Category Archives: Success
My Guest Post – Confidence Means Everything
Kevin and Leanna over at the blog “The League of Champions” reached out to me a few weeks ago, and I am so glad that they did.
They did a guest post on my blog, and now I have done the same on theirs. I really enjoy their content, and highly recommend that you check them out if you have not already.
Here is the link to my post on confidence. I hope you like it!
http://theleagueofchampions.com/2012/08/09/confidence-means-everything-guest-post-by-tim-mushey/
Which Stage Are You At?
I really enjoyed this motivational picture this morning. I think many of us are working on this daily!
For those of you who have been watching the Olympics, I hope you saw the women’s soccer game between Canada and the USA yesterday. It was an incredible match, and both teams should be very proud of their efforts. Not one player on the field quit playing their heart out until the final buzzer sounded.
How close are you to achieving your goals, and how hard are you prepared to work for them?
This little picture should be a great reminder of that. Keep it close by!
Finding this familiar? You are better off with the Nike way – Just Do It!
My Guest Post On “Top Sales Dog” – Are You A True Sales Professional?
I know I know, it is “Have A Laugh Fridays”. But I was really excited to get the opportunity to guest post on the Top Sales Dog website thanks to Michael Boyette. He reached out to me, and actually did a post on my blog a few weeks ago as well.
I am proud of this post, and it took a little longer than normal to come together. The world is full of “run-of-the-mill” sales reps who are putting in similar average efforts, getting average results. But true sales professionals take their game to another level, and achieve greater success.
Click on the link below to see why!
How Well Do You Know Your Customers? (Be Honest)
As I attempted to write this post over several days, I struggled to make it interesting. On the surface, “how well do you know your customers” can be dismissed as a generic topic that does not peak people’s curiosity.
“Of course I know my customers Tim. What are you talking about?”
I can hear you making silly comments to your computer screen now!
In all seriousness, what I am about to say will have tremendous value for you long-term with your current customers and prospects. Be honest with yourselves. How well do you really know your customers?
I went on joint calls with one of my Sales Manager quite often. After one particular call (visiting Bob and John), he asked me what I learned about the two associates. I drew a blank for a minute and said that I did not know. His reply,
“Bob loves to golf, and has twin daughters who are 12 years old. The family likes going to Mexico every winter”.
“John is single, enjoys playing recreational sports, and has two dogs”
I asked him why knowing this would matter. He responded by saying that now that I knew some information about each of their personal lives, it would be easier to keep discussions going in the future. Speaking to them about business was always the primary goal, but when it was time to have casual conversations, personal topics would really get them engaged. One word answers like “yes”, “no” & “inaudible mumbles” would not be an issue then.
They might like to talk about their kids, their golf game, current sports stories, upcoming holidays, or hobbies. I always stayed away from touchy subjects like religion and politics. It was not worth the hassle if a nerve was struck with someone. Previously I would often go in to calls and talk about the weather, or something that was in the news. But it was not personal to them.
How awesome would it be for you to look into a customer’s eyes and remember any of the above details (even what they take in their coffee), by only asking once? Better yet, how awesome would it be for them to know that you cared enough to remember?
The key to keeping details straight (and not confusing Bob and John) is to record them as soon as possible. Take a few minutes after a call, sit in your car and write things down. Test yourself – can you remember three things you learned about your account today? And don’t expect that you’ll remember all of this at the end of the day. A few minutes early on will pay off in the long run.
You can also dig deeper, in terms of the “rules of communication” with the account contacts:
- Do they want you to make an appointment first, or is it ok to just drop in unannounced?Do they like to be contacted by email, text, cell phone or land line?
- Is there a best time of day to drop by if just stopping in?
- How often do they want to be visited?
The earlier you make notes on each account, the sooner you will understand the level of engagement they want. You may want to engage them face to face more than they want to be engaged, so you have to find that balance and not be a nuisance.
Oh yeah, work your butt off to remember their names as soon as possible. That is a must! Statistics prove that people respond better to what you are saying when their names are used during conversations. I had documents that I would refer to before going in to each call.
I don’t care how you record this information, as long as you do it. It could be through CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software, task lists on email programs, iPhones, Blackberries etc. Heck, good old-fashioned notebooks still worked last time I checked! But it is imperative that you have separate files for each account to avoid confusion and disorganization.
Showing interest in customer’s personal lives, and remembering minor details that nobody else takes the time to, will strengthen relationships more often than not. The primary goal in sales is to obviously sell stuff; but the ones who show genuine interest in their customers and CARE will win in the long run.
Do You Want “Jalopinoes” With That? (what ???????)
