Selling Value in the Midst of Challenge

We all have to keep in mind that what is in your mind translates into your words, your actions and your results. To close the gap between what we need and what we get, we need to have a clear picture in our belief window. That clarity will propel our actions and bring us to our goals. Remember to insure that you have the right frame of mind as you tackle the challenges in your path.

We need to review how we see the world today and realize that our PERCEPTION will drive what happens to us. Each member of the team needs to BELIEVE that they can be successful and realize that their frame of mind will set them up for either success or failure. We have to work in partnership to overcome the challenges that are in our path.

It is very important to understand what key elements have to be in place to achieve our sales and revenue objectives. It is very important to be able to communicate who we are as a company and who we want to be. It is very important that we are able to articulate our value. Success comes from delivering value as seen by our PROSPECTS and USTOMERS.

Each person that sells has to understand Customer needs, build relationships and an earn credibility. New sales don’t come overnight and will come through relationships. We need to be intentional about spending 20% of our time in fostering relationship. It is very important to practice active listening to really understand their goals and needs. We have to be very hands on in having enough personal touches. These touches will be both in person, on the phone and via email.

An area that sometimes we neglect is the follow-up touch points. Great closing rates come from following up with your prospects. You want to insure that you are in front of your prospects after they get their proposal and hopefully close the deal. You want to have a specific plan for how you follow-up spending the right amount of time to make this happen. I believe that this is should be about 20% of your time.


We need to be sure to spend time on the right things and achieve goals on each front. By laying out where we need to be in each area we can stay focused and set ourselves up for long term success. We need to determine what our sales cycle is so that we know where we are in working with a prospect through the process. This is a guide that can hopefully help you to stay focused on the right thing.


Bob Coulter

PSYCHOLOGY OF DECISION MAKING. . ..

Cognitive Dissonance . . .

I have always been intrigued with the term cognitive dissonance since first being introduced to it in a college psychology course. I liked the way it rolled off my tongue when trying to fit it into a sentence, or how I thought my colleagues were impressed when I referred to it, barely knowing more of what it meant than perhaps they did. I hadn’t publicly mentioned the word for some time until it came to mind when deciding the topic for this blog. All I can remember from those missed exam questions in college was that cognitive dissonance had something to do with decision making. I made the decision to do some research and learn what I merely heard in college and soon realized that cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable situation.

Dissonance refers to relations, which exist between pairs of ‘elements.’ These two elements are in dissonant relations if they do not fit together. Cognition is a person’s awareness about themselves, their behavior, or a situation. Since cognitive dissonance is a negative drive factor and an unpleasant occurrence to the mind, we are motivated to work toward reducing it by adding consonant cognitions to these elements or by changing one or both of them to make them fit together. Ready to take that college psychology course? Not yet? Maybe a real life situation will help to further explain it.

Several years ago my family and I were invited to a friend’s guesthouse on the coast of Maine. Having been there before and knowing the beauty of the setting and quality of the visit, we anxiously accepted and looked forward to the trip. The weekend before our planned departure, I was reminded by my father that there was going be a birthday dinner to celebrate my mother’s 65th birthday. The dinner and the trip fell on the exact same weekend! Cognitive Dissonance. The two elements did not fit together and it was a definite unpleasant occurrence to the mind. A decision needed to be made.

What did I start to do? Just like the theory states, I began to make changes to my perception of both of the choices to try and make them fit together. I formed the opinions; “This is an important birthday”… “Maine is a long drive for a weekend”… “Mom is a pretty special lady”… “The friends in Maine will understand”… “We can possibly go to Maine at another time”… “My father would kill me!” The process that took place in my mind over the next few days period allowed me to change my belief and feelings about the two choices and the elements could then fit together. I would attend the birthday dinner. Did it make the decision and phone call to my friend to inform him of my change in plans any easier? Absolutely not. But, what cognitive dissonance and my awareness of it did do was allow me to make a decision, and from that point I could make it right.

For those wishing to cram for a test, Leon Festinger, in 1957 was the first to expound on Cognitive Dissonance and his hypothesis states:

• The existence of Dissonance being psychologically uncomfortable will motivate the person to try to reduce the dissonance and achieve consonance.
• When Dissonance is present, in addition to trying to reduce it, the person will actively avoid situations and information which would likely increase the dissonance.

As a parent, spouse, friend or leader, Cognitive Dissonance is a powerful tool. Your awareness of it and knowledge that decisions, great or small, will be uncomfortable will help you, and in turn help others, make confident decisions. This awareness will allow you to master the art of decision making by understanding that the uncomfortable feelings will motivate you to choose. You will naturally seek consonance and take action to move from dissonance. Become cognitive of the choices you need to make today and seek the decision that will be made. . . right.

