The Sales Pitch

Today we had a chance to sit through a sales presentation for a Marriott timeshare. Having been in sales, sales management and sales strategy my entire career I really enjoy seeing new approaches and strategies. Of course going into a sales presentation knowing you are not buying makes it very unfair for the sales person but nonetheless very educational.

We were lured into the presentation with a $150 gift certificate to be used on the island we were staying at. One might say $150 is a lot of money but this is a very low cost for a face to face sales presentation with someone who is a qualified buyer. The one area they forgot to ask is, were we interested. In order for someone to be a buyer they have to have 2 requirements they have to be interested and qualified. You will not complete a sale if either of these requirements is not met. As we walked into the presentation we signed up and were given a number. The number was in a 5x7 picture frame so it was not something you could hide. The room we were asked to sit in was also set up for sales one small loveseat with a single chair directly across (couple vs. sales person). After all of the numbers where handed out the sharks were released. You began to see sales people scurrying through the rooms looking for their assigned numbers. Then our sales person approached us and asked if we could follow her as she took us into a small sales room. The presentation was as expected, directional selling letting people say yes as much as possible. The presentation lacked the pressure I was expecting. The sales person had broken English but I guess this could be expected since we were in a foreign country but this was mistake #1 in the sales process. Mistake #2 was she did not gauge our interest if we wanted to buy from the beginning. There is no need to try to sell someone something they do not need or do not want. Mistake #3 once she confirmed we were not going to buy she became less than professional and swiftly moved us out the door to our $150 gift certificate.

Although we had no intention on buying I would have to say the overall sales presentation was good. I actually left the meeting with a good understanding of their product line as well as a good sense of the sales person’s ability. We were presented an option that actually would have met all of our needs if we were going to buy and for that I commend the sales person. After all she really did listen to what we had to say and tried to make the best recommendation possible. If you are in sales make sure your customer is interested and qualified and you will save a lot of time and energy.

Career Coach

There are so many people in corporations who have true talent but never seem to make it out of their little cubical. It is true some people do not aspire to be any more than their current role and actually refuse more responsibility. Early in my career I would have said to eliminate this part of the work force. The truth is these are the folks who make the business go everyday. In this post I want to focus on the person who wants to advance but is frustrated because he feels he is being passed up for other candidates.

If you work in corporate America you have certainly run across this person and they might sit beside you today. This is likely the same person you hear say, "I do not get paid enough to do this job." This is the same person who comes in right on time or late and never stays past 5. Yet when a promotional opportunity arises he is over looked. I am no advocating that you need to work 60 hours to be noticed in fact I would argue the person who is working 60 hours has time management issues. I am simply saying you can only expect to get what you are willing to put in. If you are sitting at the blackjack table and you are looking to triple your pot but you only play the minimum it is unlikely it will happen anytime soon. If you want to be promoted here are a couple of tips that will help you get to the next level:

• Tell your boss your career aspirations and others around you
• Control you career have a 1/3/5 year plan with specific goals you want to achieve
• Work with a mentor (preferably someone outside your group that you trust and will be brutally honest)
• Invest in yourself (education, 360 evaluations, networking)
• Ask about new roles and challenges and being willing to push yourself into an uncomfortable situation

Most times people never do any of the above yet wonder why they are still in the same role waiting for the tap on the shoulder. Sure shoulder taps still do happen but not as often as they used to. No one is going to own your career more than you and if you are expecting someone to you better plan on being in the same cube for a while. After all your manager probably owns her career and this is why she cannot own yours too.

Meetings

Have you been on a project team when it feels like you are running around in circles? This is very common in corporate America and I have a few beliefs on why this takes place. There are people in the world who are always willing to provide feedback without providing solutions. These are the people that every organization should avoid. These are likely the same people who schedule 2 hour meetings without an agenda and let the conversation flow from topic to topic. At the end of the meeting the group usually walks out saying “what was that meeting about?” Then there are people who will push back for no real reason just because they think they are adding value. What they do not know is they are preventing the team from moving forward.

When working with a group you have to have a detailed approach and agenda before meeting. Set goals for the meeting and action items at the end of the meeting. It is simply not good enough have a meeting without clear direction and purpose this is a waste of time. If you know someone who continually has useless meetings stop going you are wasting your time and the company’s resources.

