Jonathan Farrington’s Blog

Some researchers prefer to move the focus away from the leader altogether and to examine instead what makes others prepared to follow these individuals. In 1988 an important article published in the Harvard Business Review, entitled “In Praise of Followers”, began to shift attention away from the machismo of leadership to the less glamorous side of the same equation: the role of ‘followership’.

What the advocates of followership recognised was that to become an effective leader, most people first had to learn how to be good followers. With few exceptions, this is as true of the corporate world as it is of military and political leaders. Aristotle noted: “He who has never learnt to obey cannot be a good commander”.

More than ever today, business executives have to operate as both leader and follower in the daily rounds of their job. Those who study leadership begin to take more interest in the ‘psychological contract’ between leader and followers. In other words, they began to ask what makes people prepared to follow one leader and unwilling to follow another.

These ideas are now changing both the way we think about leadership and the style of our leaders. This is in tune with other social and organisational developments, including the move to more participative management and the rise of industrial democracy.

Other new ideas are also gaining ground. For example, only now is the notion of ‘emotional intelligence’ becoming widely understood. For the leaders of the future, it is likely to be as important as a high IQ.

In his ground-breaking 1996 book, “Emotional Intelligence”, the American psychologist Daniel Goleman explored the issue of personal and professional effectiveness. He argued that in a business world too often obsessed by cold analysis, the emotional climate is more important to the success of a leader than previously recognised. At senior levels, ‘emotional intelligence’ rather than ‘rational intelligence’ marks out the true leader: “The qualities of leadership and the quality of the heart are largely the same”. This may explain why someone like Branson, who twice failed his elementary mathematics exam, can make a better leader than someone with a degree from Harvard Business School. Branson’s ‘emotional intelligence’ – his ‘people radar’ – is more keenly developed.

According to Goleman, studies of outstanding performers in organisations show that about two thirds of the abilities that set star performers apart in the leadership stakes are based on emotional intelligence. Only a third of the skills that matter relate to raw intelligence (as measured by IQ) and technical expertise.

“Our emotions are hardwired into our being”, Goleman explained. “The very architecture of the brain gives feelings priority over thought”. There is a sign in Harvard’s rat lab that says: “Rats under carefully controlled conditions will do any damned thing they please”. The same is true of human beings. Leaders ignore emotions at their perils.

Most important of all, the role of leaders in developing the next generation has too often been neglected. If we are to grow as a society, this must be the priority for the future. As Sir Adrian Cadbury, the former Head of Cadbury Schweppes, has observed: “Good leaders grow people, bad leaders stunt them; good leaders serve their followers, bad leaders enslave them”.

Today’s News: UPCOMING TELESEMINAR from Jill Konrath that you will not want to miss:

“The Voice of Experience: Develop instant credibility & contagious confidence on the phone”

Date: Thursday, April 17, 2 pm ET (7pm GMT) 
Price: $79/person  Register now.

Tomorrow: A very welcome return for the “Queen Of Cold Calling” my good friend Wendy Weiss

Customer care has become one of the most important issues facing businesses in every market.

Customer-care programs come under a number of titles - customer services, customer satisfaction, customer focus, etc.

Their common theme is meeting the customer’s requirements and ensuring that all aspects of the business contribute to customer satisfaction. The intention is to build repeat business. If customers are satisfied with the product and the standards of service they receive, they will return again and again.

Inconsistent Customer Care

Inconsistent customer care performance can have a negative effect on customer perceptions. Gas stations, for example, know that every time a customer walks into one of their outlets, wherever they are in the country, they should expect to receive the same standards of service. Nationwide consistency is essential when customers are likely to visit multiple outlets - one poor performance can threaten the customer’s perception of the entire operation.

What Is Customer Care?

Customer care is about addressing three sets of requirements: the customer, your staff, and the overall organization.

These requirements are inter-related, i.e., it is more difficult to deliver consistently high standards in customer care if the needs of both the organization and the staff are not taken into account.

Customer Care Requirements

Your customer requires a few basic elements to feel satisfied and motivated to return. These include:

• Excellent personal service — the customer feels valued, listened to, treated as an individual

• Your products have to meet basic expectations

• Customers need encouragement to express their views and give feedback

• Clients require an effective relationship with the overall organization

• Problems and complaints must be handled effectively

Staff Requirements

To keep customers happy, you have to have an energized, motivated staff that is onboard with your company’s overall customer service philosophy. Your staff needs:

• Supervisors with effective management style

• Suitable working environment — including pay and conditions, and the right tools for the job

• Relevant training to develop skills

• Career potential — no one wants to feel they are in a dead-end position

• Clarity of role/job description

• Performance standards and appraisal systems

• Sense of involvement/value

• Open communication

• Teamwork

• Rewards and recognition for a job well done

Organizational Requirements

Organizations with a successful customer-care policy have the following:

• Mission statement

• Corporate structure

• Feedback and communication systems

• Profit

• Human and technical resources

• Demonstrated commitment

Who Are Your Customers?

If you are not serving the customer, you should be serving someone who is. Harmonious relationships with customers and colleagues are essential to service success, because providing outstanding customer service is primarily a team effort. For excellent customer service to exist, it has to be practiced on an internal basis.