I went to a hockey game with a good friend of mine several ago. During the standard 15 minute intermission we stopped by a concession booth to grab a bite to eat. We were having a great conversation and lost track of time. 15 minutes had passed, and the line had barely moved.
Then we really started to pay attention to the guy who was serving us. He was slow, lethargic and very methodically serving people. By the time we finally received our food, 10 minutes of the next period had expired.
But the story gets better. I had ordered nachos with cheese. He proceeds to ask me,
“Do you want jalopinoes with that?”
I responded with a laugh,
“Did you mean jalapeno peppers?”
“Yeah, whatever… jalopinoes”.
That was one of the funniest interactions that I ever had at a fast food counter! I wish I could recreate his voice in this post.
Sitting back and watching this young man work slower and slower, as the line got longer and longer with no manager intervening was memorable, for all the wrong reasons. They were obviously not motivated to do their job to the best of their abilities, had no enthusiasm, and would have rather been anywhere but there. Maybe that was “just how he rolled”, but certainly a little encouragement and support from the managers could have helped him speed up and engage people a little better.
Now on the flip side…..
When was the last time you had a memorable service experience at a fast food restaurant?
I did, over and over, and it was only ever to order food in the restaurant and take it out, or go through the drive thru. It took a few visits to realize that it was a different experience than other similar restaurants. The owner who worked behind the counter a lot of time was a difference maker. The employees (typically young teenagers) bought in to what he was teaching and how he was training them. The positive attitude was very noticeable. Everyone was unflappable during busy times. I had never seen a fast food restaurant be so in synch with people lined up to the door!
I often observed the owner encouraging the kids, and tactfully discussing things with them when they did something wrong. The incredible part was he owned two different locations, and the experience was exactly the same at each one. Kids as young as twelve and thirteen years old showed work ethic and levels of maturity unheard of at that age. They always had smiles on their faces, and never hesitated to engage customers. They certainly realized how important their customers were to the company’s success.
Some of the kids used humour in their approach. One girl sang a song to us in the drive through, as a way of asking for our order. Another girl quoted our order total in pennies and not traditional dollars and cents. The owner was involved with many local charities, and it was well documented in the community. I know that he taught the values of helping others to his staff, and that certainly helped in their development as they became young adults. The team work within the group was very solid as well. I never saw one person say “That is not my job” or comparable when they were working.
One manager, one leader can make all the difference in the world. There is a reason that I am able to recall this so vividly, but rarely remember details of the hundreds of other fast food experiences during my life (except for the “jalopinoe incident”.
He could motivate, teach, inspire, and get the young adults to buy in to his plan. He was able to properly tell them when they did something wrong, without them feeling bad about it. And when you include consistent smiles on their faces and prompt service, it made for an enjoyable experience every time!
His team had “IT”, and I truly do not know what “IT” was. But when you walked through the doors, you could feel the different vibe almost instantly.
Think of your experience as a leader in your career and personal life.
- What things have you done over and over that brought you success?
Great job and keep doing those things.
- Now think of things that you did once or twice, they were successful, but you stopped doing.
Start doing them again! If something works, repeat as often as you can.
Why do you think that certain sports coaches have success wherever they go?
They have tried and testing techniques and keep repeating them. The message may be tweaked over time, but they never stray too much from what gave them initial success.
Remember the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
Mel Robbins Presentation – Stop Screwing Yourself Over
I originally posted this Mel Robbins video late in February, and have thought about it a lot lately.
This 21 minute presentation blew me away the first time I saw it! She drills through the mental clutter that stands between people and what they want.
Put your phone on mute, close your email and enjoy the message today at lunch, or at home one night as soon as you can. It will be the best 21 minutes you spend all week and I hope it will change your day, week, year and beyond!
You can also check out her website at:
Enjoy!
Why Hierarchies? The Pizza and Beer Syndrome by Broc Edwards
I have been following Broc Edward’s blog for quite some time, and always enjoy his content. This post on hierarchies caught my attention earlier this week, and I wanted to share it today. His insight on this topic is excellent, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did..
Why do organizations look the way they do? Why are command and control hierarchies so popular? They seem like relics from days gone past. We spend a lot of time complaining about all their sins and proposing alternatives so why don’t we see flatter, collaborative, and self-directed organizations? They should be more adaptable, create more engagement, and be higher performing. Yet we keep perpetuating the command and control hierarchies that we spend so much time railing against. Why do we say we want one thing and make the choices and actions that lead to another?
Good questions and here’s the answer (you might want to write this down): pizza and beer.
No, really. Call it the “Pizza and Beer Syndrome” if you like. We can learn a lot about organizations by looking at human behavior. After all, organizations are a reflection of the philosophies, strategies, and approaches of individuals.
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