Careful What you Measure...You Just Might Get It

Did you read the article in the New York Times about the jailor who made a fortune by letting his prisoners go hungry? Apparently in Alabama, there was a law allowing sheriffs to pocket any money left over after they've paid for prisoners' meals. Over a few years, he'd pocketed almost a quarter million dollars.

Of course he gave them corn dogs, peanut butter and scraps. That's what he was incented to do.

It seems obvious, but there's a good lesson here for business. You get what you reward.

In our performance management practice we often see leaders incenting one desired behavior (like cutting costs or growing revenue), while inadvertantly encouraging a bad behavior at the same time.

Here's an example. A salesperson's performance goals are tied soley to revenue growth. Of course that's the key measure...but be careful what you wish for. Do you just want sales growth -- at any cost? What if the salesperson cuts "bad deals" to make monthly goals?

Lesson Learned:

Metrics and incentives are a form of communication. They tell people in your organization what is valued. You get what you incent, so choose carefully to avoid unintended results.

© 2009. Phyllis Roteman of The Loyalty Group, Inc. Sherman Oaks, CA.

Why "Talking" is the Latest Management Trend

Corporate America has been hiding behind technology for the last five years. Why the biggest “new” trend of 2010 will be real human interaction.

Email. IM. Twitter. E-learning. CRM. 24-hour BlackBerry. Sales force automation. Online goals systems.

I propose a radical thought. How about actually talking?

Don’t get me wrong. I value technology. I’m glued to my Blackberry 24/7 like most other business people. I admit that it’s often a struggle to stop my compulsion to tap out an email (while doing other work and checking my BlackBerry) instead of picking up the phone.

However, in my consulting practice over the past five years, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. People are burying their heads in the sand of technology – diving into email, spreadsheets and technology to avoid actually having conversations with live humans. It’s an example of how something created for good can become destructive (like prescription medication or pizza). Anything good taken in extreme doses can be lethal. Similarly, overused technology can kill good communication, collaboration and high performance in organizations.

Too Much Doing?

It’s not surprising that we’ve gotten to this state. Events over the past five years have created the perfect storm that has pushed people (employees, leaders, internal partners and customers) to retreat further into their computers and often hide from real human interaction.
Increasing economic pressure has thrown many organizations into “doing mode”, where individuals put their heads down like worker bees and just get things done (whether they’re high-value or not). There’s so much activity that there is little or no time left for thinking, planning – or actually talking to each other.

In this whirlwind of activity, it seems quicker and easier to simply fire off a quick email to a colleague when you’re having a conflict or exchanging viewpoints. After all, a real conversation might take time. And what if there are real, uncomfortable issues that come up? How much time will that take?


“Y” Talking to the New Workforce is Critical

In a letter to the editor of Harvard Business Review magazine (July-Aug 2009), Emily Sawyer-Kegerreis, MBA Director at Mississippi State University, observes: “Undermanagement is at an all-time high level of crisis in the workplace. This is becoming increasingly problematic as a new generation of workers demands constant feedback and mentoring.”

I couldn't agree more. Research shows that while the generation now entering the workforce is adept with technology, they crave direct human interaction. Teamwork, a sense of belonging, making a difference and regular feedback are top drivers for this generation. It’s true that some of these drivers can be addressed through technology – via online collaboration, regular email and company intranet sites – they’re not a replacement for talking “live” (in person, on the phone or via web conference).

My prediction is that organizations which hide behind technology and use it as a convenient replacement for conversations will suffer, in terms of eroded customer loyalty, employee engagement and ultimately bottom line results. Let's integrate live, direct communication with technology...a recipe for business success in the future.

© 2009. The Loyalty Group, Inc. Sherman Oaks, CA.

Hope, Courtesy of The Florida Department of Corrections

I'm thinking of hope today. It seems that everyone is cautiously feeling it here in the States. New President. New potential.

Yesterday I received a check in the mail for $24.00. It's restitution from an inmate at the Florida Department of Corrections.

Let me rewind...

About eight years ago an electrical contractor in Florida abandoned a job on my home -- with about $4000 of my down payment. I filed a report, had him tracked down and prosecuted him. They tried to settle, but this guy was a career "scammer" with a record a mile long. I worried that the next person he'd scam would be a little old lady on a fixed income. I thought it would be better to put him behind bars.

The public defender warned me that if I pressed charges and the guy was put behind bars, I'd never see my $4000 again. On the streets, he argued, the man could earn a living and pay back his debt to me.

I wrote off the $4000 and pressed charges. So be it. I took it as a tough lesson on working with contractors.

I never expected to see a dime of restitution. Since that time, I've moved twice --- clear across the country in fact. I've married and had a son.

Then, in yesterday's mail, came an envelope from The Florida Department of Corrections. And there it was, $24.00 in restitution made payable to me. I couldn't believe it. I showed my husband and we laughed. He said to me, "That's the way our justice system is supposed to work, when it's at it's best."

So thank you, Florida prison system, for restoring a bit of hope. For following through on your commitments. For pleasantly surprising me with your follow-through.

There's a business lesson here too. Little things, like following up, make a big difference.

Post-script to "Sales Blunders" Post

Since posting my last blog entry, someone close to me emailed, wondering why I -- a successful sales consultant who's trying to market her business -- would publish such basic sales mistakes for the world (and prospective clients) to see. What about my reputation?

First, I'm honest enough to admit that I've made some pretty stupid mistakes along the way. Every expert and professional has. Anyone who claims they haven't is lying, arrogant or lacking self-awareness. Remember Michael Jordan's baseball career? Al Gore saying that he created the internet (or something like that)? Oprah flaunting her weight loss to her fans, then later admitting that she'd had liposuction? Famous people cursing when they thought the microphone was off? Oops!

Second, if you can't laugh at and move on from your mistakes, you'll either beat yourself up over them (NOT productive) or you'll never learn from them.

That said -- I don't make a lot of mistakes. But when I do, I remember them and don't make them again. Phyllis

Stupid Sales Blunders

Note to self: Don't do that again.

Falling on your face is a great educator.

In that vein, I'm going to confess two of the most embarrassing things I've said and done in my 20+ year sales career. Funny how they're little things -- that make a big impact.

Want to Chat?
The first year I started my business, I did a lot of "warm calling". I'd research companies I wanted to target, then make the call. I'd get up and start calling at 7 am, hoping to catch decision makers at their desks.

One woman I'd been trying to reach for months was the Director of Training for a major auto dealership on the east coast. One early morning, to my surprise, she answered her own phone. Caught off guard, I introduced myself and said, "I was hoping we could chat about your business and see if there might be a fit with what we offer." Flatly, the woman replied, "I don't have time to chat."

Note to self:
Most of the time, you only get one shot at an opportunity. Don't blow it by winging it. Always be ready and focused, even at 7 am.


Relaying Two Much on Spill Check
You know where this is going, right?
Big proposal. Fortune 100 prospect. Big typo.

Yes, we misspelled the client company's name throughout the proposal.

I don't want to give the company name, but let's say that it includes a word that's commonly misspelled -- like principal and principle. Alas, the client wasn't very forgiving and (surprise!) we didn't get the business.

Note to self:
Details can win or lose business. We put a lot of work into that proposal - and it was good. Don't ever let something like a (big) spelling error kill you.

If you think you've got me beat with a really silly sales blunder, please share!


Copyright 2008. Phyllis Roteman. The Loyalty Group. Sherman Oaks, CA.

Avoid "Flavor of the Month" Change

• Do employees sigh and roll their eyes when they hear about a new change happening at your company?

• Do veterans wait out or resist change because they know it'll fade away - like a hundred other programs they've seen come and go?

• Are you facing the rollout of a major change, but afraid that it'll be perceived as another "flavor of the month" company initiative?

If your organization has a legacy of shifting from one major change to the next, without much to show for it, expect resistance to anything touted as "new" by senior leadership.

There's a limit to how many times an employee can rally 'round a new initiative, shift gears, serve on change committees, get excited and raise their hopes...only to see the "important initiative" fizzle and disappear without much explanation. After a while, it's understandable why people become cynical.

So what's a leader to do? If you've inherited a "flavor of the month" culture where cynicism for anything new abounds, what do you do? How do you implement change when a large part of your organization is just waiting for it to fail and go away?

While there is no magic formula for implementing change successfully, there are some basics that almost every successful change initiative covers. The challenge is just doing them. I have found that most organizations fail in executing these basics of change management.

Below is a checklist of basic elements that make change stick. It's not comprehensive, so feel free to post your own change tips. If you do these things consistently - before, during and after change - you can earn organizational trust and turn even the most cynical employees into committed supporters of change.

Over-communicate

There's a saying: Tell them what you're going to say. Say it. Then tell them what you just said.

Don't be afraid to over-communicate in times of change. Ask questions, talk, exchange ideas, give updates, share success stories and seek feedback. You may feel like you're repeating yourself, but repetition is how people learn, remember and believe. Think about religious services. People go week after week repeating the same prayers, but they're still comforting. Repetition breeds familiarity and trust. Familiarity and trust is just what most people need to stay focused and motivated during the uncertainty and chaos that accompanies change.

Prepare the "story" and paint the picture

It's human nature to want to feel involved. Employees want to know the big picture - the rationale behind the change, the vision and specifically where they fit in. Ask yourself: Can all leaders in our organization - in a consistent way - tell their employees the "story" behind the change, the rationale, and how they'll be affected? Remember that employees talk. If leaders tell different stories about the change initiative, employees will lose trust - and the rumor mill will take over.

Ask open-ended questions and listen

Most leaders tend to ask closed-ended questions. Closed-ended questions ask people to answer with a yes or no response - or make a choice between options you present. Why? They're easy to ask, quick and safer than asking open-ended questions. (If I ask an open-ended question, what if I hear things I don't want to hear?!!) In a follow-up blog, I'll provide a "cheat sheet" of powerful open-ended questions leaders can ask during times of change.

Set clear expectations

Make sure your "story" includes your best, realistic estimate of how long the change initiative will take (most major change takes years). Obama did a good job of conveying this through his campaign. He tempered his uplifting vision of hope with a dose of realism. It's not going to be easy. It may feel worse before it gets better. We're going to require you to get involved.

Celebrate successes and milestones

This is easy to forget. In the chaos of change, leaders often lose site of the big picture and how far they've come. For morale, it's critical to pause and celebrate even the smallest successes on the way to change. This celebration reminds people that progress is being made. Remember, change happens slowly (three steps forward, two steps back). It's important to celebrate the three forward steps.

Copyright 2008. Phyllis Roteman. The Loyalty Group. Sherman Oaks, CA.

TRUST Me...Not

As soon as someone says "trust me", I don't.

Maybe I'm cynical. But isn't the Bernard Madoff case just one more example of how a "guru" or expert pulls the wool over intelligent, well educated people's eyes with little more than a promise of guaranteed results and entry into an exclusive club of people who "get it"?

Have you, like I, seen this in business? Someone with a thick PowerPoint deck, mounds of data and models that no one understands, complex explanations of simple things or a beefy resume casts a spell on those around him or her. Those who challenge the experts' promises and think they sound fishy are either denied access to the club - or accused of not understanding. I read that some Madoff supporters, when challenged about his too-good-to-be-true returns, said about Madoff, "he's just smarter than you and me" (or something to that effect).

This is a good cautionary reminder to all of us in business - and particularly those who hire experts or buy training solutions. When an "expert" offers you a training program that promises "500% returns", a quick fix to your team's motivational problems, or a performance management software solution that will fix your workforce issues - run away. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Trust but verify...

Anyone willing to admit being swept off of their feet by a guru or expert who promised results, but couldn't deliver? Please share. It's happened to the best of us.

Copyright 2008. Phyllis Roteman. The Loyalty Group. Sherman Oaks, CA.

Can People be "Toxic"?

Several months ago I blogged about "toxic people". The concept of people being toxic is not a new one. Books with titles "Emotional Vampires", "Toxic People" and "Nasty People" show the popularity of the topic and people's hunger for strategies for dealing with these people.

These people.

Since writing my earlier blogs, I've shifted my thinking a bit. I'm currently working on a webinar for Stanford University on this topic - and I like that someone suggested changing the title from "Toxic People" to "Toxic Behaviors".

Initially I accomodated, recognizing that a University must be politically correct. However, the more I've played with the concepts, the more I've grown to prefer the term "toxic behaviors".

Labeling people as emotional vampires or toxic people can be, in itself, unhealthy. Can people really be toxic? Or is it their emotionally draining, negative behavior that's toxic?

If you must work or live with someone who's behavior is "toxic", you've got to figure out a strategy for getting along with them. If you write someone off as being bad or toxic, there's not much you can do. The problem becomes out of your control. It's those people who are the problem.

You can address people's bad behavior. By asking yourself, "How can I cope with this person's toxic behavior, so it doesn't affect me negatively?" - you give yourself some control over the situation. You're not powerless.

A key strategy for working or living with toxic behavior, I have found, is trying to empathize with the person whose behavior is negative. I doubt that people are born with toxic behavior. I've never seen a toxic infant. People become critical, negative and nasty for a reason. Empathizing - recognizing that the person isn't bad, but their behavior is - may help you stay cool and protect you from taking their behavior personally.

What do you think?

Copyright 2008. Phyllis Roteman. The Loyalty Group. Sherman Oaks, CA.

"Involuntarily Suspended" (Am I Laid Off?)

Here's a perplexing story someone just shared with me...

After nearly three decades as a technical manager at a large corporation, a guy has become newly retired...but involuntarily.

According to my source, here's how it went down...

The manager's company was bought out by a competitor. A boss from the new parent company called this guy in to tell him he'd been "involuntarily suspended".

The guy asked if that meant he was fired or laid off.

The boss said no...just "just involuntarily suspended". (Welcome to The Memorandum. Speak Ptydepe anyone?)

Apparently, the guy is still trying to figure out what that means, what he's entitled to and what he should tell people when they ask, "Why'd you leave (nameless) company?"

