Archive for the ‘Training and Development’ Category
Why You Should Stop Being a Wimp
Who succeeds in the world of work? It’s not the person that sits back and takes no chances. This is a great article from Suzanne Lucas.
http://www.bnet.com/blog/evil-hr-lady/why-you-should-stop-being-a-wimp/2671
Helping companies run better, grow faster and make more money
Insperity – Helping companies run better, grow faster and make more money.
My last post talked about how business owners can achieve greater profitability with a human capital strategy. Insperity can help make that happen for small and medium-sized companies.
Contact me at broh@dfwbusinesspro.com for more information.
The Great Business Discovery of 2010
Do you know what’s working and not working in your business? Are you following old habits or developing new and innovative ways to serve your customers? The article below comes from an email newsletter I have subscribed to for years. If you are a business leader with three or more employees in the Dallas/Fort Worth area you need to attend the Untyed, Connecting Leaders events. Investing an hour of your time will pay great dividends. Check them out at www.untyed.com.
Bill
Welcome to TIPS for Extraordinary Living!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Written & Published by Philip E. Humbert, PhD
Strictly Business: The Great Business Discovery of 2010
We are nearing the end of 2010 and one of the most important
(and profitable) investments you can make is to review the
past few months very, very carefully.
To an amazing degree, we humans are creatures of habit. We are
great examples of Newton’s law that, “a body set in motion
tends to remain in motion.” We tend to plunge eagerly ahead,
repeating yesterday’s mistakes and failing to learn from
experience. Yes, we take great pride in the fact that we “can”
learn, but my observation is that we rarely do.
We tend to assume that what worked last year will continue to
work next year. We know intellectually that we should be
innovative, creative and original, but in our daily work it’s
easy to follow old habits, whether they still work or not.
When Jack Welch was the head of General Electric, he insisted
that half the company’s profits come from products and
services that were less than five years old. Why? Because he
knew that yesterday’s methods won’t fit tomorrow’s world.
Take time — several hours if necessary — to review the
following questions:
1. What worked best last year? What surprised me, inspired me
or taught me something new for my work or business?
2. What did not work, or is working less and less well? What
was less profitable or less effective than I expected? What
should I drop altogether in the new year?
3. What’s new in my field? What are my colleagues doing that I
should apply to my business?
One of the absolute BEST things any professional,
business owner or manager can do is invest in seminars
and conferences. The chance to get away and “see the forest
for the trees” is incredibly valuable. Conferences generate
new perspectives, and new ideas create vast new opportunities!
Invest in yourself!
Copyright (c) 2010, all rights reserved.
U.S. Library of Congress ISSN: 1529-059X
You may copy, forward or distribute TIP’s if this
copyright notice and full information for contacting
Dr Philip E. Humbert are included. Contact him at:
www.philiphumbert.com or email: Coach@philiphumbert.com.
5 Marketing Lessons From Mr. Rogers
I came across this interesting article by Sam Ford. Great stuff from an American icon, Fred Rogers!
5 Marketing Lessons From Mr. Rogers
Can you say “branding?” There. I knew ya could.
BY FC Expert Blogger Sam Ford
As my little girl grows up and gets interested in television and “brands” that appeal to her, I can’t help but think of those of my own early childhood. The brand she is exposed to the most is Sesame Street: It started with her diapers, moved into plush animals, and has manifested into a full-blown television love, fueled by the show’s release of a “Best of…” of its first 40 years on the air.
For me, Sesame Street existed right alongside one of the most revered figures in television history: Fred Rogers. I haven’t gotten Ms. Emma Belle any Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood DVDs lined up yet, primarily because there’s very little available. (There’s a petition circulating with almost 2,000 signatures to get the DVDs released.) However, I have caught some episodes in re-run. And I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the lessons Mr. Rogers handed down to a young Samuel Earl all those years ago.
So, consider this a bit of a refresher course: the lessons marketing can learn from “the neighborhood”:
1.) Relationship-Building Trumps Flashiness: It’s hard to imagine a children’s show getting less flashy than Fred Rogers. Most of the time, it was him directly addressing his viewers. He took us on trips to see a few guests. And he had people stop by. Even his “make-believe world” was of the decidedly low-tech sort. Yet, I don’t remember ever feeling bored when spending time with Mr. Rogers, because he replaced that flashiness by building an honest relationship with his viewers, by making the show constantly address “our” concerns…at least as best a television personality might do in the days of a one-way medium.
