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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Building a Smarter Leads List

Doyle Slayton | Jun 06, 2010

So, your company isn’t helping you generate quality leads? I bet they bought you a list of thousands of leads, dumped them into a database, and said, “Go to work.” …and there you are “dialing for dollars,” making hundreds of calls hoping someone will answer the phone… and when they do, you enthusiastically ask for the name you have on your list and hear, “Who? That person hasn’t worked here for six years.”

That’s not a great way to build credibility… is it?

You go to your boss and ask for help. You say, “I’m willing to crank the phones, but I need better leads,” and you hear, “Stop being negative, that’s just how it is in sales.”

It’s time to take matters into your own hands! Step away from the phones for just one day and take the following three actions…

Read More -->

Selling is a Contact Sport:: Keys to Effective Phone Prospecting

by John Boe

It's been said that salespeople who avoid making phone calls have skinny children. Prospecting for new business is critically important and for the majority of salespeople, it is by far the most challenging and stressful aspect of their profession. Successful salespeople are proactive and recognize the importance of prospecting for new business daily. They don't have to be reminded to ask for referrals or follow up on a sales lead, they do it automatically. This article is packed full of helpful phone calling tips and techniques which, if put into practice, will fill your appointment calendar with new business opportunities!

Don't shoot from the hip, use a script. If you want to sound confident and competent, I strongly suggest that you write out your opening and closing remarks. If you sound in the least bit nervous or unprepared, people will immediately sense this and rightfully assume that you lack experience. Using a phone script for your opening and closing remarks is a good idea for several reasons. A well-polished phone script gives you a consistent approach that keeps you on message and guarantees you don't leave out important information.

Be respectful of your prospect's time by designing your phone script to be short, sweet, and to the point. Once you have prepared your phone script, it's now time to tape record yourself reading it aloud until you sound smooth and polished. While you might be tempted to skip this step, don't do it. Recording your phone script role-play session provides you with a golden opportunity to critique your performance and improve your delivery.

First impressions count. During a face-to-face conversation, first impressions are based primarily on appearance. While on the other hand, first impressions created over the phone are based on brevity, vocal quality, and attitude. An upbeat mental attitude is contagious and, unless taken to an extreme, builds rapport and creates a very positive first impression. Keep in mind that a smile can be heard over the phone. The best way to build trust and rapport during a phone conversation is to match your prospect's energy level. This is accomplished by "subtly" matching their rate of speech and tone of voice. For example, if you have the tendency to speak fast/loud and your prospect begins speaking slow/soft, you will need to lower your voice and slow your rate of speech down to match them. The psychological power behind the principle of matching is based on the premise that people want to do business with salespeople who they feel are similar to them.

There is absolutely no substitute for preparation and practice. Like most successful endeavors, the key to effective phone calling has a lot to do with preparation and practice. Practice builds confidence through repetition. Ask your sales manager or an associate to schedule an hour role-play session with you. This session is important because it gives you a dress rehearsal and the opportunity to work the kinks out of your script. As they say in the military, train like you plan to fight. Create a realistic training environment by role-playing over the phone. Begin the role-play session with minimal prospect resistance and then, as your confidence builds, gradually inject typical prospect objections. While it is impossible to have a script that might address every conceivable objection, you must anticipate key objections and develop scripts to respond to them.

Remember to stay positive, polite, and professional. It is best to make your phone calls during the morning when both you and your prospect are rested and fresh. Be organized, do your homework, and take good notes. Before you contact your prospect, take a moment to research their company by visiting their website. By reading your prospect's company newsletter, annual report, and press releases you become familiar with their products and services. Stay organized and save time by using a contact management system, such as ACT, to record your notes after each phone call. Relying on your memory alone is a poor business decision and is bound to cost you money.

It is important to keep in mind that the primary purpose of any prospecting phone call is to make an appointment, not a sale. Most salespeople make the fundamental mistake of overeducating their prospect and dominating the phone call in an attempt to showcase their knowledge. Obviously you will need to respond to some questions; however, questions that require a detailed response become an excellent reason to secure an appointment. Use your precious phone time to gather information through the use of open-ended questions. Your objective is to build your prospect's interest and arouse their curiosity through a series of well designed, probing questions about them and their organization. Just before you ask for the appointment, summarize the key points of your conversation for clarity and agreement.

Top producers don't take rejection personally, because they realize that selling is fundamentally a numbers game. It really doesn't matter what product or service you are selling; the key to your long-term success is directly linked to your ability and desire to prospect effectively. Phone calling in today's marketplace is much more challenging than in years past, but fortunately the basics never change. Selling is, after all, a contact sport!

