Infusion Confusion

I was speaking with someone this week regarding the latest attempts to "infuse" a "sales culture" into their company - an interesting concept. However as they started to explain their methodology of doing this I noticed two very strong obstacles and I now believe it will never happen. Obstacle one is that the leadership of this organization are accountants and financial people - not salespeople. Therefore they believe - like all bean counters - that the secret to sales success lies in an excel spreadsheet ( their way of solving any issue involves excel ) that monitors the number of calls, contacts and ratios. The second obstacle is this - the people that are actually doing the work are not sales people either - so they struggle with call reluctance, need for approval, emotional involvement and many more weaknesses that sabotage their own success.
I struggle with understanding why an organization of this size would not just accept that this is an area where they could use help - I have someone else do my taxes, my hair, my teeth, fix my car etc....and I don't see it as a personal attack - some people are just better at some things than others.
Looking at history for an answer - the best Generals were always soldiers, men who understood what was involved in fighting, men who didn't second guess their troops, men who didn't believe that the secret to good fighting was in knowing military terminology or polishing some brass bauble. Conversely the worst generals were "theorists" or "part timers" or "bean counters" that had no real transferable skills or knowledge and they couldn't inspire or motivate their men.
During the civil war the forces of the confederacy were plagued by the meddling of Jefferson Davis - not a soldier. Had he been put on a battlefield he probably would have cried or ran away. So although I certainly hope things work out for a non sales leader trying to infuse a sales culture into a non sales minded work force I am 100% confident that they will not!

Business Karma

So I finally heard back from a VP that had been ignoring my calls for a few weeks. He let me know that they had went in another direction that was a "quick fix" for now - he realized that it didn't solve the underlying problems inherent with his sales group. It came down to "price" he said, after all the non solution compared to my solution (his words) was half the price! When did you make the decision? - about 3 weeks ago - and only now was he letting me know!!!
So I asked him if he was listening to himself and if he understood the implications of what he was saying?
Then I summed it up for him this way - If your sales people suffer from price shoppers and people selecting product over solution and if your people are frustrated by prospects ignoring their calls and they find out that they have lost weeks or months after that decision has been made then you deserve it and it is a result of a negative corporate buy cycle that your organization is teaching them - not formally but by its actions!
Karma or you reap what you sow - is as true in business as it is in life. Throughout history some have thought they could remain exempt from the repercussions of their actions but Newtons law of an equal and opposite reaction proved their hopes false. The French Aristocracy of the 18th century - Louis and Marie Antoinette - laughed at the poverty and plight of their own people in a heartless way and sure enough they were treated in like fashion when the revolution turned the tables on them very quickly.
To misquote John Lennon - business karma's gonna get you!

Are you ready for the Playoffs

I wanted to comment on an event I attended today - 500 or so business professionals were gathered and had an opportunity to hear Rich Gotham speak. Sometimes the timing is perfect at these events and since the Boston Celtics are in the playoffs and Rich is the President of that organization everything he said seemed to be even more pertinent.
Obviously Rich is not out on the floor playing with the team - but it was interesting to hear how the internal organization had to be aligned to win; before the players could even begin to string together a season like this one!
Let me share some of the main points that Rich shared and that I thought helpful to any business.
1.In the playoffs everyone brings their game and winning is tougher - in a recession every business is fighting harder for every piece of business and yes winning is tougher!
2.Turn traditional thinking on its head - Rich accomplished this by changing sponsors, redesigning the way tickets could be purchased and bringing the business in before they were winning - if your traditional business or customer is not meeting your targets are you looking for new?
3.Know your market - The Celtics do extensive research to understand what their customers want and who their customers are - this should be an obvious application.

During the civil war Jeb Stuart utilized all of these techniques when his cavalry unit started to operate differently than traditional cavalry. They became the eyes and ears of General Lee and often were instrumental in helping the confederacy "compete".

So Tuesday Night is Game One for the Celtics next challenge. As you get comfortable and sit back in front of the TV tonight it's OK to be impressed with Garnet and Pierce but don't forget that every winning team and every winning player has some type of support system that makes that possible. Don't just focus on your "players" and don't just focus on the "organization". You have to focus on both to have a winning season!

Go Find Your Aristotle

Yesterday I had a chance to meet Ken Blanchard and to hear him speak to a group of Boston Entrepreneurs. There was obviously a lot of great information and I took some notes knowing that something he said would end up here.
Ken is a very "grandfatherly" figure - 68 years old, successful business owner, successful family man, accomplished author of many books to cite just a few of the things he has done that almost anyone would be proud of; in spite of this near the end of his discourse he said something that surprised me! He spoke about his mentor - someone he talks with every week and has done for years to keep him focused. Someone that he feels is not emotionally involved in the issues he faces and can help him keep a clear head. Wow! He then mentioned that studies show that all successful business people are "open to mentor ship"- what an interesting concept, are you open to mentor ship? Are you successful? Could you be more successful?
Historically speaking I had to agree with Ken. Many of the greatest leaders in history were open to mentor ship - conversely some of the worst leaders were not.
Aristotle served as a mentor to Alexander the Great - certainly that should provide evidence of the truth of Kens' statement. Alexander was young but was able to make mature decisions. So if you have a young business who do you rely on as a mentor? How do you find an appropriate mentor? Go find your Aristotle!

