Jonathan Farrington’s Blog

Most sales leaders will not have experienced such a severe economic downturn before.

My advice is quite simple: “Stay focused, constantly challenge paradigms, but always keep the overall sales strategy sharply in focus”

One of the key tasks of a sales manager is to continually seek ways to improve the way in which their team operates – constantly challenging paradigms and questioning “the way we do things around here”, will ensure the team remains at optimum performance levels.

However, it is also important to stay within an overall long term strategy and not effect change for change’s sake. Here are some thoughts on moving forward in a structured manner.

First, keep the key management functions in mind:

• Define objectives (your own and others)

• Plan (and time) action

• Communicate (throughout the process)

• Support others’ action

• Evaluate performance (and link to the future)

• Then relate this to the task, the team and the individual people

Keeping the Overall Management Process in Mind:

Define Objectives:

• Task - Identify task and constraints

• Team - Set targets and involve the team

• Individual Needs - Agree targets and responsibilities

Plan:

• Task - Establish priorities

• Team - Structure and delegate

• Individual Needs - Assess skills, train and delegate

Communicate:

• Task -  Brief and check understanding

• Team – Consult, obtain feedback

• Individual Needs – Listen, advise and enthuse

Support/Control:

• Task - Monitor progress, check standards

• Team - Co-ordinate, reconcile conflict

• Individual Needs – Recognise, encourage and counsel

Evaluate:

• Task – Review, re-plan and summarise

• Team - Reward success, learn from failure (and success)

• Individual Needs - Appraise, guide and train for the future

This view encapsulates, and simplifies, the whole process.

With this picture in mind certain key issues are worth a mention:

Link to the Future:

Ongoing success as a manager is influenced by:

• The attitude you take to the transition

• What you do before you move into a new appointment

• The early focus you bring to bear on key issues

• The relationship you thus cultivate with staff

• The working habits you create for yourself (and others) in process

Together, all the above influence early success in the job – and how you take things forward into the future.

Key Issues:

From the beginning, always operate on the basis that managing people:

• Takes time – you cannot get so bound up in your own workload that you skimp on time you should spend with others

• Takes effort – it is challenge, there are no magic formulae or quick fixes that will do the job for you

• Needs thought – the obvious or immediate answer may not be best, things may well need research, analysis and thinking through

• Is not a solo effort – seek and take advice from where you can, including your own staff

• Will not always go right – as Oscar Wilde said, “Experience is the name so many people give to their mistakes”: admit your mistakes (publicity if necessary) and learn from your experience

Remember too that managing people:

Is a process of helping others to be self-sufficient – this implies trust and that management works best when you take a positive view of what people can do (and do not see your role as a sort of corporate security guard)

Is based on good, regular and open communication – something that pervades many issues.

Needs to be acceptable to people before it can be effective– hence the crucial role of motivation as part of the management task

Become self-sustaining when it works – i.e. if people find your management helpful (to the job, the organisation and to them) then they will support it and support you

Overall, management is not what you do to people but the process of how you work with people to help prompt their performance. Work with people from day one, and go on doing it throughout your management career.

At the end of the day success comes down to a considered approach. Charge in, desperate to make an impression, go at everything at once in order to make an impression, and disaster may closely follow. ‘Twas ever thus:

“First organise the near at hand, then organise the far removed.

First organise the inner, then organise the outer.

First organise the basic, then organise the derivative

First organise the strong, then organise the weak.

First organise the great. Then organise the small.

First organise yourself, then organise others”.

General Zhuge Liang

Perhaps we should highlight the last sentence: “First organise yourself, then organise others”

Last Word:

Being a manager is a challenge but it is also almost infinitely rewarding to create and maintain a team of people who deliver excellent performance and produce whatever results are targeted. It is a task that takes time, requires effort and needs a considered approach.

All sorts of things can help, but only one person can guarantee that you become a good manager – and that’s you.

You may also enjoy:”What Is Successful Leadership Really About?”

Today’s News: OK, the upcoming gig I am presenting with Jill Konrath and Kendra Lee, is filling up - here are the details:

Ask the Experts: 3 Leading Sales Gurus Answer Your Most Pressing Sales Questions
Free Webinar brought to you by Landslide Technologies
Wednesday November 12th, 2008 - Free!
1:00 PM Eastern
Register Today! - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

“How can I keep my sales team focused and producing results in the current business environment? ”

“How do I increase my team’s close ratio to compensate for a smaller pipeline?”

“What are my customers and potential clients thinking right now? ”

“How can I best position my company and its services to decision makers?”

Right now you probably have a lot of questions similar to these and would like to have some answers.