The What and the How

The “what” is the material and the “how” is the personal element. To be outstanding, organizations must deliver excellence in both material and personal service. Customer service is no longer just a question of interpersonal skills.

The difference between you and your competitors is achieved when expectations are exceeded. Doing the unexpected, going the extra mile, moves us from meeting expectations to exceeding expectations.

How To Delight Customers

• Be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is the driving force of quality service. Customers do not just want products, they want products plus enthusiasm.

• Be professional. The word “professional” does not go with the job - it goes with the person.

Be the Best

• Someone, somewhere has to be the best at this job - why not me?

• Decide to be outstanding

How To Be the Best

• Use positive self talk - e.g., tell yourself, “Every day, in every way, I get better and better.”

• Don’t be ordinary

• Develop a ‘How can I do it better?’ mindset

Today, Everyone Sells

In a successful company, the number of salespeople equals the number of employees. Even if your primary occupation is customer service, by providing excellent customer care, you are in effect keeping this customer and providing for future sales for your company.

So, in a sense, everyone sells something - products, services or even the image of the company.

Today’s News: Amazingly, Top 10 Sales Articles is 365 days old today and the quality of nominations just gets better and better. A big thankyou to the dedicated adjudication panel of Top Sales Experts, who have ensured standards have been maintained. You can catch this week’s selections here:

Tomorrow: Is a very special day for my good friend Keith Rosen - be sure to join me here for the announcement.

The right to do business has to be earned and never assumed.

Rather than doggedly asking for business, the very best salespeople work to keep the relationship moving toward a sale. They realize the need to identify how to turn their company’s products into real solutions, which must meet specific needs.

Unfortunately, our surveys confirm that the average salesperson drags the customer over old ground as much as 52 percent of the time. They are unable to provide continuous stimulation and never know when to treat an existing customer like a new one.

Conversely, exceptional salespeople make such “return” calls only 10 percent of the time. Above all, earning the right to proceed requires gaining the customer’s trust, and top salespeople work diligently to establish a climate in which the customer is willing to share information and feels comfortable doing so. The key here is integrity.

Part of the Process

Customers are persuaded when they are part of the process and not part of the audience.

Sales success today demands a radical shift from the “peddler” mentality of merely demonstrating products and expanding on their features. It requires treating the customer as a participant. More often than not, a flashy sales presentation alone alienates rather than persuades.

The best salespeople regard the sales call as a two-way conversation - not a one-sided pitch. They have developed active listening skills. Average salespeople score fairly well in their ability to provide customers with facts and figures, but top performers dramatically outscore the rest when it comes to gathering information.

In addition, how a salesperson collects information still distinguishes exceptional achievers from the rest of the pack. Top performers ask better questions and, as a result, gain much better information. Essentially, they aim to engage customers in the buying process with questions that require thoughtful answers and stimulate curiosity. These questions reveal the customer’s underlying needs.

A Fresh Approach to Selling

Many organizations have developed without objective analysis of their purpose and structure. The buying power in many industries is no longer evenly distributed — in a large number of markets, a few big firms control the majority of purchases.

The development of new marketing techniques has meant that some tasks traditionally performed by the sales team can be more effectively handled by other methods. The prime objective of all sales staff is to gain business.

From an organizational point of view, however, how they all achieve their goals must be defined in order to identify what kind and the quality of skills that are required.

Today’s News: “In a single sentence, what’s the best advice you can give us about succeeding in sales?” That’s the question posed over at Dave Kurlan’s excellent blog, and he received some very interesting responses, which you can view here

Tomorrow: Lots of preparation for a big week ahead; my good friend Keith Rosen launches his new book on Tuesday; we are heading towards the announcement of a brand new initiative - “To 100 Sales Gurus”; Top Sales Experts is being re-branded; the first edition of The JF Journal needs to be completed - so I might take a couple of hours off

As ever, wherever you are, have a great w/e and be sure to join me next week - JF

The JF Guest Author Spot

Jeb Blount
 
William Penn wrote, “True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.” I passionately believe that we must schedule, on our calendars, at least fifteen to thirty minutes each week just to think. No distractions, no music, no TV, no laptop, no Blackberry, just you and your thoughts, alone. One of my good friends who is a senior level executive in a major corporation is such a believer in this concept that he actually requires his managers to regularly take time out to just think. Thinking is powerful. It slows you down, helps you relax and frequently generates incredible ideas and inspiration. Silence provides you with the capacity to contemplate where you are and where you are going. 
 
The statistics say that something in the neighborhood of 95% of the people walking around in the world today don’t know have a clue they are going. No idea at all. With numbers like this it is likely that you are in this crowd. Frankly it is hard not to be. Think about everything you are faced with each day - your quota, customers, prospects, the boss, sales meetings, travel, family, friends, voice mail, email, text messages, and endless to do lists. The world is moving at such a fast pace that on many days we just pour ourselves into bed at night and when the alarm rings early the next morning it all starts over again.
 
But the problem is while we are running so hard we quit thinking. And even if we try to think our thoughts just can’t break through the noise and stress. We have so many things going on all at once and so much noise in our lives that it has become almost impossible to just think. How can you be creative when you are under pressure? Why should you worry about goals and make plans for your future when you have a quota to make today? The problem is, if you lose your creativity or fail to set goals you will never find the success you seek. You must find a way to rise above the noise.
 
