Old Spice Sales Double With YouTube Campaign

by: Samuel Axon

You know those YouTube videos with that manly Old Spice guy and his hilarious responses to Twitter fans? Of course you do. So does everybody, it seems, because Old Spice body wash sales have increased 107% in the past month thanks to that social media marketing campaign.

We already published stats from video analytics company Visible Measures that made it clear that the Old Spice guy was a hugely successful initiative from marketing firm Wieden + Kennedy, achieving millions of viral video views quicker than past hits like Susan Boyle and U.S. President Barack Obama’s election victory speech.

The statistic of the 107% sales increase over the past month comes from Nielsen, which also revealed that sales increased 55% over the past three months. Individual products that were slipping in sales saw spikes after actor Isaiah Mustafa showed them off in the TV and Internet video ads. Those numbers were cited in an article at BrandWeek.

The campaign began with simple TV ads, which then went viral on YouTube. The follow-up program in which Mustafa recorded funny videos in response to fans, bloggers and Twitter influencers hit it out of the park. Adweek quotes Visible Measures’ Matt Cutler saying that the total web views for all Old Spice brand videos have reached 110 million, “surpassing the reach of traditional broadcast.”

Adweek also reports that Old Spice is working on a new campaign, but that it’s “unrelated” to the Mustafa videos. That’s a tough act to follow, but we don’t think anyone at Old Spice is complaining today.

Go For No! How to turn NO into a Powerful Positive

by Richard Fenton & Andrea Waltz

Have you seen the movie "Yes Man" starring Jim Carrey? It's about a guy who says "no" to everything, everyone, all the time.

Carrey's character winds up in a motivational guru's seminar and makes a radical change - he starts saying "yes" to everything. So, he is now saying yes to everything that comes his way; skydiving, Spanish lessons, all night parties, on and on. And of course, hilarity ensues.

There is a story about John Lennon's first encounter with Yoko Ono. He attended the pre-opening viewing of one of her shows. Her art was mostly strange and experiential. So the story goes that he climbed up an unsteady ladder to look through a small eyeglass where he found a single word: yes. It's been reported he later said that if it said "no" he wouldn't have been interested in getting to know her.

It is funny how the word "yes" is always looked at as so positive and wonderful. And it is great, don't get us wrong. We like yeses as much as the next person. But clearly, "no" has gotten a bad rap! No wonder so many people feel so damaged, deflated, and depressed when they hear the word "no!" It's a hated word.

Do you know your NQ?

The problem of course is that in SALES you are going to hear the word no. Even if you are really good, you are still going to hear some No's. If you don't hear any No's, then you probably are not selling to your full potential. The reality is the only way you'll stop hearing "no" is to quit entirely. And a lot of people do.

Why? Because they've been taught that "no" is so bad, such a terrible failure that it is just impossible to continue. It is so sad that too little letters... N and O have stopped so many people from doing great things, building businesses, living the life of their dreams.

And yet all the really super successful people in business (and in life) have gotten tons and tons of "no's" suffering all types of failure and rejection.

When you look at the great success stories of our time, and you peel away the outer layer - the glitz and glamour of what is seen on the surface by the general public - what you discover are stories of what we might call "successful failures." Virtually every "successful" person you can think of got there not just by FAILING... but usually through MASSIVE failure.

The number that really matters in business and in life is your NQ: your NO-QUOTIENT... the number of times you are willing to hear NO before succeeding... the number of times you are willing to get KNOCKED DOWN and then get back up, knowing full well that you are almost certain to get knocked back down again. That is the number that determines greatness in today's world... perhaps the only number... because the history of the world's greatest people, the movers and shakers and doers, is in fact a collection of stories of people with HIGH NQs.

The fact is, most people spend their lives doing everything within their power to seek success while simultaneously doing everything within their power to avoid failure... a recipe that virtually ensures average performance! Increasing your "failure rate" (and the number of NOs you hear) is the ultimate strategy for outstanding performance ... because when you increase your failure, success will show up at your door in greater quantities than you ever could have imagined.

So what's YOUR NQ? Would you like to know? Come take the Assessment for FREE! (A $20 Value)

Richard Fenton & Andrea Waltz are the authors of "Go for No!", a short powerful story written specifically for sales professionals in every industry who must learn to harness the power of no to be successful. They are also the creators of the new personal development video documentary, "Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There!" To learn more, visit www.goforno.com or call 800-290-5028.