Email Bomb

The email bomb is something that companies have to take into consideration and give appropriate training. I recently had a situation where I was communicating through email and trying to be as clear as possible. The problem like I mentioned in previous emails is people do not proof read what they are sending before they hit the send button. I was recently amused by an email that literally had 10 different messages in 4 sentences. I wanted to respond by stating can you please proof read and resend? Of course we all have a tendency to go through things very quickly, misspell words, and my favorite use the reply to all function. Here are a few tips when crafting an email that will help minimize the confusion that might take place.

• Only include the people on the email who need to be included this is not the right time to show your boss you can handle conflicts
• Subject / Title should reflect the actually information that is included in the email
• Address the audience like it is a formal letter, ex. Brad,
• Give specific action items in the email, ex. I need a response by Monday the 3rd at 5pm.
• Closing, ex. Thanks for your help,
• Name & Contact information
• Spell Check and reread before you hit send.

Sure this does not look like rocket science and it is very simple. If you do this every time you will find conversations are much easier to have and the communication struggle can be eliminated.

Connected

If you have been in corporate America for any period of time you have asked the question, how did he get so high in the organization? This is the realization that it is not always what you know but who you know. Have these questions ever come up in conversations in your organization?

• What has he/she done to improve earnings?
• When was the last time he hit his goals?
• What makes the head of sales the right fit for the head of operations?
• Why does his boss love him and his team hates him?

I unfortunately have personally witnessed these events take place. There is nothing more frustrating for an workforce whom wants to win and progress than to see mediocre performers at the top. After all if leadership is mediocre the company will be mediocre at best. So many times in business managers are afraid to hire talent because they are in fear of losing their job. once this trend begins to happen an organization will spin into a downward spiral. A great leader will promote, teach and push his/her people into new roles that will make them successful for years to come. Once you realize you are not asking the above questions you should take advantage of the opportunity. Working with great leaders is unfortunately not the norm regardless of the corporation.

Snap Decision

I have been recently working with a gentleman and helping him structure his business in a way that will be profitable for years to come. A couple of days ago I received a phone call from him saying he had found a great opportunity. I could tell how excited he was so I began to listen to him explain the business he was considering buying. For clarity the business he was looking at was a retail location - golf course to be exact. After he said the word unbelievable about 10 times I began to ask him a couple of questions the first of which was, "where is it located." He said it is in the middle of nowhere. My first reaction, challenge to attract customers. I then asked why do you think this is a good idea when everything that we have discussed is different. He began to explain his end goal is to buy a course and the opportunity is presenting itself now. I listened a little longer and then said before you make a decision we should review the financial documents and make sure it is worth it. Two days later we both agreed now is not the right time and he should remain narrow and strategic. Yesterday I get a phone call that says I am the proud owner of the course and now I need to figure out the rest.

Small business is great but there is a reason why 70% + fail. It is because snap decisions like this are made without critically thinking. You have to take out personal emotion and look at the facts. In this case it is a golf course in Ohio that means it will likely be closed for 3 months out of the year. It is in the middle of nowhere that means customers are less likely to travel to your location unless you offer speciality services that your competition does not offer. It has been for sale for 3 years that means the price is too high or it would have been sold a long time ago. Business is not easy you have to be willing to step back ask hard questions and walk away. I love the entrepreneurial spirit but hope he does not become part of the 70%.

Bouncing Ball Manager

Do you remember as a kid going to the grocery store with your parents? Before leaving I would always beg my mom for a quarter to buy something out of the vending machine. It never failed I would always go for the bouncing ball that was sitting in the case. The funny thing about the bouncing ball is when it is in the case it is not moving, causing problems or breaking anything. However, as soon as the ball gets loose it can cause broken windows, sprained ankles and fights amongst kids.

In business have you ever had a manager that you would consider the bouncing ball? This is the person who hops from idea to idea causing distractions and providing no vision. Of course we are all guilty at times of not thinking clearly and reacting rather than processing but not like the bouncing ball manager. The bouncing ball manager will say I want this completed in 12 months and a couple days later will say we really need it by the end of the week. The bouncing ball manager will say we should focus on X but two hours later will question why you are not looking at Y. So here are some ideas on how to deal with the bouncing ball:

· Keep the scope of the project narrow?
· Ask the question, what are we trying to solve?
· This project has a very large scope. What do you want to complete first and when?
· Provide him/her regular updates keeping scope in mind?
· Push back and provide feedback do not be a yes man you will both fail.

Of course the bouncing ball manager will continue to be all over the board and at times will be near impossible to deal with. This is an opportunity to become a leader and manage up. Just because they are the boss does not mean they cannot learn and develop.