Of course, the only way you will break through the noise is to set aside quiet time on your schedule just to think. The first time you attempt to quietly think will not be easy. In the 21st century, we are not accustomed to silence. We are multitaskers! When there is no noise, and no action we become uncomfortable and begin instinctively reaching for our blackberry, phone, or computer to see if we have any messages. Sitting still is something we have forgotten how to do. It will take time to build a habit of quiet contemplation and may take a few months before it becomes natural for you.
           
Now at this very moment I know that some of you are already think to yourself, “Jeb you are nuts, how in the world will I ever find time for a luxury like thinking? I have obligations and other people are counting on me. I can’t afford to take time out of my day for this.” Well, your concern is understandable. We are taught from an early age to put the needs of others first. However, consider this. If you give and give, without first taking care of yourself, you head down a path towards physical and mental disaster. You have to learn to put your well being first.
 
I’m not implying that in learning to put yourself first that you should become the self-serving center of your own universe. You don’t need to sacrifice your priorities or relationships to invest in yourself. However, you cannot be of service to anyone if you are not taking care of you. You must take time to think. Your happiness, success and well-being depend on it. 
 
Give it a try today. Sit down in a quiet place, breathe slowly and listen closely to your thoughts. This will take practice but if you listen closely your thoughts will tell you when you are on the wrong path or when you are on the right path. Keep listening. Soon you will begin to find creative ways to solve problems, you will think about your future, you will reflect on your blessings, and you may even find yourself writing down your plans and goals. Take time to think and listen. Once you form this habit and make it a weekly ritual you will tap into amazing power which will deliver peace of mind, inspiration, and real success.
 
Jeb Blount is author of the bestselling sales motivation book PowerPrinciples, the creator of the popular internet sales community, SalesGravy.com, and the host of the #1 ranked Sales Podcast in the world: SalesGravy: PowerPrinciples
 
Considered one of the leading experts in sales and sales leadership he has over 20 years experience in Fortune 500 sales and marketing, As a business leader he has extensive experience turning around and righting troubled organizations. He has a passion for growing people and the unique ability to see potential in everyone. Over the span of his career he has coached, trained, and developed thousands of Sales Professionals, managers and leaders.

Today’s News: You can’t keep that man Lee Salz out of the news for very long and here he is in conversation with Clayton Shold over at Salesopedia

Tomorrow: We finish the week strongly with “The Right To Do Business Has To Be Earned”

 
Why is it that when customers blame us for something going wrong, we are quick to blame others, especially in larger organizations?

“We passed the order to Department X weeks ago; I do not know what they have done with it.” (You know very well it is still in your in-tray!) Customers see through these feeble excuses and are not impressed.

Why do we do things like this? Here are a few justifications:

• Department X is always making mistakes; attributing one more to them won’t make any difference.
• There is a particular person in Department X you do not like.
• No one will find out whether Department X is to blame or not.
• They have blamed your department often enough.
• They always beat your staff at the annual bowling challenge.

Two-Way Process:

Lack of communication between departments is often cited as the reason for poor working relationships.

“They never tell us anything” is a frequent cry.

Communication is a two-way process. The most efficient of systems will not be effective if people don’t read their messages, look at the notice boards, log on to their computers, check their voice mail or pay attention at meetings.

Getting people to sign memos provides only proof of receipt, not evidence that they’ve actually read the information. They need to want to know what’s going on.

Low morale and a critical and suspicious environment will prompt employees to see customers as a nuisance and not the lifeblood of the business. Every employee needs to appreciate that they contribute to customer satisfaction, even if they are working behind the scenes, e.g., maintenance, cleaning, refuse collection, etc. They deserve to be kept informed!

Insecurity Creates Conflict:

Another cause of internal conflict is insecurity: downsizing, management restructuring, fast-talking business consultants, threat of job loss, short-term contracts — all might trigger a loss of pride in the job and a could-not-care-less attitude. Customers become anxious and take their business elsewhere.

Insecurity manifests itself in a number of behaviors:

• Gossip and back-stabbing
• Shifting blame
• Increase in absenteeism due to stress
• Constant moaning and whining
• Negative thinking

In this environment, it is likely that customer complaints will increase. It is essential to keep the customer at the center of everything you do, no matter what is going on behind the scenes. Without customers, you do not have a job.

Taking Action

Managers need to be very observant when employees are showing signs of dissatisfaction. Early identification of problems is the key to a successful solution.

Look out for:

• Deadlines not met
• Increase in illness
• Poor-quality work
• Bad atmospheres
• Arguments

How To Address Employee Dissatisfaction

• Ask questions in a confidential manner
• Reassure; calm fears
• Praise, encourage
• Don’t blame or challenge
• Involve people
• Motivate, reward

Multi-Skilling & Interdepartmental Working:

Conflict also arises through ignorance. Giving people the opportunity to learn about the work of others and equipping them with new skills helps dispel fears, boost confidence and motivate. It also takes people out of their enclosed worlds of Accounts or the Mail Room and gives them the bigger picture.