Long Term and Valued Employees Need to be Confronted for Toxic Behavior

By Joan Lloyd

Dear Joan:

An employee who has been with the company for many years has always been the go-to person for upper management, as they have worked together for a very long time.

As new employees have been hired the dynamics in the office have changed. New employees bring fresh ideas and new energy into the workplace. The long standing employee seems to feel threatened and appears to need a "target" to create conflict.

My questions is, how do you avoid becoming his target? One particular employee seems to be in a position to defend himself over and over for things that are petty. The conflicts are intense, often resulting in screaming matches.

The longstanding employee takes some type of medication for mood disorders but he is still very unpredictable. On a good day his reactions are fine but on other days it's not a pleasant place to be. Question: How long does the "target" excuse his bad behavior due to the mood disorder this person has?

It's obvious that the "target" is getting beat down and may be considering a career change. The "target" is a valued employee and very well thought of by other staff and management. Management does not seem to know how to handle the complicated and sensitive situation, partly due to the close relationship they have with the long-standing employee that is making the workplace "toxic".

Answer:

While Situations like this seem black and white, I often find that human foibles make them gray. The idealistic among us can say, “No one should tolerate being poorly treated. Management should tell that loyal employee to stop treating that good employee so poorly.” But those of us who have been around for awhile know that long-standing relationships can breed a loyalty that anesthetizes logical decision making. For some executives, loyalty and friendship weigh more, so they turn a blind eye to poor behavior.

The resolution of the situation depends upon the maturity and wisdom of the senior managers. For example, if things escalate (and they surely will), there’s a good chance senior management will have to choose between the two of them. Up to this point, they have probably been reluctant to deal with the problem because the go-to guy has added value for a long time and also because they make allowances for him because he has a medical problem.

One of senior managements’ responsibilities is to keep the workplace from being toxic. Hopefully, they will realize the harm his emotional outbursts are causing and counsel him to manage his behavior toward others. If the target is contributing to the problem (“screaming matches”),he also needs to be counseled.

If the long-term employee is unable to treat others professionally, management can mandate that he seek outside help through the EAP, or other medical resources, or face other consequences.

If they are tiptoeing around him because of his medical condition, they need to take a step back and consider the bigger picture. No one should be able to abuse fellow workers and get a free pass to do so, regardless of the reason. They need to consider what is in the best interest of the entire work team and the business as a whole. Loyalty should not trump dysfunctional behavior.

Internal Consulting Skills for HR Professionals is Joan Lloyd’s intensive, interactive full-day workshop for HR practitioners. Human resources professionals—both functional experts and generalists—have a new found opportunity to act as internal consultants who can help their organizations with organizational changes, performance coaching, conflict mediation and other value-added services. This workshop focuses on giving HR professionals the tools and strategies they need to help their organizations as well as advance their careers.

Participation?

Does anyone read this blog any more? Post a comment to this question to answer.

Thanks

How To Leave Voice Mail Messages That Get Returned

By Jeb Blount, Author of People Buy You: The Real Secret to What Matters Most in Business

I hate voice mail. I love email, text messaging, and even smoke signals but I despise voice mail more than any other communication tool. Why?

I'm a pretty busy sales guy and I usually spend most of my day talking to other people on the phone. On most days it seems as if my phone never stops ringing. There is just no way to get to every call. Many calls go straight to voice mail. In fact, I average in the neighborhood of 20 voice mail messages every working day.

You may be thinking to yourself, "that sounds like a good problem to have Jeb", and in some cases you would be right. Some of these calls are from customers and clients who want to buy more from me. Trust me, when someone is calling me to do business I'm happy.

But, the vast majority of the calls are from people who want me to do something for them. They want me to buy something, form a partnership, give them an opinion, introduce them to someone, or answer a coaching question. But this is not why I hate voice mail.

I hate voice mail because every day I have to stop what I'm doing, dial my inbox and listen to all of those messages one at a time. It is a slow and time consuming process that sometimes takes up to thirty minutes. Which is usually time I don't have. And of course, the catch with voice mail is that it is linear; meaning that you have to start at the beginning and listen to each message until you reach the end. You can't look at all of your messages, like you can on email, and then determine which ones are a higher priority than others and which ones are just junk.

