For me this is easy because it’s the day my wife (obviously girlfriend then) and I went on our first date (and yes I am going to turn this into a blog).
But when you get to thinking about how time flies, what you have accomplished in the last 5 years and what you could accomplish it gets a little scary.
I am sure most people reading this email have one of these moments usually marked by a birthday or anniversary of some sort.
By big aha for this reminds me of my favorite quote:
“Change is inevitable but progress in not.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Now if you are reading this post you are obviously a high-performer and very intelligent (think about who the compliment was for there), but what can you learn to make serious progress. Here are a few things to think about… and remember, if the shoe fits, wear it for you and your company:
1). The customer, not the vendor, is in control. If your company is still denying this, you haven’t adapted to the new reality.
2). In an experienced-based economy, it’s no longer just about products and services. The customer experience has become paramount.
3). Sometimes it’s the most basic things that we’ve lost sight of when sales begin to slip. For example, the simple practice of listening, or keeping your word, or handling a problem. We refer to this as the Golden Rule on steroids.
4). Sales used to be a one-way street, but now your sales pitch must become a conversation – a two-way dialogue and a reciprocal relationship.
5). You’ve got to find a way to create a partnership of value and change the dynamic from “closing” the client to “enrolling” or “re-engaging” the client. The emotional intelligence of relationships is the key to making this shift.
6). Statistics show that the least committed people in an organization are typically its salespeople. That’s a problem. If they’re not committed, what are they communicating? Salespeople reflect their relationship with the company in every interaction. By changing your relationship with your own people, you can change everything else.
7). Slow sales aren’t about the economy, the competition, the market, or even the Internet. It’s all a question of shifting the mindset of your key people and your sales team.
8). The carrot and stick, parent-child model of sales accountability is outmoded and it doesn’t really work. What works is a relationship of mutual respect between two adults who come to terms on a professional agreement of intrinsic value to both.
9). Pipeline and opportunity management are no longer about volume; they’re about quality. The question isn’t how many contacts, but how deeply did you connect/engage, how clear are you on the prospect’s agenda rather than your own, did you understand their mission, vision, needs and agenda?
10). Sometimes stunted growth isn’t a sales problem at all. It may be that the company and/or the leadership hasn’t created a clear value proposition that everyone understands, wants and is willing to pay for. We can help with that, too.
As my good friend Henry Ford says… “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do”
Here is to the next exciting 5 years!
Be Your BEST,
Joe
