Without Execution, Knowledge is Worthless

Posted on December 3, 2013 by momsmorningoff

When it comes to people writing about business, so much of what is written is communicated by one person to the masses with a, “I know how this should be done, let me teach you.” perspective. What I have found is that there are very few people who actually have any real insight based in both experience and fact. There seems to be way too much of the following:

5 Ways to Influence People

7 Habits To Success

3 Key Profit Secrets

The idea is simple, give people just a little something they can grab onto to make their business journey go a little smoother. These concepts are also steeped in idealism. The nature of these types of writings (which I have also been guilty of doing) paint a very simple picture…if you do these things, this outcome is most likely going to take place. I think it merits peaking behind the wizards curtain when it comes to this kind of teaching. The fact is that these key points are very appealing to the majority of people because they are simple and straight forward. Much like going through the In-n-out drive through, the menu is straight forward and, while the methods may seem simple, the outcomes seem desirable. These books continue to hit the market because people continue to buy them. We want quick and easy success secrets.

I can’t imagine that a book with the following title would be all that successful: The Top 1025 Things You Must Do To Be Successful. Why? Because we already feel overwhelmed with our daily lives and adding a mountain of things we can fail at is not an overly desirable journey for most of us. Recently my son, who is 6, has tried rock climbing. At this point, all he knows is keep climbing until you ring the bell. He loves the simple journey. Now, as I see him struggling I begin to teach him about grip, foot position, balance, speed, finding the big holds, so many different elements that come into play while climbing. The fact is that the climb is the same, the desired outcome is the same, but the trip becomes far less fun because he is worried now, not only that he won’t make it to the top, but also that he is putting his hands in the wrong spot. He worried that hips aren’t against the wall. In other words, I have given him many things to fail at.

Business is no different. There are millions of different factors that come into play in creating a successful organization. You have people to develop, you have P&L’s to study, discipline that needs to happen, organizational skills to increase efficiency, a positive customer experience, bills to pay. There are so many moving parts to every organization, and as a leader, we are responsible to each of those elements. I can guarantee you that all of the skills needed to be successful in business are not contained in the 7 Disciplines Every Leader Must Have.

Remember that every journey worth taking is going to be an adventure. Filled with thousands of challenges that no business book will teach you. You could read every book ever written on how to discipline an employee, but I can guarantee you this one thing, the first time you sit down to write up a good employee, you will find yourself sweating and questioning yourself. That is because we are all human and there is no substitute for experience. I can hang pictures of climbing routes on the wall, talk my son through every situation, and show him how I have climbed the same route. But at the end of the day, experience is all that matters. So, read all you can, but then look for opportunities to put that knowledge into practice. Without execution, knowledge is worthless.

Enjoy the journey!

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Three Elements to an Effective Presentation

Posted on November 14, 2013 by momsmorningoff

I have spent the past several days traveling and presenting sales programs to a large group of customers in Northern California.  Along with myself, I have been traveling with two other presenters.  As I have observed these presenters, I have realized that, while there are many elements to an effective presentation, there are three that stood out to me this week.

1.  Know your audience.  I have learned that if I hold four presentations in different parts of the same state, each audience will have their own set of challenges they are trying to face.  It is vitally important to spend some time stepping back from the content being presented and to understand who that content is being received by.  What is the economy like in their area?  What is the demographics (Hispanic, women, young, old)?  Are those people tech savvy?  Sometimes we make assumptions about who we are presenting to rather than base our perception in reality.  Spend some time talking with people from the area.  Perhaps read a local paper.  Find out what companies are based in the area.  The internet is a wealth of information and 10 minutes can bring a lot of context to the presentation.

2.  Know your message.  This goes without saying, but I have seen many people be asked a question regarding their presentation, only to have to come back with a “I don’t know…let me find out.”  While this is the proper answer if you truly don’t know, what is more important is to make sure that this answer is never needed.

3.  Ask for a commitment.  Most presentations are given for a purpose.  To sell a product, to commit to additional training, to get referrals.  Whatever the purpose, there is nothing more frustration than watching a presenter give a great presentation only to walk away without closing the sale.  The last presentation I observed went well right up to the end.  The customer actually had to look at the presenter and ask him to close the sale!  He was ready to commit, but our presenter seemed to hesitate for whatever reason.