Please join Jill Konrath, best-selling author of Selling to Big Companies, Jonathan Farrington internationally renowned sales consultant, and Kendra Lee, best-selling author and expert in selling to SMBs and IT decision makers, to answer these and other questions you may have about selling more effectively to BtoB prospects.

You can either come loaded with questions or sit back and listen as some of the best sales consultants in the business talk about the realities of today’s selling landscape and answer the sales questions that keep you up at night.

Register Today! - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Tomorrow: I will be back with the latest instalment of JF Uncut, so do please join me.

The JF Guest Author Spot

Read the newspaper, watch the television or walk down the hallways of your offices and you may notice a surprising (and alarming) lack of decency.  Before I continue, let me say that I am neither a prude nor a cynic, but the increasing lack of courtesy and decency are a problem for us as individuals and as leaders.

Maybe I am over-reacting a bit to the deeply biting and highly judgmental comments being made by people on both sides of the U.S. Presidential election, but I don’t think so.  The increasingly judgmental and nasty rhetoric by those in the news and on the sidelines raises a significant issue for us in our organizations – How can we cultivate relationships, build teams and create cooperation when these factors are at play?

It’s Not About Conflict

These observations aren’t meant to imply that we should avoid or support conflict deflecting behaviours.  To the contrary, healthy conflict and difference of opinion are needed for us to reach the best decisions, and foster creativity in any group.  We all learned it in elementary school – you can disagree and not be mean.

As leaders we want to foster and support disagreement on issues in order to find the best solutions.  We want to promote people’s passions and opinions, so that they can be heard and be engaged.

But we can  . . .

- disagree without being disagreeable
-  have opinions without being opinionated
- be passionate without being pushy

And the balance that is found in all of these is decency.  If we want to build teams and relationships and have a healthy working environment, we must, as leaders and individuals, strive for decency.

It’s About Culture . . . and Results

These behavioural habits are truly components of our culture.  Whether we regularly verbally attack our competitors or each other, left unchecked or unexamined, these behaviours become the norm and become accepted.  And, like any other element of a culture, it will have an impact on organizational results.

Choose wisely the culture you want to create, and recognize as a leader you play a role everyday in accepting or challenging the prevailing culture.  If you want to guard against the decline in decency, or know you need to turn the tide, consider the following actions:

- Be a model.  If you want more decent and courteous conversations, be more courteous.

- Expect it of others.  Let people know your concerns.  Be specific as to your concerns and make sure you talk about why you are concerned.

- Ask for and give feedback.  Tell people that you will be giving them feedback – both praise for avoiding the negative conversation and correction when you notice it.  Encourage them to give you feedback as well.

- Be consistent.  If this is something that matters to you and the organization, don’t make it your “cause of the week,” but be vigilant and consistent in both your behaviour and your expectations of others.

Experience shows that awareness and consistent modeling will go a long way to adjusting these types of behaviours, especially if they aren’t deeply engrained when you begin.

I hope you aren’t noticing these problems on your teams, but if you are, I encourage you to consider the steps above – they will help you personally and professionally to change your behaviours and be a leader in the same changes for others.

As a final note – I referenced the U.S. Presidential election at the start of this post.  If you are interested in gaining a wide variety of leadership lessons from U.S. Presidential politics, go to http://RemarkablePresidents.com to download a Special Report entitled, Remarkable Leadership and U.S. Presidents.

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. You can learn more about him  here

Today’s News: I have been keeping myself fully updated with the story of Bob Beck - Bob who? - that’s Bob Beck The Plagiarizer. I mentioned it last week? OK, here is the latest from Jill Konrath:

Outing a Plagiarizing Sales Expert
The sad case of Bob Beck: author of Mutual Respect, founder of the “Quid Pro Quo” sales training.

When my colleagues began posting last week about Bob Beck’s plagiarism, I was stunned. I couldn’t believe any professional would stoop that low.

But the proof was overwhelming. You can read about it here:

Dave Stein: Hey! Stop Plagiarizing My Content!
Charles Green: Plagiarism, Concealment or Coincidence
Colleen Francis: Hey! That Sounds a Lot Like Me!!

So tonight I decided to investigate if Bob Beck had taken any of my content. Within moments, I discovered an article of Kelley Robertson’s that had been co-opted and immediately notified him.

Then seconds later, I found the smoking gun!  His article called Low Hanging Fruit was a mirror image of my article on The Seduction of Low-Hanging Fruit.

Here are the first six paragraphs from my article:

I remember the first time it happened. It was on a Thursday, about 4 pm, and I was worn-out after a day of cold calling. I hadn’t uncovered even one viable prospect. Enough was enough! Time to go back to the office and do some paperwork.

When the phone rang, I answered it tiredly. But by the time I hung up I was a new person. I had just talked to one hot prospect!

