No Thanks to Washington

Theres no doubt that our economy is recovering for many. Although unemployment is still at record highs, credit is tight and people are holding onto their money with an iron grip. What recovery we've had goes solely to the ingenuity and steadfastness of American small business owners. We salute  you. No thanks to our political leaders. Their partisan in-fighting has done nothing to help the situation except garner our contempt.
Check out this article which proves I'm not alone in my opinion.
http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/16/smallbusiness/economic-recovery/index.htm?iid=SF_SB_River

Money as a Motivator

Certainly money has its place in the area of motivating employees, particularly for people in the selling role. If nothing else, it is a symbol of accomplishment and without a positive perception of compensation and incentives, employees could feel cheated or unappreciated. However paying money is not a prime motivator for employee performance. This has been proven through many studies over the years. The reality is that we will always find a way to spend/invest the money we earn regardless of our level of income (within reason). It has been discovered that the key motivators to improved performance are more typically:  work satisfaction, being challenged, a feeling of importance, being appreciated or recognized, the opportunity to grow, a chance at acquiring higher level skills and work/home balance.

We all spend more time working than doing anything else so as leaders it is critical that we find ways to help our people feel highly engaged and proud of the work they’re doing. When we can help them to see that they really do make a difference in other people’s lives (clients, co-workers, management) as well as the success of the firm, we motivate them to try harder and improve work outcomes and performance. When we give them a compelling vision of the future, this clear destination brings greater meaning to what they are doing. This can change their perception from one of just performing mindless daily repetition of tasks to one where they feel they are doing something really important.  In the same way when employees see that the people around them are making a difference, they want to be like them. This creates healthy competition.

 The most powerful way to motivate your people is to create an environment where the positive attributes I describe above are consistently employed in a genuine and sincere way. And to get them to go viral! In order to do this we must communicate with team members on a deeper level so that we can fully understand what is important to them. In addition, we need to have our “arms around” the entire team perception as a whole and the collective values embraced.

Bug Resistant Paint

You want innovation? Check this out. This company has created a bug resistant paint.
A Spanish chemist has invented a way to embed pesticides in microcapsules stirred into house paints at her Valencia company, Inesfly. The insecticides are released from the paint slowly,remaining effective for two to four years,while sprays typically need to be reapplied at least every sixmonths. “The paint acts like a vaccine for houses and buildings,” she says. What can you do to reinvent yourself. Turn your industry on end. Someone has to.
http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-17/a-house-paint-reduces-bug-borne-diseases

The Struggle Between Marketing and Selling

Many businesspeople use the terms “sales and marketing” as if they complement one another as agreeably as peanut butter and jelly, but that is rarely the case. In the same way many executives hold the title of “VP of Sales and Marketing,” yet we often find that they will lean strongly toward one or the other discipline. Everyone would agree that both of these functions are critical within every organization and at times must be managed on an individual basis. While many companies seem to achieve some kind of acceptable balance between sales and marketing it is often reminiscent of the way cats and dogs tolerate one another’s presence in the same household. Yet imagine how powerful these forces could be if they truly DID collaborate and attempt to complement one another.
Improving the disconnect between marketing and sales doesn’t need to be complicated. Both teams are working towards increased market advantage. While it is a fact that a minimum of 50% of sales reps currently do not fulfill their quota requirements; this statistic is being partly caused by a global marketplace with heavy competition for an already Internet-savvy consumer. The answer, then, as evidenced by the success of technology companies, may be found in the combination of old and new–by employing sound principles of viral marketing and communication supported by the benefits of new and ever an improving internal culture.

The Risk Adverse Leader

I know that these days it is more difficult than ever to encourage team members to take some calculable risks. Even leaders and managers are sometimes hesitant to encourage risk-taking. At he same time,many committed employees are having difficulty balancing their professional and personal life so risk taking is on the bottom of the list. Technology seems to have placed GREATER demands on our time and face-to-face relationships are more important than ever. The current economic and social pressures seem to be pulling at one another. Add to that the generational differences and managing risk, productivity, satisfaction and engagement is a double-edged sword for many leaders. In such a risk adverse environment how can we encourage team members to take risks?

I wanted to take this moment to mention that it is our duty as managers to help our team members to make the best decisions in terms of risk tolerance. This almost always means that we need to KNOW their personal goals, circumstances and current challenges. Often managers and leaders shy away from asking too many "personal questions" or challenging team members to take risks. This is particularly true in rabid HR compliance states like CA and NJ. Let me just say the consequences of taking NO RISKS is even higher. Just as critical, consider the dis-service we are doing for our employees when we avoid this kind of discussion or back-off challenging them.

Here is an article written a while back but discusses this in greater detail. Hope you find it to be valuable. Risk Taking Culture

Sales Reluctance

Why are people in the selling role often fearful of selling? It almost seems like presenting our solutions is a form of prostitution. This is deeply rooted in our belief systems. In some way we have come to believe that we are not worthy of providing solutions to even QUALIFIED prospects. Let's face it we all have doubts about the veracity of our products or services but if WE don't beleive in the solutions we are providing, how might our prospects, who are already doubtful BELIEVE?

Don't underestimate the power of your beliefs. I have closed more than one sale on the sheer power of my belief that the solution I was proposing to a customer was the very best for their particular situation. In the same way I have lost sales because I had a mustard seed of doubt that was in some way transferred to the customer.

When we put our doubts to rest so will our customers!

Upcoming Dale Carnegie Training Classes

Check out these classes happening soon in in the Los Angeles Area:

Dale Carnegie Class - April 11 - 8 weeks

Leadership Training for Managers Class - April 17 - 7 weeks

Sales Advantage 3 Day Class - April 23, 24, 25

High Impact Presentation 2 Day Class - May 3 and 4