So, as you prepare for your next presentation…take some time.  Take time to figure out exactly who will be listening to your message.  Take time to figure out what you are going to say and how you are going to say it.  Know your content forward and backward and make sure that you actually believe that what you are presenting on has value to those listening.  An finally, make sure that before you shut down your presentation, you have  a plan to ask for a commitment from your listener.  Assume that what you have is of value, whether that is a product, training, or anything else…then ask your listener to join with you.

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Find What Drives You

Posted on November 12, 2013 by momsmorningoff

 There are many things in life that motivate us. Perhaps the most illusive of these motivators is passion. There seems to be a difficulty in translating our passions in life to our passions at work. We often find ourselves working for pay, working for success, working to achieve something that we think we care about, only to find it empty.

While doing these things there is often some other passion we have in life, be it writing, acting, reading, running, whatever. Many people will tell you to find what you are passionate about and then figure out how to get paid for it. Here is a fact, right now jobs are somewhat hard to come by, so I am going to counter the popular idealistic viewpoint and take a more realistic stance. Sometimes we just need a job.

The trick: find ways to make elements of that job fall in line with your passion. For example, if acting is what you enjoy…volunteer to give presentations and put some flair behind it. If you enjoy running, volunteer to put together a local race event for some employees that share your passion. In other words, use that “think outside the box” business savvy to bring passion to your work rather than focusing so much on making our passion our work.

This idea of being passionate about something seems to ring true with many people.  I have found that right now people’s first priority is to find work that pays the bills, second is to find work that fulfills them.  After the bills seem to be under control, that is when people branch out and look for something more fulfilling.  Perhaps more of us can avoid the job jump by finding ways to incorporate our passions and to intermingle them with our daily jobs.

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Look who’s watching

Posted on June 16, 2013 by momsmorningoff

We have all heard the saying that, It’s not what you say, it’s what you do.”  I was reflecting on this topic during father’s day as I thought about leadership as it relates to being a dad.  I see many connections between being a dad and being a business leader:

1.  Kids look to their parents for guidance and direction without knowing that is what they are doing.  Kids don’t know to ask questions about how to make good decisions, they don’t know to ask how to handle money, they don’t know to ask how to balance their time.  Rather, kids pick things up from those that they are around and they incorporate those things into their everyday life.  Most employees don’t actively seek out new skills, but yet they are picking up skills every day from those around them…both positive and negative.

2.  Kids desire attention.  Attention leads to a feeling of value.  A feeling of value leads to a desire to please.  As I write this, I am sitting in a Panera Bread beside a father and his two children.  What a perfect opportunity he has to interact with his kids, to SHOW them that they are a primary focus of his day.  Instead, he has spent the majority of his time looking at and talking on his phone.  Those kids are in the in physical presence of a leader who has chosen not to lead. As a business leader, there are opportunities daily to show those around you that they are a priority to you.  Put down the phone, lean forward toward those on the other side of your desk, take notes and follow up.

3.   Recently I’ve been hearing some parenting “experts” talk about the difference between quality time vs. quantity of time.  Since I am by no means a parenting expert, I guess I should heed their advice.  The current advice that seems to be floating around is that kids need more time (quantity) rather than just small shots of quality time.  whereas the common argument of many people is, “Well I do spend a lot of time working, but when I do spend time with my kids, it may not be much, but it is really good.”  I have learned that good leaders to just invest in their people in short spurts, rather they are constantly engaging those that they lead.  They ask them into their office just to be a part of a discussion that may help them later in their career.  They embrace every teachable moment and use it to develop their people.

I don’t want to paint the picture for a moment that employee’s are like children; I do believe that many of the ways that we learned while we were children, we never really grow out of.  Kids want and need direction and time from their parents.  People want and need direction and time from their leaders.

