Un-Natural Selection - Decide! part 3

Happy Friday!   Each of us finds themselves at crossroads throughout our lives.  Choices brought on by possibilities, challenges, opportunities, obligations and priorities. Sometimes the choices are made for us.  The last few days I looked at how those choices can be made for us...being put in a category and the consequences of being there.   Yes, our performance may have put us in that category...but thankfully, our improved performance can get us out of it.  If you can take responsibility for how you got here, then you have the ability to dig your way out...you still have control.  I have seen it happen.  A few years ago, I had to tell a group of agents labeled as under-performers that they were at the crossroads of this stage of their career.  The writing (and production numbers) was on the wall.    What do you do when you are at a crossroad?   You Decide. Decide in one definition means to "cut off from".  I told this group that my job was to help them improve but there was no magic bullet.  I wrote the word Decide on a whiteboard and then wrote the following 5 things. DECIDE   #1...if this is the right opportunity for you.  People get into sales for a variety of reasons, but once they experience what it actually takes to be successful realize it may not be for them.  There is no shame in that...we all have unique talents and gifts but when applied in the wrong arena, make us look dysfunctional.  Some people hang on longer than they should and if the love and determination aren't there...eventually they quit or get pushed out.   Others are simply missing an ingredient or two to make a go of it and be successful.  They can "feel it in their bones" that this is right and that the challenges they face today are temporary and they are willing to work through them to the next level.  Even if you are struggling, you can decide to stick it out and fight for your dreams!   #2...you will have an positive attitude. Nothing is more difficult to reverse than a negative attitude.  I am not talking people who give constructive feedback, express frustration at temporary setbacks, or relay bad news.  We all know the difference between that and a "chronic" complainer.  Nothing that is happening is their fault...it's the bad leads, the bad products, the bad clients.   Someone with a positive attitude is willing to learn, receive constructive feedback and correction.  They are able to "take a licking and keep on ticking".  None of us know everything (you thought I did...didn't you?)...and all of us need help sometimes.  It is hard to extend help to someone with a poor attitude, but easy (and rewarding) to help someone who has a "can do" spirit!     #3...you will take no shortcuts.  Shortcuts are for people who know where they are going.  If you are struggling with activity and effectiveness, you are likely weaker in the fundamentals.  Take Prospecting and Closing.  Poor performance is tied to not having enough clients to see and/or not closing enough of the ones you do see. Decide that your areas of weakness will become a focus.  If you don't have enough clients then you will have to do the "hard work" of basic prospecting methods...like canvassing, telemarketing or direct B2B visits.   Will it be easy?   No, but you have to decide that you want this bad enough to do what is necessary      #4...you will be smarter.  I am not talking about I.Q (whew!), but I am talking about learning all you can about your industry, company and products.  Companies offer Webinars, live trainings and resources to help you better position your product for more effective selling.  The information you learn may help you close more cases!   You can also engage coaches, mentors and other like-minded sales people to get better at your prospecting, presentations and closes.  The more you exercise your brain, the more confidence you build...the more confidence you have the less fear you have...   When the fear is gone...then your performance will improve!   #5...you will work harder. Be honest with yourself...are you really throwing all you have at this?  Anything in life that you really want you will work at it.  Can you get started earlier?  Can you make 40 contacts a week?  Can you follow up better?    Only you know if you are truly working.  Only you can know where you need to give it more.      Decide today to "Do the Work"! Deciding these 5 things will help you if you find yourself outside the Top 10 or the 20%.  In some respects, they are mental elements and not "drop down and give me 50" physical activities.  That is the great thing about change...it happens first in the mind...of which we have total control!    "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go." . Dr. Seuss Decide!   Until Monday, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Un-Natural Selection - You Better Run! part 2