This is where the pain comes in and my hatred of voice mail begins. As I reluctantly trudge through my messages there are three kinds that really drive me crazy.

The first is when people don't leave their names and phone numbers. I get a message but I either don't know who you are or how to reach you. These messages are automatically deleted.
Then there are the people who leave long-winded messages. There are occasions when I'm ok with this like when the long message gives me all of the information I need and I don't have to call back. But if the message requires me to call you back, which is almost always the case, I just get irritated. Most of these messages are saved for when I have time. Of course the brutal reality is . . I never have time.

Finally, there are the people who garble or say their name or phone number too fast. I hate these messages the most because I'm required to listen to the message more than once which wastes my time and makes it more likely, if I am busy or in a hurry, that I will just delete the message.

So why, other than getting all of this off of my chest, is this long rant important to you? Because, as a sales and business professionals, the telephone is still your most important business tool. Every day business professionals all over the world make millions of calls to current and prospective customers, colleagues, and potential employers. Most of those calls go straight to the voice mail boxes of people, who like me, hate voice mail. This is why so many of your messages go un-returned.

The key is to come to grips with the fact that on some level most of your buyers despise voice mail and either ignore or delete most of their messages. However, with a few simple adjustments, that make your messages easier for your prospects to deal with, you may succeed in getting many more messages returned and at the same time earn the respect of the people you call.

Five People Buy You Tips for Winning Voice Mail Messages

Give Contact Information First: 99% of the time when we leave a voice mail we want the other person to call us back. When you give your contact information first you are far more likely to entice the person you called into writing down your name and number for a call back. Besides, it is just good business. Try something like this: "Hi this is Jeb Blount, from SalesGravy.com. My phone number is 555-222-1212." This demonstrates your respect for the other person's time and your professionalism.

Keep It Short: Your messages should be thirty seconds or less and deal with only one subject. When you hold yourself to thirty seconds if forces you to be succinct and to focus on the most important information. In her outstanding new book Snap Selling Jill Konrath describes how "crazy-busy" buyers are struggling to deal with information overload. Take Jill's advice and make your messages simple.

Say Why You Have Called. After you give your personal information just say, "The reason for my call is" or "the Purpose of my call is", then tell them why you are calling and leave your message. In SNAP Selling Jill drives home the point that if your message is not relevant to your buyer's situation they will not give you their attention.

Be Honest. One of the core People Buy You levers is trust. If customers and prosepects don't trust you there is virtually no chance you will win their business. There is nothing more irritating to a buyer than a salesperson who is less than honest about their intentions.

Repeat Your Name and Phone Number: Before you push # always say your name again slowly and clearly and always, always say your number twice. It should sound something like this, "again, this is Jeb Blount with SalesGravy.com my phone number is 555-222-1212 that's 555-222-1212." This will ensure that your name and phone number are registered correctly and that you leave your prospect with a positive impression of you.

Bonus Tip: Leave your email as well. May people will write back via email quicker than returning your voice mail.

Jeb Blount is the CEO of SalesGravy.com, the world's most popular sales website. A respected thought leader on sales and sales leadership, he is author of three books, People Buy You: The Real Secret to what Matters Most in Business, Sales Guy's 7 Rules for Outselling the Recession, and Power Principles. He is the author of more than 100 articles on sales and sales leadership and the host of the top rated Sales Guy Podcast.

Loyalty Is Built Through C.A.R.I.N.G. Service

By Debra Schmidt

Voicemail, automated phone systems, email and other technology have replaced the personal touch when it comes to customer service. Customer frustrations are on the rise. Their number one complaint is that no one really seems to care anymore.

Your customer can tell the difference between satisfactory service and caring service. Satisfactory service is what most customers expect. This type of service focuses on completing a task rather than building a relationship with the customer.

The market often talks of customer satisfaction, a deceptive phrase because it sounds better than it is. Would you have wanted a grade of satisfactory in school? Probably not. Satisfactory implies adequate, good enough and acceptable. Customers who are merely satisfied with your business can be wooed away by others who offer something better.