Is it possible that this company's intention was to keep "the downsized" in the gray about their status, perhaps to soften the blow or confuse the fact that people were being laid off? Or did they intend to communicate clearly and sensitively, but fumbled? What do you think?

I Googled "involuntary suspension" and none of the connotations sounded good. I read about involuntary suspensions of insurance policies, contracts...and involuntary suspension of employees or students for bad behavior. But this guy's boss said he wasn't being fired or laid off.

I had a friend who was a pilot in the 90s who was given a furlough (involuntary leave). But this blog post by a pilot describes that when the airlines were in trouble, they furloughed their most junior employees, to be fair.

Back to the thirty-year vet who was involuntarily suspended from his corporate job.

If he isn't a poor performer, he isn't getting fired or laid off, if he's not being furloughed because of lack of seniority...what is it? Is this a potential discrimination law suit? And how many people is this guy going to tell about his bad experience with a company he's given 30 years to?

A good, simple lesson for all companies and business people:

• Say what you mean if you don't have anything to hide.
• Communicate clearly. Fuzzy messages leave much to interpretation. People are likely to imagine the worst.
• Don't burn bridges, with good employees, job candidates or anyone else if you can help it. (Who knows...this guy might have a talented niece or nephew that this company may want to recruit someday. Good luck.)
  
  
  Copyright 2008. Phyllis Roteman. The Loyalty Group. Sherman Oaks, CA.

Riverboarding on the Zambezi River...and Change

I know...white water rafting analogies (like sports analogies) are a bit overused in leadership and teamwork training. But I've got my own new twist and it's a personal example: river-boarding (body surfing) down the Class 2 to 4 rapids of the Zambezi River in Africa.

This is something I did during a pre-midlife crisis in my early 30s. Picture this...ten of us in wetsuits with crash helmets and flippers, on our bellies fighting the rapids on little body boards strapped to our wrists. (I have no idea why I did this.)

At one turn, we were warned about sunbathing crocodiles watching us from the rocks above the water. At another turn, we were warned to "keep to the left" because of dangerous sharp rocks and an undertow to the right. Did I mention that I'm an awful swimmer?

It was a great learning experience. I was attempting something that others had done before (I knew it was humanly possible). Yet I was terrified, lacking the proper skill, and unsure of what was in store. I was with a group of strangers and being led by guides I'd just met...but was trusting with my life.

Sound familiar? Isn't this how many employees and managers feel during times of change?

Here's an example. A client of ours acquired several former competitors in a short period of time. As you can imagine, this was a huge shake-up for the sales organization. Territories were restructured, salesforces were combined and the organization was flattened. Some managers went back into sales - and some managers found themselves leading groups of strangers who used to be their competitors. The acquisitions added product lines, giving the new company a bigger industry footprint and more opportunities. But it significantly changed the sales process, from a simple sale of a few products to a much more strategic, complex sale of integrated solutions.

Suddenly, leaders and salespeople who'd been successful in the "old" environment found themselves on unfamiliar ground. Many skills that were rewarded and made them successful in the past were less relevant. Potential obstacles lurked like crocodiles around each corner as the organization struggled through the transition stage of change. Everyone plowed ahead, as we did on the rapids, while worrying about what might be around the corner or if success would ever come.

My next blog posting will deal with the practical elements of managing change, based on a great article I just read from Knowledge.Wharton on why business strategies fail. Not surprisingly, the reason is often poor execution. It was this article that got me thinking about my riverboarding trip and the importance of balancing strategy and execution during turbulent times.

Copyright 2008. Phyllis Roteman. The Loyalty Group. Sherman Oaks, CA.

How to Be Recession Resistant: Five Strategies

Earlier I posted on the idea that nothing is "recession proof", as much as popular media and many "experts" want to peddle their recession-proofing wares to us.

Reality check....the best we can do is build up our resistance to recession and the other ups and downs of business. This blog is the first in a series of articles with pointers on how to be recession resistant, as an employee, manager, salesperson or business.

Below are five strategies for surviving during tough times and always landing on your feet. I'll cover each in more detail in follow-up posts.

1. Pull Your Head out of the Sand

Stay alert for predictable surprises. Harvard Professor Max Bazerman says that "Predictable surprises happen when leaders had all the data and insight they needed to recognize the potential, even the inevitability, of major problems, but failed to respond with effective preventative action."

2. Live with Healthy Fear

Paralyzing fear is bad. Fear that propels you to take action is healthy!

3. Don't Assume You're Still Valuable

What made you successful in good times may not be what matters in bad times. Question what is really important to your business and your bosses when recession looms...and find ways to fill that need.

4. Keep Your Pipeline Full

If you only network and ask for referrals when times are bad (and you're looking for opportunities)...it's probably too late.

5. Become Your Own PR Person

Whether you know it or not, we're all in the public relations business. Be your own advocate and build your brand year-round.

Tune in for more postings describing how to execute each of these survival strategies.

Copyright 2008. Phyllis Roteman. The Loyalty Group. Sherman Oaks, CA.

Drop Price, Drop Credibility! A post-script...

Haha.

Since my last post (about how our postage meter vendor dropped our price when we threatened to cancel)...the saga continues.

Our initial rate was $20.00/month.
My assistant called to cancel and was offered $12.95/month.
She said she'd call them back, and checked with me. I said no thanks.
I posted my blog (rant).

Needless to say, when my assistant called them back to reject the $12.95/month, they offered her $7.95/month!

Do you think if we hold out long enough they'll pay us to keep the meter?

Drop Price, Drop Credibility!

We have a postage meter in our small office. We ordered it from the vendor when we were doing bulk mailings a few years ago. Since then, our snail mail usage has trickled off, so we decided to run the meter down to zero, then send it back. Why pay $20.00 a month for a small convenience that we really don't need?

Today my assistant, Jenn, contacted the company to ask how to send the meter back. She tells me that they offered to lower our monthly fee to $12.95 if we keep the meter. Hmmm...now that I want to cancel, they can drop their monthly rate by $7.00?

Basically, that translates into $7.00 a month too much that I've been paying for almost two years. Rather than jump at the reduced rate, I'm a little ticked off. Granted, $7.00 a month is nothing. It's the principle. I feel like I've been ripped off, paying $20.00 per month for a service that is only worth $12.95.

And they've lost credibility with me. If they can arbitrarily give us the service for $12.95 a month, how do I know someone else isn't getting exactly the same thing for $9.00 a month?!!!

Lesson for all businesses: Don't drop rates without justifying the price reduction. It erodes your credibility, makes you look desperate and devalues what you're selling.

No Such Thing as Recession-Proof

"I've got a risk-proof way to make a million dollars!"

"This plan to invade Iraq is fool-proof!"

"This new firewall is 100% hacker-proof!"

I'm always leary when I hear that anything is "proofed". The phrase implies that there's a 100% guaranteed way to prevent something from happening. I can't think of anything in life, or business especially, that's foolproof or completely without risk.

This morning at the gym I was watching CNN and saw an advertised segment on "Recession Proofing your Job." Jumping on the "Big R" scare, other media outlets and and business consultants have written articles claiming to have the secret to recession-proofing your business, finances or job.

Any business or employee who is fool-hardy enough to think that they're immuned from the impact of recession is tempting fate. It's like saying that driving the speed limit, being cautious, wearing your seatbelt and having airbags makes you accident-proof. It doesn't. What it does do is give you some control over your fate by protecting yourself.

In my next blog post, I'll give tips for how to become more valuable to your employer, so you are recession-resistant. This means that even if your job is downsized, outsourced or cut back during a recession, you'll be able to bounce back quickly.

Recession resistance means doing things that make you valuable - in any job, in any economy.

Copyright 2008. Phyllis Roteman. The Loyalty Group. Sherman Oaks, CA.

I Don't WANNA Be Coached! (What to do when employees don't want coaching.)

You know who they are. They’re the employees who squirm when you mention having a coaching discussion with them. They’re always “busy” when you want to talk about their development or give them some feedback. And when you do get a coaching meeting scheduled, they placate you by nodding their heads compliantly – or sit silently – anything to get the meeting over with.

They're reluctant coachees.

I asked some of my colleagues who are professional executive coaches what they do with someone who doesn't seem to want coaching. Not surprisingly, they all said that they don't coach unwilling participants. You can't coach someone who doesn't want to be helped.

I agree with that. But if you're a manager or in an internal (corporate) coaching role, it may not be that easy. You can't simply "turn down" coaching gigs when coaching is part of your job. So what do you do, as a manager or internal coach, when faced with people who resist your help?

It's not like you don't have any options. You can always avoid them, focusing your attention on those employees who really want your help. Or you can just fire them.

Before writing these people off as just "difficult", however, try to diagnose why they resist your help. Once you understand what's behind the resistance, you'll be better equipped to address it. If nothing else, you may find that you're just dealing with a difficult, stubborn person who refuses help and needs to seek other employment. At least you'll know.

Here are five common reasons that people resist coaching.

1. The Veteran Aura

This works two ways. Seasoned employees may be afraid to let it be known that they need coaching. After all, they've been around. Other employees probably ask them for advice. They view coaching as something that's for newbies, not them.

Managers often fuel this perception by leaving veterans alone. "They don't need my help," they think. Or they wonder, "What value can I add? The veteran's been here longer than me!"

The downside to this cycle is two-fold. One, veterans without coaching may plateau and never reach their full potential. We all get stale and form bad habits over the years. By leaving veterans alone, you're not doing them a favor. In fact, you're depriving them of the opportunity to learn and be challenged - and holding your company back from reaching its growth potential.

The other downside is that veterans who aren't coached may feel ignored, which can lead to poor morale or even turnover. An ignored employee is ripe pickings for a recruiter working for the competition. Most veterans won't say that they feel ignored or isolated, because they don't want to sound needy. But everyone likes to be recognized. Providing good coaching shows that you care and are interested in what the veteran is doing.

2. Been Burned in the Past

When you hire people or inherit a team, everyone brings their old baggage. If people on your team had poor managers in the past (who led through intimidation or used coaching as an excuse to criticize), don't expect them to welcome your coaching with open arms. They've got trust issues - and being coached requires a lot of trust.

It's a lot like personal relationships. Once bitten, twice shy. If you marry and divorce an overbearing spouse who is a control-freak, you're likely to be turned off by future dating prospects with strong personalities. It's a natural human response to being burned.

You can find out if "been burned in the past" is an issue by simply talking to your team members. Ask, "Tell me a little about how your last manager coached you and gave feedback," "What did or didn't you like about how that coaching relationship went?" Or, "I want this coaching relationship to be effective. How do you like to be coached?" This type of dialogue can clear the air about any bad past experiences with coaching, and give you a fresh start by establishing new expectations for your coaching relationship.

3. They Don't Know How to Participate

It may sound odd, but some people just don't know how to receive coaching. These may be the people that sit silently during coaching discussions, nodding their heads occasionally (like bobbleheads) and contributing little. It may be that they don't know what they're supposed to do in a coaching discussion. Or they may think that coaching means that you tell them what to do.

If you expect your team members to participate in their coaching discussions, you should set that expectation. Don't assume that your "picture" of coaching is the same as the employee's picture. You can set clear expectations by:
Letting them know, before the discussion, why you want to talk and the agenda for the coaching conversation.

• Explaining clearly what you expect of them during the discussion. ("I expect that this will be a two-way dialogue where we can tackle this problem together.")
• Being clear about how to prepare for the coaching meeting. ("I'd like to to bring your financial analysis and projections for the next three months, and any supporting data you'd like me to see, so we can go through it together.")
• Asking them what they'd like to get from the coaching discussion

4. Personal Issues (Out of your control.)

Sometimes, people just don't want to be helped and you can't do anything about it. This should be your last conclusion, after you've explored tested other theories and tried various approaches. And as my executive coaching friends point out, you can't coach someone who just doesn't want it.

5. Look in the Mirror (It may be you!)

It isn't easy to think about, but sometimes the problem is us (I include myself in this, even though I think I'm a pretty good coach). Coaching isn't easy. It takes a consultative mindset, patience, emotional intelligence - and a whole lot of skill and practice. You may need a coaching tune-up or some pointers, like the ones offered in TLG's thinktwice Coaching Cards. Remember, you're a role model for the people you coach. When you start with yourself - and show that you're able to work on your coaching skills - you're sending the message that "everyone needs coaching...even the coach!"

Copyright 2008. Phyllis Roteman. The Loyalty Group. Sherman Oaks, CA.

Is Your "Inner Child" Sabotaging Your Sales Career?

As my loyal readers can see, lately I have both babies and selling on my mind. Who knew the two would converge so well into blog topics?

Last week I posted about the personal traits that top salespeople share with babies, including curiosity, openness and flexibility.

In this post, I look at the not-so-cute side of being a sales baby. This post covers a baby-like trait that will stunt your sales growth and prevent you from reaching your potential - impulsiveness.

Take a Quiz: Are You an Impulsive Salesperson?

In his book Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman writes that "...perhaps there is no psychological skill more fundamental than resisting impulse." He cites as an example the famous "marshmallow test", in which psychologist Walter Mischel at Stanford studied impulse control in four-year-olds. If you aren't familiar with the study, here's a quick summary from clipmarks.com:

"Mischel put marshmallows in front of a room full of 4-year-olds. He told them they could have one marshmallow now, but if they could wait several minutes, they could have two. Some children eagerly grabbed a marshmallow and ate it. Others waited, some having to cover their eyes in order not to see the tempting treat and one child even licked the table around the marshmallow. Mischel followed the group and found that, 14 years later, the "grabbers" suffered low self-esteem and were viewed by others as stubborn, prone to envy and easily frustrated. The "waiters" were better copers, more socially competent and self-assertive, trustworthy, dependable and more academically successful."

Ask yourself, are you a "grabber" as a professional salesperson? Granted, there are times to jump when opportunity knocks. You can't be successful in sales if you can't aggressively pounce at the right time. The key phrase here is at the right time. Impulsive ("grabbing") sales behavior will sabotage your sales career if you have trouble controlling the impulse to pounce.

