JustSell.com offers a list of words to avoid in your qualifying activities (both written and spoken). This is a pet peeve of mine so I was elated to see such a comprehensive list. A few of my favorites, or should I say least favorite? a lot better cheap close early expensive in a minute / second / while occasionally probably soon sort of very I would add “really” to the list. Ok, why is this important? I’ll let the JustSell guys explain: Asked, “When can you have that for me?” in a business setting, a specific date and time is your best answer. Anyone in a leadership role will tell… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Video Game Generation
These definitions are from Selling Power’s Talkin’ about Different Generations: The Silent Generation Consisting of workers over the age of 60, these folks tend to follow traditional patterns; they take their work seriously, expect to do this job for the rest of their working life, and feel comfortable working alone, knowing that they are trusted to perform up to or beyond expectations. Baby Boomers Born between the years 1943 and 1964, Boomers currently comprise almost half the workforce in many organizations. They tend to be a bit more individualistic than their elders, and struggle with workaholism and work-life balance issues. Generation X Born from 1964 to 1981, Gen X-ers have… Read More
Continue ReadingHow To Run A Gen X Meeting
As a Gen Xer, this article caught my attention on the Selling Power website. Some of the points from the article: Do remember this group has an entrepreneurial spirit. “They are individualists,” says Fishman. “Treat them as independent agents. They like to be in charge of things. If you have 100 people at your sales meeting, you have 100 entrepreneurs there.” Don’t hire motivational speakers. “This is not a group that needs to be motivated,” says Fishman. “They don’t like spin, hype, or touchy-feely. They want something that they can take back to the office that will help them sell. Sharpen their skills; that’s what they’re there for. Give them… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Power Of Seven
From Selling Power’s How Much to Present to Your Customer: Experience shows that to the human mind there is something peculiarly satisfying about seven pieces of information. Seven questions, seven benefits, seven anything define the optimal attention span for most people, regardless of education or intelligence. Is it coincidental that we talk of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the seven fat years and the seven lean years in the Bible, the seven days of the week, the seven primary notes on the musical scale, and the seven subordinates who represent the ideal span of control for their manager? Did you know that? I didn’t. Further into the article:… Read More
Continue ReadingWide-Angle Thinking
I just caught up to this quote in a good quote from Peter Drucker in BusinessWeek.com’s Wide-Angle Thinking: Surely, Drucker would have applauded. “Too many think they are wonderful because they talk well,” he once pointed out. “They don’t realize that being wonderful with people means listening well.” Here is another aspect we subscribe to in our sourcing activities: Handy goes even further, advising that companies should roam far beyond their traditional bounds to better understand not just technology but myriad practices and processes. Say, for instance, a manufacturer needs to tap a team of top talent for a project that will be disbanded after a relatively brief period. Handy’s… Read More
Continue ReadingReading The Boss’ Body Language
What the Boss’ Body Language Says is from Yahoo Hot Jobs and is well worth the read. I’m a sucker for these tells, to use poker parlance. A quick taste from the short article: Eyes, Head, and Face Positive: Looks you directly in the eye. Muscles around the eye are relaxed. Facial muscles are relaxed. Lips are their normal size. Pleasant face and friendly smile. Negative: Rapid eye movement, does not look at you; has a cold, glaring, staring, or glazed-over look. Blinks more than normal. Raises one eyebrow as if in disbelief or doubt. Facial muscles are tight; lips thin out. Jaw muscles and clenched, and temple or neck… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Problem With Gen Y
BusinessWeek.com offers up a scathing discussion of Gen Y in Getting to Know Gen Why. I’m no expert on Gen Y, but this article takes them out to the woodshed (had to throw in an old school saying). What you hear is: “They don’t want to pay their dues, play by the rules, or give their best to any project unless they are sure it will get them a promotion, a raise, or some kind of recognition. And then if they aren’t totally happy, or if you look at them wrong, they’ll bolt for the next job!” And this: Today’s students memorize names, dates, and algebraic equations, but they graduate… Read More
Continue ReadingPeople Need More Feedback
Wall Street Journal offers Avoiding Conflicts, The Too-Nice Boss Makes Matters Worse…you can see where this is going. “In a knowledge economy, where work is more complex and interdependent, people need feedback more — what they particularly need feedback on are on things that are difficult to give: one’s interpersonal style,” says David Bradford, a lecturer at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. … Bosses who want to avoid any discomfort, “use generalities so people really don’t know what they’re talking about,” says Laura Collins, an HR consultant. Instead, they tend toward one-size-fits-all comments: “pay a little more attention to detail” and “improve the way you communicate” and “develop better organization… Read More
Continue ReadingWhat Color Is Your Power Suit?
Navy blue hopefully. I say that with confidence based on this article from Selling Power – Design Your Image of Success. From the article (my editing): While good posture, eye contact, and direct, well-modulated speaking voice have long been deemed important in sales, only in recent years has dress come into its own as an influential factor. And even more recent, says Ms. York, is the realization that colors can also play a basic role in the business of motivating people to buy. “Colors have a lot to say, and just as sales people should pay attention to the types of clothes they wear, they should also know what colors… Read More
Continue ReadingThe 7:1 Rule
An interesting article here from CNNMoney.com titled 8 ways to be a better boss. The article focuses on coaching which is a task that many sales managers avoid to their own detriment. There are some excellent points in the article and this tidbit of which I was not familiar: 2. Always follow the 7:1 rule. “You must give seven pieces of positive feedback for every one piece of developmental feedback if you don’t want to be perceived as overly critical,” Frankel says. “Catch people in the act of doing things right and reinforce it with praise” – even if they’re just doing the job they get paid for. Seems like… Read More
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