Many complaints arise because staff feel they are expected to do a job without any training. Allowing them to attend courses out of the workplace is very beneficial. It gives them the opportunity to network with others, revitalize their ideas, and acquire new skills. Hopefully they will come back and think, “This is not such a bad place after all.”

In any business, we are all customers of each other. Unless we get the internal customer service right, it will not extend naturally to external customers. Remember, we are all working for a common aim: customer satisfaction.

Today’s News: A very exciting initiative is now very close to launching - Business Experts Webinars, will provide a series of top class webinars from some of the world’s leading business experts and my good friend Lee Salz, should be very proud for bringing this all together. I have developed five sessions and my first broadcast is on May 6th - I will provide further details, just as soon as the site goes live. 

Tomorrow: Another good friend and best selling author, Jeb Blount is on The JF Guest Author Spot tomorrow, with the excellent “The Sound Of Silence”

The JF Guest Author Spot

Paul McCord

Although an easy way to recruit, employing contract and in-house recruiters is generally a poor way for companies to attract top industry talent. Furthermore, studies indicate that within 12 months of the hire, 60% of all new hires are considered unsatisfactory (all hires, not just those who were introduced by recruiters). This doesn’t mean the under performing employees leave the company—it simply means that position is now filled by an unsatisfactory employee.

Recruiters have an extremely tough job that hinders their ability to recruit the best of the best. A typical contract recruiter must:
• spend hours locating a vacancy to fill
• negotiate their compensation for filling the position
• work with the hiring company to understand the stated and implied qualifications for the position
• possibly post the position on various job boards
• possibly create and place advertising in various media
• spend countless hours on the phone searching for someone, anyone with at least the minimum    qualifications that meet the position’s requirements who would seriously consider moving companies
• talk to numerous unqualified, overqualified, under-qualified, or not-interested people he/she has called or who have called them
• present the candidate or candidates to the hiring company
• after finding one or more candidates the company may have an interest in, coordinate interviews, follow-ups, offers, and negotiations
• prepare the new employee for their first day on the job
• follow up with the company and candidate to make sure both parties are happy
• and the list goes on

Moreover, usually not a dime of compensation until the job is filled, with the ever present risk of no compensation at all if they cannot find a suitable candidate. The in-house recruiter’s tasks, though slightly less time consuming, are very similar to an outside recruiter’s.

Based on the above, is it any wonder that the recruiter’s primary emphasis is to get someone with at least the minimum qualifications to fill that seat as quickly as possible? Their livelihood depends on their ability to quickly locate a warm, at least minimally qualified person to meet the hiring company’s needs. Simply put, top talent isn’t a priority—it is a seldom realized luxury.

Since most recruiters are recruiting for positions they have never personally performed or managed, they must rely on the hiring manager or HR’s stated minimum qualifications exclusively, even though all positions have implied qualifications also. Many recruiters are unfamiliar with the major players in the industry they are recruiting for, who the top talent for the position is, what expectations a top person in the industry would have of a new position, et cetera.—even if they claim to specialize in that industry. Many in-house recruiters suffer from the same limitations.

Of course, there are recruiters who are the exception, and they are worth their weight in gold.

You don’t need a recruiter, you need a recruiting program

Recruiting top talent doesn’t happen overnight and doesn’t come easily—even for the top companies. Unless you are willing to offer a phenomenal package, recruiting the top sales talent requires building relationships that lead to bringing the individual into your company. Sometimes, when the employment gods are particularly kind, this process can be almost immediate. More often, the process requires time, patience and effort. That is generally where the recruiter—outside and in-house–fail.

Because of the tremendous pressure on their time, recruiters don’t have the luxury of developing long-term relationships with top candidates. Most everyone has received the phone call from outside and in-house recruiters recruiting for a position. They inquire as to whether you would be interested. No. Do you know anyone who might be? No. You never hear from that particular recruiter again, or if you do, it’s months or years later when the recruiter has another opening and they run across your name again.

Though the common practice, this method of recruiting is terribly inefficient. The candidates the recruiter generates are the people who are ready to move today, and the likelihood that top prospects are looking to move today is extremely small.

Companies need a recruiting program in place to capture those top prospects when they are ready to make the move—and who knows when that will be? And when they are ready to move, will they call? Without a consistent, effective recruiting program, the answer to the last question is—probably not. And many companies erroneously believe that their reputation, visibility, or size will be sufficient to attract the top talent they need. Not true.

What a recruiting program will do

Implementing a consistent, well defined and executed recruiting program will:
• put your company in a position to attract top talent when that talent is ripe
• will place your company at the top of the candidate’s mind when the candidate determines the time is right to make a move
• and may help the candidate make a positive move toward your company before he/she may otherwise have decided to change companies

A well-constructed recruiting program is a positioning and branding program for prospective employees. Just as with a company’s or a product’s positioning and branding, a recruiting program creates in the target:
• an awareness of your company
• an awareness of your company’s interest in them
• a positive image of your company as a potential employer
• and the program moves the candidate to think about the possibility of putting themselves in a better position by making the move to your company (however the candidate would define “better position”).

Over a period of time, you can populate your most important positions with the top talent that every company seeks but few can capture. It requires time, patience, commitment and a well-designed program.