Take this quiz and see whether your inner child's impulsivity and lack of patience may be sabotaging your sales results.

• Do you feel compelled to swoop in for the close the moment you hear a customer need?

• When you hear a customer objection, do you quickly try to squash it with a comeback, argument or product benefit?

• Do you try to "pitch" your products and services when you see an opening, because you might not get another chance?

• Are you impatient while other people are talking? Can you hardly wait to say what you want to say - or interrupt often?

• Do you easily drop price or make concessions to close a sale, rather than take the time to build value and sell the higher price?

• Can you walk away from "bad business" - or do you find yourself saying "yes" to everything?

• Have you received feedback that you talk too much?

• Do you have difficulty allowing silence on a sales call? Do you jump in to break the uncomfortable silence?

There is good news, even if you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions. You may not be able to control the feeling of impulsiveness. However, most behavioral psychologists agree that you can control whether or not you act on those impulses. As with making any major behavioral change, the first step is to be aware of your current behavior. Pay attention to situations in which you feel yourself wanting to interrupt a customer, toss a sales pitch without understanding a need, or shut down a customer objection with an argument. Catching yourself in the act of impulsiveness is the first step toward learning patience and good sales timing. It's also a big step toward accelerating your sales success!


© 2007. Phyllis Roteman, The Loyalty Group, Inc. Sherman Oaks, CA.

Are you a Sales Baby? (Maybe That's Good!)

Do you want to become a better salesperson? Go to the training seminars, read motivational books...then spend a little time with a baby.

Below are four baby characteristics that all great salespeople share. If you're in sales, see how you measure up against the baby.

Curiosity

Babies look at everything with fresh eyes. Unlike most adults, they don't make assumptions or think they know it all. They're fascinated by the world around them and how things work.

Why it matters in sales: Curious salespeople ask good questions - and as a result, uncover information that other less curious salespeople miss. For example, a curious salesperson who hears a customer problem, such as, "Our online sales are down" will naturally ask, "Why are they down?" The less curious salesperson won't bother to ask why. He hears a problem and immediately jumps in with a sales pitch. ("I've got a great product that'll help you increase your online sales!"). The less curious salesperson appears pushy and the customer backs off.

Unjaded

Babies are non-judgmental. They lack the cynicism of jaded adults who, based on bad experience, often take a negative outlook on life.

Why it matters in sales: Cynicism and negativity are sales killers. That's why so often new salespeople, fresh out of new hire training, start out like gang-busters. They're enthusiastic, excited about their new job, and (like babies) haven't yet been tainted by negativity. They're eager to apply what they've learned in training are excited to make money. They have a winning sales attitude...until some crusty sales manager or veteran salesrep pulls that newbie aside and says, "Forget what you learned in sales training. This is the real world. Let me tell you how things really work." Over time, the new rep gets infected with cynicism and adopts a jaded outlook. Negative attitudes like, "Customers are cheap" or "My quota is too high" become excuses that kill sales performance.

Flexible

Most babies can stick their feet in their mouths. How many adults can do that?

Why it matters in sales: OK, to be a great salesperson, you don't need physical flexibility (although being able to stand on your head or shove your fist in your mouth may come in handy when entertaining clients). Personal flexibility, however, is always critical in a consultative sales process. When your sales approach isn't working, can you bend and adapt? We've all gone into a sales call prepared with our proposal, questions or presentation...only to have the rug pulled out from under us by a change in client agenda. ("We're sorry...did we forget to tell you that the decision maker isn't able to join us today? And that we only have five minutes instead of an hour?" And that our specs have completely changed since we last talked?") Great salespeople are flexible enough to go with the flow and bend like a baby.

Resiliant

When babies fall down, they get right back up. They don't quit when they fail. If they did, none of us would ever walk - we'd be forever on our bellies.

Why it matters in sales: Most salespeople stop calling a prospect after three attempts or follow-up calls. (I've followed up with prospects for years before doing any business.) The really great salespeople bounce back quickly and don't use obstacles as excuses for giving up. Ask yourself, Do you give up quickly when you fall? Do you make excuses why you can't be successful? Do you blame outside forces - bad clients, bad products, your company, the weather, your internal partners - for your lack of success? Like a baby, when you bump into a wall, dust yourself up and keep going.

In my next blog post, we'll look at the baby-like traits that all salespeople should avoid. All whiners and those who work with them in sales should read this!

© 2007. The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Rude Efficiency Loses Customers

I've been on the road this week. My customer service experiences - the good, the bad and the ugly - are the inspiration for this blog. Read on for my story and a reminder of some basic customer service lessons for any business competing for customers.

The Good...

Last Saturday, my husband and I flew from LAX to Chicago on United Airlines with our 10-month-old son. It was a 6 AM flight and we woke up at 3 AM. Surprisingly, everything went smoothly.

The airport shuttle driver at Park Air Express was wide awake, friendly and helpful. We pulled into the parking garage and struggled to figure out the most convenient place to park - with about six bags, a stroller and a baby. Seeing us looking around, the lot attendant approached our car with a smile and asked if we needed help. He helped us into the shuttle, smiled and talked to our son as we loaded our bags, and got us to the airport right away. It was actually pleasant.

The Bad...

At the airport, we expected the usual long line at United's check-in, but we were happy to see about 30 self-service kiosks open. Better yet, a United employee with a portable microphone was directing traffic.

"What a great idea!" I said when I saw how quickly the line was moving. (One of my pet peeves is seeing open check-in kiosks at a busy airport and a long line of oblivious passengers waiting. I've often taken matters into my own hands and directed people to the open stations myself, since the airlines never seemed to care or notice.) I was so excited to see an airline being innovative and efficient (so early in the morning yet), I told my husband that I wanted to write a positive feedback letter to United.

My love affair with the airline was short lived.

We quickly realized why the line was moving so quickly. The United employee on the microphone was barking orders like a drill sergeant - albeit efficiently - to the harried passengers. No one dared disobey. Here are a few examples of what she blared over the microphone, for the whole room to hear:

• When someone in line didn't jump when she told them to move, she quipped, "HELLO?!" in an annoyed tone.

• When another person wasnt moving fast enough, she demanded, "Did you HEAR me?!!

• Another poor victim of Miss Biting Tongue was confused about which direction to go for the open kiosk. That passenger received a swift: "I said right! Go to the RIGHT!"

• To top it off, she kept referring to the long line of waiting passengers as "people". As in, "Keep it moving, people!"

I'd like to say that was the worst of our LAX experience. But it went downhill from there.

The Ugly...

As anyone who travels with a baby, a laptop and carry-ons knows, checking through airport security can be a daunting task filled with obstacles. Think - take baby out of stroller, remove laptop from rolling case and padded sleeve, fold up clunky baby stroller, place stroller on conveyor belt (with baby in your arms), put laptop in its own bin, take shoes off and put them in a bin (again with baby in tow)...you get the picture. I'm not making excuses or complaining, just painting the picture of me at airport security at 5:00 am on a Saturday. (Did I mention the long line of people watching impatiently as my husband and I struggled?)

Here comes the "ugly":

• As we approached the security gate, the agent yelled at the waiting line, "This is a metal detector. It detects METAL!" He wasn't being funny. His tone and expression were saying, "You passengers are idiots and I'm smarter than you."

• We were carrying a sippy cup with water for our baby. The TSA website says that you're allowed to bring supplies for your baby through security - and anyone with a baby knows you have to keep little ones hydrated. When we got to the front of the line, however, the agent told my husband that the sippy cup wasn't allowed. Rather than argue or hold up the line, my husband offered to drink the little bit of water in the sippy. The agent said, "No - you're not allowed to drink it." (Huh?) My husband had to leave the line to empty the sippy cup into a water fountain (holding up the line of course).

• In all of the commotion, I accidentally took out my driver's license instead of my boarding passes to show the TSA agent. The boarding passes for my son and I were in my purse, which had just gone through the x-ray scanner. I felt embarassed - especially since I've often impatiently glared at fellow passengers who've held up security lines because they've forgotten boarding passes. I pleaded to the TSA agent, "I'm so sorry, I left my boarding passes in my purse." Without even looking at me, he barked to the rest of the line, "BOARDING PASSES PEOPLE! We need your BOARDING PASSES!" I felt like a little kid being scolded.

• I got my boarding passes and thought I was home free. My baby and I walked through the security gate. But alas, the humiliation didn't end there. I didn't realize that our stroller had gotten stuck on the conveyor belt and hadn't gone through the scanning machine. The TSA agent scolded me: "Ma'am, go back. It's not my job to push your items through the machine." I took the walk of shame back through the x-ray machine, baby in tow, and pushed the stroller back on the conveyor belt. The woman behind be, in a sympathetic voice, whispered, "I'm sorry. I told the agent I was happy to do that for you. They wouldn't let me." (I'm sure she was whispering so she wouldn't be heard and hung by the TSA for treason.)

It was obvious that the TSA agent wanted to make me an example. "See this woman and her shame. Don't be like her and hold up the line! If you don't want to be publicly humiliated in front of a crowd of fellow passengers...follow my rules!"

Now I admit, I wasn't at my best in that security line. I fly several weeks a year for business, so I'm not a novice traveler. I know what to do at a security line. I was a bit frazzled, but certainly the TSA agent's behavior didn't make the line go any quicker - and didn't help me be more efficient.

The Lessons...

If you're a business that relies on customers (who doesn't?), there are some basic but powerful customer service lessons in this tale.

• If you're a service provider, scolding or being sarcastic with frustrating customers may make you feel better - but at what cost? It doesn't make customers move faster or respond the way you want them to. It just makes difficult situations worse.

• I don't have a choice of whether or not to deal with the TSA when I fly. I can't take my business elsewhere just because an agent is obnoxious. But I do have a choice of which airport to use (we have two others within driving distance from my office). And I certainly have a choice of which airline to fly. I'll think twice about LAX and United in the future.

• Efficiency, safety and courtesy aren't mutually exclusive. Customers do want efficiency and safety, when it comes to traveling, eating in a restaurant, buying business equipment or upgrading their company's software. But we also want courteous, respectful service. Businesses that can do it all are the ones that will keep customers in the long run.

Praise to the "Me" Generation

"I can't deny the fact that you like me...you like me!"

These words, delivered with elation by Sally Field when she won a Best Actress Oscar for Places in the Heart, reveal the depth of a performer's need for recognition.

In the work world, it seems we have our own brand of love-starved performers: the "me" generation.

A podcast last week on NPR discussed how the 20-somethings now flooding our workplaces are fueled by constant praise. Experts cited in the story theorize that this trait was instilled by this generation's parents - whose parenting style was more focused on building self-esteem than on objective self-appraisal. Kids that grew up in the late 80s and 90s often played in sports leagues where there were no losers (everyone got trophies), strong discipline was frowned upon, and kids got praise for everything including getting up for school or getting dressed (things they're supposed to do anyway).

We All Like Praise, But How Much?

When these praise-hungry kids grew up and entered the workforce, their expectations of authority figures were high. As a result, managers have had to look for reasons to lavish recognition on younger employees who need regular pats on the back to stay engaged. ("Congrats on meeting that deadline." "Thank you for showing up for work on time." "You're really smart.")

Some may argue that every worker likes positive feedback. True. The questions are: "How much?" "How often?" and "For what?"

Research into "Generation Me" shows that overall, this younger group of workers typically needs more positive stroking, more often, for more types of behaviors to stay motivated.

The Implication for Managers

The impact on managers' jobs can be significant. If you manage people today, you've got to go out of your way to look for positives to praise, even if you're busy or under pressure.

Managers: challenge your own principles. Below are attitudes that won't work anymore for managers who lead younger workers:

• "I had to work hard without much praise. Younger employees need to suck it up and work hard too, like I did."

• "I don't have time to babysit and pat people on the back for every little thing they do. I'm too busy for that."

• "I feel phoney giving out praise for little things. I don't give a lot of thanks, but when I do, I mean it."

• "They should feel lucky that they have a good job, benefits and decent pay! That should be enough to keep them motivated!"

While there's validity to all of these beliefs, they just may not work today. Managers who cling to these principles may quickly find themselves losing young employees to managers who dole out a daily dose of praise.


© 2007. Phyllis Roteman, The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Why "Time Outs" are Important in Business

A fellow blogger, Bud Bilanich, has been writing a series of posts comparing the game of rugby to the game of business. One of the "leadership lessons" Bud says he learned from playing rugby was that you must "Kill the Ball".

Like Bud, I was a rugby player (albeit for a very brief time in college, in an all-woman league). A rugby ball, for those who don't know, is like a big football. It's harder to handle than an American football, I think, because of its larger size. And like an American football, it bounces funny, making it difficult to pick up when it's loose on the ground.

Here's what Bud says in his post...

"Coaches always tell their players to “kill the ball” when it is bouncing around the open field. You kill the ball by falling on it, gathering it to yourself, and then standing up with it...When you kill the ball you benefit your side because you secure it and allow your teammates to align themselves to begin an offensive possession. Possession and field position are very important in rugby."

Think of the bouncing rugby ball as a work crisis. Haven't we all seen this situation? The ball is loose and everyone on the team is desperately trying to get it under control. So people start kicking the ball (flyhacking as ruggers call it), trying to pick it up and run with it...but in the frenzy no one is "killing the ball" (actually stopping the crisis and regrouping). It can become a comedy of errors.

A few years ago I witnessed a perfect example of what can happen when no one takes the initiative to "kill the ball" in a business crisis. (Follow the bouncing ball and see how a small problem spirals out of control.)

• It's a busy work day (lots of deadlines, etc.). Out of the blue, the department's email goes on the fritz. No one in the department can access their email.

• Panic ensues.

• Bob calls the IT department. They're busy working on other urgent problems and say, "We'll get to you as soon as we can."

• Bob gripes to Amelia for 25 minutes about how unresponsive the IT department is. They recount all of the problems they've had with IT over the past several months.

