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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Motivation, Self-Confidence...Entrepreneurship & Sales

by Rick Baker
On May 16, 2013

Some people are convinced their motivation is not their responsibility. They rely on others for motivation and they blame others when motivation isn't happening. In their world, self-motivation does not exist. For people with this view, company enjoys misery. Like-minded, these people naturally congeal around the lowest-common denominator. Low or even zero motivation becomes the benchmark and hue and cry [for example, around the water cooler].

And, within the group, there can be a lot of crying and other forms of complaining.

These people tend to approach everything with a What's-In-It-For-Me? attitude. Or, they consider themselves victims.

At best, these people spread out the breeding ground for the mind-virus called mediocrity....a 'mob' mentality.

Each and every person who chooses not to join this 'mob' feels a personal responsibility for the task of self-motivation.

Often, these self-motivated people railroad over the people in the 'mob'…and, often, the 'mob' responds by providing the things desired by the dominant person in command.

Most of these not-in-the-'mob' people could not care less why the 'mob' refuse to self-motivate. Dominant people who are not in the 'mob' simply dominate and the people in the 'mob', to a large degree and with consistency, do what they are told or forced to do.

Some of these not-in-the-'mob' people think about how people in the 'mob' might be converted into self-motivators.

They wonder:

  • Perhaps, the answer lies in big sticks and loud screams? 
  • Perhaps, the answer lies in nurturing arms and soothing tones? 
  • Perhaps, there is no answer and we must accept that resistance is futile, a necessity under the human condition? 

[I think, yes, for certain people we must accept it.]

Needless to say, if you buy into anything I am saying, you will quickly understand why many business problems exist around self-motivation. For business-work the real problem is, the people in the ‘mob’ lack the self-motivation and the self-discipline to have the required level of work-drive to do well in the entrepreneurial or the sales environment.

The people in the 'mob' may be able to survive in different-than-entrepreneurial environments but even that is getting tougher and tougher to do under globalization [if that exists] or global commoditization [which I know exists]. Certainly, these days, a complete career in a blue chip organization is not anticipated to be a most-likely outcome for very many people, especially the people in the 'mob'. In fact, the people in the 'mob' have no job security.

A Key Point: Virtually 100% of the time, low self-motivation, low self-discipline, and low work-drive have a single root cause. That root cause is low self-confidence.

Entrepreneuring ain’t easy.

Sales ain’t easy.

And, the 'mob' attitude is business-weak. So, the people in the 'mob' really suffer in entrepreneurial and sales environments. They suffer because they accept this defeat or that defeat, without accepting this responsibility or that responsibility or learning this lesson or that lesson. The people in the 'mob' make this excuse or that excuse.

They choose to accept failure after failure while rejecting any we-can-win thinking.

The 'mob' recognizes some struggling happens prior to achievement. And the 'mob' understands winning requires directed effort.

Some struggling & directed effort…well, that's a whole bunch of work, isn't it?

Tags:

Attitude: Creating Positive Attitude | Entrepreneur Thinking | Sales

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Thought Tweet #716

by Rick Baker
On Apr 15, 2013

Thought Tweet #716 The “Sales Choice”: (1) we can ignore ourselves and satisfy others or (2) we can care for ourselves and satisfy others.


The Thinking Behind The Tweet

If you make the choice - Option 1 - then get out of Sales because you will never succeed.

That narrows down the options available to a person who truly wants to succeed in a Sales role.

There is only One Option: To succeed in Sales roles, we must care for ourselves and satisfy others.

Tags:

Sales | Thought Tweets

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Thought Tweet #695

by Rick Baker
On Mar 15, 2013

Thought Tweet #695 I'd rather tweet than taste defeat. [Whatever you think, please don't blame #DanPink.]

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Just finished Dan Pink's new book, 'To Sell is Human', (2013).

In the book, Dan talked about the importance of rhyme in marketing...psychologists have proven people deem messages that rhyme to be more believable than messages that do not rhyme. Also, Dan talked about using social media, including Twitter. So, I am working on some rhyme-marketing messages.

Of course I agree To Sell Is Human!...I believe in Marketing!... and I sure want to keep up with Social Media!

So I decided to kill all the birds with one stone and start my marketing-rhyme adventure with 'rhyming tweets about tweets'.

Hence...I'd rather tweet than taste defeat.

And...

I'd rather tweet than feel the heat.

I'd rather tweet than be less sweet.

I'd rather tweet than forecast sleet.

I'd rather tweet than lose my seat.

I'd rather tweet than scratch my seat.

I'd rather tweet than pound the beat.

I'd rather tweet than walk the street.

I'd rather tweet than stub my feet.

I'd rather tweet than sand my feet.

I'd rather tweet than smell your feet.

I think I am getting the hang of this Dan...to sell is human...to rhyme is devine...

I'd rather tweet than cook snake meat.

I'd rather tweet than press a pleat.

I'd rather tweet than shovel peat.

I'd rather tweet than walk in sleet.

I'd rather tweet than iron a sheet.

I'd rather tweet than sink a fleet.