Her company was BUYING! Not just looking - BUYING! They needed several new systems to handle their growth. And they wanted to make a decision quickly.

“Can we come in for a demonstration,” she asked.

How could I refuse! They came in the following Monday and we spent about two hours together. We discussed their needs and I showed them several possible options. Things seemed to go really well. In parting, they asked me to call back early the next week.

Tuesday morning I left a message. Wednesday and Friday too. My calls were never returned. It wasn’t till a week later that I finally got my prospect on the phone. She thanked me for my hard work, fast service and excellent demonstration. Then, very apologetically, she told me they’d selected another vendor.

He writes (or should I say copies) this on his The CEO’s Trusted Advisor (ha ha!) blog:
(Note: His blog is no longer on line, but is still viewable in Google’s cache.)

I remember the first time it happened. It was on a Thursday, about 5 pm, and I was worn-out after a day of cold calling. I hadn’t uncovered even one viable prospect. Enough was enough!

When the phone rang, I answered it tiredly. But by the time I hung up I was a new person. I had just talked to a hot prospect!

Her company was BUYING! Not just looking - BUYING! They needed several new systems to handle their growth. And they wanted to make a decision quickly.

“Can we come in for a demonstration,” she asked.

How could I refuse (not applying the Quid Pro Quo Sales approach)! They came in the following Monday and we spent about two hours together. We discussed their needs and I showed them several possible options. Things seemed to go really well. In parting, they asked me to call back early the next week.

Tuesday morning I left a message. Wednesday and Friday too. My calls were never returned. It wasn’t till a week later that I finally got my prospect on the phone. She thanked me for my hard work, fast service and excellent demonstration. Then, very apologetically, she told me they’d selected another vendor.

The only difference? He inserted 6 words about his company. The rest of the article is virtually identical. He never identifies me as the author. In fact, he ends the article with:

You will find more stories and tips like this in the book Mutual Respect www.MutualRespect.net  To learn more about the Quid Pro Quo Sales Approach visit www.SalesBuilders.com

If it was a singular happening, I’d let it go with an admonition to add attribution. But it’s not. It’s a clear pattern of behavior. I suspect if I searched more, I’d find other articles that have been plagiarized. 

I’ll be sending Bob Beck a note shortly. If necessary, I’ll get my attorney involved. In the meantime, I don’t want any of you to be fooled.

Here are all the links I could find for Bob Beck’s sales training business:

Sales Builders: http://www.salesbuilders.com
Mutual Respect: http://www.mutualrespect.net
Bob Beck International: http://www.bobbeckinternational.com
Beck Products: http://www.beckproducts.com
SalesBuilder at Squidoo: http://www.squidoo.com/bobbeck
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/salesbuilders

Also, besides billing himself as a “sales trainer” of Quid Pro Quo selling, Bob Beck also calls himself an international keynote speaker, sales guru, best selling author and trusted advisor.

What makes this so sad is that Bob Beck is probably good at what he does. He didn’t have to use other people’s words as his own. But he did - and it totally destroys his credibility.

Tomorrow: All about negotiation and power!

In a survey of more than one and a half thousand managers, people were asked what they would most like to see in their leaders. The most popular answer, mentioned by 55% of people, was ‘inspiration’.

When asked if they would describe their current leader as ‘inspiring’, only 11% said yes. The two attributes that people actually mentioned most often when describing their leaders were ‘knowledgeable’ and ‘ambitious’. As well as this thirst for inspiring leadership, there’s also evidence to support the idea that companies with inspiring leaders perform better.

The Sunday Times publishes an annual survey of the ‘Best Companies to Work For’, which is compiled from the opinions of the companies’ own employees. One interesting fact is that those ‘Best Companies’ that are publicly quoted consistently outperform the FTSE All-Share Index. Five-year compound returns show a 5.7% negative return for FTSE All-Share companies against a 13.6% gain for the Best Companies. Over three years, the returns were -11.3% and 6.7% respectively while, in the last twelve months, they were 23.1% and 44%.
The ‘Best Companies to Work For’ have also performed impressively on staff turnover, sickness rates, absenteeism, and the ability to recruit good quality people.

The stereotype of the inspirational leader as someone extrovert and charismatic is the exception rather than the rule. Looking at best practice across business, though some inspirational leaders certainly do fit this mould, a large number do not. Many are quiet, almost introverted.

My personal view is that the best leaders promote a culture where their people value themselves, each other, the company and the customers. Everyone understands how their work makes a difference. This helps to build a commitment to higher standards where everybody is always looking to do things better.

Today’s News: It’s going to be a BIG week: The Top Sales Experts latest ebook launches tomorrow - 143 pages and contributions from fifty of the world’s top sales gurus - and it is FREE! It went out to them for final proof-reading over the w/e and the feedback was, to say the least, AWESOME. You’ll get your chance to judge for yourselves very soon.

