TIPS FOR SUCCESS – Leadership/Management

Tip #1 - Engage Employees

A key quality of a leader is the ability to "move people" to action. Here are some guidelines for inspiring cooperation:

• Begin with honest, sincere appreciation
• Develop an environment that encourages ideas and show respect for the other person's opinion
• Create opportunities for feedback to close the communication loop
• Ask questions instead of giving direct orders
• Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest
• Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves
• Recognize human potential and reward the accomplishments of others

Tip #2 - Plan Properly

Having a planning process is crucial to success. Try following this process:

• What should be accomplished in the scope of this plan?
• Determine the reality of the current situation.
• Define and set the goals
• Work out a definite program, including the action steps.
• Estimate the cost of the plan.
• Set timetables.
• Implement the plan.
• Follow Up

Tip #3 - Set Achievable and Measurable Goals for You and Your Team
Here are some tips on how leaders can coach employees to persevere in the attainment of their goals:

• Prioritize your goals. Brainstorm with your team and place all the ideas into categories – urgent, important, and unnecessary. Develop a numbered list of specific goals.
• Establish a production schedule with intermediate goals. Make an actual schedule so you can put dates to all the ideas. Intermediate steps allows you to watch the progress of the production and evaluate your team’s performance.
• Communicate the goal system and objectives to your team. Obtain your team’s input about how to best meet these goals. Let each member know what they are personally responsible for producing.
• Reward success. Keep your team and yourself motivated to achieve your goals by giving a small reward each time a goal is met. Let everyone know you value his or her effort and time.

Tip #4 - Delegation

Failing to delegate tasks is a common problem among inexperienced managers. Delegating allows you time to do your job and helps employees to grow toward their own potential. Consider the following delegation tips when tasks need to be completed:

• Identify Opportunities
• Select the Person
• Plan the Delegations
• Hold a Delegation Meeting
• Create a Plan of Action
• Review the Plan
• Implement the Plan
• Follow Up

Building Your Networking Skills

Networking events can seem very intimidating, but they can be a resource that will help propel your career to new heights. It is always important to go into a networking event with enthusiasm and a set goal in mind. Use these ideas to help make your next networking experience a successful one.

1. Network online - According to recent research by The Institute For Corporate Productivity, 64% of business professionals network online. In today's Web 2.0 environment, you cannot afford to ignore this networking opportunity and potential leads you could generate via social networking sites.
2. Start with LinkedIn.com, the leading business networking - Membership is free, and you can pro-actively search for and connect with customers and prospects. Also, Linkedin.com users can post questions to the "Answers" section on the site. Make an effort to answer questions relevant to your area of expertise. Not only will you add value to your connections, but you will also get additional exposure and attract prospective customers who will seek you out!
3. Arrive early - Treat the event like an important appointment. By arriving early, you get comfortable in a more intimate setting with the other early arrivals. It can be intimidating to walk into a room filled with people, so go early and let the room fill up around you.
4. Show confidence - Speak confidently, decisively, and with authority. If you are confident in your conversations and support your ideas with evidence, people will take notice and respect that you know what you are talking about and that you mean business.
5. Circulate - Don't just talk to the people that you know. Get out there and go network!
6. Meet with VIPs or speakers - If there are VIPs or speakers at the event, prepare ahead of time. Do some research on the individual(s) so that you are informed when you talk with them. Compliment them on their speech or talk to them about how the topic of their speech or their field relates to what you do.
7. Stay late - When you stay late, the smaller crowd also gives you the opportunity to circulate in a more intimate setting. It also provides you with an opportunity to connect with the event's coordinator. Thank him or her for hosting the event. The event coordinator can give you some additional insight about who attended the event and who might be at the next event. It's never too early to prepare for the next event.
8. Have a robust profile on the networking site - Put in as much relevant information as you can that demonstrates the value you bring to your customers. Put in all the keywords you think prospective customers may use to search for a service provider in your field. Remember, on a social networking site, you want to make it easy for people to find you!

 

Cold Call Test

Cold calling is critical today in the face of less repeat business and fewer referrals. There are, however, many myths and misperceptions about cold calling.

The only goal of any business-to-business cold call is to schedule an appointment. True or false?


It is not as important to qualify prospects when cold calling since any salesperson cold calling just wants to set as many appointments as possible. True or false?


When leaving a voice message, a salesperson should leave as little information as possible. True or false?

Read on for our 12-question Cold Call Test. We developed the questions in this test based on information in books written specifically on cold calling and from Dale Carnegie's own experience as a global sales training provider. If you have a correct understanding of the purpose of cold calling, you will increase your response rate and your close rate!



This True/False test will help clarify some common myths and misperceptions about cold calling. We've based the "correct" responses on research found in books written specifically on cold calling and on our own experience as a global sales training provider.


Keep in mind that some of these questions could have different correct responses in special cases. So be sure to answer from a general sales perspective rather than from the perspective of a unique selling situation.


1. The only goal for any business-to-business cold call should be to schedule an appointment.

TRUE: Salespeople often make the mistake of selling their solutions when cold calling. This is a deadly error. Sell only one thing at a time. If the person is willing to talk now, focus on getting the appointment.