2.) Don’t Promise More Intimacy than You Can Deliver: A few months back, I distinctly remember stumbling upon an episode of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood in a hotel room somewhere when the most extraordinary thing happened: Fred looked into the camera, and he said something along the lines of, “I’ve really enjoyed talking with you this week. I hope I have answered a few of the questions you’ve had. I really wish I could know each and every one of you personally, but unfortunately this television show is the only way we have to talk. If you have other questions that I haven’t answered, find someone you love and who loves you in your own life and ask them.” Really, is there a more perfect mindset that brands should take, online or off?
For brands that appeal to a large customer base, the company cannot have personal relationships with everyone. Social media provides a way to be more conversational, to give a venue for customer contact when they have a problem, etc. The key is to take the appropriate tone with customers, to demonstrate approachability but also be honest about the limits, lest customers be disappointed.
3.) Be Consistent in Who You Are and What People Should Expect from You: From Fred Rogers’ first show in 1968 until his last in 2001, surprisingly little changed about Fred Rogers. That’s in part because his brand stood as a calm in the changing seas of culture. There were many subtle shifts in the nuances of his shows: the anxieties he addressed and the topics he covered. But Fred always found a way to address them from the standpoint that people expected from his brand. Mr. Rogers was a trusted friend we could always return to. Brands should be responsive to culture, should have their ears on the latest changes: but they should do so always remembering why audiences might come to them and respecting the audience’s desires in the process. Fred didn’t hire a trendspotter to map out every new clothing shift or music shift in American culture to make sure he was part of it, that he was hip. Instead, he listened to the gentle hum of “slow culture change,” and he made sure his show remained relevant for decades.
4.) Customers’ Questions Are Worth Answering: Mr. Rogers answered all our questions, occasionally including the ones that we may have been afraid to ask. He assured us that there’s no way we could get washed down the drain when we take a bath. He helped assuage our fears surrounding war, divorce and other somewhat taboo topics for children’s shows. He talked us through the death of his goldfish we’d watched every day on his show. In short, his staff seemed to do a great deal of research to address the fears of children, from the serious, uncomfortable issues adults didn’t want to discuss to the trivial issues parents might often dismiss or laugh off. Mr. Rogers took us seriously, asked us what our pain points were, and offered the best solution he could. Brands might be well served to do this a little more often for their customers.
5.) Brands Can Take a Stand: Despite his calm demeanor, Mr. Rogers was known for taking a stand for what he believes in, in a way that was consistent with his public persona. When President Nixon proposed cutting the budget of public broadcasting in half to fund war efforts in Vietnam, Rogers spoke passionately to the Senate. When the media industries tried to block the spread of the Betamax, Mr. Rogers testified as a staunch supporter of home recording and timeshifting. And, when Burger King parodied Rogers to advertise their fast food, Rogers held a press conference explaining to parents that he not affiliated with the burger chain and that he was afraid children would be misled by the ads and think that Mr. Rogers endorsed their food. (His response was so convincing that Burger King issued an apology and pulled the ads.) In short, when it was a topic that was consistent with who Mr. Rogers was, Fred was known as being quite outspoken–albeit always in his calm and respectful tone. Brands too often shy away from supporting something, or else–when they do–their “causes” are disjointed from the work the company does and what they stand for.
Mr. Rogers saw the value of cultivating his own brand. But he did so in a quiet and dignified way that made the tone and authenticity of his show–and his relationship with viewers–unmatched by any television property I’ve seen before or after. And, as I consider how many marketers likely grew up with the words of Fred Rogers guiding their way as kids, I can’t help but think that we’ve all too often strayed away from some of those first lessons we heard as children.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1691558/5-takeaways-marketers-could-learn-from-mr-rogers
Seven Common Small Business Recruiting Mistakes
Top business leaders recruit for cultural fit. They can teach or enhance the specific skills. In addition, they avoid these recruiting mistakes:
Seven Common Small Business Recruiting Mistakes
By: Kristina Meyer | Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Recruiting new employees is a tedious and time-consuming job. But as frustrating as it may be, cutting corners can put your company in a precarious position. You want to make sure you don’t make these top hiring mistakes.