Over on my Sales Manager’s Mentor Blog this week, I provide ten tips for more dynamic sales meetings - here

Ph.D Student Needs Your Help: If you are you a sales trainer, sales coach, sales manager, sales professional, or sales recruiter, Brian Lambert would love to get your input into a survey he is conducting with Capella University.

The free survey and analysis link is here:
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB227YW7PAAT7

* At the end of the survey you can enter a drawing for a 32GB IPod Touch.
* You will also be able to see how your responses rate with everyone else’s.

Thank you for helping Brian in this aspect of the sales profession.

Fantastic feedback from my two JF Uncut posts over the w/e: “Where There’s Life, There’s Hope” and “More Bullshit - When Will It End?” if you missed them, just scroll down

Tomorrow: Greg Bautz, fellow Top Sales Expert, makes his debut on the JF Guest Author Spot, so be sure to join us.

A Sales Leader’s level of success or failure may be determined by their ability to influence people within their own organisation, as well as those operating in other companies.

Sales Leaders who use their influencing skills well are exciting to be around and they exude a positive energy that attracts people towards them. Your ability to influence others can empower people development, accelerate results and ultimately ensures an easier working environment. Influencing is about understanding yourself and the effect or impact you have on others. Though, it can on occasion be one way, the primary relationship is two way, and it is about changing how others perceive you.

Truly excellent influencing skills require a healthy combination of interpersonal, communication, presentation and assertiveness techniques. It is about adapting and modifying your personal style when you become aware of the affect you are having on other people, while still being true to yourself.

Behaviour and attitude change are what’s important, not changing who you are or how you feel and think. You may try to exert your influence through coercion and manipulation. You might even succeed in getting things done, but that isn’t really influencing. That’s forcing people to do what you want, often against their will. You won’t have succeeded in winning support. Pushing, bullying, bludgeoning or haranguing DO NOT WORK! Like elephants, people will remember the experience. Indeed, if you force someone to do something you want without taking their point of view into consideration, then the impression that person is left with is how they will see you forever. You’re stuck with it, unless you deliberately change what you do in order to be seen differently. People are far more willing to come halfway (or more) if they feel acknowledged, understood and appreciated. They may even end up doing or agreeing to something they wouldn’t previously have done, because they feel good about making the choice.

What Makes An Effective Influencer?

Winning influencers share a common set of attitudes and behaviours that ensure consistent success. Studies have shown that they:

• Indicate the benefits of their ideas and are able to put a context around these benefits so it creates greater impact on the individual.

• Neutralise resistance, usually in advance. They anticipate, respond and are able to plant a positive association to potential areas of resistance before the other person has even had a chance to voice them.

• Find alternative ways to influence others and demonstrate high levels of flexibility. This means that if the approach they are taking doesn’t get them their desired results they try a different approach. If this doesn’t work they try another approach. Ultimately, the person with the greatest flexibility will always have control over the situation.

• Listen attentively to what others say because this improves mutual understanding and conveys respect for the opinions of others. Giving good attention to people makes them more intelligent. Poor attention makes them stumble over their words and seem stupid.

• Uncover needs and wants because they appreciate that every individual is unique. They have their needs, their own set of problems and their own motives for doing what they do.

• Empathise continuously and are able to adopt different perceptual positions to connect with the feelings of others in different situations. Not only do effective influencers manage to put themselves in their customers’ shoes, they are also able to wear the shoes of individuals in their sales team.

• Have developed high levels of sensory awareness. This means that their senses are fine-tuned to pick-up on the smallest details include non-verbal signals that are sometimes different to what a person is saying.

• Create and maintain rapport throughout their communication that enables them to deepen relationships, build higher amounts of trust and minimise resistance.

• Eliminate weak statements from their language and are able to create multiple positive associations by avoiding negative words and using negations in a positive way. For example; “I’m not going to say that this strategy will be totally successful.” The unconscious mind has to think about the strategy being totally successful, irrespective if the word ‘not’ is contained within the statement.

• Base the success of their communication on the response it produces in others. If other people don’t respond in the way that the influencer was wanting, they accept responsibility and change their communication until they do achieve their desired outcome.

Influencing really is that important!

You may also enjoy reading: “Recognising The Different Influencing Styles”

Today’s News: I posted  over the w/e about the excellent upcoming “Critical Strategies For Winning Big Company Clients” gig in New York (see banner below) - I have to repeat that there are only forty places - simply click here for full details.

Over on Top 10 Sales Articles, we have nominated a top class set of articles this week - you really do not want to miss them - simply go here

Tomorrow: A treat for you on The JF Guest Author Spot - Stone Payton, with an absolutely brilliant piece, all about proposals and proposal writing - you will thoroughly enjoy it, I promise.  

