It’s the dawn of 2012 – the year we’ve all been waiting for, thanks to the Mayans and their spooky calendar forecasting the end of the world in December. Some of my friends have jokingly threatened to max out their credit cards, take up smoking, stop exercising, move to a beach house, and live it up this year. Why not, right? If the end time is coming, who cares about bad credit scores, smoker’s cough, or expanding waistlines?

I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet. The Mayans may have foretold doomsday, but I’ve got my own set of predictions for 2012. I’m not suggesting who’s going to win the next election or the Super Bowl. My predictions are less about events and more about dynamics – the nature of the dynamics between us and our companies, our colleagues, our families and friends, and our communities.

If we’re not careful, gridlock will become a way of life. In 2012, we’ll continue to see gridlock in politics (neither side of the aisle is willing to compromise), travel (out-dated and under-funded infrastructure vis-à-vis our roadways, the FAA, and a lack of fuel-efficient travel alternatives), and customer service (a generally lackluster and synthetic approach to handling customer service issues). Whether it’s in politics, travel, or customer service, gridlock is evidence that assets have been overleveraged; that there is little more to give. So, if all signs point to more impasses, more stalemate, and more logjams, is gridlock something we’re going to have to get used to? Maybe not… I think 2012 has the potential to be the year of anti-gridlock.

What follows are 10 things I think will influence all of our relationships in the coming year to help push through the gridlock that was 2011, whether the Mayans were right about the End of Days or not.

1.  Non-traditional education is in. We all agree that computers (and iPads) should be used in school, and that we should tailor teaching to the way our kids learn, not the other way around. In 2012, we will see the needle move in our antiquated education model. There will no longer be a devotion to one-size-fits-all. The curriculum is no longer a sacred cow. The Khan Academy and Moodle are testaments to this. Open source learning platforms like these will make it possible to get curriculum from anywhere in the world, quickly and inexpensively. This is a game changer.

2.  Tablets will rule the day. The same way smart phones revolutionized the way we navigate our world (now, we can even use our phones to pay for a cup of coffee at Starbucks) so too, will tablets. Tablets are going to be an essential part of our everyday lives, for everything from reading books to shopping to doing our jobs. American Airlines is even allowing its pilots to use iPads in the air versus carrying on hefty flight manuals and charts, and the company estimates it’s going to save over a million dollars a year in fuel costs as a result. Just another environmentally-friendly step closer to eradicating paper. In fact, I think tablets will be the nail in the coffin for conventional newspapers.

3.  Videos, videos, and more videos. Whereas social media was the hot item in 2011, mobile media will be all the rage in 2012. I’m not talking about high-end production in terms of video quality. No, it’s all about the content. It’s so easy for anyone, anywhere, to capture a moment, an experience, or an event and then quickly distribute it worldwide; and what’s going to distinguish all of those feeds will be the content. People will gravitate to what’s most valuable.

4.   The ball is in the employee’s court. Throughout the late 2000’s, providing an excellent client experience was the focus of the most successful companies. But beginning in 2012, we’re going to see the emergence of a talent war which will force companies to not only provide an excellent client experience, but also a superior employee experience. Even though we still have high unemployment rates, there are tens of thousands of jobs available because there is a lack of qualified workers to fill them. There is going to be more competition for talent than ever before, especially in highly technical fields. Those who are qualified will be a hot commodity, and employers will have to compete to attract and keep the best and brightest.

5.   Stories still sell. This is a prediction that would probably come true every single year, not just in 2012. We, as human beings, are always going to be compelled by the will-to-win story, the story of a person or a company who had to struggle to overcome a challenge. We love the underdog because their stories give us hope, which is something we always need. So, stories will be the continued medium for how we communicate – and how we sell.

6.   Grit is the new currency. This goes back to #5: we will really begin to appreciate people who have worked through hardship and persevered. The more challenge you’ve overcome, the more trustworthy you are. In fact, grit is the leading indicator to trust. There’s something pure about someone overcoming a challenge versus someone who’s won the lottery or who’s famous for being famous (Hello, Paris Hilton! Hello, Snooki!). The latter do not inspire compelling, lasting relationships built on trust. They’re the antithesis of grit, and people will soon tire of them.