Elements of a recruiting program

A well-constructed recruiting program contains six elements. There is, of course, considerable detail to each element that must be customized to your company, but all programs must contain:

1. Hiring Manager buy-in
A recruiting program depends on each hiring manager playing his or her part. The success of the program for each team or department is centered on that hiring manager.

That manager knows exactly what they are looking for in the person to handle a particular position. Consequently, there isn’t anyone more capable to recruit the position. In any recruiting program the most difficult part is obtaining buy-in to the program from all hiring managers. Typically, since managers will immediately recognize the initial time element required to establish the program, there will be managers whose participation is less than ideal until they begin to see the results of the program.

2. Identification of top talent
Identifying the positions where top talent is required and then identifying that talent requires serious thought and research. Does the company want to hire only the best for every position in marketing and/or sales? If so, that should be a goal known throughout the company. Otherwise, what positions are critical and require the best in the industry?

Once those positions have been identified, everyone, especially the position’s direct manager of course, should be fully aware of the crucial nature of the position, and the position’s importance and the reason it is considered to be of such importance should be in written format—that which is written becomes more real than that which is only verbalized.

After identifying the crucial positions, the identification of the talent becomes the focus. Both currently known and unknown talent must be identified. Known talent—easy, the company already knows who they are. Unknown talent requires considerable research and some of the best, most cost effective talent is often not the most obvious.

3. Initial contact
A crucial step in the process is the initial approach to the prospective employee. Whether a previously known or unknown prospect, there are a number of considerations that must be taken into account prior to the initial contact. Gathering as much information about the individual as possible and their current position will aid greatly in making initial contact.

Contact can be made through any number of channels—e-mail, the postal service, phone, meeting at an industry function, et cetera. However, the initial contact will set the tone for further developing the relationship; and for those prospects unfamiliar with the company, the initial contact will often establish their lasting impression of the company—good or bad.

4. Developing the relationship
The program must have a consistent, reliable, and positive follow-up system to stay in contact with and deepen the relationship with the prospect. Making an initial positive impression with a prospect that makes a move 18 months from now won’t help if he or she doesn’t remember the company because there wasn’t a follow-up program.

It is not uncommon for managers to run across prospects they had contacted only once or twice in the past only to find that the prospect has changed companies and had forgotten about the manager’s company after a few months without being contacted again after the initial introduction.

To be effective and workable, the follow-up program must be customized for each hiring manager’s style, personality, and work habits. A single, rigid, dictated follow-up system that is not flexible from manager to manager guarantees failure since every manager functions differently and what may work well for one manager, may not work well for another. That manager who is forced to work a system he/she is not comfortable with or that cannot be modified to fit their personality will ultimately refuse to participate. If done correctly, once the initial talent identification and contact has been made, the time commitment to manage that individual’s follow-up program is generally minimal.

5. Discover and feed the prospects wants and current dissatisfactions
Once initial positive contact has been made, the goal is to discover the prospect’s Wants–and what the prospect is dissatisfied with in their current position. By discovering the prospects areas of dissatisfaction and prying on those areas—assuming the recruiting company can rectify the issues—while, at the same time, discovering and feeding the prospect’s needs, which in most instances will not be money, but rather working conditions, recognition, status, a few inexpensive perks, and other easily met needs, the hiring manager can gently prod a prospect into moving companies much sooner than the prospect would have moved on their own.

6. When the prospect is ready to move
One never knows when their top prospects might be ready to make a change. At times the prospect will have little warning themselves. Everyone knows top people who were squeezed out in a merger, who finally got fed up with whatever situation was at their old employer and decided to finally leave on the spur of the moment, or who made a quick change for any number of other reasons. More than likely, a hiring manager would not have known the change was coming until after the candidate had made the decision, but with a properly working recruiting program, the hiring manager will often know even before the prospect realizes it that the prospect is about to make a change.

At times, a prospect the company has developed a relationship with will move specifically because of courting. Usually, however, other reasons trigger the move—the company just happens to be in the right place at the right time because they made it their goal to do so. More often than not, once a prospect the company has been building a relationship with decides to move, the hiring and negotiation process moves quickly. Unlike other hiring arrangements, both parties know one another and have a reasonable idea of what to expect. This, however, will not eliminate the need for both parties to further evaluate one another. It simply makes the process go much quicker. Having developed a broad outline of an offer letter for each position that can be quickly customized for any particular candidate will also expedite the process. Though the details may be slightly different from one candidate to another, the offers will generally be similar.

What happens if your company is not ready to hire when the prospect is ready to move?

You still win. One typical objection from companies considering developing a recruiting program is that they might not be ready or in a position to hire when a prospect is ready to move. The simple answer is that they have had the opportunity to decide IF they want to pursue the prospect. It puts you in control of the situation rather than relying on the slim possibility that a top talent will be available when you are ready. Many companies will make internal changes by creating positions, expanding departments, expanding services, and even creating new businesses and products to accommodate a top talent who became available at a time when they didn’t necessarily need that person. However, whether you create a position, replace an under performing employee, or pass on the potential hire, you are in control of the situation—it gives you choices, it expands your options, it allows you to make decisions that you would probably otherwise not be able to make.