In my role as a leadership coach, a question I am often asked is: “What is the most important leadership trait I should consider developing first?”

Very interesting question, because there are several essential traits that need to be developed as early as possible, but choosing just one - the most important, is a “no-brainer” for me.

Nothing puts you in the “poor leader” category more swiftly than inadequate communication skills.

Staff view an inadequate communicator as someone who is unclear, ambiguous, says too little, speaks up too late, or not at all (keeps secrets unnecessarily) and most importantly, someone who doesn’t relate to their viewpoint.

Leaders should resolve to communicate:
• Using appropriate methods (memo or meeting, e-mail or notice-board)
• From the right perspective (talk about we not I and put things personally – “You will find” rather than “This is the case”)
• Using good communication principles (keep it simple, make it clear, and be precise and succinct)
• Explaining both the what and the why of things.

Because communication is the most important aspect of a leader’s role, if you feel you need to bone up on it, do so. Ignoring failings or uncertainties, risks disaster.

Your early communications will be looked at or listened to carefully. Lines will be read between and inferences about you and the way you do things will be drawn – for good or ill. Take care!

While thinking about communication, make one firm rule for yourself: Always be courteous to your staff.

The old adage that politeness costs nothing is true. Any temptation that staff may provide to descend into insults or even to be offhand may cause problems and will certainly not engender respect. This applies whatever the provocation – and, believe me, sooner or later if you lead people, there will be some!

So keep cool, count to ten if necessary, and moderate your language and your manner.

A final point about communication is that you need to be constantly well informed about what is going on around the organisation and in any other area that is important to you.

Never forget that informal communications are as important here as formal ones.

You need to develop a good network of contacts and here I must flag the importance of the grapevine. This exists in every organisation.
• Discover how it works and who is key to its operation
• Get yourself “plugged in”
• Remember that communication is two-way (you must contribute to receive)

Use it constructively: ignore and do not start rumours, use it for firm information, early warning, and dissemination and keep your eyes and ears open.

Keep In Touch:
Take away communication from an organisation and not much is left. Yet, the subject is often neglected. It is the foundation of a good relationship between leader and staff and thus the basis for success.

Make sure you take action to create good – two-way – communication by, for example:
• Practising LBWA: that is Leadership by Walking About. Talk to people informally, ask, listen, take notes, and ensure feedback.
• Regularly informing people of your thinking: by memo, e-mail, at meetings, etc. Tell them what your vision is, what you plan, hope and intend, what’s happening – and how it will affect them.
• Systematise the processes involved: make aspects of what you do formal and regular (e.g. regular departmental meetings and updates on operational issues).

Fundamental to good leadership is being seen as open and honest, concerned that people should know what is going on and concerned also to encourage and receive their inputs.

I think you will also enjoy reading this: “What Is Successful Leadership Really About”

Today’s News: In the most recent issue of Fortune magazine, Jill Konrath’s “Selling to Big Companies” was selected as a “must read” book that belongs in everyone’s briefcase.

Jiill said: “I’m honored that it was chosen as one of only eight books recommended - especially since the competitors were all the other good sales books ever written!”

If you want to check out Selling to Big Companies, here’s the Amazon link. Make sure you read the 46+ Five Star reviews. Or start by downloading two chapters on her website.

Also, here’s a link to the entire Fortune article:Download Fortune-SelllingtoBigCompanies-9-08.pdf

Way to go, Crazy Sister !

Final blogpost recommendation of the week for you: “How Acting Skills Helps Selling” from Drew Stevens.

Tomorrow: We are working on the next Top Sales Experts ebook, so I will be fully extended this weekend, plus we are also preparing for the launch of TSE 2.0 -exciting times! As ever, wherever you are, have a great w/e yourself, and be sure to make it back here next week - JF

The responsibility for ensuring that every member of a sales team is successful and performing at optimum levels lies entirely with management and 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. For example:

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.

When I am asked to diagnose why an individual or even an entire team are not performing at optimum levels, I usually ask just four very straightforward questions:

• Are they visiting/talking to enough clients/prospects? In other words are they pro-active and are their activity levels high? I call this CCT as a percentage of TWT (Customer Contact Time as a percentage of Total Working Time)

• Are they talking to the right people within those client/prospect organisations? Are they able to penetrate the formal DMU (Decision Making Unit) and reach the MAN? (The person or people with the Money, Authority and Need)

• Are they saying/doing the right things? This really means - how strong are their selling skills?

• And finally, how is their attitude – that small thing that makes such a big difference.