Benefacto Nominus Idiocritus

I had a chance to fill in this morning at a so called "leads group" and it started me thinking about Julius Caesar. Why you might ask?
Well I have often wrote about the differences between true leaders and the rest. Julius was a leader - and like all leaders he not only tolerated change neither did he enjoy change but rather he initiated and caused change. The Roman Empire was strong, it had been the same size for a while, who needs to expand? Why put forth the effort? Because Julius was not content with maintaining something good; he wanted to expand and grow into something great!
So at this leads group there were about 80 business owners who exchanged "leads" and "referrals" at the end of their meeting - I counted about 20! Now excuse me in advance for going on a rant, but 80 business people work for a week and can only collectively come up with 20 referrals - asinine! Then they ask about business generated from the group on an annual basis and I ask the fellow next to me how much business he has received from the group - $7500.00 is the answer . How much Profit? $1500.00 is the answer. Minus the dues and membership fees leaves about $800.00!
So let me get this right - 2 hours a week x 52 weeks is about 104 hours or two average work weeks devoted to this group to make how much? $400.00 per week!!!! Wouldn't your time be more productive somewhere else and isn't your time worth more than that? Bottom line is that these folks would be better off looking to their Church, their Gyms or some Volunteer work as a source of "leads" than to spend it here. I was advised to not mention the group specifically so I am going to follow that advice - but here are a couple of alternative names I came up with for this group and maybe you can work it out:
1. Better Not Invest
2. Below Normal Intelligence
3. Block New Ideas
4. Boring Never Inspires
5. Ban Nothing Idiotic
6. Believe in Nominal Income
7. Be No Innovator
8. Barrage of Nutty Individuals
9. Brag but No Invoice
10. Benefits Never Improve

Just don't sit there - invent something!

I had an opportunity to speak with someone about their business today and I was amazed that this CEO was not able to answer a few basic questions about their business objectives. Last week I met with an entrepreneur that I helped by just asking a few simple questions....why then, to whom, how, what if and so on.
It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention and if that is true then apparently having a clear understanding of where and why your business even exists is not always a necessity. Really all business plans are like inventions - a premise followed by a theory and then a prototype followed by etc, etc. Then they either work or fail! How does a business begin or continue without answers to simple questions.
Inventors are not always right - look at Edison, so many mistakes along the way. But Inventors are curious and they are always asking themselves Why???? If your business is failing do you know why? If it is thriving do you know why? If you don't know what it is doing do you know why? If you don't care about any of this- do you know why?

Untitled Tribute.

On my way into work this morning I heard the news that Dith Pran had died from pancreatic cancer yesterday. And although I know this makes his life part of very recent or modern history I decided that I had to blog in some fashion about his remarkable story.
I remember hearing about the mass graves, the extermination camps, the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot and the killing fields as a kid and being shocked that things like this could go on for so long - but they did. Dith Pran helped many foreign journalists escape and then endured years of torture and starvation. Everyone thought he was dead but somehow he escaped and was able to inform the world of the many horrors that were going on in his native Cambodia. Rather than try and apply some lesson I would simply encourage you to google "dith pran" and after reading some details of his trials look at any obstacle you or your business might face and make a comparison!

Learn from these Steppes

A few weeks ago a friend of mine and fellow blogger commented on the "benefits of a recession". http://www.salesdevelopmentspecialists.com/ .This week I came across a similar lesson as I heard and author discussing his latest book on the Mongols and their notorious leader - Ghengis Khan.
Interestingly there was a "recession" then too - years of drought had resulted in poor crops and the Steppes were no longer providing adequate supplies for these nomads and their livestock. Ghengis Khan was able to capitalize this concern amongst the people and accomplish a number of things.
First, he united all of these tribes into one force under him. Then, he mobilized this force and they left the steppes in search of greener pastures. Finally, he realized that his "new direction" would upset some and therefore he prepared a significant part of this group to become one of the strongest armies that civilization has ever seen. Out of difficult times - came strength and innovation.
As a leader in business perhaps you are concerned about the possible effects of a recession. My advice - follow the same steps as Mr. Khan. 1. Unite the thinking of your organization and sales force to not only survive but to succeed. 2. Move your business if necessary to "greener pastures" - new markets, unexplored applications and better ways of selling. 3. Expect resistance as you move into your "new" competitions back yard - make sure your sales force is ready and prepared to spearhead this work.
You may not be planning on conquering the world - but you should be planning. Many think they are planning by cutting costs, letting people go and eliminating some projects that they think they can put off. This would be like Ghengis Khan staying on the steppes and trying to survive by rationing supplies and changing their diet - yeh they might have survived but everyone from that point on would have said - Ghengis Who?

