagination. To answer an earlier question, you can never provide too much information or have too much contact with your field staff, as long as you are providing them with a quality product.

If you have failed with a newsletter in the past, you have only failed in its fundamental concept. The need continues, and your participation is essential to a well-informed and productive staff.

WHO CALLED THIS MEETING?

There is no greater means to create immediate impact for your sales team than a well organized and well orchestrated sales meeting. If you are looking to gain momentum with shared information, this is a great option. I have attended many of these meetings, and have noted aspects that will provide a productive gathering for all participants:

• The level of planning and the organization of your topics should be obvious. Provide a solid agenda to participants that establishes priorities for the meeting. If a lack of focus and preparation is detected, the question will be asked: “Who called this meeting?”

• Address difficult topics up front. Be sure to assume responsibility for areas that are within your ability to improve. Discussing difficult topics establishes your awareness of their concerns, and may open doors for further discussion of more sensitive issues.

• Recognize individuals, as well as the group, for their effort and success. Top performers never seem to receive the recognition they deserve!

• Create a recurring theme. This approach will draw your presentation together, allowing the participants to translate its objectives to the field. Create a story, or tell your story.

• Provide specific time for participation; involvement creates energy. Also provide adequate time to take short breaks. Attention spans have limits! Short breaks help to sustain focus.

• The use of your sales staff in presentations is a great option. Information is often of greater value and topics seem more relevant when offered from an admired peer. Don’t get caught up in your own voice.

• There is nothing worse than hearing an individual review topics that have been presented on a previous occasion. Where possible, create the element of surprise, the unexpected, and the favorable news. Everyone enjoys the enthusiasm created by good news.

• Build anticipation during the meeting regarding your entire presentation. Is there more unexpected and favorable information to be presented?

• Plan an opportunity to let your hair down. Sales meetings are demanding by nature – include a fun event of group participation whenever possible.

Remember, a solid agenda suggests a respect for your participants’ time. It establishes confidence in your presentation and creates a shared responsibility in meeting its objectives.

FINDING THE VEHICLE

Over the years I have conducted and participated in forms of communication that have been very effective, and others that have not. While content should be our number one objective, it is our approach to the communication that will ultimately determine its success.

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. 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. 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