Blog Archives
Have A Laugh Fridays – Fantastic Business Quotes
I stumbled across some funny business quotes earlier this week, so I dug a little deeper!
Enjoy this list and have a great weekend..
How many people on their deathbed wish they’d spent more time at the office? – Stephen R. Covey
The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat. – Lilly Tomlin
Right now, this is a job. If I advance any higher, this would be my career. And if this were my career, I’d have to throw myself in front of a train. – Jim Halpert/The Office
The successful man is the one who finds out what is the matter with his business before his competitors do. – Roy L. Smith
By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day. – Robert Frost
If you break 100, watch your golf. If you break 80, watch your business. – Joey Adams
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. – Vidal Sassoon
Aim low, reach your goals, and avoid disappointment. – Scott Adams/Dilbert
“There’s no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery. You can’t do any business from there.” – Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken
“Success in almost any field depends more on energy and drive than it does on intelligence. This explains why we have so many stupid leaders.” – Sloan Wilson
Guest Post – Daniel Francis “Hit Reset”, And It Worked!
I had debated coming clean for a while and getting personal about my battles with stuttering throughout my life on this blog. I finally took a leap of faith and developed a post about it last week. It ended up being one of my most popular to date, and I wanted to thank everyone for their support. In case you missed it, here is the link again:
https://sellleadsucceed.com/2012/07/23/i-once-knew-a-boy/
It caught Daniel Francis’ attention, and inspired this guest post. I have been connected with Daniel for many months now, thanks to him initially reaching out on Facebook. His content is inspiring, well thought out, and incredibly interesting to read. I am enjoying his book “The Cold Calling Bible” now.
Daniel was living a good life, but not a great one for 10 years doing what he thought he should in trying to achieve massive success and live what he thought were his dreams. A reality check and some tough times ensued; but once he figured out what he was really good at, his life changed.
Check out his inspiring story, and try to relate. Are changes perhaps in store for you as well?
We live in a time when more is accessible to us than ever before. More information, more stimulation, more stuff. Dream it, and the world may well offer you a crack at it, but have you ever chased the wrong dream? I have, and I’ve lived to tell about it.
Like many people, I wanted to live “the good life”, but my definition of “the good life” was, upon reflection, pretty selfish. In fact, I spent a decade chasing the wrong dream for the wrong reasons. What did I dream about? A Lamborghini. Luxury condos in New York and Berlin. Life in the fast lane: travel, women, adventure. You might call it Fortune 500 or James Bond 007 signed, sealed, and delivered.
My persona in those days was definitely that of a smart-ass. I was living and working in The Big Apple, the ultimate corporate pressure-cooker. My employers and clients seemed to think I could do it all, and they threw it all at me. I never flinched, I just took on more and more — even things that I simply am not good at. Now let’s be honest. There are things we do well, and there are things we don’t. Wisdom would have it that we eventually learn to distinguish between the two.
For ten years, I chased my dream with the enthusiasm, dedication and passion that I do everything – all the while creating expectations I could not fulfill because they involved doing things I am simply not good at. I was living beyond my means, above my limitations, offering more than I could actually deliver. You might say I had become very adept at flying by the seat of my pants. The problem was that I felt like I was walking on eggshells all the time – balancing – and terrified of falling. Of failing. Everyone, and ultimately, myself.
Eventually, my life came tumbling down around me. Burn-out led to depression, with all the troubles, sorrows, and self-reflection that entails. It took some months and a lot of work before I discovered the secret to a successful life and healthy dreams: Focus on what you are really good at, therein lies the key to happiness.
I am the Cold Call Expert. I can get you in the door of corporate decision-makers faster than anyone. My friends and colleagues had told me this for years, marveling at how easy it is for me to get through to the CEO with a single call. I love it. I’m great at it. It’s what I do really well, and best of all, the people I call upon enjoy it too. More than once I’ve been told, “This was the best sales call I’ve ever experienced. Thank you!” I am a connector and I teach others how to connect.