John Boe is an entertaining speaker with a powerful message and a passion to help salespeople reach their full potential. He has devoted the last two-decades to training and motivating high-performance, successful salespeople. His knowledge has been synthesized into one of the most powerful sales training programs ever created on the subject of peak-performance selling and personal achievement! To learn more visit http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103439183698&s=19533&e=001FGedOmko_7ln0CEW4GkdkiF0o6yFWfLMpLpd0GjE6uTUU0QaRSyX-ul0MeYyIPRNtoUN0xbr_DzagWCmpduu5ASrb-W_hpg3tMzbXwKwQ-a1khN3FfWR4Q==

Soft Skills Can Be Hard to Learn

By Dan Bobinski

The role of "soft skills" has taken a much higher profile in recent decades, especially since emotional intelligence has been shown to be a key indicator for identifying top performers. Yet some personality types still have a tough time grasping the value of soft skills, let alone the skills themselves.

The workplace continues to see "bully bosses" rising into senior management positions, relying on intimidation to get short-term results instead of building solid organizations with the help of good interpersonal skills.

For example, one senior manager I know gets great results, but his command and control approach pushes and manipulates people. A quick look at the bottom line for his team is impressive, but when considering other factors, such as turnover and average levels of productivity, his numbers start to lose their glamour.

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Some people use intimidation to climb the corporate ladder, but what they don't realize is that such results aren't long-lasting. Intimidated people are more obedient than engaged, which creates a wonderful ego stroke for the manager, but no compelling drive toward unity or internal strength for the company.

What are the obstacles?

As a certified behavioral analyst I know that people demonstrating "Type A" personality traits are the least likely to see the value of interpersonal skills. Type A traits typically include (but are not limited to):

• Pushing employees to get things done quickly
• Getting angry with people over insignificant events
• Openly criticizing employees about mistakes
• Being combative or contradictory, always needing to win
• Displaying a "short fuse" / being impatient

Like I said, these intimidating traits can push people to produce. But, as I point out in my latest book Creating Passion-Driven Teams, people who motivate by fear must use increasing amounts of it to maintain or increase their production numbers. When that happens, something eventually breaks – be it the manager, or the team.

For people addicted to Type A behaviors, learning about emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills can be difficult. After all, changing behaviors involves changing techniques that have always brought results. Therefore, they see no compelling reason to change---and are often terrified of doing so (although their hubris would never allow them to admit such fears). As a result, they refuse to consider a better approach than the one they've been using.

The benefits of increasing emotional intelligence

A growing mountain of evidence shows top performers having higher levels of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) than both average and below-average performers.

Consider some research compiled in the article The Business Case for Emotional Intelligence by Cary Cherniss, Ph.D:

• In a study of 515 senior executives, those with high EQ were 3:1 more likely to succeed than those with low EQ, and EQ was a much better predictor of success over those who had relevant previous experience or high IQ.
• Competency research in over 200 organizations worldwide found that when identifying top performers, about one-third of the difference was due to technical skill and cognitive ability while two-thirds was due to emotional intelligence. In top leadership positions the disparity was even greater: Over four-fifths of the difference was due to higher emotional intelligence.

That's just two of many. The proof is out there, so the bold question for those adhering to Type A traits is this: "Can you get past your fears to learn something even better than what you're using now?"

It's certainly possible

Kristin is a school teacher I know from the west coast. She says that last year her school's new principal used an authoritarian "command and control" approach. According to Kristen, the weeks leading up to the opening of school last fall were horrendous, and many teachers complained about how horrible it was.

Were results achieved? Yes, albeit begrudgingly, and with many teachers resorting to "doing enough to get by" instead of fully engaging.

This year things are different. Kristen says all the teachers are talking about how much better things are, and how smoothly the weeks went prior to school starting. Why? Because several teachers talked with the principal last spring, emphasizing the need for a more personal approach, and he took it to heart.

This year the principal emphasized his desire to see the faculty work as a team, with his role being the coach. He shifted his behavior away from "command and control" and now offers support, guidance, and advice. The difference, according to Kristen, is amazing. People are looking for ways to contribute instead of finding excuses not to.

The bottom line: Good is the enemy of best. You may get good results with Type A behavior, but you can get better results by improving your soft skills. You'll probably need to face and work through some fears, but the results are worth it.

Is Relationship Selling Dead?