2. Cold calling will generally generate results that are just as good as referrals.

FALSE: Referrals tend to have higher closing ratios for appointments.


3. It is not a high priority to qualify prospects when cold calling. The key is to set up as many appointments as possible.


FALSE: Save time for you and your prospects by ensuring you have qualified leads before taking the time to make and attend an appointment with a prospect.


4. You should leave a message for the buyer when you get voicemail instead of the actual person.


TRUE: Never miss an opportunity to leave a positive impression about you and your company. Also, remember that many people use caller ID. They may be wondering why you called and then failed to leave a message.


5. Most salespeople stop cold calling a prospect after four tries.


TRUE: Unfortunately, most salespeople give up after only four tries.


6. After you've made a certain number of cold calls, it becomes less important to keep records of your results.


FALSE: Most salespeople hate paperwork and keeping records, but it is the only way to find out what is working. And just because something works (or doesn't) this year, that doesn't mean it won't change next year...or next week.


7. Always make friends with the gatekeeper.


FALSE: Good relationships with gatekeepers can be a salesperson's best asset. These individuals can give you a positive look into the customer's organization. So you should always be friendly with the gatekeeper, but you don't need to necessarily befriend the gatekeeper. These individuals may feel that your interest is an intrusion and suspect that you are trying to manipulate them, or they just may never have contact with any decision-makers in the company. Be cautious about feeling that you are making great progress when you could be wasting your time and theirs.


8. If a prospect doesn't want to talk to you, it's probably personal.


FALSE: You have no idea what is going on in a person's world when you cold call. Remember not to take anything personally.


9. Less information is better when leaving a voicemail.


TRUE: Thirty seconds is about as long as you can hold someone's attention with a voice mail.


10. Experienced salespeople are past prospecting and develop all their business from current clients and referrals.


FALSE: Over time, we all lose customers because they go out of business, relocate, change their business, and for a host of other reasons. Experienced salespeople plan for this loss of clientele and continue to look for new prospects.


11. Experienced professionals use scripts when prospecting on the phone.


TRUE: Scripts help us make sure we are using the words with the maximum impact on prospects. Professionals practice them enough so that they don't sound like scripts.


12. Cold calling doesn't have to be a constant activity. Once your business gets going, you should be able to eliminate it.


FALSE: The majority of your business should eventually come from existing clients and referrals, but if you stop cold calling, you are missing potentially valuable business opportunities.

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Breaking Down the Barriers to Follow Through

You will see a tremendous return on investment when you stay in contact with your customers. Many organizations, both large and small, struggle to keep in touch with their customers because it can be such a time-consuming experience. However, if you break down the barriers to follow through and set up a system, your organization can keep in front of your clients and be ready to provide solutions when they are ready to buy. Here are a few ways to break down the barriers to follow through.


Schedule Follow-Through Time - Follow through is a time-consuming process that may slide down your priority list when you are caught up in daily activities. Build time into your schedule for it and understand that it is a long-term investment of your time, just like saving for retirement saving early and often is the best long-term investment in a fruitful future.

Don't Hesitate - Many of us would rather not be perceived as too pushy. Call with the point of just following through, if you are nervous about seeming pushy. If you are challenged in building rapport, don't make an offer the first time you call.

Get Organized - Many organizations have a Customer Relationship Management system. Make sure that you enter the original purchase information from the client correctly and completely. Use your scheduled follow-through time to get in contact with the clients about any discrepancies.

Learn - It is not unusual to make many false starts when developing a follow-through system. Even a good system that works for others might not work for you or your organization. If a system doesn't work for you, tweak it until it makes sense for you and your organization.

Understanding Value: A Customer-Focused Approach

Warren Buffett once said, "Price is what you pay. Value is what you get." As a manager or executive, it is important that you understand and communicate the aspects of your organization where your customers find value. As an employee at any level, it is crucial these values reinforce what you do daily.

The best way to understand a customer's perspective is to examine your own buying decisions. When making a purchase, you consider three critical factors: where to buy, whom to buy from, and which brand. The answers to those questions result in the customer value equation. Here are some ways to help you think about your own organization's value equation.

Supplier View - is how or where the client buys the product. The easiest or most convenient, the better. For example, McDonald's is such a successful fast-food restaurant because it has so many locations and because it specializes in fast service.

Consultant Value - is whom we purchase the product from. Depending on what you purchase, you have varying levels of trust that you need to feel confident in your purchase. For example, All State insurance agents handle only one geographic territory, and as a customer, you will have the same agent all of the time. That agent will help you deal with the complexity of an insurance claim.

Product Brand Value - is the brand name that you purchase. Many people rely on brand names to help them make their purchasing decisions. For example, Tylenol pain reliever is a very highly regarded brand, and people continue to purchase it because they trust the product, even though there are less costly generic alternatives.

Take these three factors and apply them to your organization. Add them up and you will have your organization's value equation. This practice will help you identify successes and areas where you can improve your customer experience. An improved customer experience will help your organization succeed well into the future.