Selling needs to be fun

We survive and thrive on the backs of people who do good. Unfortunately, we have too many sales managers who expect salespersons to do what they want and do it their way, and the only metric that is important to them is more activity. I think everyone is successful in their own way, and the salespersons who are consistently successful do it their own way. The highs are not as high, and the lows aren’t as low. If you find the way that works for you, you are going to be an excellent salesperson.

That's the reality

“Heuristics” are the mental shortcuts human beings take when processing information and making decisions. Marketing teams are fully aware of how to use heuristics to simplify complex and difficult questions as they are fast and accurate ways to understand and influence behaviours.

Brands use the anchoring and adjustment heuristic to strategically set a product's price point. For example, an electronic retailer in Denmark lists a television at a higher price than its fair value, and the potential buyer will use that price as an indicator that they have received a bargain when purchasing the TV at the “sale” price.

Three wise men

I think there are certain people who are meant to serve and others that are not and it is your job to work as hard as possible to find people who you are meant to serve. And I believe you will find them when you show up fully self-expressed. Most marketing books are tactical, so they focus on quick solution, for example, just do this or do that. This is OK if you are looking for a quick fix, but this does not teach you how to build trust and credibility, or how to price your products or how to have simple sales conversations which is required if you are doing pay per click advertising.

All business is personal

Why is it necessary to know people before you ever need them?

Remember that if you can build people up then you can build a business. In my experience I have found that sometimes people have ulterior motives with regards to the relationships they enter into. I think that when you create authentic relationships, you’ll see other possibilities to help each other along the way. My parents gave us the wings to try something new and they constantly told us that there is only one business and that’s the people business. It doesn’t matter what industry you work in, if you take the people out of the business, you’ll have nothing at all.  

The leadership gap

When I started my blog in 2017, I tried to interview the author of “The Leadership Gap”, Lolly Daskal. Lolly is coach, consultant, and leadership expert. I think there are sheep and shepherds, and there are also wolves. Wise leaders must understand some wolves are so clever, even though they are dressed up like sheep. Part of leadership skills are awareness, sensitivity and understanding - knowing the scenario and being alert for the inevitable.

 

Research shows that if you give people agency to “do their thing” in the decisions they make, they are more likely to make better decisions and morally follow-up and follow through on the decisions they make and achieve their goals.

“Management is about persuading people to do things they don’t want to do. Leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could do and end up doing it.”
— Lolly Daskal

Keeping it real

When you establish a pattern of honouring people through your actions, word gets out and your positive influence will spread. And since you have acted thoughtfully and with integrity, when you speak, people will listen. Authenticity doesn't mean sharing everything about yourself, to everyone, all of the time. It does mean saying what you mean, meaning what you say, and sticking to your values and principles above all else.

Your corporate culture is vital

Culture is a set of invisible rules we use to operate, the do’s and do nots, and how you behave in an organization. Purpose is a why do we exist question. One could argue that culture and purpose are interrelated as when you articulate your purpose hopefully it will shape and form your culture. I think one of the main reasons why culture is so important is due to the stability it provides for so many people. It creates a sense of security and safety for individuals as it gives them a united and unified sense of belonging. Contact me via e-mail if you would like me look into your corporate culture.

“Bad companies are destroyed by crisis, good companies survive them, great companies are improved by them. ”
— Andy Grove

An oldie but goodie

Throwback Thursday with seven tips for increasing productivity:

1. Create a morning routine

2. Make a personal framework

3. Focus and prioritise, don’t multitask

4. Stop mindless browsing

5. Save time by automating decisions

6. Learn to say "no"

7. Accept perfection doesn't exist

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
— Maya Angelou

Care free

Those only who are happy are those who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness. For example, the happiness of others, on the improvement of mankind, even on some art or pursuit followed not as a means but as itself as an ideal end. It means by aiming less at something else they find the way. I think your success in life depends on your ability to make good decisions. Your happiness depends on your ability to not care about the outcomes.

Authenticity cannot be bought

Trust is built on making and keeping promises. Authenticity is where you know yourself so well and are familiar with all your strengths and weaknesses, and you can use these tools and communicate is a reliable way. A way which makes you relatable in a very strong way to others, not to everyone, just those who you’ll like to build deep connections. At the end of the day, people will connect with you both personally and professionally on a deeper level if you can make them feel safe, like and trust you. These things are so nuanced in the human psyche and I am dedicated to teaching them effectively.

The magic word is attitude

One of the strangest things in the world is that we tend to minimise the things that we can do and the goals we can accomplish. For some equally strange reason we think that other people can accomplish things that we cannot. We are the only creatures who are disoriented in our own environment because we were given the faculties to create our own environment. If only we realised that we have reservoirs of talent and ability deep inside of us.

“If I want to be free, I’ve got to be me.”
— Burrellism

Keep an open mind

I think one of the most important roles of the leader is to immediately intervene and remove the obstacles so that the team can advance towards the corporate goals.

“If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person was of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.
”
— John Stuart Mill

It's more than that

Image c/o University of York

We tend to think about finance as a math-based field with numbers, data, charts, and formulas. It’s much more than that – people make decisions about their money based on their outlook on the economy. And these decisions are all based around their own personality and psychology; therefore, there is so much more to finance and economics than finance and economics. If we think through the lens of history, psychology (e.g., greed and fear), sociology (e.g., keeping up with your neighbours), and politics (e.g., Why are certain regulations put in place?). All these fields of study are based around how people think and behave, and behaviour is such a big incumbent field. I think there is a lot we could learn from economics and finance if we looked through the lens of those other subjects.

We can be heroes

How can you make the customer the hero of the story?

The short answer is through customer experience, sales, and brand loyalty initiatives. Many organisations position their marketing around benefits and features of their products and services. The customer is the hero, not the brand and I think the focus should always be on the strategic outcomes that the customer needs. In other words, shift the focus from ‘us marketing’ to ‘customer marketing’. We all have the need for someone to show us the way and consumers don’t always buy the best products and services; they usually buy the ones they can understand the fastest. What the customer has to sense is that we have stepped into their story and we care about their pain.