Developing a recruiting program can, over time, re-create your entire company. Of course, you won’t be able to replace your recruiter overnight—creating a recruiting program and generating the highest quality candidates who are interested in making the move takes time and commitment. Nevertheless, in time, not only will you have eliminated the tremendous recruiting costs to attract average or slightly above average talent, but also all of your most important positions can be filled with some of the best talent in your industry. What would a marketing and sales team—or an executive management team, or product development team–of the best people in your industry mean to your company? Increased productivity, increased sales, reduced operating and personnel costs, and increased corporate options. Equally important, you will have saved thousands, possibly millions of dollars in recruiting costs (and many times after having developed a strong relationship with a great prospect they will move for fewer dollars than they could demand on the open market)—dollars that find their way to your bottom-line.

Paul McCord is the president of McCord and Associates, a Houston, Texas based international sales training, coaching, and consulting company. He is the author of the Amazon and Barnes and Noble best-selling book on referral generation, Creating a Million Dollar a Year Sales Income: Sales Success through Client Referrals (John Wiley and Sons, 2008), and SuperStar Selling: 12 Keys to Becoming a Sales SuperStar www.powerreferralselling.com

Today’s News: Over at Top 10 Sales Articles, the panel had a particularly tough choice selecting the best article for March, but they did and a very worthy winner it is too - you can check it out here

Over at Salesopedia this week, the topic is Sales Attitude and there are some really good featured articles, which I think you will enjoy here

Tomorrow: Thoughts about the blame culture, which appears to be prevalent these days

Selling is not something a salesperson does to a prospect. Selling is something you do with the prospect in a process of discovery and interaction - human relations at work.

The “Egocentric Predicament”

The greatest barrier to success in this process is the “egocentric predicament.” This consists of being overly and unnecessarily concerned with the self. Our ability to be perceptive and concerned about others is inversely proportionate to our self-concern.

When the self gets unnecessarily in the way, the fruitful cycle of good human relations stops producing.

The key to understanding and accepting others is to first understand and accept oneself - starting with the realization that, rather than striving for an unattainable “I should be” image, we should settle for our real self as “I am” - accepting shortcomings along with strengths.

I Am vs. I Should Be

The following points provide a practical answer to the “I am” versus “I should be” conflict:

• Recognize it — and recognize that its source is rooted in the views of others.

• Either (a) accept your “I am” image or (b) decide on attainable, constructive steps to achieve “I should be” in the future.

• Our behavior is a reflection of our attitudes, and our attitudes grow out of our values. Each is an integral part of the other. Do your life values make it easy for you to put the other person’s interests first?

• Sincerity is a much-used word in relation to selling. Integrity is a kindred word. Integrity implies a consistent kind of honesty: acting outwardly the way you truly feel inwardly. That’s why sound values are so important to your success with others.

Remember: “People buy our product not so much because they understand the product . . . but because they feel that we understand them.”

There are many effective ways of doing this: The best way to create this kind of buying climate is to “transmit on their frequency.” This opens their mind to you and makes them willing - and eager - to listen.

A sincere, specific compliment on a point of real meaning to them gets the other person talking about things of interest to them. It opens doors.

“Before I sell my prospect what my prospect buys, I must first see my prospect as they see themselves.”

A Magical Word:

Empathy is the magical word in human-to-human interaction. It means feeling as the other person feels, not just with them. It means putting yourself in their shoes and shaping your attitudes accordingly.

Beyond getting the order, the plus factor in selling is to make people look good in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. Rather than sell to them, we help them buy.

We do this best by building their self-image. This helps them grow. And as we help others grow, we grow. To do this, we must be open and honest - this is the essence of good human relations.

These concepts are applicable to every facet of our lives, and in selling, they pave the way to the truest and most fruitful success.

Today’s News:

Many of you will have heard of Social Media Today, but fewer of you will recognise the name The Customer Collective  but as I hinted last week, that is all about to change: They are attracting some of the very best sales and marketing commentators and bloggers, and you will be very impressed. Backed by Oracle and fronted by Co-Founder and CEO, Robin Fray Carey, this initiative is destined to be mega. I am hosting the Sandbox this month and you can check it all out here

Tomorrow: On The JF Guest Author Spot it’s the return of my good friend and fellow Top Sales Expert from Texas, big Paul McCord, who last week offered me plenty of advice to pass on to BA after the T5 debacle. I thought I had escaped but no, being the only Brit on the team (albeit one living in Paris) does leave me vulnerable, but having said that, they do provide me with plenty of ammunition of my own :-)   

I spend quite a lot of my time questioning the motives of would-be sales managers: is it the kudos that is attractive?; the lure of a new car?; the power that comes with authority?; increased responsibility?

The reality is that it can be one of the lonliest and most stressful jobs in the world. Being suddenly propelled from a situation where you are, by and large, totally responsible for your own achievement, into another where you are totally dependent on your team for your success. Is it any wonder that so many managers fail so early, in what could have been such a promising career?

When a salesperson gains promotion to management the first thing they have to do is to quickly acquaint themselves with a new set of working relationships - and a new set of rules.

The salesperson’s primary working relationships are with customers. However the sales manager’s is with the sales force i.e. his subordinates.

