Rick Baker Thought Posts
Left Menu Space Holder

About the author

Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

E-mail me Send mail
Follow me LinkedIn Twitter

Search

Calendar

<<  November 2024  >>
MoTuWeThFrSaSu
28293031123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
2526272829301
2345678

View posts in large calendar

Recent Comments

Comment RSS

Sales Tweets #302

by Rick Baker
On Sep 13, 2011
Sales Tweet #302 The Boss says his sales guys have minds like concrete... sand, pebbles, and stones…all mixed up.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
When it comes to his opinion of the sales guys, it seems The Boss’ mind is permanently set. He doesn’t mean the sales guys are hard-headed…just block-headed. The Boss reinforces his point with a question - what can we be expected to construct with such building blocks?

Tags:

Ernest Seller | Thought Tweets

Permalink | Comments (0)

Sales Tweets #301

by Rick Baker
On Sep 12, 2011
Sales Tweet #301 Mr. Kaye, “Ernest, I’d tell you the joke about the unstamped letter but I know you wouldn’t get it”.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
So Ernest Seller responds, “Don’t bother…I will tell you a mailman joke…it goes like this: A mailman is bitten by a dog. He goes back to the post office. He tells his boss a dog bit his leg. His boss asks, “Did you put anything on it?” The mailman says, “No boss - I hurt too much to chase it!”

Tags:

Ernest Seller | Thought Tweets

Permalink | Comments (0)

Sales Tweets #300

by Rick Baker
On Sep 9, 2011
Sales Tweet #300 Mr. Kaye said Ernest Seller understands the basic facts; he just comes to the wrong confusions.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
You remember Ernest's #1 client, Mr. Kaye…and you remember Mr. Kaye tries to take advantage of our friend Ernest…here's another example...Mr. Kaye keeps a list of questions in his desk and springs them on Ernest when he thinks Ernest is about to ask for the order. Here's the sort of question he asks: "Now Ernest...My butcher is five foot ten. What does he weigh?"

Tags:

Ernest Seller | Thought Tweets

Permalink | Comments (0)

People lie…get over it!

by Rick Baker
On Sep 8, 2011
Many years ago the sales people at my company were discussing buyers’ objections. The salespeople, more or less en masse, were troubled by what they perceived to be unfair treatment. Most of the sales people felt buyers were tricking them by stating false objections. In plain words – the buyers were lying to them. The buyers were saying things like “Your pricing is too high” when in fact the pricing was not too high. This annoyed my salespeople.
 
In an effort to help, I wrote a little piece titled ‘The Facts of Lies’.
 
Here is an excerpt from that piece:
 
“…don't be overly judgmental about people because of their lies. Everybody ‘Lies’ all the time...so, it really isn't that big of a deal. It simply ‘is’ ...‘what it is’. And, our motive - our motive - is not windfall, win-lose money, or power, or fame...etc. We just want to provide some Value to energy/environment users...make the world or at least Ontario a little bit better place for future generations...and make a few bucks as is required in commercial business.”
 
 So, in summary:
  • everyone lies
  • lies are far more common than facts
  • we don't judge - we observe, we listen.”
Since I wrote that note, I have learned much more about people. I now have a much better understanding around why people lie. As I blend in my new knowledge and re-think the topic of ‘lies’ I see no need to change the thrust of my advice to salespeople.
 
And, I offer that advice to leaders – not just salespeople.
 
When you realize you are biased - when you realize your filters cause you to judge others more harshly than you judge yourself – that’s an important starting place.
 
Next - you can be comfortable looking beyond the vast majority of those things most folks describe as 'lies'. Imagine yourself in a place where you are immune to other people’s lies. I don’t mean you are unable to see or hear the lies…I mean you can breathe other people’s lies in and you do not feel ill in any way….you can let other people’s lies get into in your ears and you don’t feel dizzy in any way….and I mean you can watch other people as they lie to you and your eyes do not squint in any way.
 
Imagine you are immune to other people’s lies…other people’s lies are their issue. You can observe the lies coming at you from all directions in a variety of different forms and none of the lies phase you. 
 
You do not ‘take it personal’.
 
Imagine yourself in that place - that’s a good place to be.

Tags:

Beyond Business | Communication: Improving Communication

Permalink | Comments (13)

Sales Tweets #299

by Rick Baker
On Sep 8, 2011
Sales Tweet #299 "If a man makes himself a worm, he must not complain when trodden upon." Immanuel Kant
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Don Trodden and Ernest Seller are as different as night and day. Here is one example...Don Trodden likes philosophy...Immanuel Kant is his favourite philosopher.

Tags:

Ernest Seller | Thought Tweets

Permalink | Comments (0)

You want to make some changes at your business

by Rick Baker
On Sep 7, 2011
You want some changes.
 
You spend a lot of time thinking about and planning changes.
 
You think about and plan many types of changes: building new things, creating new products and services, changing your behaviour, changing other people’s behaviour, etc.
 
You come up with new ideas…new ideas you expect will bring about change for the better. When those ideas work and you create change for the better you feel good. When those ideas do not work and there is no change for the better you feel either bad or you have mixed feelings, some bad feelings mixed with some good.
 
To succeed as a leader you must cause other people to make changes. That’s a big part of your role as leader. Some would argue that’s close to 100% of your role as leader.
 
Successful leaders cause change for the better. Obviously, people’s behaviour is the fabric of change.
 
Leaders must cause people to change their behaviour in order to bring about change for the better.
 
Leaders do that directly or indirectly; they get it done one way or they get it done another way.
 
Leaders must get it done, because that’s the essence of their role.
 
Here’s a philosophy and shortcut to that end:
 
 
Remember that when you want to make some changes at your business.

Tags:

Change: Creating Positive Change | Habits: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things

Permalink | Comments (4)

Copyright © 2012. W.F.C (Rick) Baker. All Rights Reserved.