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Customers are discouraged by poor service and expectations are low. The simple gesture of showing your customers that you care about them will be a welcome surprise compared to the apathy they experience elsewhere. Building customer loyalty boils down to one simple concept—C.A.R.I.N.G.

C = Consistent

Commit to delivering exceptional customer service with every customer interaction.

• Take complete ownership of your actions and your customer's happiness.
• Deliver respect, friendliness and knowledge, whether you communicate face-to-face, by telephone or through email.
• Maintain a positive attitude--all the time!
• Sign your work with excellence. A = Attentive Your customer is not an interruption of your work. He or she is the reason you're at work.
• Focus 100% attention on your customers' needs. Ask yourself, "If this were me, what would I want?"
• Listen carefully—don't rush service. Your customer took the time to do business with you. Honor that decision by taking the time to deliver a quality experience.

A = Attentive

Your customer is not an interruption of your work. He or she is the reason you're at work.

• Focus 100% attention on your customers' needs. Ask yourself, "If this were me, what would I want?"
• Listen carefully—don't rush service. Your customer took the time to do business with you. Honor that decision by taking the time to deliver a quality experience.

R = Reliable

Take proactive ownership of your customers' requests. Follow through until they are successfully resolved.

• Watch your image. Dress professionally. Don't wear clothing that can offend or embarrass your customers. Dress in a manner that enhances your credibility and positively reflects on the organization.
• Maintain order in your workspace.
• Communicate with a warm, friendly tone of voice. Provide clear and accurate information. Avoid the use of jargon or slang. Also, be careful not to talk "down" to your customers or co-workers.
• Follow through by keeping your promises, no matter how small, to your customers and co-workers.
• Focus on timeliness. Respond quickly to your customers' and co-workers' requests. Show up for work and meetings on time. Return phone calls promptly and deliver information on time.
• Promptly reply to email messages.
• Commit to professional development by attending workshops and seminars, and reading materials that will help you to learn and grow in your ability to do your job better.

I = Individualized

• No two customers are alike. Each customer has individual needs and concerns.
• Pay attention to your customer's tone of voice and actions.
• Learn how to respond to your customer based on his or her particular style. A dominant customer may seem impatient and will want to control the situation to get his or her desired results. A shy customer may need assurance and guarantees. An outgoing customer may require more "chat" time. You can build rapport quickly by learning to respond appropriately with each type of customer.
• Pay attention to your customers' family members. Ask about their children.
• Congratulate your customers when you learn of their celebrations, such as having a new baby or buying a home. Acknowledge their birthdays.
• Pay attention to their accomplishments such as an appointment to a board, getting promoted or landing that important client. -
• Ask your customers for advice on how you or your company could better serve them. Encourage their feedback and ideas, and yes, even criticism. Then listen.
• Sincerely compliment your customers every chance you get. Compliment them on how nicely they're dressed, their pleasant phone voice, or their patience during a long wait. Don't mistake compliments with false flattery. -
• Surprise your customers by delivering unexpected service, such as free shipping or a little something extra to show them they're appreciated.
• Keep your customers informed about the status of their order, any delays or obstacles to meeting their needs and changes in policies that may affect them.
• Customize the way you communicate to honor the style differences of your customers.

N = Notable

Word-of-mouth is the most powerful marketing campaign of all. Give your customers quality service that they can brag about. Is your service worth bragging about?

• When you hear repeated complaints about something, take the initiative to fix the problem! For example, if customers frequently complain that it is too cold in the building, contact the person in charge of climate control and ask him or her to adjust the temperature. If more than one customer complains that the music is too loud when they are on "hold," take the initiative to have the volume turned down.
• Go the extra mile by delivering more than expected. This may mean chatting a little longer with a customer who sounds lonely or just wants to visit. You can waive a shipping charge if an order has been delayed.
• Notice their needs. If a customer sounds rushed or stressed, acknowledge their busy schedule and do everything you can to speed up their service experience.
• Save them time. Look for ways to remove service obstacles that may waste your customers' time. Make sure there is a working pen on the counter if they need to sign a credit card receipt. If you need to transfer a customer call, stay on the line to explain the situation to your co-worker so your customer doesn't need to repeat his or her request. Offer to call them after you have resolved their complaints so they don't need to remain on the line while you track down the cause of the problem.
• Stand by your promises. Return calls at precisely the time you said you would call. Don't put a customer in a position of having to call back to remind you that they are still waiting for information. Never promise service by a co-worker unless you're 100% certain that he or she will be able to deliver on that promise for the customer.