From these four questions, I usually discover the answer but actually, it can sometimes be a little more complex and I refer to the“Eight Reasons Why Salespeople Fail”

If you really want to discover how healthy your sales organisation is right now, you can complete this FREE Health Check now and receive an immediate score - I will provide you with further information on what your score means on Friday, or if you want to discuss it personally, e-m me at jf@jonathanfarrington.com.

Today’s News: I am travelling home to Paris and as there was a fire in the Tunnel last week, I am having to break my journey with an overnight hotel stay: If I said the internet connection was “flakey” I would be being very generous, so you’ll get a double helping of news tomorrow - I promise.

Tomorrow:Also tomorrow, Lee Salz on The JF Guest Author Spot, so be absolutely certain to join me!

The way in which we behave as managers and the approach we take will have a marked effect on our ultimate success or failure.

Having a range of approaches and styles of behaviour gives us more flexibility. It increases our options – and our chances of success.

Natural Styles

Most managers have a natural style of influence which they prefer to use whenever possible. More flexible managers also keep in reserve a fall back style, used when the preferred style doesn’t achieve the desired results.

However, there are at least eight identifiable styles of influence – not including aggression, manipulation or force!

Because we are influencing a wide range of people, proficiency in a wider range of styles will ensure more success. We can step outside the comfort zone of our natural style and enjoy greater success by practising new ways of influencing.

However, we must think carefully which influencing style has the greatest chance of succeeding. Varying our styles too much may give us a reputation for being unpredictable

The Autocratic Approach

You tell them, they agree

Use this style when:
• You are looking for a quick response
• You seek only short-term commitment
• You are happy to check up and follow through

This approach works best when supported by power, authority, age, knowledge or wisdom. Resistance or objections are minimised. You tell others what you want then to do.

Do remember though that autocracy can be a high-risk strategy. It may result in a feeling of ‘You won, I lost’. They’ll get you next time.

The Collaborative Approach

You include others in the decision-making process.

Use this style when:
• You want to maintain long-term influence with others
• You seek a high level of commitment
• You have no time to enforce the outcome

This approach works successfully without you having any power or authority.

A word of caution, democracy takes time and can result in watered down solutions. Remain consistently collaborative. Don’t give up too early. Avoid imposing too many parameters or conditions – these will create frustration in others.

The Logical Approach

You use clear logical, unassailable arguments, supported by proof.

Use logic when:
• The other person demands evidence and lots of detail
• You are prepared to do your homework
• You are prepared to wait for a reaction

This approach works best when the other person is a logical, linear thinker. Avoid exaggeration and unnecessary emotion. Offer instead facts and figures.

But, you may find this style long-winded and frustrating. You may even be forced to put it in writing. Allow time to prepare your argument, time to explain it, time to wait for a reaction.

The Emotional Approach

You use your natural charm, charisma or enthusiasm.

Use emotion when:
• You want others to feel part of an exciting project
• You want to fire up someone’s motivation
• You are truly enthusiastic about an idea

This approach works when your influence becomes a genuine extension of your own feelings and beliefs. Appealing to the long-term effects of your ideas, you will reinforce their continuing value.
 
 Do remember though that emotional appeal carries risks. It can leave a nasty taste in the mouth. Painful memories linger longer.

The Assertive Approach

You ask directly, clearly and confidently for what you want, or don’t want.

Be assertive when:
• You want to influence autocratic people, bullies, stick-in-the-mud
• You want to influence behaviours
• You need to act and initiate, rather than react

Assertiveness can have a lasting effect, especially on those who least expect it from you. Any resistance is met by your persistence.

Assertive influence carries little or no risk.

The Passive Approach

You win the day by being submissive, by not overtly influencing.

Remain passive when:
• You want to influence others through personal demonstration
• You want to avoid unhelpful confrontation
• You have tried all the other approaches

As you quietly demonstrate desired behaviours, others can see for themselves the value in following your lead. Many potential confrontations with power or authority demand submissive influence, which can pay positive dividends.
   
The downside is that your submissiveness may leave you with feelings of low-esteem. Can you live with this?

The Sales Approach

You use good old-fashioned salesmanship.

Use salesmanship when:
• You know that the other person expects to be sold to
• You need to show the benefits your suggestion will produce
• You enjoy selling ideas

Draw out their point of view, understand their needs, demonstrate that you empathise; minimise resistance by showing how their ideas dovetail with your own; show how they will benefit.
 
Do realise though that logical or submissive people often hate an overt sales approach and may work hard to wreck your plans.

The Bargaining Approach

You trade concessions in order to reach a mutually acceptable conclusion.

Bargain or negotiate when:
• You are both equally keen to go ahead with the idea 
• You are happy and able to offer a few concessions
• You want to reach a <i>win-win conclusion</i>

Don’t just share the cake – make it a bigger one. Your success as affair negotiator will help cement the relationship.

