Urgency - Even when urgency may not be present

Be urgent!:

Transitioning now to the final building block of my ELU Squared pyramid. Over the past five weeks, we have looked at five of The Six Characteristics of the Champion Sales Professional. We have focused on (above all else) energy management (as opposed to time management), we have an understanding of enthusiasm as it relates to top sales people, we went old school with likability, we love what we do and we know it well, and then last week we talked about being unique so that your clients and prospects always remember you. This final piece, urgency - even when urgency may not be present, is perhaps the least understood of the six characteristics.

I think I first learned about urgency from my good friend and the very talented Ricky May. Ricky has had an amazing career in the sports business, ranging from minor league baseball (Durham Bulls) to college athletics (University of Louisville) to auto racing (Valvoline Oil and NASCAR). When I was first starting my career in sales, Ricky and I would speak by phone almost every day and the first words out of his mouth would always be: "Did you sell anything today?" It is really a pretty good question to ask yourself everyday if you have a sales job. It gets right to the heart of the matter, doesn't it?

If you read these short essays on a regular basis, and if your career is sales (or marketing) let me ask you a question and I will pick it back up tomorrow. What does it mean to apply urgency, even when urgency may not be present?

Guy Kawasaki - Enchantment and Likability

How to be more enchanting:

There's a great on-line book study going on over on The High Calling. The goods folks there are studying Guy Kawasaki's new book, Enchantment - The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions. It starts with this 12-minute video interview of Guy, by Cheryl Smith titled: On Enchantment, persuasion, work and faith. Worth watching, and especially love Guy's perspective on faith and the work place. There was a Twitter Party, that included Guy that I missed and I am sorry, as that would have been a totally new experience for me.

And today, the discussion of Chapters One and Two on the topic of 'Likability' can be found at this post from Laura Boggess: Achieving Likability: Crow's Feet and the Perfect Handshake. It is a funny and well-done essay and I love this line from Guy:

“Enchantment is like fitness. Everyone can be more (or less). It’s a process, not an event.”

Be sure to check out the list on how to be more likable and the link to the perfect handshake. I hope to buy the book and join the discussion. Join me if you can.

churnOn Top Ten: Action oriented, unique ways to close an email

This week we have focused on how being 'unique' is a key characteristic of a champion sales person. One way to be unique is to have communication skills that are, as Yogi Bear would say, "Smarter than the average bear." This means strong in written and verbal communication. For example, I have always thought that a great salesman has a unique voice mail message – something upbeat and action oriented. Something that leaves people feeling good and positive.

I have also always enjoyed trying to find unique ways to make my email communication effective and action oriented. For example, how do you close an email? Do you have closings that go beyond the typical 'Best regards,' or 'Sincerely yours,'. Here is my churnOn Top Ten, action oriented, unique ways to close an email:

10. Until then,
9. With anticipation,
8. Talk soon,
7. Stay the course,
6. Stay tuned,
5. Press on, or Pressing on,
4. All good things,
3. Good stuff,
2. Over to you,
1. Let's make it happen,

What are your favorite ways to close an email? Next week we will transition to the final characteristic, and I think perhaps the least understood of all: Urgency – Learn to apply urgency, even when it may not be present.

"Great sales people are competitive and emotional; it is what makes them great"

Give me leaders, not bosses:

Today was going to be a churnOn Top Ten: Unique Ways to Close an Email, but I have decided to save that for tomorrow, in favor of this excellent essay from Matt Sharrers, Principal at Sales Benchmark Index. My friend Greg Petersen recently introduced me to Greg Alexander, the founder of SBI, and I have enjoyed following their work in the field of sales force effectiveness.

This essay speaks directly to what I have been formulating relative to 'A' players in my series, The Six Key Characteristics of the Champion Sales Professional. All of the top performers I have ever known, including myself, are highly competitive and highly emotional. Give me a leader who understands the importance of these two traits (emotional management tactics), over a boss who only focuses on the numbers (logical management tactics) any day of the week.

Are you working in an environment that celebrates leaders or bosses?