G = Generous

Be generous with your service by looking for ways to go the extra mile for your customers.

• Look for ways to remove service obstacles by bending a rule or making an exception when your customer has a special need.
• Periodically, give away a free item to your customers. Enclose a calendar, tips guide, kitchen magnet or one of your company's products. Be sure to write a note to let your customers know that this is a gift of appreciation just for doing business with you.
• When your customers make appointments to meet with you, take them early.
• Introduce your customers to other members of the team, especially staff who only deal with internal customers.
• Slip your customers a handwritten "thank-you" note when they've been patient, when they've complained, when they've referred a new customer or just to thank them for being a loyal customer.
• Hold monthly contests for your customers where they can win prizes.
• Actively seek out and participate in community outreach and service events or causes that your customers care about.
• Give each of your best customers a standing ovation the next time they walk through the door.
• Create over-satisfied customers by frequently asking your customers, "How can we do an even better job of serving your needs?"
• Put value on what's important to your customers, not what's important to you. People are loyal to a business when they feel they've been treated well and received good value for their money.

Customer service goes a long way toward pleasing customers on both counts. C.A.R.I.N.G. customer service means going out of your way for customers, doing everything possible to meet their needs and sometimes making decisions that benefit customers, even at the expense of the company.

How Much Personal Business At Work is Reasonable?

By Dan Bobinski

The other day I came across an article that said the average US worker spends approximately two hours each day taking care of personal matters, such phone calls, e-mail, personal shopping, and the like.

If these are eight-hour workdays, that's a substantial chunk of time, and an equally large cost to employers. In fact, the article stated that employers are shelling out $700,000,000,000 annually to pay for this "personal time."

I know a lot has already been written on this subject, but it remains a problem, so it's not out of line to suggest it deserves continued attention. After all, 25 percent of a workday is a significant amount of time. It first begs the question "why is so much personal business being done at work?"

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Perhaps one part of the answer is "because people can get away with it." An Associated Press article last year reported that the town of Islip, New York saved nearly 14,000 gallons of gasoline over a three-month period after they installed GPS devices on their city vehicles. The purpose of the devices was to be able to track where the vehicles were throughout the day. Apparently, people were doing a lot of personal side trips, which were cut out when people knew they could be tracked. Based on typical mileage for city driving, that equates to about 70,000 miles and over $12,000 each month. Ouch! That was a lot of gasoline, and again, a substantial cost to the employer.

Another part of the answer for why people take care of personal matters at work is "because it's reasonable." In yet another AP story, a civil servant (also in New York) was let go for spending too much time surfing the Internet at work. A judge ultimately ruled that the worker had to be reinstated, stating that the Internet is now as commonplace as telephones and newspapers.

The judge stated that, "city agencies permit workers to use a telephone for personal calls, so long as this does not interfere with their overall work performance," and, "the Internet has become the modern equivalent of a telephone."

"Back in the day" (which is a parallel phrase to "when I was a kid," that horrid expression that precedes a lecture), personal phone calls were totally forbidden at work, except in cases of emergency. Telephones were commonplace (I'm not THAT old), so it's not like people couldn't communicate. What's changed?

What’s changing are people's attitudes of what is considered normal. Today's technology enables communications and commerce to occur in ways that were unheard of even twenty years ago. A majority of baby boomers are keeping up, but "keeping up" is not a problem for Generation Y workers – especially those currently under the age of 25. To them, these technologies are commonplace and natural. And in their eyes, too much restriction on "quick and easy" personal communication is akin to depriving them of food and water.

Let's think about what that judge said. Yes, the Internet is commonplace these days. But what’s reasonable? How much time should we have allowed a person to read the newspaper at work 20 years ago?

Beyond basic news, the Internet invites personal time spent chatting and even online dating, so what's reasonable there? What used to be "just a few minutes" running personal errands has expanded into hours of reading blog posts, newspapers, and magazine articles, plus researching new gadgets, scouring e-Bay, scanning personals, and chatting with friends.

