EVERY DAY!
It’s crystal clear…. Or is it?
It is crystal clear to me….so why can’t everyone else see it?
That was the thought that kept coming to mind the other day as I spoke with some really bright leaders in sales and business.
The thinking that got us here REALLY might not be the thinking that builds the future that we desire. That is a really tough realization. And as it will take some significant shifting to affect the right change, it makes it an easy thought to dismiss and simply revert to what we have always done.
The phrase the hit me hardest was from a really great company that had in fact been very successful globally in a really tough business, and was facing the need to possibly change. We were talking about sales organizations and their focus. The quote from this leader was “our objective is to extract the maximum amount of value that we can from the customer”. I’m listening… thinking… extract, like yanking teeth out of a patient’s jaw…. And “from”…oh yea… TAKING… not giving. Ripping value right out of their hands. Sounds more like a torture technique than any sort of “sales process”. But then again, most of the sales process offerings in the world can be a lot like torture, to everyone involved. Extracting, taking, getting, all to our benefit. Where was the customer in this? Oh yea, they were the subject of the extraction and the taking.
OK, I got it… this is the history of where we, as a “sales” person have come from. All about what WE want and what our company wants FROM us. The rest of the conversation was about the typical subject of compensation (meaning commission). The fundamental belief from most every sales leader(actually manager is a better term) is that their team IS coin-operated, and they CAN manipulate their team into doing what they want them to do by commission systems. The fundamental belief of this group, and most sales managers, is that the only thing that matters to a salesperson is greed and the possibility of a BIG upside to their commission.
And that is absolutely NOT TRUE. But they have been brought up under that belief system, so it MUST be true. Truly sad. Management (not leaders) that believe this are actually lying to themselves and those that they “manage” and those that they report to. That’s tough to face.
One of the other leaders that we were talking with was faced with a great challenge… having to hire a BUNCH of salespeople… NOW. And while training was of concern, the biggest challenge in mind at that time was how to structure the commission system so that everyone would sell more of all of the products that they had to offer. Not leading and coaching, but rather manipulation of the individual back pockets of the PEOPLE that they were working so hard to find and hire (hence the reason also for a retention problem).
Oh well. The journey to enlightenment can often be a long one…and it takes just one step to start it. So let me step down from the “commission is evil” soapbox for a moment and ask all of the salespeople out there to consider the concept that the most powerful way that you can achieve the success that you desire is to let go of the focus on hitting your “numbers” and focus on the process of serving. Commission or not, the way to create a brighter future for you and your world is by a simple focus on the PROCESS of SERVING. No complex equation needed here. Every day, look to make a difference of some kind for someone new. Every day, take time to dig in deeper to understand that client that you just “don’t get”. Every day, show the world you care more than ever.
Every day, come back to the basics of the “human process”….
CUSP
CARE greatly,
UNDERSTAND deeply,
SERVE endlessly with,
PURPOSE
OK, LET’s ROLL!
Mitch
Many years ago, in the formation years of our BootCamp (sales culture immersion at MCHP) creation, we found a wonderful couple of people that taught us amazing things about curiosity and conversation. Michael and Janet (www.inquizo.com) helped us clearly understand the power of creating curiosity as a cornerstone to having great conversations with clients. As we dug into that art we formed the rallying cry that was echoed hundreds of times during years of BootCamps and sharing journeys. The words that stuck in our brains forever are “2-Way Conversations”. A BIG difference from simple transmissions of words. It requires diligent caring about the people that you serve so that you can understand them well, to be able to truly have 2-Way Conversations that matter to them. That phrase…. 2-Way Conversation.. will be forever in my thinking, as doing it well represents a lot of commitment to selflessness and caring about others. Thanks, Michael and Janet!
As we have all morphed a lot in the past few months, this need for 2-Way Conversations has only gotten stronger than ever. This applies personally and professionally. For the moment let’s take the path down the serving clients direction.
With the aim to help our clients make a difference for others, we enter into the dialog of inquiry and understanding. We have conversations (2-Way Conversations, if we’re prepared).
This Covid trek that we are on has me evolving that thinking a bit. In today’s world with endless challenges faced by those we serve each day, I believe that it is time to ADD to that “2-Way Conversation” perspective and create the advancement of it into….” Empathetic 2-Way Conversations”. In the era that we are in, today, I believe that EMPATHY must come first before we can earn the right to continue on. In fact, EMPATHY must reign as we take the journey with our clients. EMPATHY first! We really do need to be able to put ourselves into someone else’s shoes and walk that next mile as them, to be able to understand, to be able to serve….well!
With our clients, there is a powerful conversation to engage in. It is a conversation about how your client helps THEIR client make a difference in the world. Take time to ask and understand what it is that your client does in service to THEIR client. If you will dig in and understand that you will find you have a new perspective on how you serve your client. Take time to…
CUSP
CARE greatly
UNDERSTAND deeply
SERVE endlessly, with
PURPOSE
OK, LET’S ROLL!
Mitch
As we enter into this time of hope where the “vaccines” of the world will set us free from COVID, I am hearing the same old refrain kick in again. It sounds something like this… “just as soon as we can all get our vaccines we can get back to calling on customers face to face”. Sound familiar? Not so unusual. I understand the desire for “better”. And where we came from was great. Or was it?
Remember our past. Let’s not repeat it. Let’s improve on it. In the world known sadly as “selling”, the data we know tells us it was not working well. That data shows that there is a 35% turnover rate of salespeople per year in the “average” B2B selling organization. Within 2 years 50% of the sales team leaves, within 3 years 100% of the sales and leadership team leaves.
The BEST companies have a 19% voluntary turnover rate. One in ten companies has a turnover rate greater than 50%. How can this be acceptable? It’s NOT!
