Coach to the Habits of Success, not Luck
November 06, 2008
(Before you teach someone the steps involved in a process.)
By Karl Goldfield
Prior to delegating the methods in which to perform a certain task, it is important to work with teams on their habits. Whether you have acquired a team from another company or department, built one from the ground up or land somewhere in between, training for healthy work habits will enable your team to further garner success.
So what on earth did I just say? In a nutshell, get your reps to:
1. Be open to new challenges
a. One way to do this is a reward system
b. Another and more long lasting way is to pave the way by example
c. Encourage your team to take risks that have big rewards and compliment them for trying not just success
2. Listen
a. To your prospects
b. To your opportunities
c. To your customers
d. To your peers
e. To your bosses
f. To your friends and family
3. REALLY LISTEN! (Do not just sit silently waiting for your turn to speak.)
a. Take what you have heard and translate it into meaningful data
b. Take notes and repeat what you have heard for recognition
c. Apply what you have heard and transform it into knowledge
d. Plan accordingly
4. Segment activity into clusters
a. There is a reason that Henry Ford became an industrial legend and it was not just because he built cars. It is that he designed a methodology that when utilized makes any repetitive process, and I mean any, more efficient. Assembly lines work, whether you are making planes or appointments. If you are making calls, then make calls! Do not stop to send an e-mail or a fax. Do not walk around to talk to people or find someone in support. If you are going out on appointments, book six in a day. Do not drive half way across town to see one client.
b. Do your mindless tasks at the end of the day. After a long day of prospecting, objection handling, closing, and delegating, you are mentally spent. This is the time to send faxes, write intro e-mails, send out mailers, and clean up databases. If you segment these activities into clusters, you can do more.
5. Learn from everyone
a. Listen to what is working for your peers.
b. Listen to your bosses
c. Listen to engineering
d. Listen to the smart prospect or customer
e. Study your competitors
f. Learn from your partners
6. Hold yourself accountable
a. Do not blame others
b. Set realistic expectations and execute
c. Ask for help when you need it
This basic recipe of habits will help any professional, but especially the sales representative. Why? It is hard enough to maintain a competitive advantage in the industry and the workplace when everyone in your field is hungry to be No. 1. If, as a sales rep, you can maximize your listening skills, time management, knowledge, skill set and all the while hold yourself up to the highest of manageable expectations, you will be successful. I have yet to meet anyone who is not.
Sales people love to talk about a lucky sale, but if they dive into what made the sale, it is usually a compilation of what is noted above. To me the following quotes sum it up:
"I never knew an early-rising, hard-working, prudent man, careful of his earnings and strictly honest who complained of bad luck." (Henry Ward Beecher)
"I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." (Thomas Jefferson)
"It's hard to detect good luck—it looks so much like something you've earned." (Frank A. Clark)
"I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often." (Brian Tracy)
"Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get." (Ray A. Kroc)
My quote: "To constantly have good luck you must constantly practice good habits."
Karl Goldfield is a start-up sales mentor and can be contacted at karl@karlgoldfield.com.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
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