In many jobs, restricting this behavior 100 percent would be seen as a Gestapo tactic, which would lead many Gen Y workers to seek employment elsewhere. Still, an average of two hours a day – a quarter of an eight-hour workday - seems a bit excessive.

Yet if employers want to keep these highly talented people around, a blend of personal time and work time is practically essential. Again, the question becomes "how much is reasonable?"

Naturally, what is reasonable will vary from job to job, so no one rule can apply across the board. But in reality, I’m a strong supporter of Results Only Work Environments (ROWE), and advocate its use wherever possible. This is when the employer and the employees agree on what results are expected, and what the compensation will be for those results. Employees are then free to do whatever they like, whenever they like, so long as the results agreed upon are delivered before the agreed upon deadline.

However, ROWE requires solid communication and a tremendous trust factor in both directions. Implementing such a model is a huge shift in viewing how work gets done in a business. Some managers and/or leaders don’t want to let go of control, still others don’t want to assume the appropriate responsibilities, and some just don’t want to take the risk. But, quite frankly, the nature of work in some businesses simply preclude companies choosing ROWE as a workplace model.

But when it comes to work that can’t happen in a ROWE, especially hourly work, I think it’s wise and reasonable to be clear about what’s expected. For an example of people doing things different than I’m paying them to do, I’ll use the analogy of hiring a plumber to fix something at my house. It’s pretty straightforward: If a plumber is at my house for four hours and bills me for four hours, I expect him to have worked on my plumbing for four hours. If he spent three hours working on my plumbing and one hour on the phone coaching a co-workers through a job in a different location, I don't want to pay for four hours of his time.

It wouldn’t matter even if that one hour was not a continuous hour. If the plumber made four fifteen-minute phone calls during his four hours at my house (or even ten six-minute calls), I want my bill to reflect three hours of actual work, not four.

In the same way, if I have a full-time employee who spends one hour each day surfing the net but then can't finish his or her assignments, I've got a problem with that. Especially if the person wants overtime pay to stay later, or won't stay late at all to get the job done.

Because jobs vary greatly, much of this topic is circumstantial. Therefore, my advice is this: Employers, have conversations with your employees about this subject. In their hearts, most people know what is reasonable and what is not. By involving them in the decisions of what's reasonable and what the consequences ought to be for overstepping the agreed decisions, you're likely to get a lot more cooperation.

What's more, you can't just have this conversation once and say it's a done deal. People will waiver every day. Regular, ongoing dialog will keep the matter in the front of people's minds, and then they are more likely to be self-policing.

Yes, you might have to hold the line and discipline some people. But the bottom line is that people are being paid to work, not handle their personal affairs. And although times are changing, personal work, on work time, should be kept to an absolute minimum.

The Biggest Goof Sellers Make When Dealing With Hot Prospects

By Jill Konrath, author of SNAP Selling and Selling to Big Companies

I dream of hot prospects who call me up and say, "We've heard good things about your company. We want to make a decision quickly. We're hoping you can help us out."

Occasionally my sales fantasies turn into realities. When it happens, it's so easy to be seduced by this low-handing fruit. Outwardly, I try to appear calm, cool and collected - a true professional. But inside, every inch of my body wants to scream out, "Take me! Take me!"

Okay. I'm being a bit dramatic here, but I really want to make my point.

It's so easy to be tempted by these opportunities. And when you yield to this temptation, you make fatal mistakes-ones that can totally derail your sales efforts and cause you to lose the business.

True, But Embarrassing Story

Let me give you a personal example, to show you how easy it is to get caught up in this seduction.

A few years ago, my primary business focus was working with large corporations in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area when they were launching new products. My expertise? Helping them shorten time to revenue on new product introductions.

I'd just launched SellingtoBigCompanies.com to help small businesses gain access to my expertise. It was my new baby. I'd invested tons of time and lots of love to get it up and running.
When the phone rang that day, I answered absentmindedly. But when the caller announced that he was from Southwest Airlines, I snapped to attention. He'd been all over my new Web site, was very impressed, and also very interested in my training programs.
The airline was going to be putting its salespeople through training in the not-too-distant future and was evaluating its options. When I asked who else he was looking at, I was delighted to be included with the industry biggies.

Mr. Southwest had dozens of questions about my content, delivery models, remote training options, learning reinforcement and more. I answered every single one of them in glorious detail.