According to a study done by Leadership IQ, a leadership training and research company, 46 percent of newly-hired employees will fail in the first 18 months.
Here are some common small business recruiting foul-ups to watch out for:
Rushing. You have a board meeting at 9 a.m., a client lunch at noon, a teleconference with your sales team at 3 p.m., a networking gathering at 5 p.m. and three job interviews that you need to squeeze in between it all. Shuffling job interviews into an already tight schedule makes it difficult for you to fully focus on the candidates you’re interviewing. In your haste, you could overlook some major red flags.
Businesses need to be very diligent when interviewing candidates, says Carol Quinn, CEO of Hire Authority, an Orlando-Fla.-based company that specializes in teaching client businesses how to improve interviewing and hiring skills. She points out that, with all the information available on the internet, applicants can do a very thorough job of preparing and rehearsing for an interview. She says that this can make it difficult to decipher a good candidate from a bad one.
According to the Leadership IQ survey, 82 percent of managers that ended up with a bad hire said that when looking back on the interviews, they’ve come to realize that they overlooked some definite clues that it wasn’t going to be a good match. Still, with such an action packed day, many interviewers aren’t able to sniff these out before completing the hire.
Looking for an exact match. Business owners tend to overlook more out-of-the-box candidates because their skill set doesn’t match that of a past employee. While it may seem most logical to hire the same type of candidate for the same position every time, a candidate with a slightly different background and skill set may bring new ideas and perspective to your company. Keeping a closed-mind about candidates may be what keeps your business stagnant.
Using only one source. Using online job boards like CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com is an easy way to spread the news about your company’s open positions. But if you stop there and fail to tap into other sources, you could be cheating your business out of talented employees. By advertising the job in several places you expose your business to a larger audience. This will help increase your odds of connecting with your ideal employee.
Sometimes your next great employee isn’t actively seeking a new job. So instead of them coming to you, you have to go to them. According to Jobvite’s 2010 Social Recruiting Survey, 83 percent of the 600 people professionals polled are now using or planning on using social media for recruiting. Social networking sites and events allow you to connect with a variety of professionals, from all backgrounds. This web of contacts allows you to reach out to more than just the average job-seeker on an online job board.
Posting an inadequate job description. A vague job description will attract unqualified candidates. Without a clear set of expectations, you will receive an influx of applications from unqualified candidates. According to Quinn, CEO of Hire Authority, businesses should be as specific as possible when posting a job advertisement.
“In an abundant market, like this, you could end up with hundreds of applicants,” says Quinn. “The more specific your ad is, the more it will screen out applicants.”
Be specific about your requirements, too. Candidates need to know what’s going to be expected of them before they apply. This will help job seekers determine whether it’s a good match before adding to your stack of applications.
Hiring based purely on skill. According to Leadership IQ’s survey, only 11 percent of the hiring failures were blamed on an employee’s lack of the necessary technical skills. The majority of the failure was blamed on the employee’s behavior, with the most prominent issues being the employee’s inability to control emotions or accept feedback.
In an interview, it’s easy to shrug off an applicant’s arrogance as you stare at their glowing resume. But as time goes on, his attitude could become your company’s biggest roadblock. Your clients and other employees will find it hard to work with someone who is defensive, hot-headed or emotionally unstable. This disconnect can make it difficult for anyone to get their job done.
Keeping it a secret. You never know who your employees might know. They may have the perfect referral. Quinn, CEO of Hire Authority says that, oftentimes, the best way to find quality employees is through your existing workforce.
“Turn all your employees into recruiters,” says Quinn.
Employees have a vested interest in the company. They will want the position to go to someone who will help the business be successful. Quinn recommends that businesses set up a referral program where employees are rewarded if their referral proves to be successful match for the position.
Overlooking current employees. You have a whole pool of talent right at your doorstep. Your employees tend to your business day after day, month after month, year after year. Yet, the grass is still greener on the other side—the outside? Many business owners fail to see the potential of their existing employees. Reassigning or promoting an existing employee can save you bundles of money in recruiting costs. You never know your next great leader might be right under your nose.