GO GET EM,
JIM

Preparing for tommorrow when we are swamped today

There are always challenges in business finding the right balance between the urgent things that need our attention today and preparing for where we have to go tomorrow. Those businesses that are working through snow storms while they need to get everything ready for spring. The Great Companies are those that can drive the short term outcomes that have to be hit today while keeping their eyes on where they are going. Here are a few things that you could keep on your radar screen to keep your team focused:

• Insure that each member of the team has a clear picture of their top five priorities
• Determine what the specific goals will be in preparing for spring
• Establish the deadlines that have to be hit
• Have an action plan place so that everyone knows how they get it done
• Insure that we have processes in place for each of the key areas
• Determine the metrics that you will utilize to assess your progress
• Proactively communicate how we are doing along the way
• Provide just in time feedback and coaching to each employee

It would be interesting to grade our readiness in each area. Let us know if we missed any of the elements that you are focused upon as you prepare for spring.

Bob Coulter

Pressure and our COMFORT ZONE ! ! !

I know a golf pro that tells of an observation he has made through the years on how an amateur golfer responds to PRESSURE. . . He tells of one person that he helped all year develop his putting stroke to one that was more consistent and suited for the player. Then it is the final hole of the club championship and all his pupil needs to do is make a six-foot put for birdie and he wins the match. He watched as the golfer studied the putt and then stands over the ball prepared. He then steps back looks at it again and this time stands over the ball with the old grip and stance he had worked so hard to conquer. . . and not only missed the putt but missed the three footer coming back. "The pressure got to him and he choked. He did not follow through on the improvements he had made and it cost him the match."

You can see the pressure is on so many companies and organizations right now. There is no denying it that the simple uncertainty is causing an anxiety to take place that has people "stepping back. . . looking at it again . . . and going backward to what is comfortable." Going back to an old way of doing business, even though it might not be the right choice. . . it is where we are comfortable. What could going back be in business?

- Dropping a great improvement to a website.
- Stepping back from product innovations that would create an advantage.
- Stopping a training program or employee initiative.
- Cutting back on planning meetings
- Not investing in the technology that could help
- GOING BACK TO WORKING LONG EXCESSIVE HOURS IN ORDER TO NOT LOSE
- Adopting the old 'drill sergeant' management style after spending several years developing a more coaching proactive style that has worked

The list could go on and on. It simply centers around going backwards, thinking it will move us forward.

Jim McCutcheon of HIGHGROVE PARTNERS, in ATLANTA, said in a recent webinar we hosted, "These are the times where great companies are made." Let's you and I think about that the next time we are considering retreating to our COMFORT ZONE!

TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS . . . GIVE A COMMENT BELOW ON WHAT INITIATIVES YOU ARE FOLLOWING THROUGH ON EVEN THOUGH IT MAY NOT BE COMFORTABLE TO DO . . .

GO GET EM
JIM PALUCH
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THE SIMPLEST THING

We use this concept a lot in WORKING SMARTER. Asking the question, WHAT IS THE SIMPLEST THING I CAN DO TO MAKE IT A GREAT DAY, A GREAT MONTH, A GREAT YEAR? It comes from a book, "One Simple Step", and has become an important strategy for us to use at JP HORIZONS. We want to challenge you to do the same and if you are up to it, share your thoughts with us. That is the beauty of blogging, sharing ideas with people around the world. Hit the comment button right below this post and give us a quick answer to the question. . . WHAT IS THE SIMPLEST THING I CAN DO TO WORK SMARTER IN 2009? Go ahead! POST A COMMENT!

GO GET EM, JIM

Building Your Success One Day at a Time

Building Your Success One Day at a Time

• You want to visualize what you want your return to be for the business and for you personally. Set budget and financial targets that energize yourself and your team. We need to create a plan that shows us how we will win. Each of your team members need to be energized by the opportunity that stands in front of us. This is a key responsibility of leadership. .

• We each need clarity for the roles that we have to play at work. It is important that we allocate enough time in our defined roles so that we can get the mot important things accomplished. By laying your schedule out and staying focused you can make this happen. You need to have personal goals that you will achieve. Your leadership sets the tone for the entire company.

• We need to insure that we have the right level of commitment and clarity with each of our employees. They need to be set up so that they are in a position drive their areas of responsibility. We need to insure that they understand what is expected to accomplish and what they own. This means in the front end of your discussions you want everyone to COMPLETELY understand what needs to happen. Each person needs to have standard work for her in their position so that everyone knows where we spend our time and what needs to be done. We want to know what hear plan is for the week ahead and how they will stay focused. You want to continue to get each player to look at how they are doing and how they feel about their performance. This means that we have to set the bar high and gain their full commitment. We have to work the process successfully as THE Coach.

• We want there to be a link between winning and pay. Each individual needs to believe that there will be a connection between doing well and being compensated for what they do. You want to layout what it will take to grow their compensation and put them in a position to make it happen. Each individual needs to believe that they are able to in what they are doing. This should not be grey or a surprise to your people. They need to each to know what they need to accomplish.