• Mary runs around the building trying to track down computers in other departments that the team can use until email is fixed.

• Because she's in a panic, Mary's got a short temper. She gets into an argument with Jake in accounting because he won't let someone use his workstation during lunch. She spends 20 minutes arguing with him.

• While Mary is out looking for computers and arguing with Jake, three customers have called. They had to leave voice mails because there was no one at Mary's desk to get the phone. (One of the clients had an urgent problem and was threatening to cancel an order.)

• Meanwhile Tania decides to try to fix the problem herself by playing with the computers. She gets into the operating system and begins fooling with computer settings. She accidentally locks herself out of her computer and can't get back in.

• Marty decides to let his customers know that he's not going to be able to meet their deadline because the computers are out. He goes home, because he can't get anything done at the office.

• The IT technician arrives one hour later. He quickly discovers that earlier in the day, while everyone was running around trying to meet their deadlines, someone accidentally tripped on a cord and unplugged the department's email server. When he plugs it back in, email is up and running. Simple problem, quick fix.

Why didn't anyone think to check the plug? As Bud might say, no one killed the ball.

No one stood up and yelled "STOP THE INSANITY" (as Susan Powter used to say) to regain control. That quick time out might have given the team time to think, "What are the possible causes of our email going down?" and "What are some simple things we can do?"

So what can we learn from this?

In our office, we created what we called a "two-minute rule", with the help of a consultant, Amy Siu, President of Simply Organized Solutions. When we hit a business crisis, we took a two-minute time-out to regroup. It was our time to take a deep breath, calm down and strategize. Anyone was allowed to call time out when they started to see insanity ensuing in a crisis.

I can't even count the number of times we called time out...and how many mistakes we prevented. Try it.

© 2007. Phyllis Roteman, The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

So You Want to Hire a Guru?

In the old roadrunner cartoons, Wile E. Coyote had a business card. It said:

Wile E. Coyote, Genius

Now I can't say that I've been handed a business card with a "Genius" title on it. But I have come across a lot of self-proclaimed "Gurus" lately.

I'm a member of the professional networking site, LinkedIn . Just for fun, I ran a search of my network (contacts and my contacts' contacts) to see how many people call themselves gurus. I found 53. Outside of my network, there were hundreds more.

Gurus galore.

There were your run-of-the-mill gurus. Marketing gurus. Sales gurus.

And there were some highly specialized gurus. I found a "70s music guru", lots of "recruitment gurus" and a "dp api guru" who worked for a major software company.

It seems that many companies want to hire gurus as consultants, usually with a heavy price tag...to motivate the troops or work some kind of magic in the organization. Gurus are often seen as a quick fix. They are expected to fly in like bees, speak at a conference or talk to an executive team, pollinate their people with magic dust, then jettison out.

So what makes someone a guru? Here's a definition from Answers.com:

"An advisor or teacher. The term, which comes from Hinduism, refers to a spiritual teacher. 'Gu' means darkness, and 'ru' means light; thus a guru turns ignorance into enlightenment.

In the west, the term has been interpreted quite often as simply an expert in a field, whether that person helps you learn or understand anything or not."

So let's say your company is looking to hire a guru - a high-powered consultant, speaker or advisor. How do you know you're really getting a guru (someone who can turn ignorance into enlightenment)...and not some self-proclaimed genius who decided to quit corporate life and hang out a "guru" shingle?

Here are some tips for hiring a guru for your business:

• Beware of people who call themselves gurus. As my husband says, "Any self-respecting guru would be embarassed about being called a guru." (Can you imagine great people like Martin Luther King, Albert Einstein or Vince Lombardi calling themselves gurus?)

• Peel back the layers. When you think you've found your guru, ask lots of questions to make sure there's substance beneath the surface. Many consultants and "experts" talk a good game (like salespeople), but lack the smarts or common sense to deliver results. Don't be afraid to ask tough questions to make sure you've found the right person.

• Set realistic expectations. If you're expecting to hire a guru to work miracles in your organization, you're setting yourself up for disappointment (and wasted money). Be clear about why you want to bring in a guru. Is it to motivate the troops for a day? Do you want behavior or cultural change in your organization? Or do you just want a smart person to come in and talk tough to your leadership team? Before engaging your guru, ask yourself, "Is this really what we need...and will it really solve our problems?" Or are we just looking for a quick fix?
  

© 2007. Phyllis Roteman, The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

A Tale of Buyer's Remorse

Scene 1:

Our living room, the night before a sales appointment.



A few weeks ago my husband and I were in the market for new windows for our home. My husband got a referral for a window contractor and scheduled an appointment in our home at dinner time the next day. My husband told me:

- He was just getting an estimate.
- He expected the job to cost around $20,000.
- We really needed to get it done soon.

Fast forward to the end of this story...

We signed a contract for almost $30,000 that night...then cancelled the whole contract the next morning. What happened? It's a good lesson for salespeople on buyer's remorse - and what happens when you take shortcuts to close a sale quickly. Read on for the rest of the story...



Scene 2: The Set Up
Walking through the house, while Mom (me) is distracted


My husband greets the friendly salesman at the door. I'm distracted with our baby (and trying to finish some work email), so I suggest that the guys (my husband and the salesman) walk around the house and discuss the job.



I hear bits and pieces of their conversation. It sounds low-key and friendly. Occasionally my husband asks my opinion and I try my best to jump in (but my hands are literally full). He asks, "What kind of door would you prefer here?" "Should we replace the bedroom windows while we're at it?" The job was growing...but what the heck, we were just getting an estimate. Let's see what it'll cost, I thought.



Scene 3: The "Divide and Conquer" Tactic
The husband and wife try to talk in the kitchen...



When the house walk is done, my husband and the salesman sit at the dining room table to go over numbers. It comes out to over $30,000, more than $10,000 more than we'd anticipated spending. My husband and I try to talk in private in our kitchen, but the salesman can hear us. I ask my husband quietly, "Did you plan on spending that kind of money?" "I thought we were just getting an estimate." "Are you ready to sign now?" "Why don't we wait and think about this, or cut some stuff out. We don't really need all of this, do we?"



Sensing that his sale was in jeapordy, the salesman interrupted our private conversation and told my husband that "he needed to show him something in the other room." Separating the husband and the wife. One of the oldest tricks in the book!



Scene 4: The "Sign Today or Else" Threat
Back at the dining room table...



When my husband returns with the salesman, he tries to close us again by telling us what a great deal he's giving us. He says we're getting "free installation, which has a several hundred dollar value." He tells us it's because he's the company's sales trainer...and we're a referral (implying he's doing us a personal favor).



I say, "We'd like to think about it overnight. How about if we let you know tomorrow or on the weekend?"



The salesman says, "That's fine, but it'll cost you more. It's the end of our quarter tomorrow and we need to get this order in. And if I don't sign you today, I'll have to send a real commissioned salesman out tomorrow...and we'll have to tack on a commission. If you buy today, you're getting the job commission-free."



Scene 5: We Sign...But with an Escape

Haggling at the dining room table, while baby cries.


I ask if we can change our minds, if we sign today. The salesman says of course...and shows us the cancellation clause in the contract. We have three days to change our order or cancel.



So we sign, knowing that we're probably going to change the order anyway. (I know...dumb move. In hindsight, it's very clear that we should have just thrown him out the door. I don't know why we didn't.)



Scene 6: We Get Mad and Cancel
Later that evening, in the bedroom...



After dinner we're getting ready for bed and decide to put the issue to rest. We talk about what happened. As my husband and I recount the scenario, we get mad. And madder. Until we're so ticked off at the guy's sales tactics that we decide to cancel the whole job...even though the company was recommended highly and we really needed windows. We figured we could get them somewhere else. And we'd rather spend more to work with someone we trust and respect.



Epilogue
My husband and I felt good about our decision. More important, our relationship was in tact. And I took away a few lessons...

• Salespeople: Don't shortcut a sale. You might make a "deal," but it won't be a good one.


• Customers: If the sale doesn't feel right, trust your instinct. If you feel pushed, you probably are.


• Sales Organizations: Be careful about the messages you convey to your salesforce. If you pressure salespeople to close everything by the end of the quarter, you're likely to get "bad sales." They'll cost you in the long run. Reward good, solid sales that stick.

© 2007. Phyllis Roteman, The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

The Toxic Employee...Another Perspective

Yesterday I wrote a post about Toxic People. My premise was that some people are just miserable and spread negativity to everyone who comes in contact with them. Keith Harrell calls this, "toxic negativity."

Interestingly, today's CareerBuilder online newsletter has an article about the hidden costs of keeping a "bad" employee. Here's a taste:

"A bad employee can be like cancer within a company. Strong negativism, a poor attitude, backbiting, and incompetence can spread quickly within any organization. Co-workers of a bad employee notice the issues and
typically try to fight off catching the negative traits. However, such traits are contagious and can severely hurt or even kill a company. A bad employee will eventually affect your employees, customers, and product/service's quality."

This is exactly what I meant in my earlier post about toxic (cancerous) people.

What I like about the CareerBuilder post is takes a different perspective on the cause of toxic people's negativity. It points out that negativity can be caused by the workplace - specifically, a bad fit with the job. Can a perfectly happy, good person become toxic in a bad work environment, or in a job that isn't right for them? Absolutely.

Think about waking up every morning for work, with your stomach turning, knowing you've got to spend the next eight or nine hours in a place you hate. Perhaps you have an hour commute each way...two hours to stew in traffic and think about work that you despise. Or perhaps you're in the wrong job all together. You're in over your head, and you know it. Your performance isn't good, your boss knows it and so do your coworkers. You struggle to get through every work day. Could this make a normally happy person toxic and negative? You bet.

So maybe we should have empathy for negative people. Maybe they're not "bad" people after all. The trick (particulary in the workplace) is...empathize without letting them drag you and others down.

© 2007. Phyllis Roteman, The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Toxic People

Have you ever worked with a toxic person?

These are people who spread negativity. And when you let them into your workplace or your life, they are like mold. They're unpleasant, they spread their nastiness everywhere...and they're often hard to get rid of. I have one of these in my life now. Every time I think I've removed this toxic person from my life, she keeps coming back.

There's a great book by Keith Harrell called "Attitude is Everything", in which he warns about "toxic negativity" and the damage these people cause to the poor souls who encounter them. According to Harrell, these poisonous people fall into different categories:

Judges and Critics: They invest most of their time and effort criticizing and judging others (deflecting attention away from their own short-comings and unhappiness). They can be direct and outright demeaning, or they can be subtle (but no less critical).

"I wouldn't have done it that way."
"Do you really want to wear that?"
"Let me tell you what's wrong with your idea."

Professional Victims: Things always happen to them. Nothing is ever their fault.

"It's not my fault that the customer changed his mind."
"If my manager were better, I could do my job better."
"Nobody told me I was supposed to do that."
"I couldn't make any sales because you gave me bad leads."

Soap Opera Stars: These people are drama kings and queens. They thrive on turmoil, chaos and conflict. When there isn't any drama, they stir the pot to create it.

"Did you hear what Donna said about Albert?"
"I heard a rumor that there are going to be some big changes in the department!"
"I can't believe I was so wronged! How could they do this to me?!"
"I wouldn't take that. You should give her a piece of your mind!"

Bitter to the Core: According to Harrell, these people have a motto: "There's nothing worse than seeing your friends succeed." These are miserable people who are so unhappy with themselves and their lives that they want to spread their misery. They may smile and put up a friendly facade, but they'll stab you in the back and bring you down every chance they get (smiling the whole time).

"I wouldn't get too excited. It probably won't last."

"If it weren't for me, you'd never make it!"
"You got a promotion? Great! I heard you got the job because no one else wanted it."
"You're pregnant? Congratulations. My sister's pregnancy was hell. I hope yours isn't as miserable."

So what do you do when you encounter toxic people? Here are some tips, many of which I've learned the hard way, through experience.

• Don't let them in. Have you ever seen a vampire movie? If so, you'll know that one of the "rules" of vampires is that they can't enter your house unless you invite them in. (In the movies, the unwitting victims ALWAYS let them in for some reason!) Toxic people are like vampires. They'll suck the life out of you. If you see them, don't even let them in...because once they're in, they'll do damage.

• Contain them. These people need to be reigned in, or their toxicity will spread rapidly, partciularly if they're on your work team. Let them know the rules early on. When you hear an example of negative talk, criticism or rumor-mongering, address it immediately. Let them know that the behavior is not acceptable. If it's in the workplace, give them examples of how their negative behavior is impacting work performance and the morale of others. If the behavior continues, let them go.

• Create a "buffer zone". If you're forced to live with a toxic person (for example, your father-in-law) or work with one (for example, your peer in another department), you've got to deal with it. Protect yourself by creating a buffer zone. You can do this by limiting your interaction with this person as much as possible. And when you must interact with them, prepare yourself emotionally in advance. Build up your strength by doing something that makes you feel good first, like going for a long walk. Talk to someone positive beforehand, so you feel upbeat and good about yourself. Mentally prepare by saying to yourself: "I'm happy. I won't let this person get to me."

Positive attitude is a choice you can make. You can either allow yourself to get dragged down by toxic people, or you can leave them to roll around in their own mud. You choose.

© 2007. Phyllis Roteman, The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Beware Workplace Bobble-Heads (Part 2)

In a previous post I wrote about bobble-heads in the workplace. These are people - your customers, employees or managers - who bob their heads as if they're listening and agreeing while you talk.

But they're not agreeing. Their silence and blank stares are a cover for boredom, confusion, defiance, doubt or some other emotion they're not willing to share with you.

As promised, this post provides tips for communicating with head-bobbers and finding out what they're really thinking.


Know it when you see it.

Could the problem be you? When you're in a meeting, sales presentation or conversation and you're doing most of the talking, watch for the steady head bob. Look for glazed-over eyes. These are signs that you might have unintentionally lulled your audience into a head-bobbing coma (they've tuned out or decided that they disagree with you). It sounds pretty basic, but you'd be surprised how many "talkers" (salespeople, presenters, managers) get in their groove and forget that other people may not be listening.

