Marketing without sales is a waste of time and money. Yet, as a business coach, that is what I see continually in businesses I meet. The marketing team (even if it is a team of 1) does the marketing activities: advertising, networking, strategic alliances etc. Yet, when the phone rings does the sales team know how to close the sale? Statistic indicate that almost 70% of sales are not closed due to the sales person never asking for the sale. If you don’t ask for the sale, you probably won’t get it. The sales team needs training. I have joked that the sales team needs WEEKLY training, only to have sales people agree with me. It isn’t a joke, train your sales team, train them well and train them often! Who is your sales team? My answer – every employee in the company? Who needs sales training – every employee. Who is the core sales team? The team of people who regularly talk, meet with customers and prospects. That includes receptionists, customer service, Presidents, management etc. All it takes is one word to make the difference in a sale. What do you train the sales team on? Entrepreneurs and setting goals is a popular topic. Dan Sullivan had a perspective worth sharing in the May issue of Success Magazine. The concept is rather than trying to double or 2 times where you are– go for 10 times where you are. “WHAT?” I hear you all scream. “It is hard enough to achieve 2 times where I am, how on earth can I even consider a 10 X goal?” That is exactly the point. A 2 X goal is really just pushing what you are already planning into the future (assuming you are planning). The ability to achieve the 2 X goal is a probable anyway. There really isn’t rocket science, you know the basics—hard work and you will achieve the 2X goal. Now for the 10 X goal that starts pushing you out of your comfort zone. I can already feel the squirming. A 10X goal forces you to look at what is really going on in your business. It forces you to look at inefficiencies. It challenges you to think out of the box, to put systems in place to handle 10X, to understand your business, structure your business, and PLAN. You must now think differently, observe differently, plan differently and execute differently. Once you start thinking 10X you will notice opportunities, changes, and perspectives. Then you can start making the changes that are required. Here are my perspectives and 4 ¾ downsides to this type of thinking: 1. Shooting for 10 X – you might not make it, you might only reach 5X. 2. 10 X thinking creates perspectives on your business and forces planning. 3. You don’t know how to think 10X? What better way to start looking at everything from a different perspective? Read, ask, get advice, reach out to others, be humble. Even if 10X is achieved, I guarantee your 3, 4 and 5X will be more profitable. 4. For 10X I need to look outside the box, and that creates FEAR. False Expectations Appearing Real – so what are your real fears? Figure them out, since they will probably keep you from achieving 2 X. There is no better time than the present. 4 ¾ Reality is I don’t see any downside to 10X type of thinking. The danger really lies in 2X thinking. Thinking too small limits your potential, who you can be, and can lead to my favorite quote: “Hell on earth is seeing the person I could have been!” Attitude is all about how you look at things. I recently took a trip to New Orleans flying through Houston. The Polar Vortex that has been hitting the US made for cancelled flights and a one day delay in actually making the trip. Then upon my arrival in Houston my connecting flight was cancelled. Rather than waiting around hoping to make it on another flight (the standby list was over 200), I chose to drive. The situations on that drive will generate some good stories during my speaking event! That drive and the resulting situations (i.e., getting pulled over, having the road closed for 125 miles and getting detoured twice etc.) could have made for a very unhappy person who was grouchy, blaming the airlines, mad at the world and generally miserable. What I chose was the pure joy of having 6 hours to myself in a part of the country I haven’t driven before and the peacefulness of my thoughts (when I wasn’t singing at the top of my lungs to a favorite song). The event that happened was the cancelled flight, my response was – ok now what happens. My actions created the outcome; “this is a journey and who knows where it will take me”. My response could have been much different and the outcome could have ruined the whole conference for me. My questions to you: I have learned that one great joy is to take a bad situation and NOT take it out on others. I love watching them respond when they expect you to yell and get mad. I love putting joy into their day of not having an irate customer in front of them. Now this doesn’t mean I allow them to walk on me, or am a push over (those who know me probably haven’t even dreamed of that situation.) You would be amazed at how often I then get told: Thank you for being so understanding. Thank you for your attitude. How do YOU respond? Do YOU need to change your response to life, business, and personal situations which not only change your world – but those around you? Excerpt from "The Backpackers Guide to Business Success". When on the trail I am the one that looks ahead. I am always watching for what is next - looking at the scenery, taking pictures of the flowers. I love reaching the top. As I look ahead I see a crowd of people stopping. There is a flat spot and they are resting. I get excited - is this the top? Are we really there already? Now, if I have been checking my map, the compass and the GPS- I will know that we aren't there yet. Although all the signs confirm that the top hasn't been reached, my heart wishes I was there. I keep climbing until I reach the spot where everyone else has paused and I confirm again that, no, it isn't the top. There might be a view; yet I haven't really arrived. The letdown is brief; the break is short and I continue the climb. When we are kids we start school at the bottom and, depending on the school, we reach the top at 5th grade only to start a new school. In 6thgrade we are at the bottom again; the process repeats in high school, then college, then your first job, then your second job. At some point you keep looking out and wonder - is this truly the top and will I ever get there? If I arrive, how long will I stay? False summits test our perseverance, desire to get ahead, and our endurance. They are a natural part of the mountain and a natural part of your career. The question is, what is your attitude when you reach them? Give up, turn around, or greet them with a smile and an attitude of let's get to the top? Yet, sometimes our fears keep us from moving forward. Fear of failure, fear of being embarrassed, fear of public speaking, fear of upsetting an employee, fear of holding them accountable, fear of scarcity... the list is long. Then there is the age old fear of spiders, unless you lived in my house growing up. My mom didn't like spiders and would vacuum them up. My dad and I would rescue them before she saw them and hide them in a plant (unless it was a black widow - those we killed). How do you use your fears? Do you use them as a motivator to overcome and move forward? Do you use them as an excuse to stay in your comfort zone? Do your fears hold others back? You are afraid of heights so you won't allow other family members to stand close to the edge? You are afraid of failure, so you won't allow your employees to take a risk? Yes, you see the potential for high rewards, yet, there is a high potential for failure as well. Where we end up long term depends on how we challenge ourselves to face our every day fears. When I started to write, The Family Business Book, my fear was having the first person (outside my own family) read it. Would they like it? Did it make sense? Was it worth purchasing? If I had allowed my fears to control my actions, it wouldn't be published. The book wouldn't be helping family business owners look at their business in new ways and have new and different conversations with family members. Now the idea for the second book has been born and is in the works. Are the fears there? Yes they are. Will I move through them? Absolutely. Will I breathe a sigh of relief after the first presentation on the topic (which is before the book is published) is done and I get feedback - absolutely. Yet, even if I failed, I have learned a great deal on the journey. So what are your fears and how will you face them - starting today?
On the trail up a mountain there is a defined top, a marker or a spot where you can say you have arrived. In our business the top isn't as well defined. On the trail, I can have a brief moment of frustration - this isn't the top yet, but I know it is there and I know where I am going. On our daily journey those false summits may not only be deceiving, they can be distracting from what is the real goal. False Summits are also where people often turn back, they give up and they can't (or choose not to) go on. They don't realize that usually they are 80% of the way to the top.
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