While time and money may be tight, you should never skimp on recruiting. Your employees are the bones and muscles that keep your business upright and moving forward. One weak joint could cause it all to come crashing down.
http://www.hrtools.com/hiring/decision_support/7_common_small_business_recruiting_mistakes.aspx
The Game Changers
Business Leaders – Are you hanging around with the game changers in your company. Jack Welch of GE did.
The Game Changers: Why Business Leaders Should Hang Around with HR
A while back, I saw that Jack Welch was listed on a C-SPAN program agenda. I enjoy his candor and communications style, so I scheduled time on a Saturday afternoon to watch him.
As you may know, Welch was Chairman and CEO of General Electric between the years of 1981 and 2002. He also wrote a few best-selling books including “Winning,” which he co-authored with his wife, Suzy Welch. At the end of the last century, Welch was named Manager of the Century by FORTUNE magazine.
Fast forward nearly 10 years later. Welch was also clearly the man of the hour at this C-SPAN covered event, a university-sponsored, business management and leadership development conference. As usual, he was at his spontaneous best, fielding unrehearsed questions from the audience.
I turned up the volume when he started talking passionately about the role of HR and its vital relationship with business leadership. He ended up by firmly stating a case for giving HR leadership a prominent seat at any business leadership table. Welch’s line of reasoning resonated with me, I suppose, because I work for an HR services company.
I think one of the reasons that Welch is an effective and appealing speaker is because of his no-nonsense way of talking straight. If you don’t know what I mean, just watch a few of his clips on YouTube.
In this particular YouTube video, Welch says: “Human resources is what makes it all work. The rest is all details.” He then follows up by saying, “Now, why in the world does the CEO hang around with the boring CFO, when he should be hanging around with the HR person — the one who can change the game. It’s ass-backwards.” (His words, not mine.)
Although, I’m no Jack Welch, it is time for some constructive talk. I think most of us are done cowering to all the gloom- and-doom talk.
What is Welch talking about anyway? How can HR “change the game?”
This is an especially relevant question given today’s unruly business environment. If you are a business owner or business decision-maker and you are frustrated beyond your wits, you simply cannot escape it all by sliding down an emergency chute like the notorious JetBlue flight attendant, Steven Slater, who is now a household name.
If you are leading a business, you still have to synch your business objectives with those people who can best help you.
“HR is sometimes referred to as dealing with those more ‘softer’ issues,” says Kelly Yeates, a former corporate director of human resources for a large HR company in Houston.
Basically the softer issues are those dealing with people relationships. And if you are a business decision-maker, you know how complicated it can be to successfully manage working relationships. Even if you have a lot of authority, it is still impossible to control all human behaviors, 100 percent of the time.
Yet practically everyone can cite at least one example of how devastating such failures can be to the bottom line (two very high-profile examples include the HP scandals and the handling of the BP Gulf oil spill).
Yeates, who also has a degree in economics and a Master’s in business administration, further explained it like this: “The intangibles of establishing environments of trust and respect are critical to achieving tangible business results.”
All in all, if you lead an organization, you are leading people. And if people don’t believe in what you’re doing, it is unlikely that they will follow in any productive fashion. As Welch points out in his book, “Winning:”
“When you’ve got the right players, you’ll get the most out of them if their reporting relationships and responsibilities are blindingly clear. Make HR matter, with a cadre of pastor-parent types at the helm.”
That’s exactly right. HR professionals are trained and experienced to help you understand, connect with and lead these people so you can grow your business. When you think about it, everything in business is connected to people and managing relationships. Again quoting from Welch’s book, “…companies are not buildings, machines or technologies. They are people.”
http://www.hrtools.com/leadership_and_management/insights/the_game_changers_why_business_leaders_should_hang_around_with_hr.aspx
Why Star Players Don’t Make Great Coaches
Why Star Players Don’t Make Great Coaches
By Mike “Dr. Woody” Woodward
Perhaps the greatest ongoing tragedy in the modern business world is the management promotion.
