Tough Love Lessons – Are You Just the Life of the Party….
Or Do You Actually Bring Something To The “Business Party”?
I am going to have a recurring theme on my blog called “Tough Love Lessons”. I will warn you in advance, they tone of these posts will be “in your face”, and may not apply to you. But there are people out there who need wake up calls in a variety of areas. If you know anyone who this applies to, please share the post with them.
For those of you who are already in the sales profession, or are thinking about a sales career, there are many opportunities to entertain customers and/or prospects. Events like lunches, dinners, golf tournaments, and trade shows are very common.
These are excellent opportunities to get to know people better, but there is also the potential to embarrass yourself! If you have consumed too many refreshments (or whatever else), you are going to look very silly.
Many people have gotten a “pass” at least one time in their careers for foolish behaviour, but if it becomes the rule that you are the “life of the party”, your credibility is thrown right out the window.
During my career, I have often laughed at the comment,
“He’s a great guy (or she’s a great girl)” for one reason……
But there is usually a “BUT” after.
In this scenario, the sales rep is great to socialize with, but they don’t really bring anything to the “business party”. This is a horrible stigma to have during your career. They are fun to be around, but they are not doing their job! OUCH.
Doing your job to the best of your ability is why people should remember you first.
This is not a 9-5, Monday to Friday type career; so if you are thinking about the profession for “free fun”, think again. There is so much more to it than that!
If you get a bad reputation early in your sales career, you are done. I have seen it happen, and don’t think that you would not be blacklisted as a “party-rep” too.
Oh yeah, one last thing….
You never want to be remembered as “that guy” or “that girl”.
This is the person that was a “memorable fool” at a business event, and people talked about them for years later when recalling the stupidity that transpired.
Never be that person who is late for a trade show or training sessions that management has paid good money for you to attend. Drag yourself to the event no matter what, or you may be looking for a new job sooner than later.
I’m out!
Stop, Look and Listen… The Follow Up!
I am still smiling from ear to ear after the great response I received last Thursday from the “Stop, Look and Listen” post! Thanks to everyone who took the time to read it, and a special shout out to those who took the time to comment. In case you missed it, here it is again:
I have been “practicing what I have been preaching” on a couple of items and wanted to give you an update:
I recently reached out to an old colleague that I have not spoken to in many years. Our relationship was a little choppy to say the least for a long time and we happily stayed “out of touch” as our careers continued with different organizations. They were happy to re-connect via social media, and vowed to stay in touch going forward.
I also had a face-to-face meeting with an old friend when he visited my city recently. We had not really hung out for the better part of ten years, and it was awesome to see each other again! We were the best of friends in university and stirred up the occasional bit of trouble, so it was nice to sit down and chat. We picked up right where we had left off which is what I expected to happen!
For the above situations, so much time had passed, I was not even sure why we “broke up” in the first place. It is all water under the bridge now. Time to move on.
A third story has been on my mind a lot since last Thursday. I became quite close with a customer of mine many years ago early in my career. We had a lot in common, and loved to talk about hockey every time I visited his store. If memory serves me correctly, we stayed in touch for a bit after I started a new role, but we finally drifted apart and never communicated again.
As my mind drifted during work last week, I finally decided that it was time to take action and reach out to him again after all these years. Within an hour of making that commitment to contact him, I received a very disturbing email. He had passed away suddenly the night before. I was in absolute shock.
– Is it time to reach out to somebody from your past?
– Is it time to leave the “past in the past” and move forward?
– Is the time to do that TODAY?
Things can change in an instant – unfortunately my third story proves that.
Hope I can motivate all of you to take action!
Saturday Music Memories – Lovin’ The Lifehouse
I have loved Lifehouse since they broke on to the mainstream music scene in 2001 with the smash hit “Hanging By A Moment”.
They have had some ups and downs in their career since then, but I have never stopped following. Jason Wade has one of those voices that keeps you wanting more. The past couple of years they have skyrocketed back in to the spotlight and I could not be happier.
I have not seen them in concert yet, but I am patiently waiting until next time they come through my town.
I have always loved their acoustic work, and this version of “Halfway Gone” is no exception!
Enjoy this awesome track and have a fantastic weekend!
Have A Laugh Fridays – Golf Boys Are Back!
For those of you who are golf lovers, this is the biggest weekend of the year! The Masters is back, and I can’t wait to watch it!
The “Golf Boys” released a video last year, and it was absolutely hilarious. Check out the link to my blog:
Well “Golf Boys 2.Oh” are back! Bubba Watson, Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan are at it again with another hilarious video!
Enjoy the videos and the Masters this weekend.
Oh yeah…. Who are you cheering for?
Have You Stopped, Looked And Listened Lately?
Just before Christmas we found out that our wonderful dog Chase had terminal cancer and only had a few weeks to live. Although we were quite upset, he had come through major health issues the previous year so we were not surprised. My wife and I agreed to keep him as long as he was doing fine, and as soon as he showed signs of a drop off, we would put him down.
I tried to play the “he’s just a dog card”, but that did not work. It was a very difficult time when he took a turn for the worst. We scheduled an appointment at the vet the next day. The following afternoon, my whole family was out, so I had a chance to sit with him on our deck.