Identifying and embracing my true strength changed my life. I stopped trying focus on skills that are outside my limitations. I recognized that I do, in fact, have limitations. I work healthier now, less intensely, but with greater passion. I earn a good salary, have a good life, and dream realistic dreams. I traded in my elusive Lamborghini to drive a reliable Volvo, and as I sit here writing, I am thoroughly enjoying a fresh slice of bread with chunky peanut butter. Simplicity, balance in work and recreation, and enjoying what I do each day makes for a truly great life.
If you are tired of chasing your tail, oops, I mean, your dream, look again. Maybe you are pursuing an unrealistic dream. Learn to focus on your true strengths. A better life is sure to follow.
Daniel Francès, author of The Cold Call Bible and experienced Cold Calling Trainer, was born with sales running through his veins. While other boys daydreamed of becoming firemen or famous soccer players, Daniel knew instinctively from the age of seven that he aspired to sell. Beginning his career in New York, he became first acquainted with the phenomenon of cold calling, and was intrigued and inspired. He immediately internalized this form of marketing as second nature.
After studying, fine tuning and practicing his craft, Daniel became a master of the Cold Call. In 2010, obsessed with training others to master the Cold Call, he established The Cold Call Company dedicated to the art of cold calling. He now custom designs and delivers corporate cold calling training programs and is an adviser on how to gain new business using cold calling.
Daniel can be reached at:
PHONE: +31 20 77 42 836
EMAIL: daniel@thecoldcallcompany.com
WEBSITE: http://www.thecoldcallcompany.com
TWITTER: @coldcallcompany
Have A Laugh Fridays – Different Perceptions of Sales Reps (Most Popular Yet)
This has been my most popular Have A Laugh Fridays Edition since I posted it in early March. It is a fantastic overview of the different perceptions of sales reps.
Enjoy this quick one, have a great weekend. Back to new “HALF’s” next week.
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!”
Do You Have “It” With Your Team?
All I wanted to do early in my sales career was manage the team that I was working on. I was young, I was new to the industry and I thought I knew it all! I was confident that some day I could handle the role. Unfortunately changes happened within the company, and I turned down my dream Sales Manager role when it was finally offered to me. Even with that setback, I have continued to follow sales and executive management throughout my career.
I did have some experience managing a team before I was ever interested in Sales Management. I was a Branch Manager in the car rental industry straight out of university. It was a great experience, and certainly taught me a lot about managing a diverse group of associates at a young age. Some of the employees were more than ten years my senior, and I learned very quickly how difficult being in charge could be.
The Sales Manager is arguably the most important person within the organization. They have a direct line of communication with the sales force; the associates who drive most of the front line revenue.
It can be very easy to get in to a rut with your day-to-day role. Sales reps certainly do, and it happens to managers as well. It is valuable to take a step back and think outside the box sometimes, from how you typically manage.
Great sales managers use enthusiasm and excitement to their advantage. They celebrate their team’s wins, while proudly announcing personal and team achievements. They may high-five team members in the office, or keep it simple and just pat everyone on the back when there are reasons to celebrate. The positive energy does wonders for everyone.
I have always been keenly aware of my manager’s actions, and I focus on a few areas:
- how they lead the team
- how they treat me
- how they treat other reps
- how they handle adversity within the team
- the relationship they have with their immediate supervisor and others on the executive management team
If they excel in all the above areas, they probably have “it” with their team. “It” is hard to explain, but it can be summarized as the group is firing on all cylinders, and no issue is too great to break the cohesiveness within the group.
I have reported to a total of 16 assistant managers, sales managers and branch managers during my career. I have also had close working relationships with 12-13 executive managers. This has provided me a rich foundation of experiences.
- As a manager what is it like to have “it”with the group of reps that you lead every day?
- If you have “it”, you can probably describe “it” in general terms, but it may be hard to explain overall.