When he requested a proposal, I asked, "How soon?" When he answered that he wanted it in two days, I quickly agreed.

The proposal I sent to him via e-mail covered everything we had talked about in our conversation, plus a full range of pricing options. It was a masterpiece. I had high hopes that this opportunity would take my business to a whole new level.

I never heard from Mr. Southwest again. Even though I contacted him many times, he never called back.

Lesson Learned
It was my own fault. I mistakenly let my own eagerness to land this marquis customer outweigh my common sense.

The truth is I really needed the business at that time. After spending many months and lots of money to create SellingtoBigCompanies.com, I was running short on cash. I should have known better, but I was seduced by the opportunity.
In retrospect, I failed to find out if Mr. Southwest was just exploring his options or actually in the final stages of decision making. It's highly likely he was just doing the former.

Had I known that, I would never have written a detailed proposal. Instead, I would have focused on helping him determine the business value of making a change. I would have used my expertise to help him sell the concept internally and establish decision criteria favorable to my solution.

Over and over again, I see other sellers make similar mistakes when they have a hot prospect on the line. Like me, they expound on their capabilities and benefits. They willingly provide detailed information and do tons of extra work to create proposals or presentations-anything the prospects want.

While that puts you into the "nice" seller category, it's not a good business decision to invest tons of time and effort to land a fantasy customer. Nor does it help your prospects make the best decision for their organization.

If Mr. Southwest was actually deciding in a couple days, I should have addressed the fact that I was a small boutique firm that didn't compete head-on with the larger companies he was looking at. Doing business with me would have been risky. I knew that. But I didn't want to bring it up; I was hoping he wouldn't notice! I was so blinded by the opportunity that I was willing to do anything that he asked. It was delusional on my part. Wishful thinking. Hopeful. When we feel this seduction, we need to remind ourselves that "hope is not a strategy."

While hot prospects may hold the promise of big paychecks, there's often much that still needs to be determine if it's a good fit for your company.

Don't be overeager. Instead be ruthlessly realistic. Detach from the fantasy and assess your true chances. Bring up the tough questions.

Why? Because it's the right thing to do for both you and your prospect.

Things Are Looking Up

By Gayle Lantz

Things are looking up, but some employees may be looking out -- outside of your organization -- and they're likely to be your stars.

According to recent research by the Corporate Leadership Council:

• One in four intend to leave their employer within the year.
• One in five believes their personal aspirations differ from their employer's plan.
• Four out of 10 have little confidence in their coworkers and even less confidence in the senior team.

I've enjoyed coaching many stars over the years. Some clients have sought coaching on their own to achieve specific business, leadership or career goals. Others have participated in coaching programs offered through their employer. All are highly motivated, eager to learn and hungry for ideas, insights and feedback to help them be most successful. Executive coaching (whether internal or external) is just one means to develop and retain your top talent.

Here are other ideas for keeping your best talent:

Keep them in the loop. Internal communication is a top priority for organizations that care about engaging and retaining employees. Improve official and informal communication with employees. Schedule short team meetings to share updates or gain input. In the absence of information, people make their own assumptions.

Challenge them. Give your stars a major project or assignment that helps them stretch. Get them out of their comfort zone. They'll grow faster. Ideally the projects should align with the employees' interests and aspirations.

Highlight the good news. More executives report they see 'glimmers of hope' on the horizon. Talk about expected success. Make optimism contagious in your work force. It beats pessimism which can destroy your business.

Strengthen your leadership team. A successful business is based on the strength of its leaders. Top leadership talent is the most difficult and costly to replace. Stars are never content with status quo. Determine what aspects of your leadership team need improvement.

What are the best specific opportunities developing in your business?

Your Assignment:

On your own, or with your team...

• Identify the top three to five specific business opportunities you expect to develop over the next six months to a year. Examples include: potential new projects, contracts, products, services, clients, markets served, referral sources, etc.
• Prioritize the opportunities, however you define them.
• Confirm the human, technical and financial resources needed. (NOW is the time to recruit the top talent you need! Help those who are underperforming move on to positions that are a better fit.)
• Develop or modify your plan for each of the top opportunities.
• Determine milestones or measures of success to include in your plan.
• Anticipate any obstacles and how you'll overcome them.
• Revisit your plan regularly.