 Aim too low and you’ll end up even lower. Over collaborate and you may regret giving too much away. Always trade concessions.

The Power Of Positive Behaviour 

Who has been a big influence in your life? A parent, relative, employer, friend or neighbour? Chances are that they often did nothing specific to influence you – they just behaved in ways that you took note of and decided to copy.

The behaviour of others can be influenced greatly when they observe the ways in which you:

• Deal with aggression
• Handle awkward customers
• Control group behaviour
• Field tricky questions
• Overcome resistance
• Live by your values and beliefs
• Walk the talk

Behaviours that help the influencing process:

• Continuous maintenance of rapport
• Maintaining good eye contact
• Congruent body language which supports your messages
• Appropriate voice tone which underpins what you say
• Sensory acuity – noticing how others react to you and your messages
• Flexibility – being prepared to change your approach, when necessary
• Awareness and acceptance of the needs of others
• Lack of conditional words, which dilute your messages

In Summary: Modelling Behaviour

Ok, suppose you don’t have sufficient flexibility of style. With practice, it’s easy to observe, analyse and reproduce the effective behaviours of other people. If you’ve ever studied any skill under a master, you will already have done this.

Suppose you know a person who uses an influencing style in a particularly elegant or effective manner. You have identified this as something you would like to improve for yourself. By closely observing what works for that person and noticing the effect it has on others, you can begin to experiment by adopting these behaviours and strategies and making them work for you, too. Behaviour is only behaviour – it can usually be replicated

You might also enjoy: “Understanding Assertiveness”

Today’s News: We have announced the Top Sales Article of The Month over at Top 10 Sales Articles and it really is a belter - just click on the banner below to see for yourself.

Tomorrow:One of the leading business development experts in the world - Leslie Buterin - is my guest on The JF Guest Author Spot.

There are two distinct levels of self-sufficiency in how people work:

• Involvement. This can be created in various ways such as: consultation, giving information and making it clear that suggestions are welcome and that experiment and change in how things are done are good. This provides the opportunity to contribute beyond the base job.

• Empowerment. Empowerment adds the authority to be self-sufficient (making your own decisions) and creates the basis for people to become self-sufficient on an ongoing basis. In sense, empowerment creates a culture of involvement and gives it momentum.

The Power Of Responsibility
Together, involvement and empowerment create an environment in which people can have responsibility for their own actions. But remember: Responsibility cannot be given – it can only be taken; thus only the opportunity to take it can be given.

Creating a situation in which people do take responsibility for their work demands:
• Clear objectives (people knowing exactly what they must do and why).
• Good communications.
• Motivation (to show the desirability, for the individual as well as for the organisation, or taking responsibility).
• Trust (having created such a situation, you have to let people get on with things).

A team enjoying involvement in what they do, and having the authority to make decisions and get the job done, is the best recipe for successful management.

A Management Catalyst
A successful team is one that:
• Is set up correctly.
• Responds to the responsibility it has for the task.
• Seeks constant improvement (and does not ever get stuck on the tramlines).
• Sees its manager as a fundamental support to its success.

A team in this situation will do well and is more likely to go on doing well than a group just told what to do.

Your role is one of catalyst – constantly helping the team to keep up with events, to change in the light of events and to succeed because it is always configured for success.

You will find some additional articles on Leadership here

Today’s News:

The final Top Sales Article Of The Week for August has been chosen and now the panel will be deciding which of the excellent five weekly winners will be Top Sales Article Of The Month - it’s a really tough call. Just click on the banner above, to update yourself. You will also notice the brand new ticker box in the left-hand column, announcing this week’s nominees.

We are on schedule to launch The JF Journal next Tuesday, so if you haven’t subscribed already, simply click on the banner at the bottom. You’ll not only receive a complimentary E-book - you will also receive another FREE E-book every month for the next twelve months!!

Tomorrow: On The JF Guest Author Spot, Wendy Weiss, the “Queen Of Cold Calling” makes a very welcome return.

The JF Guest Author Spot

Kevin Dwyer

Some leaders do all they can to appear to lead. Others lead.

Have you ever had a boss who had to go to all of the “important” meetings even though they did not understand the detail which was to be discussed in the meeting? Ever had the same boss then ask you for a briefing on the details so they could be “up-to-speed”, instead of just inviting you along to the meeting?

Ever had a boss determined to be always visible to senior management as part of a strategy to advance their career? One might even go so far as to call them the “Visibility Manager”, such is their passion to be seen to be doing.

Ever had a boss so self-absorbed that they neglect to develop their staff’s intellectual and emotional intelligence?