- If you have never had “it” with your team, would you not like to know how to get “it”?
As I continue to discuss Sales Management in the future, I will build on the theme of having “it”. I will leave you with one other thought to ponder….
Are you just a boss to a group of employees, or is their much more depth to your relationship with the team?
Have A Laugh Fridays – “I will Commit”
Doug Grady is President of The High Achievers Network, plays a mean guitar, and can sing too!
Check out this classic tune with a business twist.
You can see what else Doug is up to at http://highachieversnetwork.com
Have a great weekend.
Bruce Zimmerman’s Post From The Heart
Bruce Zimmerman’s post about Paul Castain brought my night to a screeching halt on Monday. I wiped the sweat off my brow in the stifling summer heat, proceeded to the “coolness” of my basement, and read every word.
If you have followed for a while, Paul Castain’s name is brought up quite a bit on this blog. There is good reason for that.
Bruce captures the true essence of who Paul is, and what he stands for. I had already been planning a post for Thursday which references Paul’s website, so this will be the first of two posts, back-to-pack discussing somebody I admire greatly. Enjoy!
A while back I had the opportunity to interview an individual who I believe is truly a Sales Rock Star. Actually, I was so excited about the fact that I was able to interview him that I wrote a blog about it shortly after the interview concluded.
It was my intent to review all my notes, bring the whole thing together, and post my thoughts and perspectives within a couple of days.
Wanting to make sure that what I wrote was perfect in every way, I wrote several drafts but nothing seemed right. I would write something, I would read it, and conclude that it didn’t adequately portray my true thoughts. It had to be perfect! I wanted, no needed, to use the right words to describe how much this individual has meant to me and the thousands of other “aspiring sales rock stars” over the last few years. Somehow…
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Tina has been an incredible contributor to my blog, and I wanted to take a moment to share one of her recent posts. She is insightful, forward thinking, and a joy to connect with on a regular basis. This post focuses on great teams, and the best part of it is she received feedback directly from her team members!
Thanks again Tina for your amazing support.
And to my fellow Canadians, Happy Canada Day!
Be Great…great is contagious. Ask your team, are we great? If so, what makes us great? If not, why not? Great or not great, how can we improve?
These are excellent questions that need to continually be posed to our team on a regular basis so we can continue to improve on the service we deliver everyday to our customers.
Each team player is different, but as long as we have the same common goal our differences can work together to accomplish great things.
Each player needs to be held accountable for keeping the standards of the practice/business at top priority. If someone falls below, it needs to be dealt with sooner than later or the effect on the rest of the team can be damaging.
It takes a lot work to keep a team healthy. Teams also need play time to keep it healthy and happy and allow for…
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I came across this insightful post by Cathy Berggren yesterday and I wanted to share it now. I am always looking for posts that grab my attention, and what better way to make me stop in my tracks then a bowl full of M&Ms! The cool part is there is a wonderful message here as well for all leaders. Now I have to run to the store 🙂 Enjoy…
Ever pick out your favorite colors in M&M’s when you eat them? Are you drawn to a particular color? Statistically, the company puts the highest number of blue in each container…in fact 24% in each bag. Can you guess the least amount? Yep, brown, an average of 13%. Any guesses as to why blue is favored over brown? I don’t have the answers, but have my own theory.
Blue stands out
We are drawn to people for the same reason. We are often drawn to those people who stand out. It may not be because they are loud or outgoing, or because they are some great leader by position, or because of their following or even their money. It might be because of their gentle quiet spirit, or maybe it is how they consistently love people. They may stand out because of their guidance and leadership to…
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Have A Laugh Fridays – Unfortunate “Conference Call”
It is Father’s Day on Sunday, and I will be watching the U.S. Open Golf Championship with my son. This is my favourite golf-business commercial, and I recommend you take 30 seconds to watch it. Have a great weekend!
Sell, Lead, Succeed! 