7.   Advice is a must. In a world where competition is fierce, people will be looking for every edge they possibly can. With fewer resources, less energy, and less to leverage, every decision becomes more critical. They’re looking for the newest, the best, the tried and true – whatever it is that’s going to help them move forward more quickly and efficiently. From consulting to continuing education, if it’s going to help folks net better results, people are going to be into it.

8.   Emotional intelligence finally breaks into the MBA programs for real. At last, the idea that ones’ emotional intelligence is as important to their success as their IQ will become institutionalized, and it will happen in an incredibly important place: the programs that train our business professionals. The notion that it takes more than book smarts to be a great business leader has been teetering on the brink of mainstream thinking for quite a while, but this year it will finally take flight in American MBA programs. It’s about time.

9.   This will be a reinvesting year… again. 2012 will not be a year to make withdrawals, but rather to continue making deposits. Reinvest, reinvest, reinvest, reinvest. I know we’re all tired of this. We’ve been doing it ad nauseam for three years now. But it is what it is, and we can’t expect the economy to be massively different than it was in 2011. Don’t expect to work any less hard. In fact, be prepared to work twice as hard, and be prepared for it to take twice as long to get us back to a pre-2008 economic landscape. We will probably have to do the same thing again next year, too. I know that’s blunt, but there’s no way to sugarcoat it. This is our new reality. It’s about living within our means. Being pragmatic with our finances. Investing in relationships and reinvesting in our companies, in our infrastructure, in our health, and in our communities. Trust me; these investments really will pay off… eventually.

10.   Gratitude is the common ground. Despite the difficulties we’re bound to face in 2012, we still have a pretty unique opportunity in this country. So if we want to find something to rally around, it would be in the form of gratitude, because it can always be worse. Our situation is not permanent. It’s not the end of the world. We have such incredible freedoms and opportunities, and so many choices compared to people in other countries. Sure, we have challenges headed our way, but at least we can be grateful for another year to be who we are, to really begin to share our perspectives with each other, and to listen to one another’s stories, because I believe that could actually move us out of gridlock and into a brighter tomorrow.

Joe Mechlinski is the President of entreQuest and has partnered with countless leaders to effectively improve their team’s performance, their clients’ experience, and their company’s profits.

Thankfully, the global economy appears to be heading out of recession.  For CEO’s, business optimism is sure to rise with such news as history as shown a healthy correlation between a strong economy and increased spending (and Groupon better hope so after declining Google’s offer – WOW!).

That said, skepticism is sure to linger among all enterprises no matter what the financial analysts forecast for the future.  We are readily seeing companies vocalize their uncertainty in asking questions such as:

What does 2011 hold for our industry?

Are corporate IT budgets going to increase in other industries?

Should I hire more salespeople?

As a sales growth firm that has experience working with many companies  across the country, we at entreQuest find that these questions to be completely appropriate as we approach a new year of business in a new economic environment.  However none of them are the most important question to which we turn our attention towards now.  Bluntly stated:

Are you willing to let your business grow, shrink or die?

Everyone talks a lot about change.  President Obama won his presidency on a platform of change.  Tupac and David Bowie both scored hit songs titled “Changes.”  And my personal favorite, Charles Darwin had an exceptional quote on the idea:  “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives.  It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

Since change went from being the constant of our economic environment to the culprit of it in this recession, business leaders must decide how they will adapt to its mysterious nature as we enter 2011.  So again, we ask:

Are you willing to let your business grow, shrink or die?

Before the recession, it was often said that some 90% of all businesses failed.

And yet your doors are still open.

In the current state of the recession, the unemployment rate is reported at over 9%.

And yet you still have a job.

These facts in themselves prove that you have what it takes to survive even if you did so just barely.

Regardless of your corporate strength or staff intelligence, in the spirit of Darwinism you must decide if your company has what it takes to adapt for survival in the upcoming year.  Make no mistake about it for this is not a time to waver.  It’s a matter of thrive, strive, or say good-bye.

If you have yet to make this decision and truly resolve, you are in what we call the grape zone.

Wait for this next week… and GO RAVENS!