Doyle Slayton | Jun 02, 2010

Written by Jill Konrath, author of

SNAP Selling and Selling to Big Companies

It sure feels that way today! You rarely reach your prospects on the phone and when you do, they quickly brush you off. When you’re in meetings, they want you to get right to the point.

Sometimes they’re so busy multi-tasking, that you’re not even sure if they’re paying attention. Even your long-term customers fail to return your calls for months, making you wonder what you did wrong.

Welcome to the new normal! Your prospects are suffering from Frazzled Customer Syndrome, a debilitating condition brought on by increased expectations, excessive workloads, unrealistic deadlines and fewer resources.

They’re good people who are doing their very best to survive in a frenetic workplace. Their calendars are overflowing, they’re constantly falling behind and they feel powerless to stop the escalating demands on their time.

The truth is, they don’t need another “relationship.”

They barely get to see their best friends anymore. They even eat lunch at their desk everyday so they can get more done. It’s all work, work, work. New relationships are a low priority.

But you want a relationship! Of course you do. You’re a relationship seller. Your best customers love you. They value your work. They refer others to you.

And, you love them back even more and take great care of them. Working with people like this feeds your soul – and pays well too!

Wanting to replicate these strong relationships is natural. But establishing that great connection can be a real challenge when dealing with stressed out people who seem more intent on pushing you away than inviting you in.

Here’s the good news! Underneath all that rude, brusque behavior are normal human beings who desperately want relationships with people who they can trust to help them achieve their goals.

That person could be you. But first, you need to understand what’s going on in their mind in order to create the connection you want.

What Your Prospects Think

Whenever you deal with frazzled prospects their brains immediately start firing off alert signals: “Warning. Pay attention. Salesperson.” While you may not see yourself that way, they do and that’s what matters.

They evaluate your voicemails, emails and initial conversation to determine if having a more in-depth conversation with you is worthwhile. They make lightning-quick decisions to allow you access to them based on these criteria:

• Is this aligned with what I need to accomplish?
• How big a priority is it? What’s the urgency?
• Does this person provide value?
• How simple is it? Will it take lots of effort?

Unless you can convey all this very quickly, you won’t get your foot in the door. But it doesn’t stop there. To retain or grow a relationship, you have to keep your focus on these decision-criteria at all times too.

Relationship selling today goes far beyond the warm fuzzy feelings that you get from working with people you like and vice versa. It’s about creating partnerships where you’re a contributing team member, working towards your client’s short- and long-term success objectives.

SNAP Rules Change the Game

You need to follow the new SNAP Rules to be successful with the “new” relationship selling. Here they are:

Rule 1: Keep It Simple
Your goal is to ensure maximum simplicity in everything you do. That’s going to require you to look at all aspects of your interactions with your prospects to see where complexity can be eliminated or minimized.

When you keep it simple, you make it easier for your them to buy from you.

Rule 2: Be iNvaluable
Today’s crazy-busy prospects want to work with sellers who “know their stuff” and bring them fresh ideas on a regular basis. Perhaps you’ve never even seen that as your role. But today it’s essential to turn yourself into the competitive differentiator.

When you become invaluable, people choose you over competitors, are less price conscious, and remain loyal.

Rule 3: Always Align
This is all about relevance and risk. At the onset of your relationship, clients need to see an immediate connection between what you do and what they’re trying to achieve. As they move through their decision-making process, they need to know that the alignment extends into core beliefs they value in the people they work with.

When you’re aligned with their critical business objectives and core beliefs, clients want to work with you.

Rule 4: Raise Priorities
It’s an absolute imperative to work with frazzled prospects on their priority projects. With their limited capacity, that’s all they can currently focus on. Because your prospect’s priorities are constantly shifting, you need to be alert to what’s going on in their organization.

When you raise priorities, your sales process goes much faster and you get the business with less competition.

Relationship selling isn’t dead. In fact, it’s more alive than ever before. You still need to connect with your prospects on a personal level, but it’s no longer sufficient.

You have to earn the right to have a relationship with them first.

They want your expertise focused on their priority business objectives, issues and challenges. They want you to continually bring them fresh ideas and provocative insights. They’re looking for you to simplify the complex and make their life easy.

When you do this, they’ll be friends forever.

Want to learn more about the new rules of selling to crazy-busy prospects? To get four FREE sales-accelerating tools and download two chapters of SNAP Selling, visit www.SnapSelling.com or email jill@snapselling.com

Are You a Control Freak?

By Joan Lloyd

As a manager, are you a control freak? Are you obsessing about every detail of your work, or the work you oversee? Would you rather do the task yourself, instead of delegating it? Is work pilling up on your desk, because you don't get it out fast enough? Well, you may think your perfectionist streak is a career builder, but I've seen it kill more careers than it builds.