The fact is, we routinely select and promote star performers to the level of manager or executive as a reward for their contributions. These contributions may be outstanding sales, heroic customer service, or simply time in the position. Regardless of the reason, one thing is for sure, we rarely promote an individual because of their potential to actually manage others. We have all experienced this phenomenon and we have all been frustrated by it. Yet, on some level, we all enable it.
Many refer to this tragedy as the “Peter Principal,” which proposes that people will always rise to their level of incompetence. However, it really isn’t an issue of incompetence; it is an issue of fit.
Managing is quite frankly a competency in its own right. It is not simply a byproduct of time in position or expertise at a particular task. Rather, it is about a combination of traits and learned skills.
Consider for a moment the sports world. If you look across all major American sports you will notice that it is a rarity to find a star player who has made it as a star coach. Sure, there are exceptions to every rule. But, my concern here is not the exceptions; it’s about reality.
There is a reason for this.
The mindset is very different. Star players are successful because they want to showcase their talent and revel in it; they want to make the big hit, score the goal, or make the save. Coaches, on the other hand, enjoy the chess match. Their gratification comes from creating the team, motivating and presiding over successful execution. It’s about delegating and choreographing from the sidelines. Coaches win through people because they have to.
For Managers
In their 2002 Harvard Business Review article on selecting management talent, Melvin Sorcher and James Brant, describe this phenomenon of promoting star players as the propensity for executives to overvalue operational proficiency when making promotional decisions. In other words, many senior managers tend to focus on promoting their star performers because of their talent as performers as opposed to their potential as managers. Apparently, their hope is that the magic will somehow spread. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case.
The successful coach focuses on ensuring their star players, and all their players for that matter, have the tools they need to be successful. They provide the training and support to give their stars an opportunity to shine.
In the same vein, good managers assess the strengths and weaknesses of their team members and develop strategies that align the complementary strengths of their team members, so as to fulfill the mission of the organization. Managers, just as sports coaches, must work with and through their team members in order to achieve success. When considering promotions, look for those who want to listen to, support, and develop your people. Pick someone who has the ability to harness the power of the star, not be the star.
For Star Performers
Most people’s passions aren’t aligned with their careers. Often times this is the result of moving away from being a practitioner and climbing the ranks of management. Just because you like what you do doesn’t mean you will like guiding others in doing it.
Don’t punish your peers by taking on a role you don’t want. Life will just become harder for everyone. Having to deal with staff, budget responsibility, and performance reviews isn’t necessarily a reward, especially if your talents are as a practitioner. The glamour and prestige of being the boss quickly fades when your efforts shift from scoring points to refereeing disputes.
Keep in mind, there is nothing wrong with the star player mindset. Star salespeople revel in making the close and top engineers find great joy in discovering the next breakthrough. The simple fact is that true practitioners enjoy the art of their craft. So, if you are a star player, ask yourself if it makes sense to take yourself off the field. Beyond just the impact on your team, also consider the true cost-benefit of prestige and financial gain versus your health and happiness.
The reality is that most people leave their jobs because of bad bosses. This phenomenon is perpetuated by our philosophy of encouraging and picking the wrong people to be the boss. We have structured the reward and ego system in this country based on achieving the role of manager. The problem is that this isn’t necessarily a reward. Often times it’s a punishment for all parties involved.
Michael “Dr. Woody” Woodward, PhD is a CEC certified professional coach who holds a PhD in organizational psychology. Dr. Woody is founder of the consulting firm HCI and author of the new book The YOU Plan: A 5-step Guide to Taking Charge of Your Career in the New Economy.
http://www.foxsmallbusinesscenter.com/sbc/2010/08/02/star-players-dont-make-great-coaches/
Building a Winning Sales Team to Compete in Today’s Economy
If you are a business owner or chief executive with dedicated sales people in the north Dallas, Collin County area, you should attend this forum. The contact information for registration is at the bottom of the post.
CEO Executive Forum
Building a Winning Sales Team to Compete in Today’s Economy
August 6, 2010
9:45 a.m. – 12:00 Noon
Addison, TX
A Few Topics That Will Be Covered:
- How to find & keep “A” players.
- How to motivate sales people who are in a comfort zone.
- Why management may be half of the problem.
- Can you rely on your sales team to reach your goals?
- Why most sales people have so much in the pipeline, yet fail to close deals.