It was an abnormally mild January day for Northern Alberta, which allowed him one last chance to hang out in the yard that he loved so much. He was not able to chase the squirrels like had had done hundreds of times before, but he was able to lie there as I stayed close.
As I sat with him and shut off the world around me, I stopped everything that I was doing, looked around at the place that he had called home for so many years, and just listened to all the sounds around us. I had not been in that relaxed a state for what seemed like months, and was able to fully disengage from the hustle and bustle of life to be in the moment with him. I became so relaxed that I actually fell asleep with him on the deck for one of the last hours of his life!
I reflected upon this event a few weeks after he had passed, and thought fondly about our time together in the yard taking it all in. We get so wrapped up getting through the day that we don’t take enough time to stop, look and listen. I can’t remember the last time I just sat with Chase in the back yard and hung out. There were always other things happening that seemed more important than just being with him.
Perhaps you may want to:
– Cut back on your workload to spend more time with family, friends and even pets
– Reduce your outside commitments so you can have some “me time”
– Take up a hobby again that you have been unable to keep up with because life got in the way
– Connect with people that you have not corresponded with in a long time
and…
Stop, look and listen to everything around you. Take a breath and be thankful for everyone that you hold dear, and focus more on them. You never know how long they will be around for!
Saturday Music Memories – American Woman and My Hometown
I am from Winnipeg, Canada and love where I grew up. Every time I hear this week’s “Saturday Music Memory” I just feel darn proud!
Many people don’t realize that Winnipeg was a music factory in the 70’s, and has continued to put out great acts over the years. Do you remember that classic rock gem called American Woman? The Guess Who put Winnipeg on the map in 1970 when this song reached number 1!
You may recognize the names of Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman specifically. I have attached The Guess Who’s Wikipedia page for more information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guess_Who
Their history of success, break-ups, reunions, and changes are quite remarkable.
Burton Cummings has had a very successful solo career, while Randy Bachman went on to form BTO (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) in the mid 70’s. They had many hits, including the very popular “Taking Care of Business”.
But these boys have always been better together than apart in my opinion. I have attached a live 9+ minute jam of American Woman from Burton Cummings’ YouTube Channel.
The legendary Neil Young is also from Winnipeg, among others. I included a link highlighting a history of music in my hometown!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Manitoba#Recent_rock_and_pop_music
Enjoy this video and history lesson of music in my hometown!
Have A Laugh Fridays – Boss Is Gone, Boss Is Gone!
Take 32 seconds to have a laugh today. Enjoy your weekend everyone!
Is Your Team One-Dimensional?
One of the professional hockey teams that I follow closely have had consistency issues all year. It is hard to believe that they are still struggling considering they were awarded the #1 draft pick three years in a row!
It has become increasingly clear over the last while that there is one glaring issue that plagues the team. They have too many of the same players. The team is one-dimensional. The skilled players are very talented but are too small and don’t have grit. At least some players need to possess all of those characteristics.
This situation got me thinking about sales teams and corporations in general.
How effective is a sales team if there are too many hunters or farmers, or perhaps too many quiet reps or outspoken ones?
A good mix of players is an integral part to a healthy, vibrant team. The team needs to feed off each other’s strengths and support each other while improving their weaknesses.
What about for a corporation in general?
If the sales department is performing well, but manufacturing and accounting are a mess (as an example), there will still be struggles overall. If manufacturing is firing on all cylinders, but everything else is having issues, the company is still “broken”.
I have always been a huge proponent of “temporary job trading”.
Do the role of somebody in a different department for even a day to get a better understanding of what it takes to perform their job. Maybe you won’t get so annoyed with them, and have a new appreciation for what they actual do!
Work to cross-train employees so they aren’t so one-dimensional. There will be a greater chance of mutual respect within the team if they have a true understanding of what everyone else is doing each day.
Sports teams, sales teams, and companies as a whole thrive when everyone is working together. Diversity within a team is healthy, and understanding what everyone’s roles are reduces tension within the group.
Think back to the controversies that are often made public when certain superstar players don’t make an olympic or other highly competitive teams. On the surface it looks like a glaring omission. In reality it is a strategic move by the management team to put other role players in that position. A team cannot be made up of only superstars. It rarely works, and the odds are against from the get-go.
The Five Star 5 – Music I Am Loving Right Now!
Music is a big part of many of our lives, and I am no exception! I listen to it whenever I can, and think the Ipod is one of the greatest inventions of our generation. I can’t imagine still walking around with a “walkman” and a big stack of tapes!
Here are the five songs that are keeping me pumped up right now:
Will.I.Am & Britney Spears – Scream & Shout http://bit.ly/Z0nYIs
Fun – Carry On http://bit.ly/RgIrbC
Bon Jovi – What About Now http://bit.ly/13PY55I
M83 – Midnight City http://bit.ly/oUWVJf
Matchbox Twenty – Overjoyed http://bit.ly/QZhA2r
What music are you loving right now?
Wanna talk music whenever your busy schedule permits?
Stop by our new LinkedIn discussion group called the Daily Music Sanctuary. If you like what you see, click “join” and we will accept you at: http://linkd.in/OeKGgr
We are always open to “chat”, and there is no cover charge!
Come share your opinions on music and have fun meeting a fantastic group of people!
Sell, Lead, Succeed! 