Prospects to Partners Blog

As a leader or manager, there will be times when you’ll have to intervene between individuals experiencing conflict. This is when you can prove your worth and earn your pay. Keep the following seven things in mind:

1. What happened matters and what happened before that may matter even more. 
In most cases, the event that brought the disagreement to the forefront was preceded by something that is actually the real cause of the conflict. It’s your job to ask questions and listen to ensure you’re discovering the genesis of the problem.

“Our best people see the most people.” Andy Streiter, an Area Vice President  at Careerbuilder.com, said this in 2007 when asked what makes the best sales people in his organization.  The phrase has stuck with me for the last several years. It’s simple sales math, right?

Talk to more people = MORE REVENUE

If only it were that easy... Don't get me wrong... Andy was right, in 2007 if you saw more people; you’d out sell your peers and your competitors. Fourth quarter 2009 is a little different.

Many people, especially salespeople, are disgruntled. Only a few are gruntled, whatever that means. Primarily they’re interested in making more money and smiling more. Unfortunately, they believe these two areas are directly connected in that order. Many studies have determined, however, that smiling first leads to more money and not the other way around.

A majority of unhappy people would rather show their displeasure (vocally or by activity or inactivity) than do something about the situation. For some people, complaining is therapy.  Seeking solutions, in their warped world, would diminish the value of the self-ascribed therapy.  In summary, it’s easier to complain than do something about it. Talking is legitimizing.

The formula most people desire is:

Smile + $ + ZZZZ
        Time

We want to be happy, make money and sleep better. And we want to do this over an extended period of time. That’s what we want, but we don’t always know how to do it.

A goal is an end toward which you direct specific effort.

Why are goals important?
  1.  They establish the direction of your activity.
  2.  They identify your intended results.
  3.  They challenge growth.
  4.  They build confidence and reduce stress.
  5.  They force specific behavior.

I’m a big believer in goals. I’m always trying to better myself both personally and professionally. I do this by constantly challenging myself with new goals. As most of you know, I had my second son in June of this year. Like most women, one of my first goals after having the baby was to lose the baby weight. I set a goal to be back into all my work clothes by the time I went back to work (12 weeks after the baby was born). I shared this goal with my husband and friends, put it on my bathroom mirror and started my program.

A year ago, Prospects to Partners conducted a survey to find out how often sales reps discount to get business. The results were surprising...67% of sales people offer to lower the price…without ever being ASKED!

The number is even more surprising when you take into account that The National Retail Association reports that only 14% of consumers buy on price. Why is it that sales people feel the need to offer a discount?

I posed this question at a recent workshop and had a flurry of answers…
-“It makes the prospect feel like they got a good deal.”
-“It shows I was taking care of them.”
-“It was a nice gesture.”
-“I didn’t want to have to negotiate price.”

Every sales person has done it. It just seems to come so naturally and why not? It’s an extremely polite thing to say, right? “How are you?” Seems harmless to ask… but it actually can make or break the rapport you’re building with a prospect.

When cold calling don’t ever start off your call by asking the prospect, “How are you today?” It seems nitpicky, but it’s a subtle change you can make in your cold calling that will provide quick results.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock… us Kansas Citians remember the infamous 2001 “tick tock” email sent out by Neal Patterson, CEO of Cerner. The email caused much controversy, both locally and nationally. The email should have never been sent as it wasn’t a good medium to express anger and push for change. However, the message was loud and clear: Be respectful of company time. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock….

Give 'em choices! That’s my biggest take-away from the summer. It’s a Sales 101 technique. Give the customer choices and you’ll reduce the number of objections you’ll get:

“Would you like your first shipment to arrive on the 15th or 20th?”
“Do you prefer quarterly or monthly invoicing?”
“Do you want it in blue or red?”

Several years ago, I attended a seminar on effective communication. I thought I'd share my main take-away which is all about undivided attention. Put this to work in your business and personal life - I think you'll notice a positive change!

Thanks for stopping by to read the third and final lesson. The first lesson was on accountability, the second lesson discussed the importance of teaching your child to self-assess and the third and final lesson is regarding how to handle confrontation. Let's jump right into Lesson #3. 

3. Always assume a misunderstanding

Lesson #3: Always assume a misunderstanding. This golden rule was taught to me about 8 years ago and has truly changed my life personally and professionally. I believe that people want to do right. People want to please and no one truly wants to fail someone else. Before you get upset and blow a head gasket over an issue... assume a misunderstanding.