I don’t pretend to believe that I have anything more to offer than the thousands of leadership books and publications out there.  There really are very few new ideas, most ideas just get repackaged in a new way.  I would rather have you read a few of my thoughts, and then reflect on them yourself…see how they apply to your life.  I will leave you with a few questions that, hopefully, will help more your own thoughts forward:

1.  When was the last time you just spend an hour or two living life with someone you influence at work?  Have you taken them to lunch and asked them a few questions about their goals and vision?

2.  Do you have leadership goals?  Things that you would like to impart to your team?  Have you created a plan to achieve those goals?

3.  Make a list of 5 people you influence.  Now make a list of 3 things you would like to teach each of them.  Perhaps you list will include: time management, organization, accuracy, customer service skills, etc.  Now set a time to meet with each in a no stress situation to talk.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

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Professional Capital

Posted on May 25, 2013 by momsmorningoff

I recently read a blog talking about how we spend our money is a reflection of who we are.  As I was reading that, I had the following thought, “In our lives, we spend far more than money…including time, passion, talents, relationships.”  When I think about these things, I refer to them as “Personal Assets”.  The question I now have to ask myself is not, how am I spending my money, but rather, how am I spending my capital.

Let’s say I am trying to make a key sale to client.  There are several assets that come into play in this sale:

1. Relational Assets – Do I have a friendship with the customer?  What do I know about him/her personally?  Have I earned some good will by having great customer service in the past?

2. Time Assets – I only have so much time in the day, is the sale worth the amount of time that is going to be spent to make the sale?  Could my time be better used elsewhere?  How much preparation needs to be done, and is that prep time worth the personal sacrifices that need to be made?

3. Money – How much is the sale going to cost me or my company financially?  Are we going to have to discount to be competitive? More importantly, will not making the sale this time create less of an opportunity to make a sale in the future?

There is a cost to everything that we do in business.  The sum of those costs is the total Capital needed to achieve that goal.  Using 20 hours of time,  missing your son’s t-ball game, and spending $10,000 is a bad use of capital to achieve a $200 sale.  On the other hand, investing the time might be worth it to make the sale if it will great a relationship that will last for a long time with many reoccurring purchases.

Hold you Capital closely, it is finite and when it is gone, you can’t get it back.

Perhaps the most valuable asset you have it your Integrity!

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Employee Appreciation

Posted on May 22, 2013 by momsmorningoff

Most organizations set goals; they are often yearly, monthly and sometimes even daily goals.  These organizational goals often can not be achieved without the help of everyone on the team.  When those goals are achieved, it is a good idea to celebrate those achievements, even if that celebration is on a small scale.  Take for example monthly sales goals.  They can not be achieved without successful shipping, good order taking, and strong customer service.  After a goal achieving month, it is important to take a moment to step forward and tell the team what they accomplished.

As the leader, it is important to take the leadership role in this recognition.  Calling out top achievers and mentioning that the success is a sum of many parts.  One way to set aside some time for recognition is by supplying a meal for the team, and taking part of that meal time to recognize the achievement.

What is the purpose of bringing in lunch?  To show good will?  To gain a captive audience?  Yes.  It is also important to step back and look at the celebration from the eyes of the rest of the team.  The team sees that they are valued.  That their roll, whether that is shipping UPS or stocking the warehouse, plays a key roll in the success of the organization.

Another key part?  Seeing their leaders actively involved.  Bringing in pizza’s and some sub-sandwiches is great…but what if, instead of having the meal catered, the leader puts on the apron and flips the burgers for the employees?  Spends the time and effort to shop for the ketchup and relish.  What does that communicate?  That communicates, “Thank you for all you do to make us successful,  I would like to do just a little something to show that you truly are valued.”

A true leader knows when to lead the ship from the top down, but there are times that leadership is also about working hand in hand with the troops.

Lead By Example

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When the going gets tough

Posted on December 2, 2012 by momsmorningoff

The end of the year always brings a unique set of challenges in sales.  The focus tends to shift from making the last couple monthly goals, and rather all attention gets focused on making the year end sales commitment.  Some years are exceptional, while others require a significant amount of effort to finish well.