In quota/commission-based compensation systems 40+% of the salespeople do not meet quota. How, on earth, can a 40% failure rate be OK? It's not, the system is totally broken and wrong.
An age-old saying out of the Demming world is that “every system is perfectly designed to deliver the results that it does today”. If you want to change the outcomes, you need to change the system. And going backward into our old comfort zones is not going to work well.
And this does not matter whether you are face to face or over the phone or over a Zoom call. Self-centered communication with another person does nothing at all to help them shift their thinking. The people that we call on do NOT care how much we know, or what we know until they clearly believe that you care about THEM and what THEIR challenges are. Stop “prospecting”, start serving.
Our choice is to go forward, in a way that brings value to the people that we serve. The form of communication is immaterial. Each one requires first demonstrating that you care about the person that you are communicating with and that your first desire is to FULLY understand their challenges. That happens equally well over Zoom, a phone, and even an individualized well-crafted email.
The only thing that we want to go BACK to, is what worked before, during, and will work after COVID. Serving our clients, relentlessly. Messaging and actions that demonstrate you CARE, you UNDERSTAND, and that you are here to SERVE them endlessly. AND that you are clear about their PURPOSE in life and work. Learn to truly connect, not just transmit meaningless product features and benefits.
We are all going through a common battle with COVID. We share the same human nature and needs. A great bond is possible right now if you choose to embrace that empathetic proposition and focus on serving others without reserve.
CUSP
CARE greatly
UNDERSTAND deeply
SERVE endlessly, with
PURPOSE
It really is that simple. No “sales process” is needed. It is, after all, a “human process”.
OK, LET’S ROLL!
Mitch
2021 is here. Not a surprise I know. What I do also know is that today and its challenges look just like where we left off a few days ago. AND, that is the way it will be. Surprises will continue, challenges will rear their ugly head, just like ALWAYS! AND we will respond and conquer every one of them, just as we ALWAYS do! I make no specific forecasts, as my crystal ball shattered this past year. It had gotten pretty cloudy over the years and was due to be put out to pasture. It is key to remember that we are in control of our own actions. We cannot control the world around us, but our actions are our own. We will most certainly take significant actions this year to secure our current and future success. We will be tested and we will prevail. We will fight and we will win. We will be better for all of it! Your spirit will rise and we will grow because it is RIGHT. It is just simple.
As we march into this next season in our journey, let me suggest a simple perspective.
If you truly want to achieve your goals, learn to ENJOY the PROCESS.
Notice I did not say focus on, drive, or any other hard-charging metaphor. I intentionally said ENJOY!
Outcomes matter, PROCESS makes them happen, and if you want to get REALLY good at something, learn to ENJOY the PROCESS with all your heart! Excellence results!
And the PROCESS must be about serving those around us. Serving without reserve! Serving endlessly!
The time we find ourselves in the middle of right now requires more external focus than ever, at least if you want to make a difference. If you simply want to max out your commission, good luck, as the “buyers” of the world are looking right through your transparency, onto someone that is really there to help THEM.
More than EVER, the world needs our non-self-serving perspective in creating outcomes that make a difference with the people that we serve. Coin-operated thinking will not serve ANYONE, including the commissioned salesperson. You want to max out your quota and your commission, then MAX out your client understanding, MAX out your caring about helping someone get what THEY need. MAX out what you DO, for THEM, purely, simply, and completely.
Make the PROCESS of serving what you charge into each day. That’s a PROCESS worthy of your time, your passion, your focus…trust in that PROCESS. It will serve everyone well!
This next year will be a rough and tumble pinnacle of success for those of us that choose to make it so. I have complete faith in that fact!
OK, LET’s ROLL!
Mitch
As we approach the end of the calendar year, there is an abundance of folks loudly proclaiming good riddance to the current year with the hope that the next year will bring relief from the challenges of today. I understand the emotion behind both aspects. This has been a strange year for sure.
I choose to reframe that thinking a bit and I go back to the teachings of Eckhart Tolle, the author of The Power of NOW! When I found myself becoming an expert at making mountains out of molehills, mostly of things that had not yet happened, I looked for a resource to remove the clouds from my brain. Eckhart Tolle was there. I spent countless hours reading his writing and listening to the recordings of his oddly strange voice. That quirky voice actually helped to ingrain many of the points he was making. His fundamental tenant is that we ONLY have one moment in life and that ONE moment is NOW. The past is done and we can’t change it. The future is in front and we do not know what it will bring. We ONLY have NOW! A simple thought, but a complex position to take, and hold! Easy to say, VERY difficult to execute that focus. I give you a few of his quotes for your consideration….
With respect to the current pandemic challenges if you choose….
-“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.”
- “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral. It is as it is.”Staying in the current moment…
- “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”
- “Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.”
- “Accept - then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.”
- “Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose”
- “The past has no power over the present moment.”And finally, a summary thought…
- “All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry - all forms of fear - are caused by too much future, and
not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms
of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.”
So, regardless of how we view 2020 and the upcoming year, our singular challenge is to make the very most we can out of the one moment that we can work on… NOW! 2021 will have plenty of moments of all kinds! And we will take each of those moments and accept them as if we had chosen them, AND we will make the very best of each NOW! For that is ALL that we have! No past or future to control us… only our NOW. Take action, own your NOW!
Put your energy into SERVING. Serving others, everywhere, work, school, church, home, the street corner, everywhere you can find someone that you can help, NOW!
CARE greatly,
UNDERSTAND deeply,
SERVE endlessly, with
PURPOSE
This applies deeply in what is called “selling”. Do it from the heart, do it NOW, and focus on the outcome for others in your journey. A final quote from Eckhart Tolle…
“Don't let a mad world tell you that success is anything other than a successful present moment.”
OK, LET’S ROLL!
Mitch