- How to determine if your existing salespeople have what it takes to grow your company.
- How hidden weaknesses sabotage a sales persons ability to deal with objections regardless of how much motivation and support you provide.
- Why sales people consistently cut price, which impacts your profit margins.
- Whether your sales people have the crucial elements for sales success and how to obtain them.
Sandler Training is a world leader in innovative sales and sales management training. For more than 40 years, Sandler has taught its distinctive, non-traditional selling system and highly effective sales training methodology, which has helped salespeople and sales managers take charge of the process.
Our training is designed to create lasting “performance improvement” rather than the motivational “quick fix” typical of many seminar-based training programs. To help you accomplish your goals, Sandler provides “reinforcement training,” a system that combines quality materials along with access to ongoing training workshops and individual coaching sessions. Through our local training centers, we provide continuing face-to-face support and reinforcement of the world’s most successful selling system.
At Sandler, we understand that business success is directly related to the effectiveness of upper- and mid-level managers within an organization. Sandler’s management solutions help managers at all levels become more effective communicators, better mentors and coaches, and competent managers of change.
Sandler has been awarded the #1 ranking for training programs in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Franchise 500” nine times since 1994, the most recent being for 2010.
For more information or to register, contact:
David Wuensch
TrustPoint Management Group, LLC
972-354-1746
dwuensch@trustpointllc.com
‘No Problem’ Is a Problem for Your Business
This weekend I was shopping at one of the DFW area’s upscale grocery stores, one that wants to be know for exceptional customer service, and the “No Problem” problem raised it’s ugly head. I was polite to the nice young lady who responded that way to my “thank you” for helping me out to the car but it made my last impression of the shopping experience a negative impression. Jim Blasingame says it very well.
‘No Problem’ Is a Problem for Your Business
By Jim Blasingame, The Small Business Advocate
It has happened to all of us: You are being waited on at a restaurant, buying a product or returning something to a merchant, and as an employee is delivering some kind of service you say, “Thank you.”
Good for you; your mother would be so proud. But she wouldn’t be impressed by what has become an unfortunate response to “thank you.”
After you say “thank you” for having your water refilled or your order completed, there is an excellent chance the employee will say, incredibly, “No problem.”
So, from this response, are you now to think that simply allowing service to be delivered is some sort of a problem you’ve created, from which you should pray forgiveness will be granted? Should you feel relief that you’ve been redeemed by this person with “no problem” absolution?
Clearly, American English has deviated to a level that makes many feel nostalgic for casual. And it’s difficult to pinpoint where things ran off of the rails, but somehow the sublime “it’s my pleasure” has devolved into the sub par “no problem.”
Well, my friends, let’s get one thing straight: No problem is a problem. When small business employees say “no problem” to a customer instead of “you’re welcome,” it’s a serious problem that, over time, could be the equivalent of a business death wish.
Think I’m overreacting? How much money do you spend getting a customer to do business with you? How much energy and resources do you invest into making sure your products, pricing, display, etc., are just right? How many sleepless nights do you spend worrying about how to compete with the Big Boxes?
Now that we’ve established the enormity of these answers, have you checked to make sure that no employee of yours ever causes one of your customers to think–even subliminally–that the mere fact that they are doing business with you could be some kind of a problem?
The only thing that is unique about the contact your business has with a customer is the experience they have with you – how they FEEL about doing business with you. Everything else is a commodity. Everything! So in what universe does “no problem” help your business maximize the positive emotions of a wonderful customer experience? Stop saying it, and train your employees to stop saying it.
There must be 39 different ways in English to express your delight in serving a customer without saying “no problem.” Use one of them.
Write this on a rock… Remember: Please, thank you and you’re welcome. Otherwise, you’ve got a problem.
About the Author: Jim Blasingame, one of the world’s foremost experts on small business and entrepreneurship, is now a part of Manta. Jim offers helpful advice in several mediums, from his daily radio show to vast library of articles
http://www.manta.com/hr/hr_no_problem_1209?referid=10318&nwslttr=1
Think and Speak Results
Many of us call or have employees who call potential customers every day. Jill Konrath makes an excellent point. We need to be thinking results from the beginning.