Essential Attributes Include:

Successful Salesperson:

- Personal drive (Ego).

- Needs to win battles (Individual sales).

- Able to work alone.

- Persuades customers to see his/her point.

- Needs selling skills, personal skills and knowledge.

- Able to work away from the office.

- Works well with people and numbers.

- Good at implementing sales tactics.

Successful Sales Manager:

- Submission of personal needs to the goals of the Company (Corporate drive).

- Needs to win the war (Meet corporate goals).

- Able to work with others.

- Persuades the sales team to see the Company’s point.

- Needs management skills and marketing knowledge.

- Needs to work at the office.

- Works well with people, numbers, paperwork and the corporate hierarchy.

- Good at developing sales and marketing strategies.

The most common danger in having sales managers who are basically super salespeople is that “relations with subordinates” including the critical tasks of development and supervision may deteriorate.

Lack of skills and resources:

Even when they do recognize the importance of developing their salespeople, many sales managers find that they lack the skills and resources to do it effectively. It then becomes easier not to bother.

An Overwhelmed Manager:

To make things worse, most sales teams consist of a number of individuals with differing levels of experience and ability, so the whole issue of team development becomes too daunting for the overwhelmed manager to contemplate.

The Answer? - Divine Intervention From Above:

Sales Directors who recognise that the different roles played by salespeople and managers require different skill sets; factor those differences into their recruitment and selection of sales managers. Instead of promoting top-performers purely on the strength of their sales performance, these Sales Directors look for management candidates who can demonstrate an ability to help others strategise, work effectively with customers, and build their self-confidence. These Sales Directors recognise that coaching competence is absolutely pivotal and feature it highly in managers’ performance reviews and remuneration packages.

Today’s News:

 Last week I mentioned that Jill Konrath has created a fantastic free e-book, “Can LinkedIn Increase Your Sales?” It is absolutely jam packed with superb advice for anyone wanting to make the most of the LinkedIn experience - make no mistake, business networking is here to stay - you will not want to miss this opportunity to devour her words of wisdom and excellent research, you can download it here

Tomorrow: This week I signed a publishing deal for my first book, “Tougher At The Top” and although it doesn’t launch until the end of the year, work begins almost immediately. It will demand a dedicated site, blog, newsletter and considerable promotion. I know I have got three or four good titles in me and this is an exciting start - watch this space

Wherever you are, have a great w/e and be sure to join me next week when two very “big-hitters” are my guests on The JF Guest Author Spot; my very good friends and best selling authors, Paul McCord and Jeb Blount - JF

The JF Guest Author Spot

Teleseminars and teleconferences are a wonderful cost effective way of attracting qualified leads to your business to attract more clients and delivering profitable solutions to your current clients.

I often get asked questions about the recording technology I use for my teleclasses and teleconference programmes such as for Biz Growth Live where I interview experts from around the globe on the subject of developing your brand and growing your professional services firm.

The solutions available depend on your vision and strategy for deploying teleconferences and teleseminars in your business.

Here are 4 options for recording your teleseminar or teleconference.

Option 1 – using a teleconference bridge line

If you only want to record the teleseminar to make it available to your client or teleseminar attendee and do not wish to edit the recording, you can use a number of no-cost telephone bridge lines which also have a recording facility.

Many no-cost teleconference services now provide a facility where you can see on a web control panel how many participants are on the call and can mute and un-mute their lines from the web.

Option 2 – using a paid recording service

Paid recording solutions include Audio Acrobat and Audio Generator – both products I use in my business. These tools allow you to record your calls directly to them for a small monthly fee.

You can also encourage your teleseminar attendees to post their comments and feedback about your teleseminar on the 24 hour testimonial lines that are available with Audio Acrobat and Audio Generator.

Option 3 – recording to your computer or a digital recorder

If you want to record only your voice and not a guest expert or participants, recording on your computer or a digital audio player will enable you to access a higher quality of recording than on a teleconference bridge.

This is my preferred recording method for my branding and business development teleseminar programme, Biz Growth Live (www.bizgrowthlive.com).

You can set up an external microphone that records your audio directly into the the computer or to a digital recorder at the same time as leading the teleconference or teleseminar.

Using a digital recorder to record a teleseminar, you will then need to:

- Upload the audio file to the computer
- Save the master recording in a wav format which is uncompressed
- Edit the recording
- Add music and introductions and exits to the call
and finally make the recording available as a download MP3, an audio CD, a digital CD or streaming from the internet.

This is a great way to record a high quality audio at the time of delivering you teleseminar which you can then use to create a paid information product.

Option 4 – outsourcing the recording and editing of your teleconference. I highly recommend that as a leader of a professional services firm, if you do not have audio expertise in your business, that you outsource, as a minimum, the editing of your audio recording to a third party.

The third party provider can both record and edit your recordings and arrange for the recording to be transcribed if necessary adding greater perceived value to your teleseminar which enable you to increase the price for your teleseminar or teleconference.

The issues to consider are what are the skills and equipment you need to invest in to deliver high quality audio programmes.

Two final considerations

There are two final considerations if you plan to deliver your audio programme from the web: where you host the audio of your teleseminar after you have recorded it and what format do you use to deliver the audio recording to your teleconference participants after your event.