Shut up (Let there be silence)

Silence can be as powerful as a scream. Just stop talking. The head-bobber will snap to attention.

Ask open-ended questions

This is a good follow-up to silence...the old one-two combination. Pause and let there be a moment of silence. Then ask an open-ended question to reengage the head-bobber. Some of my favorite open-ended questions (that require more than a yes/no or one-word answer) are:

• "How do you feel about this idea?"


• "What are you thinking at this point?"


• "What's your perspective on this issue?"

Ask them to summarize

You're leading a meeting. At the end, you wrap up by summarizing: "So here's what I'll do...and here's what you'll do...we'll meet again at X date...etc." And everyone else is head-bobbing while you rattle off your summary. Why not turn the tables and ask the other person to summarize what they've heard? Some good summary questions are:

• "I've been doing a lot of the talking so far. What do you feel are the most important points?"


• "What are three things that you take away from this meeting?"


• "What do you think should be our next steps?"
  

Look in the mirror

Are you a head-bobber? You may be, without even realizing it. The next time you're in a long meeting, listening to a salespitch or getting feedback you don't agree with...check yourself. Are you nodding as if in compliance because it's easier than speaking up? Ask a question. Disagree. Do yourself and the speaker a favor and just say something.

© 2007. Phyllis Roteman, The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Help Wanted: Failures

Resume

Job Objective: To obtain a position where I can leverage my significant failures.

Key Accomplishments:

• Lost a major account to the competition because I got too comfortable and assumed that the customer was happy, when they weren't.


• Hired the wrong person for a leadership position and as a result, employee engagement dropped 2% over the prior year.


• Risked $1.5 million on a new product launch that failed.
  

Fastcompany.com recently had a fascinating two-part interview with Sir James Dyson, founder of Dyson, the maker of the best selling vacuum cleaners in the U.S. by revenues. (Article part 1, part 2 ). Dyson describes himself as an inventor, who created 5127 prototypes of his vacuum over 15 years before getting it right.

Dyson says, "I've always thought that schoolchildren should be marked by the number of failures they've had. The child who tries strange things and experiences lots of failures to get there is probably more creative."

What a refreshing perspective on failure!

Another Fastcompany.com article by Richard Watson , CEO of Global Innovation Network, talks about Celebrating Failure. In the article, Watson says "Most companies -- indeed, most people -- fail more often than they succeed. It is the proverbial elephant-in-the-boardroom. And yet by being scared of failure, we are missing a great opportunity. The point about failure is not that it happens but what we do when it happens. "

Both Dyson and Watson are talking about failure in the context of invention and innovation. They argue that creativity relies on failure - and learning from those mistakes. I'll go a step further. It's not just inventors and product development specialists that need to embrace failure. Everyone in today's organization has the right, and the need, to fail. Sometimes miserably.

Unfortunately, our society encourages hiding failure. When we fail in a job, career coaches often teach us how to put a positive spin on it...or bury it all together. When politicians or corporate executives make big mistakes, their first reaction is often "I didn't know about it", "I wasn't involved" or "Someone (or something) else was to blame."

I am not afraid to say that I have failed, sometimes miserably. But one thing I can say with confidence is that I learn from my mistakes. Rarely do I make the same mistake twice. And I always use what I learn from the failure to propel me forward in other directions. Sometimes it does take two steps back to take three steps forward.

In job interviews, one of the questions I teach managers to ask is, "Tell me about a big mistake or failure you've had recently that had significant consequences." The responses you get are fascinating. Often candidates claim that they can't recall any examples (the Alberto Gonzalez defense)...or that they haven't made any big mistakes with significant consequences. These candidates are either: a) Fibbing b) Guilty of having a very bad memory (unlikely) or c) Very risk-adverse individuals who always do exactly what they're told to stay safe...and never any more.

In any case, the "I haven't had major failures" answer raises huge red flags about a candidate. I'll take the candidate that smiles and coolly tells me in great detail about a major misstep or failure...and what he/she did about it. The person that turned the situation around and landed on his/her feet, smelling like a rose, is the candidate that interests me most. This is usually the same candidate who has a track record of stellar accomplishments and success throughout his/her career.

Of course, failure has to be balanced with good judgment, forward movement and ultimately success. Here are some of my ground rules for failing successfully, with grace and brains.

• Fail quickly and cheaply if you can.
• Know the risks. When you fail, you shouldn't be blindsided by the consequences.
• Cut and run when you need to (don't hang on too long...which goes with the first bullet).
• Don't be bitter. If you lose a promotion because you failed, accept it and move on.
• Take time to think after failure. Failing to learn from failure is the only REAL failure.

What's the failure you're proudest of...and why? What good came from it?

© 2007. Phyllis Roteman, The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Beware Workplace Bobble-heads (Part 1)

We've all seen them.

They stare at you in meetings as you discuss ideas. They appear to be listening as you give them feedback. They say little. They nod their heads. (That's why I like to call them "workplace bobble-heads.")

Rarely will they disagree openly or challenge ideas. In fact, to the untrained human eye, they might even seem agreeable and pleasant. But beware. Behind that agreeable facade may lurk a hidden cynic, doubter, nay-sayer, or behind-the-scenes griper who would rather smile and nod than express him or herself to your face. Who are these bobble-heads...and what causes them to nod silently as if in agreement, even when they're not?

Customer Bobble-heads

If you're a salesperson, you've most likely met customer head bobbers. Here's the scenario. The salesperson is making an engaging presentation, with all the bells and whistles, saying all of the "right things"...and there's the customer, not saying a word but nodding (seemingly in agreement). But when the salesperson asks for the order, the customer (to the salesperson's surprise) says something like "I need to think about it" or "Thanks, can you leave me some information?"

What happened? The salesperson, who was falsely encouraged by the customer's quiet head-bobbing, assumed that the customer's silence meant the customer was ready to buy. She wasn't.

Employee Bobble-heads

This can frustrate the heck out of managers. Here's the scenario. A manager and employee are meeting to discuss a new project the employee is going to take on. The manager tells the employee all about the project in great detail (while the employee looks on and - you guessed it - nods his head as if he's listening). The manager then asks something like, "Do you have any questions for me?" And the employee shrugs and says, "I guess not."

Fast forward...it's three weeks later. The manager and employee meet for a project update. To the manager's surprise, the employee is floundering. The manager wonders why the head-bobber didn't speak up and ask questions in their initial meeting.

What happened? The manager assumed that the employee was bought into the assignment and understood it. (Fooled again by the head bob).

Manager Bobble-heads

Imagine a meeting with a group of managers. A senior executive (or someone in power) is talking. She's droning on and on - plugging through endless PowerPoint slides - and no one really knows what she's trying to say. Instead of speaking up to get clarification, the group just sits there and nods, as if in agreement...as if what they're hearing makes perfect sense. The meeting adjourns. In the hallway (after the exec leaves), the managers whisper to each other, "What do you think she meant?" and "I'm more confused than before the meeting!"

What happened? Because of fear of speaking up or looking dumb, the managers just kept their mouths shut and nodded. And no doubt, this body language from the manager group assured the senior exec that she was communicating loudly and clearly. She likely left the meeting thinking it was a success.

In my next blog (Part 2 of Beware Workplace Bobble-heads), I'll provide tips for how to communicate more effectively with head bobbers - and engage them in dialogue.

© 2007. Phyllis Roteman, The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Salespeople...Think Before You Propose!

Is all business good business?

It's always difficult to say "no" to potential business. Let's face it, when times are lean and sales goals are aggressive, it's easy to get desperate and jump at every opportunity...even when it doesn't make strategic sense for your company. Smart sales leaders are strong enough to walk away when needed. But it takes discipline.
The next time you’re asked to create a big proposal or bid on a project, stop and think. Below are some questions you can ask yourself, to ensure that the business will be good business for your company.

1. Do we know that we can do a good job and deliver value?

Making the sale is just the beginning. You can damage your reputation, lose customer confidence and get bad press if you take on work or sell solutions that don’t get results. Make sure you can actually deliver what you’re promising.

2. What are the indirect costs of working with this customer? Do the potential revenues outweigh those costs?

Some customers cost more to do business with than others. Think about those hidden costs before pricing your proposal. For example, a demanding customer that requires lots of hand-holding will add to your cost of sale…and will also cost your company time and resources (dollars) after the sale. It adds up and erodes your margins.

3. What's the opportunity cost of responding? (In other words, what can't we do if we dedicate resources to getting this business?)

We’ve all seen it. Sales teams running around like chickens with their heads cut off, falling all over themselves trying to get a sales presentation ready for a big potential client. After 20 revisions and thousands of hours, it’s ready. But at what cost? Ask yourself, “What could we have done with that time?” How many other sales calls could have been made? How many other proposals could have been written? How much time could you have spent researching other prospects? It’s important to go after the “big fish.” Just make sure you’re aware of what you’re not doing when you make that time investment…and ask yourself whether it’s worth it.


4. Is this a strategic fit with our company’s goals and values?

The promise of money and growth can easily lure a company away from its core values and strategy, leading it to make business it later regrets. Take Google and its decision to sell a censored version of its search engine in the China market (the ultimate big fish customer). Less than two years later, Google co-founder Sergey Brin said he regretted the decision because “on a business level, that decision to censor… was a net negative.” Sacrificing your values and core strategies to make a buck rarely works well in the long run - in sales and in life.

© 2007. The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Mediocrity is Bliss!

I just ran across some great perspectives on the word, "mediocre." It's such a timely word to look at, since one of the biggest issues many leaders struggle with is workers who are content to be just "OK"...nothing more, nothing less.

Why is it so hard to motivate some folks to go beyond the minimum effort (or brains) required? Maybe these quotes (which I found in this month's Harvard Magazine - my husband is an alum) will give some insight:

"Only mediocrity can be trusted to always be its best. Genius must always have lapses proportionate to its triumphs." (Max Beerbohm, in the Saturday Review, November 5, 1904)

"Only a mediocre writer is always at his best." (W. Somerset Maughm's introduction to The Portable Dorothy Parker, 1944)

So true! This idea ties back to a previous blog I wrote about failure. If you're just mediocre, you stay under the radar, in your comfort zone. It's easy to be good at being average. But if you venture out of your comfort zone and strive for excellence, there's a chance you may fail. And you may fail big. That's scary to most people.

As leaders, what can we take from this? If you want excellence, you've got to:

• Hire for it. By nature, some people are afraid to fail...and therefore afraid to be excellent. Hire people who aren't afraid to push themselves.


• Allow failure. Create an enviroment that encourages educated risk-taking. Let people know you expect them to go beyond mediocre...and don't castigate them when they try and fail.


• Celebrate excellence. When you see it, celebrate it. If it happens and you ignore it, genius may not happen again.

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Is it OK to Cry at Work?

Early in my career I had a colleague (let's call her Liza) who was a self-professed "crier". She was young, professional and competent. But when she became angry, frustrated or felt backed into a corner, the water-works would start. I remember one day Liza left our boss' office after receiving her performance review. I asked her how it went. She said, "We're just on a break. We stopped because I was crying. I'm humiliated."

No matter how hard Liza tried to choke back the tears, she couldn't. It made her feel weak and stupid - she didn't want to be crying - but she claimed that she just couldn't control it. I felt so bad for her. It was hard enough back then for a young female professional to get respect in the consulting world. Tears just made it near impossible.

I bring this story up because today's Wall Street Journal online edition has an article by Sue Shellenbarger headlined, Crying at Work Gains Acceptance. In it, Shellengbarger makes the case that the proliferation of Gen Y'ers in today's workplace is making it more acceptable to show emotions, including crying. The article says that the younger generation is generally more in touch with feelings than baby boomers - and that clashes between more stoic older bosses and more sensitive younger workers are ensuing in the workplace.

So will crying be "cool" at work? Will managers get promoted for their open sensitivity and ability to openly shed tears? Is crying really gaining acceptance at work?

I think this remains to be seen. A few things I question:

- Even if people (including those interviewed for the WSJ article) claim that they accept crying at work, I wonder what they actually feel about it. I'd like to think that I'm an open, accepting person and wouldn't judge someone who cried at work...but subconsciously, would I feel differently? Would I somehow see the person as weak? (I'm not sure, but I guess it would depend on the circumstances and why the person was crying.)

- I wonder how many of my clients would want their consultant to cry in front of them...or worse yet, in front of a group of their leaders. My bet is that while a client might feel sorry or embarassed for the consultant, they'd be a lot less confident in that individual - and may question their "emotional toughness" or tolerance for stress. Let's face it. There are some situations where crying is just bad for your image and can be damaging.

- When does crying become a real problem? Sure, most of us have felt like crying after we've received bad feedback or had a particularly horrible day. But if an employee cries at seemlingly inappropriate times (for example, he makes a typo or she spills her coffee) and it happens frequently, there might be an underlying issue.

- What can tears tell you? I recently had a client, a sales manager, tell me about a new hire who was a terrific salesperson. She was blowing away her numbers in the first few months on the job. Yet when the manager did her ride-alongs with the rep in the field, she found that the rep would cry before and after every customer call. When the manager asked the rep why she was crying, the rep said, "I'm terrified of making calls. I feel sick to my stomach before I make every call...and then I feel so relieved after the call, I feel sick again!" Needless to say, this rep's crying betrayed an underlying, serious issue - she hated her job even though she was great at it.

Crying at work may be gaining some acceptance...but I wouldn't yet say there's a crying revolution at work. Like any other expression of emotion (yelling, laughing loudly, cursing) - there's a right time and right place. And some very wrong times and places.

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Are you an EXTREME Talker?

Want to lose credibilty really fast? Talk in extremes.

Here's an example. I was just reading a white paper on performance management. I was engaged and thinking "this is really good stuff." Then I came across this sentence:

"Training never provides managers with the practical tools they need to set clear objectives with their teams."