Jill Konrath
In the movie Jerry Maguire, when Tom Cruise is in the midst of his proposal to Dorothy, she stops him with, “You had me at hello.” Every seller dreams of hearing those exact same words when they approach corporate decision makers.
Unfortunately, the opposite usually occurs. Instead of capturing their prospect’s attention, most sellers create resistance with their opening remarks and blow the opportunity.
Why do bad things like that happen to good people?
In short, weak value propositions.
If you’re running into trouble cracking into corporate accounts, most likely the root cause is your failure to clearly articulate the business outcomes that customers realize from using your products, services or solutions.
A couple weeks ago, I did a new exercise while training a group of sellers. In small groups, they rated common value propositions that sellers could use when prospecting for new customers.
Using a 1-10 (tops) scale, they evaluated value propositions such as these on their effectiveness in initiating change from the status quo:
__ We offer one-stop shopping for all your (fill in the blank) needs.
__ We’re the industry leader in (fill in the blank) and have been
recognized for our exceptional (fill in the blank).
__ We specialize in ( fill in the blank) and work with well-known
clients such as Microsoft, Best Buy and Kraft.
After serious discussion amongst the sellers, these value propositions received scores between 4-6. Their rationale? They were nice benefit statements about the company, but not quite as punchy as they could have been.
Since my book, Selling to Big Companies, was required reading prior to the session, I assumed these sellers would ace this exercise. Not so! In fact, they were way off.
The truth is that all the above value propositions really deserve a score of one. Not four. Not six. Just a measly score of one.
“C’mon, Jill,” you might be saying. “How can that be? They’re not horrible statements. They’re nice.”
Yes, they are nice. I’ll give you that. But they’re grossly ineffective and that’s why they rated so poorly.
Capturing the Decision Maker’s Attention
While those commonly used value propositions listed above might be important at some point in the decision process, they’re totally and utterly worthless when prospecting.
When it comes to capturing a decision maker’s attention, here’s what you need to think about:
- Strong value propositions pique curiosity and entice. When prospects hear them, they want to learn more.
- Strong value propositions create a stark contrast from the status quo. When prospects hear them, they’re willing to consider making a change.
Consider this: If you were on the other end of the phone and a seller called with this message, what would your impression be?
“Eric. Jill Konrath calling from Selling to Big Companies. We offer one-stop shopping for all your sales training needs – everything from lead generation to closing. We use state-of-the-art methodologies to ensure our training sticks.”
Does it entice you? Not one iota. Does it get you to consider switching sales training vendors? Not likely. Does it make you want to invest lots of money that’s currently allocated elsewhere? Not on your life.
Statements about your company and what it does are NOT value propositions. Period. They are not value propositions.
If you want to get decision makers “at hello”, you need to clearly articulate the results the customers can expect from using your product, service or solution. That’s results, spelled R-E-S-U-L-T-S.
For example, a few months ago I trained the national accounts team of a well-known media company. All sellers identified one large corporate client with whom they wanted to set up a meeting.
As a result of the workshop, 87% of the sales force landed an appointment with their targeted account.
Those outcomes are unheard of in my business. Virtually every Vice President of Sales will want to learn more.
That’s the power of a strong value proposition. Even decision makers who weren’t considering a change will think it’s worth their time to find out about the sellers offering.
If you really want to “get them at hello,” then make sure you:
Talk results.
Decision makers don’t care about your products or services. They only care about the results they’ll see. Stress that and you’ll catch their attention. Omit those results and you’ve lost them.
Get real.
Refer to actual client successes and include measures or statistics. Success stories from other companies in their industry are especially compelling. By giving specific examples, you really pique their curiosity.
Test your message.
After you’ve planned what to say, ask, “If I were the decision maker, would this message entice me? Would it make me want to spend an hour of my valuable time with this person?”
If your answer isn’t a resounding yes, rework and revise your message till it is enticing. Don’t leave it to chance. Don’t hope that it will work. Your job is to make it so compelling that your decision makers “get it at hello.”
Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and win big contracts. She’s a frequent speaker at annual sales meetings, kick-off events and professional conferences. For timely and provocative sales advice, visit www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com
http://www.telesalesmagic.com/prospecting/losing-them-at-hello/