1. Hosting of your audio

As you decide where to host your audio, you will need to consider both storage space and the download bandwidth you have available on your own website.

If you don not have many people accessing the audio, it is likely that your current web hosting contract will be suffice.

If you anticipate thousands of downloads from your site you may wish to consider a third party hosting service.

2. Format of your audio

Alternatives for the format delivered from the web are as streaming audio using the audio play buttons and as an MP3 recording.

Streaming audio means that the listener must be at their computer to hear the audio play.

Alternatively you can deliver the product in a downloadable MP3 format which means that the listener can download the audio to their PC or MP3 player and listen to the audio at their leisure.

If the technical elements of how to record your teleconference or teleseminar has been holding you back, identify which of the 4 options of recording your teleseminars would work best for your business then plan your first teleconference today.

Krishna De invites you to join her in conversation with experts from around the globe to discover how to build your brand and grow your professional services firm at http://www.bizgrowthlive.com. You will also receive access to Biz Growth Express a weekly newsletter bringing you strategies, inspiration and tips to grow your professional services practice. Register today at: http://www.krishnade.com.

Krishna De is an international author, broadcaster, journalist, speaker and business development mentor and the Managing Director of Oneocean Ltd, a leading business strategy and development consultancy.

With over 20 years expertise in growing global businesses, she is considered by the media to be one of Europe’s leading Personal Branding and Marketing Strategists.

She guides leaders of professional services companies in how to generate new streams of revenue for their practice through business development, branding, marketing, networking and media strategies with the outcome that they build distinctive corporate, employer and personal brands and realise more profit and greater success with less stress.

As an expert in business blogging, corporate podcasting she is a sought after professional speaker in Ireland, the UK and Europe.

http://www.krishnade.com, http://www.bizgrowthlive.com, http://www.oneoceangroup.com
Blog URL:   http://www.bizgrowthnews.com

Today’s News: Excellent interview over at Salesopedia today - Nido Qubein explains the only thing you can’t replicate is time. He suggests you might think of time management as energy management. Think of a battery, you can charge it up but it only lasts for so long. He uses this metaphor to describe how you might think of your time as set ‘units’. Nido describes how these units can benefit you in terms of income as well as personal well being. Nido shares what he thinks is the biggest challenge facing sales people today. If you make your living in sales, you will definitely want to hear Nido’s closing thoughts, you’ll understand why he is such a sought after motivational speaker. You can listen in here

Tomorrow: Is management all it’s cracked up to be? I think not.

I have read extensively on the lives, characteristics and leadership styles of all the great leaders including: Alexander the Great, Montgomery, Elizabeth 1st, Churchill, Ghandi, Mandella, Luther-King et al (the list is pretty extensive) because leadership is one of my passions. However, the one that earns my greatest respect and the one with whom I feel the greatest affinity is Shackleton, because I have learned so much from his style of leadership – characteristics that I have endeavoured to incorporate within my own management style.

Sir Ernest Shackleton has been called “the greatest leader that ever came on God’s earth bar none” for saving the lives of twenty-seven men stranded with him on an Antarctic ice floe for almost two years.

From 1914 to 1916 Shackleton and his men survived the wreck of their ship Endurance, in the crushing Antarctic ice, stranded twelve hundred miles from civilisation with no means of communication and no hope of rescue. The temperatures were so low the men could hear the ice freeze. They subsisted on a diet of penguins, seals and ultimately dogs.

When the ice began to break up, Shackleton set out to save them all on a heroic eight-hundred mile trip across the frigid South Atlantic – in little more than a rowboat.

Unlike most of the polar expeditions, every man survived – not only in good health, but also in good spirits – all due to the leadership skills of Shackleton.

So What Are The Leadership Lessons We Can Learn?

Here are just a few that I have adopted:

- Cultivate a sense of compassion and responsibility for others. As a leader you have a bigger impact on the lives of those under you than you can imagine.

- Once a career decision has been made, commit to stick it out through the tough learning period.

- Play your part in creating an upbeat environment: A positive and vibrant workplace is important to productivity.

- Broaden your cultural and social horizon beyond your normal experiences. Learning to see life from different perspectives will give you greater flexibility when it comes to problem solving at work

- We live in a rapidly changing world so be willing to venture in new directions to seize new opportunities and learn new skills

- Find ways in which to turn setbacks and failures to your advantage. This represents a good time to step forward on your own

- Be bold in vision and careful in planning. Dare to try something new, but be meticulous with your proposal so that your ideas have a good chance of succeeding

- Learn from your mistakes – yours and those made by others. Sometimes the best teachers are the worst bosses.

- Never insist on achieving a goal or objective at any cost. It must be achieved at a reasonable expense, without undue hardship on your staff

- Don’t be drawn into public disputes with rivals. Better to engage in respectful competition. Remember you may need their co-operation someday.

There are of course many others but as space here is at a premium, these are the values that I hold most true.

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922)

Today’s News: Social Media Today are a pretty dynamic organisation and they recently launched The Customer Collective - do take a look, you will find me editing the Sales Sandbox this month

Tomorrow: Last week, I mentioned that I had finally connected with Krishna De - tomorrow, she appears for the first time on The JF Guest Author Spot