Need A Great Idea to Improve Sales? Trash It!

In this world of text messages, instant gratification and Starbucks, companies sometimes believe sales organizations just need that one special idea. One more jolt or special program that will catapult them into becoming the next mega conglomerate. Idea companies, thrive on creating new products, repackaging old products or repositioning into new categories and markets. They also thrive by trashing ideas.

When you dig under the covers of effective leadership, three things start to emerge in their success and quest for growth. First, they have a strategy that drives their decisions from top to bottom. Second, they understand their strengths and weaknesses and the impact on going forward. Third, they only implement those few ideas that are consistent with strategic goals and their ability to execute.

Organizations struggle when leaders confuse the troops about what is most important. When ideas are flowing like text messages from hormone crazed teenager, there is going to be a loss in productivity. Take a close look at great companies, ideas are the starting points of greatness. However, they have thrown away far more than they have embraced. Nothing is done by accident, everything aligns with the company’s overall strategy, resulting in the ability to implement and drive sustainable growth.

Take a little time, think on what will deliver the greatest results and put the rest in the trash. If its such a great idea, it will find its way back.

Your Evolving Sales Leader | have fun, it is fundamental

Top Sales Organizations & Seth Godin: This Is Broken

A while back a friend forwarded a link “Seth Godin: This is Broken” (below). It speaks about how important it is to listen to your clients and to those who are doing the work within your organization.

When was the last time you asked a customer what they wanted and how they wanted to buy? And, do you:

• Ask your sales people what would make it easier for them to sell?
• Question beyond the typical “get more customers” or “get customers to call me” response?
• Look internally to find out if everyone is working to win clients or are they creating obstacles and why is this?

It’s the digging deeper and learning what is really happening in your organization that separates the best from the rest.

Think about it. If you make it easier for your clients to buy and easier for your sales people to sell, what kind of sales improvements could you achieve?   Isn’t it about time to talk with your clients and sales people. If you want to have a top sales organization take the first step.

Here is Seth Godin's link: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/04/this-is-broken.html

Your Evolving Sales Leader | have fun, it is fundamental

Sales Leadership: 3 Questions About Your Brand

I attended a presentation last year given by Elijah Steenhoek at the Senior Star living facility in Cincinnati, OH. Elijah’s topic, brand and branding. Looking back, it is one of those presentations that I was thankful to hear.  It gave me great insight and contemplation, encouraging a closer look on the topic.

For a lot of companies, brand seems to be something you can spend a lot of money on and never be sure what value it ultimately brings. Other companies, like P&G, Apple, Google and Michael Jordan clearly have become household names, creating brand recognition with huge demands and revenue streams.

Elijah’s compelling speech and insights prodded each participant in the audience to ask,  “Are you congruent with your brand?”

Companies can spend millions on telling the world that “Client satisfaction is #1” and yet when you call, you get caught up in the “let me transfer you to...”, until your are ready to scream and pull your hair out.  And then just by happenstance, you meet someone who represents the company in a non business setting. You relay your experience, only to hear “yea that happens all the time, we’ve given up trying to solve the problem, its like the company doesn’t really care.” WOW... what a surprise! The business isn’t congruent with the message it is sending its clients and their people are in the middle. They don’t walk the talk. 

How does your organization stand up? What is its brand?

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What would your clients say is your brand?
2. What would your employees say is your brand?
3. Is your company and its leadership congruent with the brand recognition you want?

These are important questions to answer, and your opinion doesn’t count! You must go to your clients and your employees to get their answers, and you must listen intently and without opinion. Your opinion does not count!! 

Think about it. What impact is this having on your sales organization and their ability to capture revenue? How can you achieve sales excellence when people have to work around other people's perspectives and opinions to win clients and improve sales performance? 

Your brand is defined by outcomes. Outcomes are the results of behaviors. Behaviors are driven by intention & expectations. Are your intentions and expectations clearly understood? Are they driven by values. What are your values and how are they defining your brand? 

Your Evolving Sales Leader | have fun, it is fundamental