What's wrong with the word "never"?

Subconsciously, the word just begs to be refuted. As soon as I see or hear an "extreme" word like never (or always, or nobody), I immediately try to think of a contradiction. (Perhaps this is my contrarian nature...am I the only one who thinks this way?)

There are very few things in life that are absolute, so words like "never", "always" or "nobody" should be used cautiously and sparingly. When you do use them, be aware that other people may, like me, question your credibility and become distracted.

Here are some scenarios that demonstrate credibility-damaging extreme talking, and alternative statements that give speakers more credibility.

Scenario 1:

Salesperson says: "We've never had an unhappy customer."
Customer thinks: "Oh really...I don't believe you. NEVER?"

Alternative:

Salesperson says: "Our customer surveys show that they're are happy with our work. We score a 9.5 out of a possible 10 average."

Scenario 2:

Manager says: "Remember that the customer is always right."
New customer service rep thinks: "Gimme a break!"

Alternative:

Manager says: "Even if we disagree with customers, we must still be
respectful and try to make them happy."

Scenario 3: (During a product development meeting)

Team member: "Nobody will ever use that technology!"
Rest of team: "We can think of lots of people who WOULD!"

Alternative:

Team member: "I'm sure there will be some customers who would adopt this technology. My concern is that there won't be enough volume, and the price point won't be high enough, to justify our investment."

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

How to Drive Your Clients Crazy

Dear Fellow Consultants,

How many times have you said, "My clients are driving me CRAZY!"? Well, now you can get them back - give them a taste of their own medicine - by driving them crazy. Read below to discover the secrets all good consultants know. These are our top four ways to bug the hell out of your clients.

• Pepper your conversations with "consultantisms": A recent article in Consulting Times (page 10) cites a survey listing the most annoying phrases used by consultants. Topping the list were: going forward, leverage, core values, on the same page, paradigm (my PERSONAL unfavorite) and synnergy. Use these at every opportunity, even in your personal life.

• Maximize complexification: Take a really simple concept and make it sound difficult and complex. Watch your clients nod their heads, as if they understand. They probably won't ask what you mean, so you're off the hook to explain yourself.

• Dazzle em' with longer words and sentences: According to Language Monitor, there were approximately 988,968 words in the English language as of March 21, 2006. So why not use as many as possible? Instead of saying "before," why not say, "prior to"? Instead of saying "use," say "utilize". Why use the word "to" when you can say "in order to"? Instead of talking about change, why not talk about "shifting paradigms"? (This is a bonus because you're using one of the top annoying words!) When strung together, you can create one long sentence that will leave your clients scratching their heads. For example, Prior to the utilization of technology to manage shifting paradigms, aligning intangible organizational requirements with nebuluous customer-defined specifications in order to capitalize on opportunities had been challenging. (Say what?)

• When questioned, go on the attack: After all, you are the expert. Your clients hired you because you're smart and you know more than them. Don't let them threaten your credibility by asking you questions or challenging your recommendations. If you back down, you'll be perceived as weak. Instead, show your superiority by going on the offensive. Make sure to point out how long you've been in the business and your past successes ("I've been doing this for a million years." "When I invented the Internet...") If that doesn't get them to back down, act indignant and suggest that "if they don't trust you, maybe we shouldn't work together." They should be crawling back in no time.

A personal disclaimer: We at The Loyalty Group, Los Angeles, pride ourselves on keeping things simple and straight-forward. This blog entry does not reflect our approach, philosophy or practices. We love and respect our clients!

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Is "Social Networking" Impacting Performance Management at Your Company? (Maybe It Should Be...)

Social networking (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter) is impacting your workplace, whether you realize it or not.

According to a GenY article in Workforce, Gen Y'rs (born between 1979 and 1994) will number 80 million - versus about 77 million Baby Boomers and 44 million Gen X'rs. In other words, as more Boomers retire, our corporations' cubicles and meeting rooms will be filled with young, tech-savvy workers, many of whom had MP3 players when they were six and had their own websites when they were seven. Social networking sites have become the new roller rinks of today (OK, I'm dating myself...but in my day, we "kids" went to the roller skating rink to meet, hang out and share gossip).

Mike Gotta tackled the issue of social networking's impact on organizations on his Collaborative Thinking blog this Tuesday. It's a well-laid-out discussion of the issues and challenges posed by social networking on organizations.

I agree with Gotta's assertion that "socially oriented systems will significantly reshape organizations over the next several years." And it is already reshaping how people are managed, trained and coached in business, whether we realize it or not.

On the one hand, business is squeezed by growing legal and compliance pressure. For example, in our consulting practice (www.theloyaltygroup.com) we teach performance management and coaching skills, and it's always been a struggle to get managers to record notes on employees' performance. It's harder than ever now, because managers (HR and Legal departments too) often are afraid to put anything in writing...as it may come back to haunt them later in a legal investigation. As a result, important notes from coaching and performance discussions don't get noted, which means the value of feedback to employees is diluted (for lack of written details).

At the same time, the new generation entering our workforce is accustomed to social networking sites and reality TV, where it's completely OK to bare your soul, disclose frank (and sometimes hurtful) opinions, and share intimate thoughts in writing.

Smart companies will need to help employees and managers balance the need for security, professionalism and privacy - with today's technology and social networking culture. To strike the appropriate balance, companies should focus on:

• Training both employees and their managers on how to talk directly to people (actually hold face to face conversations) rather than put every detail in writing.
• Creating a strategy for how to incorporate social networking, blogging, instant messaging and other emerging technology into their business practices - from managing human resource issues, to managing projects across departments, to communicating with customers.
• Communicating clear guidelines about the difference between appropriate "business writing" in the organization and inappropriate "personal writing" that should be kept outside the work environment.
• Teaching managers and employees how to select the appropriate method (face-to-face, phone, instant message, email, blogging) of communication in day-to-day performance management (coaching, giving feedback, sharing information or conducting reviews).

Companies that don't pay attention to these issues will struggle with miscommunications and unhappy employees that aren't getting the feedback and coaching they need - not to mention legal challenges.

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Richard Branson Shows Boredom Can Be Good

Richard Branson, the king of Virgin, gets bored easily. According to a recent blog by Gary Bourgeault, Branson channels this "problem" into a positive by "getting himself into numerous businesses that he can spread himself around in." It hasn't held him back too much.

It makes me think, what other "weaknesses" or problems can leaders turn into positives?

A recent article by Mark Thompson confirms that the ability to overcome personal challenges - or turn your weaknesses into strengths - is critical to leadership and entrepreneureal success.

- Charles Schwab was dyslexic and almost flunked out of Stanford, having failed English twice. In business, he overcame this reading problem by speaking from the heart (nixing the need for reading and writing long memos and speeches).

- Cisco CEO John Chambers was also dyslexic, so he relies on memorized speeches and interacting personally with people as much as possible.

Branson's story hits home for me. Not many people know this about me, but I failed high school and got into college with a GED. I was bored and questioned everything. I thought something was wrong with me...until I found a way to channel my "weakness" into a positive. As a consultant, it's my job to question the status quo and help solve problems. I now get paid for what I got punished for in the past. Go figure!

What is your biggest personal struggle or challenge - and how can it work for you as a strength?

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Performance Reviews: Is Nobody "Average" Anymore?

An article in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer aptly titled, "A's and B's for Everyone", just goes to show how important it is to clearly define performance expectations, measurement methods and rating scales in performance management systems. It also shows what goes awry when you don't get clear.

The article quotes surveys in which Americans rate themselves on a variety of areas. Here's a sampling of results:

- 83% percent of Americans believe they are above-average workers.

- 74% percent of American adults believe they have above-average common sense.

- 58% percent of Americans believe they have above-average IQs.

- 94% percent of university professors say they are better at their job than their average colleague.

- 60% percent of men age 20 to 39 believe they are better than average in bed. (I threw this one in just for fun.)

Either lots of people are fooling themselves, or mostly above-average people respond to these surveys.

This just goes to show you how a simple word like "average" can be perceived differently by so many people. Of course, some things are easy to prove or disprove. For example, it's not hard to find out that an "average" American IQ is between 90 and 110, so you could say you're above average if you're over 110.

What about some of the other "average" measures? In work and life, these are harder to measure objectively. Take the term "above average common sense." What does that look like - and who decides what "average common sense looks like?" Obviously 74% of us can't be above average in common sense, but who among us thinks we're better than we are?

Take this as a lesson, managers and employees. When you're discussing performance expectations at the start of your performance management cycle, remember that:

- Vague words like "average" and "better" need to be defined. How are you going to measure "average"? Better than what? And who decides what "better" looks like?

- People often think they're better than they are. Both managers and employees should be accountable for providing specific data and behavioral examples to support ratings. It's not enough to say, "I think you're below average in X area." Support your rating by saying, "Here are some examples of why I'm rating you below (or above) average."

- Make it OK to be average. Angela Hayes (played by Mena Suvani) in American Beauty, says "I don't think there's anything worse than being ordinary." Unfortunately, lots of people feel this way - and corporate cultures often encourage this thinking. Not everyone can be above average or the best. And certainly not at everything. So make it OK for people to be average in some areas. How can an organization have candid discussions about leveraging strengths and professional development, if individuals feel pressured to inflate assessments of themselves?

TLG's Performance in Action solutions teach managers and employees how to clarify performance expectations and reach a "meeting of the minds" about what success looks like in jobs. Click here for more...


© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

How to Lose a Salesrep in Ten Days

Last night I watched the cute Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughy film, How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. It's not The Godfather or Citizen Kane, but it's light and mindless. In it, Kate Hudson is writing a fluff magazine article on things women do that push guys away. You'll have to see the movie yourself to see some of the chic-sins she commits (like moving personal belongings into his apartment after a first date). The funny part was (gasp) that we've ALL done some version of these stupid things in some relationship - we were just too close to the relationship to see it at the time.

So in the spirit of that movie, and for all of us who have done stupid things to push people away without realizing it, this blog is a10-day primer for sales managers. Read on to find out how to LOSE A SALESREP IN TEN DAYS!

Day 1:
Give the rep a sales goal that's way out of reach. Confide in the rep, "I know it's way too high, but it was handed down to me by someone at the top. I think they pull these numbers out of a hat...and we get stuck with them!"

Day 2:
Forget to ask about his kid who broke his leg on the playground yesterday.

Day 3:
When he gives you that 20-page Excel report you asked him for last month, say with a look of surprise, "Oh, you were still working on that? We dropped that project a few weeks ago. Hope you didn't spend too much time on it!"

Day 4:
Schedule a performance review meeting with him. Miss it. Then email later saying you're sorry - and that you got called into an important meeting.

Day 5:
Give him feedback and tips for how he can improve his sales performance. You haven't been in the field with him for months.

Day 6:
Call in the evening during his family dinner to ask why a big deal didn't close that day.

Day 7:
When he tells you proudly that he just closed a big account he's been working on for months, tell him, "It's about TIME."

Day 8:
When he tells you proudly that he just closed a 20k deal, ask him, "Why only 20?"

Day 9:
Ride along in the field with him (finally...you've been meaning to). Jump in on all of his calls and close deals for him, because you miss the thrill of the sale (and you're really good at closing)!

Day 10:
The rep just closed a few big sales and is well on his way to meeting goal. Congratulate him and in the next breath, say, "Since you're doing so well this month and the rest of the team is down, we're going to up your goal. I know you can do it because you're so good!"

Salespeople are guilty of committing "sins" too. If you want to discover some of the more common and deadly ones, see a great article by Steve Martin in ManageSmarter.

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Sell to Who You Hire...and Who You Don't

I just read a great BusinessWeek article that reminds companies that their recruitment and selection processes are marketing tools. More companies should remember this.

You can enhance or erode your company's brand by the image you convey at each step of the recruitment and selection processes. Think about it. Every prospective candidate is a customer. You're evaluating them, and they're forming impressions about your company. Ask yourself (and others), "What does our process say about our company?"

Here's something we at The Loyalty Group did to build our brand with prospective job candidates. One of the things we value is giving back to the community. We want to work with people and companies who care about others and our society. To send this message, in our recruitment advertisements, we advertised as a benefit that we donate $500 at the end of each year to each employee's charity of choice. Of course, we must approve each charitable cause and won't allow anything political, religious or highly controversial. The point is - it's imporant to our company - and we wanted to hire people who valued "giving" and social responsiblity as a benefit.

It's amazing how many job candidates told us how excited they were to interview with us, specifically because of that benefit. We heard over and over again that it "said a lot about our company." Even those who weren't hired by us left the process knowing what our company stands for.

Think about your employment brand. What is your hiring process saying about your company?

Delta's New Customer Service?

It looks like the threat of a hostile bid from US Air has scared some customer service into Delta. Last week I flew Delta from Los Angeles, to Charlotte, to Altanta, then back home. Thursday night, trying to get to Altanta, I got stuck in the Charlotte airport for about eight hours (at least I wasn't sitting on a plane for hours like those poor JetBlue passengers). My first flight at 4:30 was canceled due to mechanical problems, then weather delays in Atlanta kept inching back our takeoff time.

What made the whole thing bearable was the Delta employees customer service.

• At the gate, agents gave us regular, candid updates on where our inbound plane was and what the expected delay should be. No horsing around, no game playing, and with a sympathetic smile. It's hard to get mad at a gate agent who appears genuinely sympathetic and is patient enough to listen to everyone's complaints.
• On the plane, the pilot came on the speaker and apologized sincerely for the delays, and acknowledged that we'd all been sitting in the airport for hours.
• Before we landed, flight attendents walked through the aisles with customer feedback surveys. They actually encouraged us to fill them out. One attendant said, "I know you've been delayed and that you've had a rough night. We want to know how we handled it. Please give us some feedback."

I hope that this type of customer service commitment doesn't wear off after the sting of an acquisition threat fades!

Libby Trial Reveals "Inner Workings Gone Bad"

How would you describe the "inner workings" of your organization or team?