A Key to Employee Engagement

Employee disengagement is rampant. By helping employees develop opportunities, you'll increase the level of engagement among employees. They want to be engaged. If you ignore the issue, you risk losing your top talent -- especially as the economy rebounds.

As you reach for the stars, keep your own stars looking up -- at opportunities to grow themselves and the business.

Collaboration and Teamwork with Peers

By Joan Lloyd

Most managers are judged by how they work across functions, not just how they manage their own team. Since organizations have gotten more complex, "matrix" structures and "cross-functional teams" have become the norm. For example, in a matrix structure, you may report to one boss (solid line) but you may also have one or more "dotted line" relationships. These dotted lines represent people to whom you are responsible for delivering a service or product. They have influence over you and your future. In addition, your peer managers, and colleagues at multiple levels, likely depend upon you as a partner.

So, your effectiveness is, in large part, determined by how well you collaborate and "play well with others." Your relationship with your peers is one that must be managed as well as the relationship you have with your boss. Since you both have little, if any, direct authority over one another, the roles and responsibilities can present land mines.

Here is a quick checklist of how to build your reputation as a collaborator and earn trust from your peers:

• Talk about your peers' successes in public but iron out conflicts in private. Calling out a colleague in public, or talking negatively about another department in a meeting will only make you look mean and vindictive…not to mention politically stupid.

• Ask your colleagues what they need from you-- and your department-- and then deliver on what you promise. Don't over commit. It's better to be honest about what you can't get done.
• When negotiating for resources, focus on the mutual purpose you all share and explore each of your respective needs. If your peers are fighting over head count and budget, stay focused on what is best for the organization and needs, not wants. If someone else's needs obviously trump your own, concede without making it personal.
• When you disagree with a peer's action or a decision, go down "The Journey of Intentions," so you understand their rationale first. Rather than jumping in to tell the person why their way is flawed, ask the person to explain their intentions behind their actions. You will discover where the two of you differ in your logic, so you both can problem solve together.
• Use social and business events to get to know peers you should be closer to. Don't just seek out peers you already know well. Expanding your internal network will pay dividends as your responsibilities grow.
• Offer to help a peer with information or resources, even when you don't stand to gain anything in return. This unselfish help will earn you respect and trust. It will also advance the goals of the organization—something that gets noticed by senior leaders.
• Return emails and voice mails within a reasonable amount of time. I often hear about a busy leader who blows off his or her peers because they don't think their issues have priority. Your peers will resent it.
• Treat your peers' direct reports with the same respect you reserve for your peer. They will compare notes and you won't look good. No matter how well you treat the manager, he or she will be angry if you don't treat their people well.
• If you are hearing a lot of negative buzz about your peer, consider giving that person feedback and advice in a caring way. If you have a degree of trust and respect between you, he or she will probably appreciate your insights and honesty.
• Avoid gossiping about colleagues, even to close peers. If you talk about others, they'll fear you'll talk about them.
• Don't blame other departments. Take the high road and own up to what you can do to shoulder your department's contribution to the problem. If you point fingers at other departments, it sets a negative example for your employees and, over time, you will lose their respect.
• If you have a problem with one of your peers' employees, go to the peer first, before escalating the issue up the chain. If you go up the ladder, without giving them the courtesy of handling it themselves, they will resent being exposed to upper management.
• Don't copy a wide circle of people on a long email chain, in order to expose a peer, or get other people on your side. Instead of making your peer look bad, you will look vindictive and it will cause others to limit what they say to you. It will also destroy trust.
• If you are in a heated disagreement in a meeting, ask your peer to take the issue off line and discuss it in private. The whole room will be uncomfortable until you do, and they will avoid telling you what they really think, for fear of getting into a wrestling match with you in public.
• Don't do all the talking. Solicit input from peers and really listen to what they have to say. If you have strong opinions, offer them last, after probing what others think.
• Don't brag about your accomplishments, your team's successes or your personal life. Rather than creating admiration among your peers, you will turn them off and isolate yourself. Rather than look successful, you will look insecure. A little humility goes a long way.
• Don't return emails or take calls in meetings. If you are with a peer, and your phone rings, don't answer it. Show them that they are more important.

Pay attention to your relationship with your peers. It can mean more as you move up the ladder than you may think.

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