Happy Columbus Day!

last night I had an opportunity to hear Cameron Herold (www.backpocketcoo.com) speak to a group of business people -owners, entrepreneurs and presidents and it was excellent! The focus of what he shared came down to the importance of vision, culture & people, communication and environment. Everything he covered and every point he made was spot on - I loved it!
What was interesting to me, sitting at my table, being somewhat familiar with the group was what I could sense all around me - resistance so thick you could cut it with a knife. Here was an expert offering advice to entrepreneurs who supposedly wanted to grow their business and they resisted - why?
Most of the time people have a tendency to listen and apply what they want to hear and agree with - "give less vacation to your people, don't worry about the company image and what the environment in your office is, yell at your help if you feel like it, don't wind down and relax on Friday afternoon, stay aloof from your employees...." would I assume have encountered far less resistance.
Leaders that have a clear or not so clear vision for their business are more likely to succeed than those who don't - bottom line! After Christopher Columbus had been laughed out of every court in Europe it was finally a fellow visionary, Queen Isabella that helped him get there.Interestingly his vision was off because he did not as we know find India but America. Point being that he executed a vision and got results. Having a vision for 3 years out was an excellent suggestion. Don't worry about the "How will I get there?". Perhaps you will get laughed at - so what! Who knows maybe you will end up somewhere other than you expected, like America.

Practice makes pathetic

I had a chance to hear Pat Sullivan, CEO of Sovereign Bank New England speak last week regarding the state of the Economy. The most interesting portion to me pertained to the results of a survey of over 7000 business customers. They were asked to prioritize the most important concerns to their business - ONE. 60+% growing my business TWO. 20+% retaining and finding the right people THREE. 10+% making sure my people are adequately trained to compete.
That said I couldn't help wondering - do most of these business owners and leaders spend 60% of their time and revenue on point one or do their concerns not match their reality?
During the Civil war General McLellan drilled his troops relentlessly, practicing formations, marches and maneuvers. He was inspired by watching thousands of troops marching to and fro at his command - no doubt a beautiful sight! One problem,most of the battles that these men would fight were not going to be on an open and level field. Most of the time the General would have to give orders without knowing where his men were, hidden by trees and smoke. All of that practice only instilled frustration where these best of plans were foiled.
As a business leader think about that 60% and examine whether or not you are practicing a plan that will make perfect and not pathetic!

Gold can hide the truth

I had a chance to hear Lee Froschheiser speak this week at an event. I also had an opportunity to watch "Elizabeth, the golden years" now out on DVD. Interestingly but not surprisingly I made an interesting connection between the two - here goes.
Lee spoke about about the misconceptions that "good times" in business can perpetrate. Revenue hides a multitude of sins, but when the revenue stops, the economy changes or some other event acts as a catalyst all of a sudden the ugly and neglected sides of the business appear! Sometimes these problems are now so entrenched they are beyond repair.
In the mid 16th century Spain was the thriving business. Almost unlimited quantities of gold were flowing into the coffers. But coincidentally Spain was dysfunctional: A poor leader in King Phillip, a divided country, the inquisition, poor corporate citizenry as they pillaged and raped the new world and no vision as to where the country was headed.
In contrast England, now under Elizabeth was "up and coming". She was a great leader, the country had been united under her more tolerant approach to freedom of religion, there was an interest in the new world and certainly gold; but that was not their only interest.
After the war climaxed with the English defeating the Spanish Armada - Spain was a bankrupt country and England moved on to become the number one player on the ocean.
Business leaders can learn much from these examples. Any Idiot knows to take a good look at their organization or a department when things are not going well, only the best leaders take time to do that when things seem to be perfect!

Humble Pie

I had a chance to meet with an executive last week and we discussed some ways that we could help him get better results out of his sales people. After the meeting I was reflecting on why the meeting had went so well, why we had made such progress in such a short time, why we had got along so well and the answer to all of these questions has to do with this executive having the oh so rare quality of Humility!
This gentleman was very savy, very smart and obvioulsy had some excellent leadership skills. His business had grown very progressively over the years and yet rather than getting overly confident or even pompus about his success, he still had an "I don't have all the answers" demeanor. Oddly enough those who follow this mantra usually find themselves having all the answers.
One cannot help thinking about how different things might be if more people were like him. The political realm right now is full of people who say they have all the answers and the current President - of course he has all the answers. When people have all the answers they never ask for help, they never consider another opinion and as a result they make more mistakes and end up looking foolish more often.
As bad as current leaders might be I can certainly think of worse.Legend has it that King Canute of England had his throne taken down to the ocean so that he could demonstrate to his subjects that even the sea obeys him - then his subjects would stop questioning him. Guess what happened?