Logan's Run.   Do you remember the movie?   It starred Michael York, as a cop of the future, named Logan 5. People were categorized by age and when you hit 30 (yikes!) your light came on and you were supposed to go to Carousel where you were eliminated...killed.   This was to keep the world from being over populated and preserve precious resources.   When his light turned red, Logan began to run.  In fact, they called those that bucked the system..."runners".  His instinct for survival trumped all the training and instruction the civilization had tried to instill.   The movie was about categorization and the consequences of being in that category.     Sales is like that.  If I could wax more philosophical...life is like that.    Think back to elementary school and picking sides for relay races.  The captains would stand out front and begin to pick their teams.  You had to pick boy/girl to create some parity, but after that...survival of the fittest ensued (Or Lord of the Flies - ok, that was over the top!). Day after day, the kids that were slower were left standing awkwardly, hoping they wouldn't be last.  The captains made comments about not wanting the last few options available like some high-stakes NFL draft.  Cruel statements sometimes...where were the teachers? I got a chance to be captain and picked in reverse of the expected order.  I picked the kids who were not always fast or coordinated but you could see them giving it their all...everytime.  I also picked Walter...he and I were the fastest kids in school. Strategically, I had Walter run the first leg and I ran the last one.  As planned, it gave us a great lead to start and fighting chance at the end.  I won't hold you in suspense... We lost. Hey, this is real life...not Hollywood.  I will tell you that it was a lot more respectable than anyone would have wagered! The real change was in the kids on my team.  Picking them first did something to them...it gave them hope that categorization wouldn't inform their entire lives opportunities...yes, a big revelation for an 8 year old. Ok, I know some would say I only tried to let two 20% runners "carry" the 80%ers. They did call us a relay "team"...you don't stop the 20%...you only allow the willing and able 80% a dignified chance to run!   In sales, we classify (usually there is a spreadsheet involved).  Top Gun, Top 10%, Winners, Steady Majority, Wounded Warriors, PITA's, Deadbeats, Losers..the list could go on.   Don't mistake me for a Pollyanna (though I would rather see the positives!).  I know categorization is real...and necessary.  It is the consequences of the categories that I think deserves individualistic review and not generalizations.   "Broad brush strokes don't paint masterpieces." Brandon Clay   When I come into a sales environment, my only goal is to give those who are willing to run...a chance!  I tell organizations I work with, "You picked & hired these people (or sometimes recruited them)...give them a real chance to run.   Where do you find yourself today?  What category might you fall into?  Where do you fall on the company's spreadsheets?   Matters not if you are at the top...the bottom...or somewhere in-between.  Like Logan, when your light turns on...   You Better Run!   Until Tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Un-Natural Selection! part 1

I work with several sales organizations and I was reviewing Year to Date (YTD) sales data for one of them recently.   The sales guy said all the "classic" things that diffused the attention from him and on the people he hired (that fact never came up!).   In less than 5 minutes, he used all the clichés associated with the "bell curve" of performance in sales organizations;   "Let the big dog eat."   "I give the best leads to my stallions, some to my horses, and none to the donkeys."   "This is a dog eat dog world...survival of the fittest."   "I believe in two things in sales...Natural Selection and the 80/20 Rule."   That's where he got me.   Natural Selection defined by Dictionary.com, The process by which forms of life having traits that better enable them to adapt to specific environmental pressures, changes in conditions, or competition, will tend to survive and reproduce in greater numbers than others of their kind. The 80/20 Rule states that 80% of the production will come from 20% of the team...which means that only 20% of the production will come from the majority of 80%.   I don't get angry much, but he had to see the change in my face and posture, though I tried to veil it.  In many ways, this is typical and classic.  Yes, I know that these "laws" play out in dynamic sales organizations...   But that doesn't mean I have to like it!  As I looked back down at the sheet with over 200 names, I saw people.  Families, kids in college, mortgages and hopes for the future...all tied to this organization and the great profession of sales.    I could see that some were riding high and it validated what I know about the income possibilities of sales - I was proud and happy for these top performers!  Others were steady performers and while not burning up the charts, were making a decent living.  Others were at the brink of being fired.    Why am I so passionate about fighting these "laws" in sales?  30 years ago, Natural Selection and Pareto would have said I wouldn't make it in this business.  It bell curved me before I even got into the game.    One of the first sales positions I applied for gave me an Appititue and Compatibility test...   I failed.    The results showed I didn't have some of core characteristics of an ideal sales person.  