I'd rather tweet than bah or bleat.

I'd rather tweet than watch cows eat.

I'd rather tweet than stroke from heat.

I'd rather tweet than rub your feet.

Definitely feeling good about this new-age social marketing!

I'd rather tweet than give up wheat.

I'd rather tweet than chew a beet.

I'd rather tweet than be discrete.

I'd rather tweet than eat raw meat.

I'd rather tweet than press Delete...

[Oops]

Tags:

Communication: Improving Communication | Humour | Marketing | Sales | Thought Tweets

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A new-and-improved picture of Leadership Priorities

by Rick Baker
On Feb 21, 2013

Here is a new-and-improved picture of leadership priorities..

                           

This picture shows the way leadership priorities need to be adapted.

This is the Strategic Picture. There is a hierarchy…

Strategic Thinking is the elite business function. Action without strategy will deliver, at best, short-lived success. In our commoditized world the pace of change is hyper-quick and every product and service gets copied as prices drop with competition.

Now - Leaders need step out of the rat-race and free up time for strategic thinking.

Leaders need to adapt by...

Creativity is key to differentiation. And differentiation is the key to attracting clients and growing volume and gross margin. Some folks have lots of creativity. Everyone can learn it. Leaders must lead by example or step aside and allow others to lead the creative process.

Creative processes are the way to Insight. And, Insights plus Relationships are the foundation for Influencing and expanding sales.

Here's a picture that captures that last point...

  

The Delicate Balance Required To Meet & Serve Client Needs

 

 

 

…and, prior to doing that, a tool to help you

 

Tags:

Business Plan: Writing Plans | Change: Creating Positive Change | Marketing | Sales

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How to Compete & Succeed

by Rick Baker
On Feb 20, 2013

Some time ago I took a Marketing course and learned about the Price-Quality-Service Triangle [PQS Triangle].

  

In summary, we were taught a company could provide one or two of these 3 things, but not all three.

What's your business capable of doing?

  • Providing lowest Price?
  • Providing highest Quality?
  • Providing best Service?

We linked the PQS Triangle to Differential Advantage by creating "PQS + DA"...a simple tool to help people hone in on the differences [their clients would perceive] and the advantages [their clients would receive]. That lead to the following 1-Page Tool:

 

              

 

It became clear that few companies can offer the lowest price and survive. So, we "x-ed out" Price as an option...helping our clients focus on Service & Quality...the only 2 options for delivering value to their clients.

Now, we have made another update. We have flipped the PQS Triangle upside-down and precariously balanced it on 2 foundation pieces: Insight and Relationships. 

 

 

This picture summarizes the business-development advice we provide to clients:

  • Do not compete on Price...for 99% of business a lowest price strategy is a recipe for disaster...find other ways to provide value in the form of Service or Quality or both
  • Identify the specific Differences your clients will recognize in your Services or Quality or both
  • Identify the specific Advantages your clients will receive from your Services or Quality or both
  • Build Relationships with your clients, multi-level if the client makes purchasing decisions by consensus
  • Create and deliver Insights of value to your clients

 

 

Tags:

Marketing | Questions?: The Art of Asking Good Questions | Sales

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Is your gross margin growing?

by Rick Baker
On Feb 15, 2013

Is your gross margin growing?

I'm assuming you have a concrete definition of gross margin, you measure performance against a gross margin target/goal, and your gross margin contributes to growth of cash-flow.

Is your gross margin growing?

If not, Why not?

You may sum up your answer in 2 words - "competitive pressures", which typically involve price competition. Your competition is offering lower prices and you feel pressure to do something to react to the competitive pressure.

When your prices are under competitive pressure you often react 2 ways:

  1. You drop your price "to meet the competition" and 
  2. You hold your price and lose the client to the competitor who offered the lower price. 

When you drop your price in response to competitive price pressures and you keep the client, one of 4 situations exist:

  1.  You are still able to meet your gross margin target...and your cash-flow is not impaired

  2. You make a positive gross margin but it fall shorts of meeting your gross margin target...and your cash-flow falls short of expectations
  3. You make a negative gross margin...and your cash-flow is reduced
  4. You are not sure about your gross margin because you do not measure it...and you are equally unsure about your cash-flow.

When you hold your price and lose the client: sometimes they depart quickly, they slip away without fanfare; sometimes they leave following an agonizing energy-eating sales process. Either way, the client is gone. The gross margin you forecast is gone. And, the cash-flow you forecast is gone.

In all of the above scenarios your gross margin is not growing.

If the above scenarios are what you are experiencing on a day-to-day basis then your gross margin is not growing. 

And that's not where you want your business to be.

You want to make some adjustments so:

  • you have an accurate understanding of your gross margin
  • you know how exposed your gross margin is to price competition, the less exposed the better
  • you have strategies for growing gross margin
  • you communicate those strategies to your people, especially your sales people

Gross margin is intimately linked to Value proposition...Value as seen by your clients, that is.



Tags:

Leaders' Thoughts | Marketing | Questions?: The Art of Asking Good Questions | Sales

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