Make no mistake, corporate america operates in book ends, January 1st through December 31st.  At the end of the day on the 31st there are no second chances or do overs.  The books get closed and whatever is…is.  One would think that the Holidays offer a nice retreat from work, but I tell you the truth, December is perhaps the most brutal month of the year.  The month that vacations are tempting but difficult to take as we try to hit our year end commitments.

The great part about his way of managing is that there is a clearly defined end point.  December 31st at 11:59.  Knowing this allows us as managers to set our expectations and goals.  We can inspire and lead knowing where we need to be and when we need to be there.  I always take some time in the beginning of December to assess the overall situation.  I build spreadsheets and set very specific goals on what needs to be achieved and when.

Be intentional and remember that, in business, it isn’t about how you start…it’s all about the finish.  I challenge everyone to…

Finish Well

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Customer Experience

Posted on October 25, 2012 by momsmorningoff

I found myself thinking this evening about how my customers would answer the following questions, “What do you feel you took away from your time with my products and people?”  Was the experience enjoyable?  Was it something that seemed shallow and forced?  Was it productive?

The answer to these questions helps me to frame up how I encourage my employees to interact with our customers.  Simply having a customer say that the experience was good is not enough for me.  Fact is that most businesses, if they are to remain for the long term, are going to offer a “good” experience.  More importantly, is that experience going to offer a lasting memory that they will share with another.

Here is a practical example: Let’s say a long term customer calls me with an issue with regards to a change in my product offering.  The price has gone up a bit and there are a few products that we no longer offer.  How can I respond?  I can lower my price a bit, apologize for the inconvenience and offer something to replace it.  The customer will feel as though their concerns were addressed until the next issue comes up.

Now, lets say I’m in the same situation.  Knowing my customer’s and how they will react this this kind of situation, I make a personal phone call in advance of the change.  Then, once the change has been made I send 2 samples to the customer, assuming they will try one personally, and then give one to someone else to try.  Next I call, not for an order, but to address any concerns the customer might have.  Finally I mark in my calendar for a follow up call a few months down the road just to see how things are going.

In business we wind up with 100 things happening all at the same time.  It isn’t necessary to be proactive with each an every customer as that wouldn’t be an option, but understanding which customers are going to be most affected by change will allow you to build a plan to address any potential issues before they even flair up.  It is easier to poor water on dry grass before the fire starts than to even try to put out a small fire.

Customer’s remember those people who care enough about them as a customer to spend a little time and effort showing them they are appreciated.

So what’s the point?  Be Proactive

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Sales is a function of Preparation

Posted on October 11, 2012 by momsmorningoff

I was having lunch today with a regional manager who was asking me some questions about how we can increase the effectiveness of our people’s sales calls.  I started to think through the process we follow when going in to present a product or program.  Here is how I feel they often go:

1) “Hi, how was your weekend?  Anything exciting happen?

2) “I have this great program and incentive you might want to think about taking advantage of.”

3) “Sounds good, go ahead and think about it and I will (but often don’t) follow up with you.”

To me, this is an extremely ineffective way to make a sales call.  To often the call takes end up being the beginning of the selling cycle, rather than the taking of an order.  I feel the call should go more like this:

1)  “Hi, how was your weekend?  Anything exciting happen at your son’s baseball game?”

2)  “I know you have been using a lot of xyz over the past few months as I can see your volume is really picking up.  We have a promotion that just started in this line that complements what you have already been doing and I think that based upon your ussage on those other parts, you could really use these 10 parts.”

3)  “Do you think those are something you can use?  Would you like me to get them coming?”

If we are going to go through the time and effort to go visit or even to call a customer, we should at least be prepared with the reason we are calling how our pre-work has indicated that what we are offering is of benefit to that customer.  Use your sales calls to close the sale…

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Stand behind your people

Posted on October 9, 2012 by momsmorningoff

I had a meeting yesterday in which one of my employee’s presented an issue to another employee.  It was my job to help bring together the two sides onto common ground.  After looking at the facts, I had to stand behind one employee over the other and take a hard line in support.  Later that employee approached me to thank me for standing along side of her.  Sometimes it is necessary to choose sides.

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