Commenting on the Scooter Libby trial and guilty verdict, a USA Today reporter observes:

"...the trial offered a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the White House.
It showed Cheney's eagerness to discredit a war critic, the Bush administration's policies on talking to reporters and its strategies for dealing with a crisis."

I take the term "inner workings" to mean the unoffical ways that things get done in organizations.

In healthy companies and teams, these inner workings are positive forces. For example, FastCompany.com ran an article on "working the grapevine" that argues that company grapevines, or informal communication networks, can be used positively to communicate messages through companies. And we all know "go-to" people in our companies; those seasoned experts who don't have position power, but whom you can always count on for advice or support. Informal mentoring relationships is yet another example of an unoffical but healthy method of achieving goals in organizations.

In unhealthy organizations, inner workings are devious and self-serving. The grapevine is used to spread malicious information and make others look bad. Communication is indirect. Rather than speak candidly about difficult subjects, people allow rumors and backstabbing to flourish. People jockey for position by developing cliques and favoring those who share their views or are "good soldiers".

What are your company's "inner workings?" If reporters were covering the inner workings of your company or team, what would they say? Are they healthy?

Six Steps to Build Accountability Today!

All of us have been in these situations before:

- Everyone talks about ideas in a weekly meeting…and by the next week it’s apparent that nothing has happened.

- Something goes wrong on a project… and there is a chain of emails about who was to blame and what they should have done.

- A manager identifies a major need in his division…yet no one really wants to step up and do anything about it.

These scenarios are all symptoms of a culture that lacks accountability. Managers often try to force accountability by instituting new metrics, policies and inspections; yet these actions are like applying a BAND-AID^® to a broken bone. Tools like these don’t work if people aren’t bought in to the idea of accountability and are not willing to be accountable.

Here are ways you can build a culture of accountability in your organization:

Hire for Accountability. Accountability can’t be taught; you have to hire for it. The next time you’re interviewing a job candidate, ask:

– “Tell me about a time when you stepped up and took ownership of a project that wasn’t really your ‘job.” (Listen to distinguish whether they took the initiative themselves or if they were asked to take on this project by someone else.)

– “Tell me about a time when you dropped the ball on a project.” (Do they own up to their mistakes? What did they do to fix it or make things better?)

– “Give me an example of a time when you were responsible for something that you didn’t have complete control over.” (What checks and balances did the person put in place on the front end to help ensure success, even when they didn’t have complete control over outcomes? Listen for signs of "victim mentality". Do they blame someone or something else for their inability to succeed?)

Address the “why’s” in advance. Its human nature to want to know "why" (think of children..."Why is the sky blue?”) . When assigning goals or new projects, make sure you explain the big picture (the why) to your team. It’s easy for a leader to simply lay out all of the to-do’s that they had thought about before a team meeting and simply ask others to take on tasks. Engage your employees by having an initial discussion about the big picture or overall strategy of your department. Give some background and talk about your vision to help set the stage. This helps employees understand the “whys” behind certain tasks.

Let others help with the details. Most people don’t like to be told what to do. Employees are much more likely to eagerly work on an issue and think of creative solutions when they feel as though they had a hand in shaping the project themselves. As a leader, ask more questions and listen to others’ ideas before contributing your thoughts.

Turn “we” statements into “I” statements. The next time you are in a meeting, listen for “we” statements. They sound like this: “We should be…” “We could…” “We need to be…” When a “we” statement comes up, pause and ask who specifically will take ownership of that task, define the results as a team and talk about realistic timelines. Write these out on a whiteboard, flip chart or record them in follow up minutes to be sent out immediately after the meeting. The goal should be to turn a list of verbal ideas into written tasks that have a defined owner, desired results and attainable deadline.

Avoid “should” conversations. When something goes wrong on a project, teams often spend a lot of time talking about who was responsible and what “should” have been done. This often leads to a chain of who “should” have done xyz first…and is often an attempt to try and shift the blame (and the negative attention) to someone else. In the middle of a crisis, avoid the past and focus on what can be done about the problem now. Think back to the original desired results and discuss who can take on what steps to achieve those goals. After the project is completed, schedule a team debrief so that everyone can learn best practices and what to avoid next time.

Don’t expect a year-end review to make people be accountable. A performance review, in and of itself, can’t make people take accountability. If you are working in an environment that currently lacks accountability, first think about what you can do to model accountability to those you lead throughout the year, not just at year-end.

Building a culture of accountability means realizing that all the mission statements, standards, expectations and directives in the world won’t make a difference unless individuals choose to make a commitment to them. By taking steps to make your team want to be accountable, rather then forcing them, you will be well on your way to a culture of accountability in the workplace

Imagine the power of everyone in your organization working smarter and focusing on a common vision…Check out TLG's Performance in Action solutions to learn more.

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Accountability Run Amuck

Can an organization be too focused on accountability? Too much of a good thing is always bad. Below are some examples of accountability run amuck and its unintended negative consequences. See if your organization suffers any of these symptoms.

The “Ask for Forgiveness Later Syndrome”

Are there people in your organization who seem to think that saying “I’m sorry” or “I’m responsible” on the back end makes everything better?

When talking about accountability in your culture, make it clear that saying “I’m sorry” doesn’t give you carte blanche to behave however you want. Let everyone know that accountability starts on the front end, before you act. Accountability means taking responsibility for your words and actions, not just owning up to them after the fact.

The “I Gotcha” Syndrome

When things go wrong, do people blame and finger-point? Do managers try to catch employees doing things wrong, instead of doing things right?

While it is important for individuals to own their mistakes, too much focus on placing blame can create a “police state”. This is a distrusting, punitive environment in which more time is spent asking “Who did it?” versus actually fixing the problem. Remember, don’t let accountability interfere with getting good work done.

The “Track Everything” Syndrome

Has your organization gone “metrics happy”? Do people spend so much time tracking and measuring that they can’t get their work done?

These organizations are so concerned with being accountable and measuring everything that they lose focus. People in the organization forget to ask “Why are we tracking this?” As a result, everything gets tracked, even things that just aren’t that important.

Figure out what is most important to track and measure, and focus on those. Eliminate reports, tracking systems and accountabilities that aren’t critical to business success, like Home Depot's new CEO, Frank Blake, is trying to do. Who knows…when your employees start spending less time tracking and more time thinking, you might discover a whole new level of innovation in your business!

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

It’s Ok to Say “I Quit” Before Hearing “You’re Fired”!

I, like millions of other viewers, have been watching Donald Trump’s hit show The Apprentice – LA religiously for a few weeks now…but I’m not so sure about the process anymore. The show allows the Trump Organization, to take 19 candidates through a vigorous selection process and choose the best candidate for the role of Donald Trump’s newest “Apprentice.” Candidates technically have the opportunity to pull themselves out of the process but never did, in the past.

In this season, already one candidate, Michelle, has pulled herself out stating that she wasn’t comfortable with the selection process…essentially saying “I quit” before hearing “You’re Fired!”. The Trumps were incensed at her decision - calling her a “loser” and a “quitter” for pulling herself out…but I disagree.

A selection process goes both ways. It’s obvious that the company is evaluating a candidate the entire time…but a candidate should also be evaluating the company since the process is a representation of what it’s like to actually work there. Michelle had her reasons for resigning from the process and I think both she and the Trump Organization are better off in the long run. She recognized that this is not the right environment for her and spoke up about it – thus saving time and effort for everyone.

While I’m sure that episode had high ratings because of the heated discussion following Michelle’s decision, I applaud her for making that choice.

When you’re getting ready to look for your own “Apprentice”, remember these tips:

• Do make it ok for candidates to drop out of the selection process if they don’t fit. You never know who they know…and what they might say about your business practices. Thank them for their time and wish them luck in finding something that better fits their needs. Remember, a candidate does not have to be an employee to be a fan of your company.
• Do paint an accurate picture of the open position. Be sure to talk about the good, and the not-so-good, aspects of the job to ensure that the candidate really is a good fit. If your environment is cut-throat and Trump-like, let candidates know. If it’s a more caring, developmental environment, let that show through. The “right” people will be attracted. Everyone has different needs and likes; your job is to find a match, not to simply fill the position.
• Don’t revise your job description based on your personal favorite candidate. It’s easy to want to downplay certain aspects of the job if the candidate you have the best chemistry with has weaknesses in certain key areas. Legally, you need to present the same material to all candidates and evaluate each one in the same areas. Don’t say that a finance job doesn’t really need a lot of number crunching if you meet a gregarious candidate (with no financial background) – in fact, why not refer him to a different department that better fits his strengths…saving time and money for everyone.

For more information on TLG’s Selection in Acton programs, click here. This program is designed for anyone who participates in your recruitment and selection process, including hiring managers, recruiters, HR staff or team leaders…and it makes it ok for someone to say “I quit” before costing your company time and money to say “You’re Fired” to someone down the road.

© 2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved.

Soft Skills Training in MBA Programs

Yesterday's WSJ Online had an article describing how top tier business schools like Dartmouth and MIT are now focusing on the soft skills of managing, by "...copying and adapting popular corporate techniques such as coaching, personality assessments and peer feedback. The article says the schools are responding to increasing interest from employers who are looking for better inpersonal skills in freshly minted MBAs.

I remember when I was pursuing my Executive MBA at the University of Miami's business school several years ago, I had a few academically-obsessed professors who frequently "poo pooed" the work of consultants. (Overall I HIGHLY recommend UM's Executive MBA program and most of the professors were amazing.) One Leadership professor in particular grudgingly shared some of Ken Blanchard's work, to "just let us know what's out there," because we'd probably be exposed to it when we got into the corporate world. She clung to her heavily-research based theory and leadership models, which in her opinion (and which she was not shy about sharing) was much more ligitimate than the practical but "light" stuff that corporate consultants taught.

It's about time that business schools started recognizing the need for balance between teaching strategy, finance and analysis (the "hard" stuff), and the interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence (the "soft" stuff) required to lead effectively in today's business environment.

What's the implication for business? You can capitalize on this trend by doing the following:

• When hiring new business school graduates, ask them what they learned about the "interpersonal-side" of managing in their MBA program. The WSJ article says that many programs now require students to take leadership assessments and create development plans for themselves. Find out what insight graduates gleaned from their assessments and development plans, and what actions they have been taking to hone their skills.

• Don't assume that even with soft-skills built into the curriculum, new MBAs are ready-made for leadership responsibility...particularly the challenge of managing people of diverse backgrounds and styles. Nothing is a substitute for the first-hand experience of leading people in a corporate setting. Give them support, such as mentoring, continuous leadership development training and coaching, to help them deal with the day-to-day challenges of applying soft-skills theory to the real world.

• Talk to your local college about incorporating practical, soft-skills training into their MBA and undergraduate business programs. By doing this, you're helping to create your own pool of better-prepared, new leaders in your own back yard.

• Keep your seasoned managers' soft-skills sharp with ongoing development. New business school graduates with stronger interpersonal skills raises the bar on all leaders in the organization. Make sure your vets are getting the same tools and resources your new managers are getting. It's easy to assume that veteran managers have "been there, done that" when it comes to training in topics like Coaching, Performance Management and Giving Feedback. But seasoned vets get sloppy on the soft-skills without continuous development, feedback and refreshers (I include myself in that category...even I can get sloppy and I teach this stuff!).

For more information about succession management and the importance of soft skills for future leaders, see the following link to our e-newsletter:

http://www.theloyaltygroup.com/tt.Vol1.issue7.pdf

Don't be Sorry. Be Accountable Before You Act.

Accountability is a hot topic today. When we deliver performance management and coaching workshops, the discussion always gravitates to the topic of accountability. In an era of Enron, Anderson and Sarbane-Oxley, clients are looking for ways to make people more accountable for their words and actions.

We often think that accountability means "owning up to your mistakes" and saying you're sorry. But that definition is back-ended. It implies that you've done something wrong and that, on the back end, you make amends.

Think Gavin Newsom (San Fran Mayor).
Think Mel Gibson and Michael Richards.
Think Mark Foley.
Think Patrick Kennedy.
I could go on.

All messed up, then apologized and entered rehab or therapy. I know it takes courage to apologize and admit mistakes. And it truly takes courage to seek help for a real problem. This is an important part of accountability.

The most important part of accountability, however, is the front-end. What about being accountable before the fact? How about thinking about consequences before acting? I'm afraid that part of the accountability message is being lost.

What does this have to do with corporate learning or training? Think about how difficult it is to get people in organizations to be accountable. And when we do talk about being accountable, we tend to talk about the back-end, taking responsiblity for outcomes and admitting mistakes. That's important. But let's not forget to make the front-end just as important. Be accountable for your actions before committing them. Think a little before doing.

As leaders and facilitators, we should broaden the discussion of accountablity and remember than an apology on the back end doesn't always erase past behaviors.

Managers as "Coaches and Conductors"

Today's Wall Street Journal Boss Talk article interviews Ken Favaro, co-chairman of Marakon Associates. He discusses the challenge, or "tension", leaders face in balancing conflicting business goals. One set of conflicting goals is the need to build individual business unit autonomy versus the need to strengthen the company as a whole. Too much focus on individual autonomy, Favaro says, creates silos. Too much centralization can inhibit innovation and specialization.

To achive the right balance, Favaro says that CEOs must be both "coaches and conductors." Good coaches know the strengths and development needs of individuals, and capitalize on them. Good conductors know how to bring a team together, to work as a whole. In other words, strong leaders must be able to focus on the big picture (the entire business enterprise) as well as tap into individual needs.

I agree with Favaro and even go a step further. I believe that in today's flat, technology-driven organizations, managers at all levels (not just the C-level), must be coaches and conductors. Imagine an operations manager who can only focus as a coach, at the individual level. She may get the best out of her own team, but she's unlikely to build strong cross-functional partnerships. She may make decisions that help her team, but conflict with the greater organizational goals.

