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by Rick Baker
On Nov 9, 2010
Sales Tweet #82 ""Well things usually change for the better."" John Wayne, ""The Duke"", said that in the movie 'Chisum’.
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Just about everyone admired and respected The Duke. The man was an icon and his legacy remains strong. Now, The Duke did not always prevail…in a few movies the bad guys got him before he got them. However - his courage, his confidence, and his conviction to do the right things never waivered. So, when The Duke says ""Well things usually change for the better"" we better listen to him and heed his words. A link to Changing for the Better.
by Rick Baker
On Nov 4, 2010
We have a few ways of thinking about those ringing phones, those buzzing emails, those stacks of incoming paper.
The first thought that crosses our mind can be: I am too busy.
Or, the first thought can be: Here come some New Things laced with Opportunities.
From time to time I remember the lesson taught in a sales management course, several years ago…when I was a young sales manager.
The lesson went like this:
- Sales Manager “A” receives 20 customer phone calls a day, cringes every time these customers call to complain about product problems, sales staff problems, delivery problems, etc. Sales Manager “A” can not wait to get home at the end of the day. Sales Manager “A” can barely manage to get out of bed in the morning and come into work.
- Sales manager “B” also receives 20 customer phone calls a day. Yet, Sales Manager “B” enjoys a dream job…loves to come into work, hates to leave, etc.
The instructor then asked,
“Why is Sales Manager “B” doing so much better than Sales Manager “A”?”
Totally stumped me…
How could that Sales Manager “B” possibly enjoy all those days on the phone dealing with all those complaining customers? [I knew I didn’t enjoy it.]
Perhaps:
- Sales Manager “B” had some innate problem-solving gift?
- Sales Manager “B” had some problem-solving tool like P=2S+O?
- Sales Manager “B” had some other trick up a sleeve?
“No”, explained our sales instructor, the customers of Sales Manager “B” were calling to compliment Company “B” on the amazing performance of its sales force.
I often think of this lesson when I see a stranger’s email address in my Email Inbox.
by Rick Baker
On Oct 27, 2010
Seth Godin wrote a book titled 'ALL MARKETERS Tell Stories, The Underground Classic That Explains How Marketing Really Works - and Why Authenticity Is the Best Marketing of All'. The title was 'ALL MARKETERS ARE LIARS' and the words 'ARE LIARS' are crossed out and replaced with two handwritten words, 'Tell Stories'.
Yes, the revised cover of the book is catchy...
- ALL MARKETERS ARE LIARS (in big capital letters) catches our attention. It appeals to the side of us that is inundated with poor marketing messages.
- The handwritten 'Tell Stories' softens the blow and
- The subtitle about 'Authenticity being the Best Marketing of All' takes us to a really nice place
I think the book cover alone confirms Godin is worth reading.
At the inside of the front cover flap, we see Seth Godin's three essential questions for every marketer:
- "What's your story?"
- "Will the people who need to hear this story believe it?"
- "Is it true?"
"All marketers tell stories. And if they do it right, we believe them."
"And believing it makes it true."
The cover flap then states:
"But beware: if your stories are inauthentic, you cross the line from fib to fraud. Marketers fail when they are selfish and scurrilous, when they abuse the tools of their trade and make the world worse."
This is a great example of advice that passes the Seek Simple test.
We should understand how experts such as Godin reach their conclusions and we should understand the real-life examples they provide to illustrate 'what works' and 'what doesn't work'.
That will allow us to make best use of the advice provided by experts.
That will allow us to train our people.
For example, we should train our marketers to ask Godin's three essential questions:
- "What's your story?"
- "Will the people who need to hear this story believe it?"
- "Is it true?"
by Rick Baker
On Oct 19, 2010
StrengthsFinder* presents Strengths as…
If I understand StrengthsFinder properly then our top 5 Talent Themes do not confirm Strengths, rather, they confirm Potential Strengths.
To create Strengths we need to:
- understand our Talent Themes,
- gain Knowledge related to the Strength we desire, and
- take planned action aimed at developing Skills that allow us to illustrate our Strengths.
I think StrengthsFinder is directionally correct. It is a tool that should not be used in isolation. It should be used in conjunction with other tools and guides.
For example, our ability to exhibit Strengths is influenced by many factors including:
- Interest…Are we interested in, or passionate about, the end-goal that is the motive driving our actions? A strong and well-grounded Interest increases the likelihood a Strength will be developed.
- Situation…does the situation allow us to act in accordance with our Strength? As Haidt and the Heaths* explained to us, situations can be designed to promote action aligned with Strengths.
- Self-Esteem…the higher the self-esteem, the better we feel about ourselves, the greater the likelihood our Strengths will be realized
- Confidence…if we perceive we can be effective at the task, in the given situation, then the greater the likelihood our Strengths will be realized
- Mood…we all have good days and bad days…our Strengths tend to shine during our good days
by Rick Baker
On Sep 14, 2010
According to experts most people suffer from Knowledge Overconfidence.
That is, most people think they are more knowledgeable than they really are.
As individuals we think we are smarter than we really are.
As members of groups we think we are smarter than we really are.
Put another way – in general, when it comes to knowledge most people have an inflated self-image.
One often-cited example of proof goes like this:
- Experts [psychologists etc.] pick a random group of people
- A problem is presented to the group of people and they are asked to come up with solutions
- The people are split into groups and the groups brainstorm to come up with as many viable solutions as possible
- The solutions from all the groups are compiled
- All the people get to see all the solutions and they select the best solutions
- Then the group of people are asked to assess how well it did creating viable solutions to the problem…for example, rating its solutions on a scale of 1-to-10
- Typically, the group of people scores its solutions high, say 8-out-of-10
In a separate process people who are considered to be experts in the problem area are asked to create solutions to the same problem.
Then the experts’ solutions are compared against the solutions created by the random group.
And, it is confirmed the experts’ solutions are much better than the solutions created by the random group. The experts have a broader range of solutions and the experts have better quality solutions.
These sorts of experiments are interpreted as proof people have knowledge overconfidence.
I don’t believe everything I read. However, when things I read catch my attention as this knowledge overconfidence concept did I find myself thinking…
So, I have been thinking about knowledge overconfidence.
How might knowledge overconfidence show up in day-to-day life?
To the extent people suffer from knowledge overconfidence, they probably tend to:
- Be intolerant toward other people’s ideas
- Listen poorly
- Stop seeking solutions too early
- Bulldoze over other people
- Have a win-lose attitude in competitive situations
- Under-estimate the value of expert advice
Now, I don’t think I suffer from any of these things. On the other hand, isn’t that exactly what we would expect a person with knowledge overconfidence to believe?
by Rick Baker
On Sep 8, 2010
Sales Tweet #38 Positive messages are twice as magnetic as negative messages. (Make the better choice)
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
We have tested positive and negative marketing messages. For example…"in these tough economic times" versus "to build for the future". We found positive messages were twice as successful as negative messages. We believe the same applies to verbal messages made during sales calls. Keep your communications on the positive side of centre. Don't badmouth your boss. Don't badmouth your products. Don't badmouth your service department. Don't badmouth your competition. Don't badmouth the economy. DON'T BADMOUTH ANYTHING!
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