Joe

The 28 variables of Sales Growth:

1)     Sales Strategy

2)     Customer Gradation

3)     Account Planning

4)     Client Experience Defined

5)     Strategic Account Planning

6)     Lead Generation Program

7)     Sales Talent

8)     Sales Productivity

9)     Hiring

10)   Sales Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

11)   Sales Management

12)   Training

13)   Self-Directed

14)   Sales Structure

15)   Sales Process

16)   CRM

17)   Accountability

18)   Business Metrics

19)   Compensation Plan

20)   Communication Schedule

21)   Reporting

22)   Environment

23)   Culture

24)   Career Path

25)   Communication

26)   Morale

27)   Teaming

28)   Trust Quotient (TQ)

More later on what to do with them… but one question: are you YOUR best with them all yet?

Joe

Let’s be honest, how many times does someone who knows you fairly well still say, “I didn’t know you did that?”

For whatever its worth, entreQuest has been around for more than nine years and my PARENTS are still trying to figure out what I do every day.

So what does this mean?

Possible several things:
1.      People don’t like you. (sorry loser)
2.      They don’t want to know what you do. (probably a bigger loser than #1)
3.      You have told them and they forgot. (you weren’t memorable)
4.      You have told them but they weren’t listening. (you weren’t engaging)
5.      You have told them in a way that wasn’t COMPLETELY clear. (you mumble)

Here is the reality – it doesn’t matter whether it’s #1, #4 or all of the above, your job in sales, business development or as the owner of a  business is to educate and communicate to your community.  The only to know you have done this successfully is if your business is growing via word-of-mouth or reputation based lead generation.

Ask any teacher, education and communication is not an event but a process.

So the question is, how are you educating your community on an on-going basis and not a one-time event?

At entreQuest, we look for a few things:
1.      How can you help them first? (try listening)
2.      How can you be more interested in them vs. the other way around? (try listening more)
3.      Use all forms of media and mediums: in-person, phone, email, social media, blogs, videos, SMS and anything else you can get our hands on. (keep listening but keep it interesting for them to read)

Past this, have patience with people that you have yet to do a GREAT job of educating.  Old studies would say it takes seven times to get your message across for people to buy.

All I know is whether its seven times or 70, communication is the response you get back.  So if people aren’t responding to you – re-read the above – 70 times!

Be YOUR best,

Joe

So you have rolled out a new plan… now what?

How can you ensure the motivation lasts and the change sticks?

Just like politics and the presidency – the first 100 days is everything…

In order to see sustainable results over the first 100 days you must:

1. Over communicate the vision, plan or strategy again, again and again. Your team can’t win if they’re not amazingly clear on what they are aiming for- the vision.  Clarifying vision should be done weekly in 1:1′s, team meetings, emails, a weekly blog and/or v-log (video blog) from the leadership in the company.  This is the inspiration, pace and frequency they need.  Communication is the response you get back in action, not what people say.

2.  Create SHORT-term success! Most presidents try to take on too much without creating momentum first.  I won’t mention any names but we have witnessed this phenomenon recently.  As an old sage once said, “Don’t take an action to create a result, take an action to create a habit… and let the habit create the results.”

3.  Don’t declare victory too soon. Remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint.  Its easy for the human condition to feel like they are at the high point after the “kick-off” meeting.  This is not the high, but only the beginning.

4.  Keep moving forward – no matter what. It’s easy to second guess the strategy or plan, but in reality it now comes down to mindset and the actual execution.  Some companies get caught in the weeds of the unknown soon after the kick-off meeting because they believe they need all the details.  When in fact – 70% of the details will do just fine. Don’t let perfect ruin good.

5.  Make it hurt! If the day after you workout you are not sore, stiff and hurt… then you haven’t pushed your self to the edge.  You didn’t grow.  The same holds true in your first 100 days.  If the plan or strategy is truly different, you should be uncomfortable daily and notice it.  Remember change is inevitable, progress is not.

You can always adjust as you go. But as my father-in-law says – “always time to do it over, never time to do it right!”

As a leader you must set the standard, defy the odds, remove the obstacles and lead by example in the first 100 days.

This will set the tone for the rest of the year.

Be YOUR Best,

Joe