I understand that they were trying to weed out the weak (selection) and only bring in the 20% prototype.    Looking back, I am glad that I didn't get the job.  Thankfully, the next place "took a chance on me" and I ended up being the top person within 6 weeks...ahead of guys who had been there 6 years!   The one thing that Natural Selection and the 80/20 don't consider is the "human factor".   Sure, a single cell amoeba takes eons to evolve (not a Darwin reference!) and nature is cruel to those organisms that can't hack it...it kills them off through environment and predators...it shouldn't be that way with human...with sales.   Why?  Because the human factor allows us to "change and evolve" in an instant.  We are thinkers, dreamers and achievers but we do need help sometimes.   I told this sales manager the same thing I tell every organization that gives me some version of the bell curve scenario.    "Some of your people are just one ingredient away from breakout success.  Sadly, many of them will never get that ingredient."    Then I go for the close (hey, I still need clients too!).   "Is your organization ready to "break the mold" and do what it takes to help them find that ingredient so that your revenue can increase and the people you selected can become successful?  Then it's time you used..."    Un-Natural Selection!   Until Tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

All Opposed...Say "AYE"!

Yes, I know that in a chamber vote those that are opposed are supposed to say "no", but today, if you are opposed in any way...I want you to say with excitement,   "AYE!"   Yes, I want you to say "yes" to Opposition.   Opposition.     We all face it.  It comes in so many forms and usually at an "inopportune" time.  Of course, there is never a good time for opposition, until you understand that without it...no progress can be made.   A few examples;   Friction is simply opposition.  It "pushes against" your desire to move forward, but with effort and energy, you put one foot in front of the other and propel forward.  Don't think you need the opposition of friction?  Try walking on ice!   Getting into a fight is facing opposition.  Remember Opie Taylor agonizing over a bully that was going to beat him up?  The moment of truth comes and the opposition gives sweet little Opie a black eye, but getting over his fear is a victory.  How does Floyd Mayweather view a black eye?  Through diamond studded sunglasses...he can't wait for his next 100 million dollar opposition!   An objection during a sale is opposition.  A need has been established, a solution has been proposed, and the prospect still has concerns to be addressed.  Studies conducted by behaviorial scientist, Neil Rackham of SPIN selling fame, show that 3-5 objections are necessary to make a major sale.  In fact, without them, the sale does not close...you need the opposition of objections! What are you facing today that is daunting or haunting you?  When I talk to sales people (and people in general) we tend to discuss the problems...the challenges...the opposition.   "The leads are not good."   "No one wants an appointment."   "Compliance and regulations make it hard to be successful."   I always try to "convert" their thoughts about the opposition into optimism.  I tell them that opposition means opportunity.  If something were easy, then everyone would be doing it.  Opposition is the "filter" that weeds out those that are not serious about success or achievement... it works all too well. My science training tells me about opposing forces.  Newton's 3rd law states,  "That for every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction".   What does that mean?  It means when you are facing opposition, you have to fight back.  You have to meet "fire with fire" and give the opposition and equal and opposite reaction. Brandon, I am no scientist like you, but if I meet a force with the same force, won't they just cancel each other out? Not quite.  There is another law...Conservation of Energy.  It says that energy is not created or destroyed but can be conserved/transferred over time.  It stores up as potential energy through the process, but releases as kinetic energy in the fight. What does that mean? When you use your energy to fight opposition, it converts into a higher level of experience, knowledge and then success.  You may not immediately see your energy "convert" into money (yes, that is still the goal!), but as enough energy is transferred...it will. That means that the energy used in the no show or "be-back" of today will convert into the sale of tomorrow.  It means that the energy used for the 100 telemarketing calls you make today, will convert into the clients of next week.  The energy used to walk those 2 miles today will convert into lost pounds on Friday! It doesn't matter what kind of opposition you face today...you are more than equipped to face it, overcome it, and win!  Just ask David.  Without Goliath, he would still be tending sheep.  It's hard to ascend to any great level of success if you need everything to be smooth and easy.  So next time you are opposed...Say "AYE"!   Until Tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Pay Me On Tuesday!

