What’s Your Legacy?
Here’s an exercise. If you were ask to seven people who depend on your leadership what they would remember you for, what do you think their answers would be? Would their answers be based on their perception of you as being self-centered or service focused? The fact is there are many people who have made it in this world by being self- centered. Yet their legacy is probably not as powerful as it could have been had they conducted themselves…
Is that the best price you can give me?
When you hear these miserable words, what is your response likely be? For one, you are likely to fear that just by asking this question, the customer is implying if you don’t lower your price, you will lose the business. How do you know this, because you assumed this. The fact is the customer never communicated that you were going to lose the business. All he asked was a simple question: Is this the best price you can give me?…
To Thee I Give Thanks
In this month of Thanksgiving, it is important to realize that all of us would not be successful without the assistance of others. Please take the time to thank those who have helped you. For it is your acknowledgement, thanks and appreciation that fuels their will to continue supporting your efforts. Could you have been as successful this year if you did not receive the support from your family and friends? Could you have been as successful this year if…
Henry J. Kaiser
“Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes.” Henry J. Kaiser Translation: All of us are being paid to solve problems, identify potential obstacles and find solutions to the challenges facing our customers. So, you might as well roll up your sleeves and get to work. If you don’t, you competition will!
Rejection, Rejection, Rejection
When you get rejected, how does it feel? No need for you to answer. Let me. It hurts, it stings, it devalues you, it de-motivates, it deflates you, it makes you want to stop and hide, and on and on. Now, how should you really feel when you are rejected? Hopefully your feeling will not include the emotions listed above. In rejection, it very easy and common to take things personally and proceed with self-talk on how you screwed up….
Shopping, Anyone?
It’s time for you to go shopping. But instead of going to the mall, shop your company. Haven’t you been frustrated when you called a vendor and their voice mail was too long creating undo aggravation on your part? Or how about when it takes what seems like an eternity to have a technical representative finally get on the phone? Or how about this scenario? My wife and I went to a furniture store and bought her a complete office…
The Will to Prepare Outweighs the Will to Win
Slap me silly! I never thought in a million years I would refer to the Survivor show in my E Reports. But this is too good to pass up. Richard Hatch, the $1 Million winner, stated “I think I managed to win by planning early, and by early, I mean before I get there…. There was no question that I was the only person playing the game for quite a while”. Richard went into this endeavor with only one thing…
Jack Welch, the $7.1 Million Dollar Leader
Jack Welch, Chairman of the General Electric Company recently received a book advance of $7.1 Million Dollars, the largest in history. Set to retire next year at age 65, Jack Welch is finishing a 20-year career of leading General Electric. During his tenure, he increased G.E.’s market value from $12 Billion to more than $500 billion and provided shareholders with an average return of more than 20 percent. Mr. Welch never settled for anything but the best. He always pushed…
Bobby Valentine Manager NY Mets
“Some people make mistakes and wait until the next game. Our guys wait only until the next inning.” Bobby Valentine Manager NY Mets Translation– Stop waiting for tomorrow and just go at it again as soon as possible.
Scripts Can be Hazardous to Your Sales Career
One of the negotiating points in the recent Verizon (formerly Bell Atlantic) phone strike revolved around the stress endured by customer service representatives (CSR) in following their scripts to the letter. According to a NY Times article, if there is any deviation from the script, the CSR could have points deducted from her performance score. In one case, an irate customer called and after having his problem resolved, told the CSR ‘I hate Bell Atlantic, but you’re the nicest rep…
Stinking Thinking Leads to Lousy Results
Did you ever hear of Stinking Thinking? I’m talking about all of the thoughts we are prone to have that pollute our minds and prevent us from achieving our goals. Here is an example: If I said to you don’t think about Pink Elephants, what are you now thinking about? That’s right! You are now consumed with the thought of Pink Elephants. The mind does not filter out our negative thoughts. Instead, when we think negatively by using the words…
Task vs. Purpose?
As a sales executive, are you more concerned with the number of calls your sales people are making or the quality of their calls? If you are more concerned with the number of calls, then you are a task-oriented leader. If you are more concerned with making quality calls, you are a purpose-oriented leader. If your sales people are making calls simply for the sake of making calls, they may be considered to be master prospectors. But they will be…