How am I unique and extraordinary

Yesterday, we began exploring how champion sales people are unique and extraordinary. Since I am writing this series, one would assume that I consider myself a champion sales person. I think my track record of entrepreneurial sales successes speaks for itself. So I started thinking about how I am unique and extraordinary. Here are a few ways that I separate myself from the pack. Some of these attributes have been developed over time, while others were more innate.

I walk fast. ("That guy walks with purpose and is going places in his life.") I have a beautiful bald head, developed over time. I smile a lot. I make people feel good. I write action oriented follow-up emails and personal notes. I have very good phone mannerisms. I hate to lose. I manage my energy exceptionally well. I am enthusiastic. I have high empathy. I understand the final key of the champion sales person: how to apply urgency, even when urgency may not be present. (Urgency is next weeks topic, and one that most sales people do not understand.)

I also do some things that are not well-liked in certain situations. I despise long meetings. I get bored with trivial conversations. I walk fast. ("That guy is always in a hurry and doesn't slow down to listen to what I have to say.") I would rather 'do' than 'talk about doing'. I have a ready-aim-fire mentality. These things may not make me the most popular guy around the water cooler, but they are typically the traits of a top grade sales person. 

Tomorrow, is a churnOn Top Ten:  Unique Ways to Close an Email.

ELU Squared: Be unique and extraordinary

ELU to the power of two:

Every top producing sales person I have ever encountered fits into the category of being both 'unique' and 'extraordinary'. I read recently that top sales people might be some of the most insecure people in the world, ranking just behind aspiring actors. When you never know where the next sale is coming from and when the entire organization is depending on the sales team to deliver results, it is easy to feel insecure. Not to mention, the willingness to stake your earning potential on your ability to close sales. In some ways, a sales person needs to be like a good actor or actress, able to 'turn on' energy, kindness, charm, and persuasiveness throughout the sales process.

This week we will explore ways in which top producers are unique and extraordinary. Some of these characteristics may be viewed as less than flattering by others within the organization. For example, top sales people know that in order to perform at a high level, they need to be either on the phone selling or in the field selling. I do not know any top sales people who enjoy internal meetings or long drawn out internal conversations. While this can be seen as impatience or lack-of-respect, it is really competitiveness and a burning desire to be out selling. It also should be noted that more often than not, the top sales person is not necessarily the master of the CRM system. Selling is more a right brain skill, then a left brain skill. Perfection with the CRM system is in direct contrast to 'what can I do to close the next sale?'

If you are in sales, ask yourself if you are unique and extraordinary (i.e. not ordinary)? What defines you as a sales person? Are you always churning on the inside, worried about where the next big one is coming from? Are you quirky in any way? Competitive? If you answered 'no' to the yes/no questions in this list, then you might want to rethink your line of work!

Commentary from Strategic Positioning

Strategic Positioning:

Before we move on to the U's – be unique (and extra-ordinary) and apply urgency (even when urgency may not be present), I received some thoughtful commentary regarding Friday's essay on finding your dream job, from my friend Jim Blanchard of Strategic Positioning. Jim suggested I look at my 'Birkman Profile' in relation to the following paragraph from the post. (The Birkman Profile is an industry-leading personality assessment that facilitates team building, executive coaching, leadership development, career and talent management and interpersonal conflict resolution.) Jim's comments bracketed in bold:

Do stuff you love to do (emotionally vested, passionate) [Your interests are what makes you happy], stuff you are good at (talents, focus, drive, energy) [Your usual and most productive behavior], and stuff that someone will pay you to do (what the world needs.) [Find the environment  that satisfies your own needs, because you cannot be fully productive unless you are in a place that meets your inner needs and nourishes you.]

This all points to the importance of knowing yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are your behavioral tendencies in certain situations? The Birkman Profile is a great way to help you understand these things. There are other similar (but different) tests, such as the popular Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) or DISC, a quadrant behavioral model that evaluates peoples' traits within their environment or within a specific situation. MBTI and DISC are inexpensive and can be found on-line, however I think it is important to discuss your results with an expert and to hold yourself accountable to improving in specific areas. I can personally recommend Jim's work at Strategic Positioning (Austin, TX) or the talented folks at The Flippen Group in College Station, TX.

On a lighter note, as we churnOn into May, the always clever sign in front of Cedar Creek Elementary says:

"Don't be a pessimist, it won't work."