If you have worked for a while it is probable that you will have had a boss with some or all of these traits. They may well have been successful as well, measured by the results of their strategy, at least temporarily.

Their behaviour reminds me of Aesop’s fable of The Peacock and the Crane.

A PEACOCK spreading its gorgeous tail mocked a Crane that passed by, ridiculing the ashen hue of its plumage and saying, “I am robed, like a king, in gold and purple and all the colours of the rainbow; while you have not a bit of colour on your wings.”

“True,” replied the Crane; “but I soar to the heights of heaven and lift up my voice to the stars, while you walk below, like a cock, among the birds of the dunghill.”

Leaders who do what is necessary to get noticed rather than embolden their people to do what they thought they could not and achieve what seemed unreasonable, are not leaders. They are mere peacocks.

Leadership is about a leader and followers. Leaders model the behaviours they want from their followers. Leaders demonstrate what is possible.

Leaders are noticed. They do not need to manage their visibility.

They are noticed because of the clarity and power of an idea and the drive they demonstrate in enabling the idea.

They are noticed by the strength and the independence of the people who follow them.

They are noticed by what their teams achieve, not by what meetings they attend.

Careers may be built on political posturing and managing visibility. Self belief, self-satisfaction and true respect are built on leading yourself and leading others.

To lead well, one needs to be self-aware and self-regulate. How aware are you of any tendencies to be the peacock rather than the crane? Ask your colleagues and subordinates.

Kevin Dwyer is a pragmatic change management advisor and founder of Change Factory. He comes from an old school that experienced and led change first and learnt the theory later.

Kevin’s interest in sales is in developing the reinforcing loops of corporate goal, strategy, marketing and sales tactics, KPIs, recruitment, career and competence development, coaching and counselling that influences more customers to move through their buying process with the selling organisation. You can learn more about Kevin and the Change Factory here

Today’s News: Unless your name is either Gustav or Obama, you will have felt pretty neglected when it comes to news headlines this week: I couldn’t find too many blog posts relating to the former and anyway interest will have blown over by next week; the latter seems destined to be with us for a while to come.

From Paul McCord: “Obama’s VP strategy…did drama overload America’s attention span?” and from Tibor Shanto: “Lessons for Sales from the Democratic Convention in Denver”

Tomorrow: It’s a tidy up w/e for me: Ten new E-books to edit and The JF Journal to finish. Rumour has it that after almost two weeks of grey skies, the sun will finally re-appear, just as most of Paris returns from it’s summer vacation in the south.

Have a great w/e yourself and be sure to make it back next week - JF

Successful modern leaders should be supportive of staff, but should also take decisive action to maintain standards of behaviour: The worst leaders are those who fail to support staff. These conclusions came from research by The Industrial Society, carried out among 3000 business people. The survey, “Liberating Leadership”, identified 38 key competencies for leadership, and exposed some myths about modern leadership, derided by some as ‘too soft’ and people-centred.

Highest rated among the qualities was the ability to deal effectively with breaches to standards of behaviour. The other main qualities were that the leaders did not take personal credit for other people’s work; listened to their staff; worked on their own learning; and were honest and truthful.

“Clearly”, the Industrial Society said, “those around successful leaders, or the observers in this research, do not have difficulty equating supportive leadership behaviour with decisive action to maintain standards… above all; they appear to admire the combination of the two”.

The five weakest areas of the less successful leaders were that they failed to be sensitive to people’s feelings; failed to recognise other people’s stress; failed to develop and guide their staff; failed to encourage feedback on their own performance, and failed to consult those affected before making decisions.

The top 100 leaders identified in the study were also more critical of their shortcomings and displayed more humility than the bottom 100, who tended to have an inflated sense of their own abilities. The Society reported: “What is clear is that the most admired leaders are highly skilled in the ‘modern’ areas of leadership, but importantly they are also able to set tough standards and achieve results.

Observers want leaders to combine ethical and inspirational behaviour with the ability to take tough business decisions”.

By identifying the highest competency as “dealing effectively with breaches of behaviour” observers are essentially saying that leaders should be decisive in tackling poor performance, the Society says. Tony Morgan, Chief Executive of the Society, commented: “Modern leadership can no longer be regarded as a soft option.

This research shows that it is integrity, honesty and decisive action that marks out the truly successful leaders. Their followers have no problem equating ethics and discipline and neither should we. Leaders in all fields – from business to sport to politics – cannot escape the need to adapt to this new ‘firm but fair’ style of leadership; not if they want to remain at the top”.

Today’s News:  

Clayton Shold’s guest this week is Mike Schultz who gives advice on selling professional services in a “down” economy; just click on the banner below to listen in.

Tomorrow: Will hopefully be leadership guru Kevin Dwyer on The JF Guest Author Spot