On the flip side, think of a sales manager who is a strong conductor, but is weak as a coach. He may be good at influencing up and make strategic decisions that are in the company's long-term interest. Yet he may be out of touch with the individuals on his team and their needs. He may avoid performance problems and stay in the office attending meetings, rather than be in the field with his reps.

Being a manager at any level is always a balancing act. The right amount of coaching and conducting helps ensure that individuals feel empowered and automous - while the good of the whole is being served.

Majority of Employees Don't Seek Boss' Advice. Why Worry?

A recent article in Chief Learning Officer's online magazine has the headline, "Majority of Employees Don't Seek Advice from Boss." Is this news?

The article cites research from CO2 Partners, whose President, Gary Cohen, states that “someone’s immediate report would be the logical starting place for advice..."

Really? I'm not at all surprised that only about 10% of survey respondents ask their supervisors for advice on workplace issues. Even when employee-manager relationships are at their best, it is still a direct-reporting relationship. There are some issues that are best discussed with a peer or mentor, particularly if the issue is one involving the supervisor. Peer-coaching makes an organization strong and encourages networking. It discourages employees from becoming too dependent on their supervisors for advice and answers.

Employees seeking advice from others (rather than their supervisors) only becomes a problem when issues are being side-stepped and conversations with the boss are being avoided. Asking peers or mentors for advice should never replace candid, regular performance discussions with supervisors.

What do you think?

How to Survive Long Sales Cycles (The Four "Ps")

Like investing, selling is not a profession for the faint of heart. Both professions require a strong stomach and the ability to endure the ups and downs of long business cycles.

If you're an organization that deals with long selling cycles (typically selling big-ticket items or working with “major accounts”), you need a plan to thrive in both good times and bad.

I tell clients that there are four “Ps” for surviving long sales cycles and business fluctuations. They are: Planning, Pacing and Patience and Protection.

Planning
Many sales managers and sales people think short term. “What is coming in this week?” “What can I do to close this deal now?” However, the sales cycle for a large-ticket sale or corporate account can take months. In fact, I’ve worked on prospects that have taken years to develop. (I recall that it took me three years to get in the door of a major cruise line. They later turned out to be our biggest client.) To deal with a long sales or prospecting cycle, salespeople must take a longer-term view and anticipate the steps required to close a big sale. Ask customers planning questions directly, such as “Tell me about your decision-making process.” “What steps are involved in this decision?” “How urgent is this?” and “What are your timeframes?” Customers appreciate your asking (they don’t want you hounding them every other day if their sales cycle is long), and it helps you plan and schedule your follow-up.

Pacing
Working a long-term sale is like dancing with a partner. You and your partner (customer) must be in step at all times. It can be really tempting, when a salesperson has a number to achieve or when a sales division isn't making budget, to move faster than your customer. Out of desperation, you push your customer faster than they’re ready to move. The result is that you look desperate and pushy – and you likely lose the sale. I suggest living by your Outlook calendar. I schedule every customer contact during a sales process, months in advance. If a prospective customer says, “We’ll be ready to talk on August 15th” and it’s only March, I’ll put a reminder on my calendar for August 15th. On that day, I call back the prospect and remind them that they asked me to call that day…and even recap our previous call. I’ve found that customers are very impressed – they feel confident that if they give you their business, you’ll be diligent in your follow-up and deliver as promised. (You’d be surprised how many salespeople don’t follow-up during a long sales cycle. If you’re the person who doesn’t give up and is reliable, you’ll stand out.)

Patience
This goes hand-in-hand with Pacing. I’ve found that the best salespeople have immense patience. This is a personal trait that really can’t be taught. If you’re an impatient person, you shouldn’t be selling to customers with long sales cycles. You’re probably better suited for quick, short-term sales (such as selling stereo systems to consumers or selling office supplies) which give you immediate gratification.

Protection
Salespeople by nature are optimists. They don’t like to think about the possibility that a sale won’t close right away. So often they put all of their eggs into one basket – that “big sale” that’s going to make the year a success. This “waiting game” can wreak havoc on a salesperson's paycheck. And if enough salespeople are overly optimistic in their projections, the entire sales organization's budget projections are thrown off.

Often, salespeople are derailed when sales don't close as quickly as anticipated. In our consulting business, we call this the “hurry up and wait” syndrome. Customers initially want your proposal “yesterday” – they can’t wait to get started on a project. The need is “urgent.” Yet once the proposal is submitted to the customer, it loses priority or gets stuck in their internal decision-making process. The “urgent” need suddenly loses urgency. If you’re a salesperson and were banking on getting those dollars in the next month or two, you’d better be prepared. As a salesperson, always ask yourself, “What if this sale doesn’t close in the expected time frames?” “What if this big sale falls apart?” Make sure that you always have other sales activity happening as you’re following up on the big potential sale. This is your insurance policy for your business. If the long-term sale doesn’t pan out, or takes longer than expected, will you be able to survive?

©2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved. www.TheLoyaltyGroup.com

Find the Fear (If You Want to Sell Your Idea or Gain Support)

I thought of this Blog topic after reading an article in last Wednesday's Wall Street Journal (Why Your Lizard Brain Makes You a Bad Investor - and How to Battle Back), in which writer Jonathan Clements discusses the psychology of financial investing. His article makes the point that humans instinctively (dating back to caveman days) have a strong aversion to loss. And this fear of loss tends to be much more powerful than the desire to gain.

He quotes economics Professor Robert Frank of Cornell University, who notes that "animals will fight viciously to protect territory that they hold, but they won't fight nearly as hard to extend their territory." Most humans have this same protective instinct, which is why we tend to be more motivated by fear than desire.

Why should business people care? Think about those times you tried to sell an idea, make a proposal or get someone's help and you got a "no." Chances are there is some fear behind the response. Think about the following examples:

- Your boss dumped a bucket of cold water on your last budget request. (He was worried that if his boss called him on the expenditure, he wouldn't be able to defend it, making him look bad.)

- Your process improvement idea was rejected by other departments, despite the fact that it would save the company thousands of dollars. (They like their current processes, they created them, and only they understand them. Now you want to take that all away.)

- You hit a brick wall when you asked someone from your IT Department to show you how to fix your own computer problem. (They felt threatened. If they show you how to fix your own problems, you won't need them.)

Granted, not every decision is fear-based. But you can have greater influence over others if you tune into their worries and fears.

Below are some pointers for getting more "yes" responses to your ideas and proposals by finding people's hidden fears - and alleviating them...

Before presenting your idea or proposal:

• Stay objective - No matter how good your idea is or how much time and money it will save, don't assume that just because you're excited about your idea, others will be.

• Play devil's advocate with yourself and someone else - Before presenting your idea, test it. List all of the possible arguments against it...and go beyond the obvious. For example, if you're asking for a raise, think beyond the actual dollars. Even if there is budget for your salary increase, your boss may be afraid that if he gives you the raise and word gets out, others will ask for more money as well. Check yourself by asking an objective third party - preferably someone who knows the person to whom you're presenting the idea - to play devil's advocate with you. That person will likely think of arguments against your idea that you've missed.

• Figure out how to "Tip the Value Scale" - Imagine that inside everyone's head is a little scale - the "Value Scale." Humans use this value scale to make decisions. The scale helps the brain weigh the benefits (gains) they'll receive from saying "yes" to a decision, versus the losses (fears) they'll face if they say "yes". Since the loss/fear side of the Value Scale can be a more powerful motivator than the benefit/gain side, your job as the proposal-presenter is to get inside the other person's head and tip that scale, so that the gain outweighs the fear. You've got to figure out, "What is it going to take to alleviate that person's fear of my proposal?" and "How do I tip the 'value scale', so that in the other person's head, the gains from my proposal outweigh the fears about it?"

• Think about other influencers or decision-makers - A note of caution. Make sure that you're presenting your proposal or idea to the right person. Ask yourself, "Is this person truly the decision maker, or will he/she have to check with others for approval?" If others are likely to influence or be involved with the decision, you must assess each person individually. Everyone has different concerns and fears. Make sure that you've thought through each person's value scale and prepare to address potential fears. For example, when you're asking the person in your IT Department to help you, think about who else might be impacted if he says "yes". Not only may the IT person be threatened by your desire to learn how to fix your own computer problem - but he may also need to ask his manager for an extension on a project deadline because he'll be spending more time with you (it would be quicker for him if he just fixed your problem and went back to his project). In other words, his manager's fear may be that the project work won't get done because the IT person is wasting time teaching you how to fix a problem. To get the IT person to help you, you may need to help him think about how to ask his boss for the project deadline extension.

When presenting your idea or proposal:

• Ask first - Don't start the conversation by launching into an explanation of your idea, or trying to sell the benefits. It's important to get the individual talking, so you can confirm whether your assessment of the person's fears and desires was accurate. For example, if you've anticipated that the IT person may resist your request to teach your team how to do basic troubleshooting, you might ask questions such as: "How much time have you spent fixing this problem over and over again for our department?" "What other projects are you working on, when you're not trouble-shooting for us?" "If you didn't have to fix these recurring problems, what could you be doing with your time?" "If our team were willing to invest the time on our end...how would you feel about teaching us some of the trouble-shooting basics - so you could focus on the more complex, business-critical work?" What's good about these questions is that they're addressing the person's potential underlying worry, that he won't be valued, in a non-threatening way. You're helping him see that by teaching your team some basic trouble-shooting, he'll actually increase his value to the organization by focusing on more complex, business-critical work.

• Don't be cagey - Most people can smell a manipulation job a mile away. It's ok to acknowledge the fact that you have an idea or proposal right up front. You might say, "I've been toying with an idea, but first I'd like to ask you a few questions to see if it's even viable." Then start asking your questions. If the person says, "Can't you just tell me your idea and I'll tell you if I like it or not?" it's all right to say, "I could, but I don't want to waste your time trying to sell you on an idea that won't work. If you give me a minute to ask a few questions, I can probably save both of us some time." Very few people will resist that approach, because most people fear having their time wasted, or having a bad idea pushed on them. In most people (because we're such a busy society), these fears will outweigh their desire to hear your idea quickly or skip the questions.

• Acknowledge and encourage challenges - No matter how much analysis you did in advance, you'll occasionally be caught off guard by a challenge you weren't prepared for as you present your idea. Welcome these challenges! In fact, thank the person for bringing up these issues. Once their concerns are on the table, you have the chance to address them. As long as concerns are unspoken, you'll be in the dark about why your ideas are being rejected.

• Tell a story with your proposal - One of the biggest mistakes people make when presenting ideas or proposals is forgetting to put them in context. In other words, forgetting to tell the story of why your idea's benefit (value) outweighs the cost (fear). If you've done your work in advance by assessing the other person's fears and desires, and asked questions to get the person talking about costs and benefits, you have what you need to tell a strong story. A story sounds something like this, when presenting your idea:

• "Here's the idea..."
• "Here's how it's going to address your needs and here's the assessment I've done."
• "I recognize that there are some issues, such as X and Y. Here's how we can address those issues."
• "What additional questions do you have - or what other information do you need?"

If there are no other questions, just ask for the approval to proceed. For example, ask

• "How should we move forward on this?" or just recommend a next step.

Keep in mind, it's not about using fear to manipulate others. Rather, it's about working to understand what people worry about (what keeps them up at night)...and figuring out ways to alleviate those worries with your ideas. In other words, you get what you want when you're a problem-solver (aka: fear-remover). The best part is, you're giving the other person what they want - making the problem/fear go away.

Are you a salesperson who wants to learn how to be a problem-solver by uncovering customers' concerns and needs? Click here for more information on TLG's Sales in Action programs.

©2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved. www.TheLoyaltyGroup.com

Cost of a Bad Sales Hire in Your Organization

What’s the impact of making a hasty hiring decision? Think about the cost of a bad sales hire in your organization by completing the table below. You will need to calculate costs using your best estimate. Consult with others in your organization for help as needed. For example, human resources may have numbers on costs for recruiting, hiring and training a new salesperson.

Assume that the ineffective salesperson remains in the territory for three months.

While the poor sales performer is in the job for three months:
1. Lost sales revenue in territory (Calculate what the territory should be producing versus what a poor performer actually produces.)	$
2. Value of manager time, dealing with poor performer’s issues.	$
3. Cost of recruiting and hiring the poor performer.	$
4. Cost of training and coaching the poor salesperson.	$
5. Cost of low morale on team, caused by poor hire (think about burnout, turnover, and negative attitudes).	$
6. Value of human resource’s time facilitating the termination.	$
7. Other	$
When the poor performer leaves the organization:
8. Revenue drops in other territories while salespeople are covering the open territory.	$
9. Time and dollars spent repairing damaged customer relationships or making good on promises made by the poor salesperson.	$
10. Dissatisfied customers who left for a competitor (lost accounts).	$
11. Other	$
Total estimated cost of a bad sales hire: ©2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved. www.TheLoyaltyGroup.com	$

Fill Your Funnel with Stronger Sales Candidates

Sales managers often ask salespeople what they have in the “sales prospecting funnel”. The funnel is a prospecting tool used to predict how much new business a salesperson will bring in over the next few months. The idea is that salespeople who “fill their funnels” with a high volume of quality sales leads typically end up with a high volume of viable prospects…which if pursued, turn into a high volume of new business.

The funnel concept also applies to recruiting and selecting sales candidates for open positions:

• The more sales talent your company consistently attracts;
• The bigger the pool of qualified applicants for each open sales position;
• The more strong candidates make it through the selection process;
• Yielding a better quality sales hire.

The recruitment and selection funnel works on a “garbage in – garbage out” principle.

If your sales recruitment process (filling the funnel) and your sales selection process (screening and filtering through candidates) aren’t in sync, you’ll be disappointed when it comes time to make the hiring decision. You may be stuck with no good options and have to repost the job...or you may hire a "warm body" out of desperation to fill the position.

Check out Issue 6 of our company's e-newsletter, thinktwice™ Today, for tips and advice on keeping your sales selection funnel full of top quality candidates - and ensuring that you're making the best hiring decisions.

©2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved. www.TheLoyaltyGroup.com