As you begin the new year, it may be time to reevaluate your work style. Consider some of the following ideas:

• Are you a manager who only delegates pieces of a project, or not at all? Control freaks like doing projects, rather than asking someone else to help them. "I can do it better and faster," they claim. Or, "They don't have the expertise." All of these comments are either selfish or arrogant. In 2008, a study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found that motivation increases the more an individual meets three criteria: autonomy (you have control); competence (you can improve at what you are doing); and relatedness (you connect with a bigger purpose). Why are you the only one feeling motivated?Why not create this experience for others?

  By not delegating, you are robbing your staff of the same satisfaction of accomplishment that you feel. If they don't know how to do something, why aren't you teaching them? You will not develop bench strength and will be unable to move out of the hole you've dug.

• Are you worried about burdening your staff?If that's why you stay late and take work home, there's a good chance you are either a martyr, or a wimp. In any event, you aren't a developer of people and the good ones will leave for someone who will help them learn and grow. Or worse, they will take full advantage of your weakness and enjoy a stress-free work life, while you toil ‘till the wee hours.

• Do you complain about how your staff doesn't "step up" or "can't make any decisions?" How could they? You're the one with all the information. And if you don't give them a whole project that they can own, how will they ever learn responsibility and accountability? You need to delegate a project that makes them stretch to learn, and run the risk of failing. It's kind of like complaining that your college age kids don't know how to manage money, yet you've controlled their allowance and made all their financial decisions until they left home.

• Do you have an inflated opinion of your expertise (a.k.a. insecurity about someone doing it better)?If you are secure about what you know, you aren't worried about sharing the wealth with others. You want to help them learn and you know the more you share, the better you look…and the farther you'll go in your career.

• Are you worried about losing your job?It may seem counterintuitive, but the more you hoard, and try to do yourself, the worse your job security will become. Think like a senior executive: Harry won't share what he knows. Harry won't develop his people. If he's hit by a bus or leaves, we will lose his expertise and no one will be able to step into his shoes. We're losing good people under him because they can't advance. We either have to get a second-in-command, to learn what Harry knows, or get rid of Harry. He's a roadblock. Now, let's change the scenario: Harry is invaluable. He develops some of the best talent we have. They have learned from him and gone on to do good things in the company. He's valuable to us because he is a great leader.

• Do you think, "Oh, it won't take much time to do this myself"? I'm always amazed at how long even the simplest task can take. You have to switch gears, clear your mind, dig out your resources. Make a few calls, type a few emails, write the report. And then something happens that throws a monkey wrench in things, and that one 15-minute task has taken two hours. Why not give it to someone who can tackle it with fresh eyes and maybe learn a thing or two? Even if you ask someone to gather the pieces, do the research and present you with a recommendation, it's better than the two hours you should have been devoting to something else. Ask yourself, "Where can I add the most value right now?""What are my priorities right now?"

Is it time to let go of old habits and get out of your own way?

Dumb Sales Moves

Doyle Slayton | May 23, 2010

Last week I shared examples of actions I’ve taken to help win deals. Now I’m going to share some of the dumb things I’ve done that caused me to lose deals. Keep these things far away from your sales process!

Poor Presentation – I once did a demo with a couple of ancillary product partners where we went wrong in two key areas.

• Although our products were integrated, we did not demo the product within the same application. Instead, we each logged in to our own separate product during our segment of the demo. We thought it would be “good enough” to simply explain that the products were fully integrated. Our prospects thought our product looked completely disconnected. What were we thinking?!!!
• I’ve been in demos where my teammates showed an older version of the product. Although I’d noticed it before, I didn’t address the problem. My silence became a future deal killer. We finally ran into a group of savvy buyers who kept asking questions about items that shouldn’t have even been part of the discussion. We kept “assuring” them that those issues were not a part of our current version of the product. Pretty ridiculous huh?

Competitor Misinformation – I thought it would be a good idea to speak poorly about my competition. It killed my chances of winning the deal.

• My prospect was a big fan of my competitor. She had used their services in the past and knew their products well. When I opened my big mouth about something I thought my competitors couldn’t do, she corrected me and began defending my competitor’s ability to do the job. I may have had the better product, but I never even got a shot at a second meeting.

Can you believe all of these examples are part of one failed account? I had an inside source who provided me with all this feedback a couple of days after the meeting. I guess you could say I was lucky to have someone on the inside lay it out for me.

What dumb things have you done that cost you the deal?