Happy Monday! I was never a big Popeye fan. I hated spinach (eat it every day now - juicing with magic bullet!)...I didn't think Olive Oil was "all that" and to top it all off...I could understand a word he said! I did have an affinity for Wimpy.  He was a lovable sort, always begging for money...and hamburgers.  It was only when I got older that I realized he was really a bum (yes, strong language!)...living off other people and "putting off until tomorrow, what he should be doing today".  Recite his classic line with me,   "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." Wisely using credit is one thing...perpetually putting things off is another.  There is a word for it...   Procrastination.  Borrowing time today with the intent of paying it back in the future.  Reality is, most of us never pay for our "hamburgers" until the last minute, until its too late...or never.   Opportunity is lost...revenue is lost...time is lost.   August 15th is coming...did you file your taxes...used the extension?  Procrastination.   Medicare Advantage AHIP certification began a couple of weeks ago...my wife is finished...I will finish this week...will you wait until October?  Procrastination.   The contract for the product you need is still in your inbox...filling it out today...or Tuesday? Procrastination.   You get the picture.   Why do we procrastinate?   If I could answer that, I would be on the "O" network living it up with Deepak, Robbins and Dr. Phil.  It is an amazing thing to watch people put off what they know, eventually, they will have to do.     Do I procrastinate?   Yes, but not nearly as much as I used to and not for the really important things.  A few years ago, I analyzed my behavior to determine my root causes for putting things off.  Yours may be different, but introspection is the only way to get to the heart of what keeps you from doing all you need to do...to get where I know you want to go.  My personal top 3;   1. Fear - Most procrastination falls into this category.  The fear is the action will not yield the results, or even more dramatically, will lead to failure.   Do you fear because you think something is not possible? You have likely heard the 4 minute mile story. It was thought impossible until Roger Bannister did it in 1954. Since then, many have done it - including high school runners!   Take the It's Possible Test - Can it be done?  Is someone else doing it?  Then, if it can be done and is being done...why not you?   Stop putting it off...simply do it!   2. Lazy - Anthony Robbins says, "People are not lazy, they just have impotent goals".  There is not a big enough "Why" to get you out of your Lazy Boy (or girl!) chair.  The "Why's" you establish have to be of sufficient importance to get you over the hump of fear, procrastination and any other form of doubt that manifests.   "Why" provides the spurs you need in your side to press forward in full gallop!  Develop some audacious goals that push you into action!   3. Pain/Pleasure - People will do extraordinary things to avoid pain/discomfort (exercise comes to mind), but will continuously move toward things that are fun and pleasurable.  A lot of my friends play golf, but never practice...but then the game is painful.  My momma used to say, "you have to eat broccoli to get ice cream"...think about it!   If there are things you have to do that you hate, schedule them.  Make them a priority...the elephant you eat the proverbial "one bite at a time"!  You will make time for things you love, so make that time for things you put off.   Today...right now (don't procrastinate!)...make a list of 5 things that you need to do and have been putting off.  Put a date beside each of them.  If you really feel ambitious, put the tasks necessary to complete them next to them as well.    Begin to see them as done and the feeling of accomplishment.  Then jump into them and celebrate each small victory of completion.  You can begin now and they will be eventually be finished...or you can...   Pay me on Tuesday!   Until Tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!