Span the Chasm – Sales Team Training – Driving Sustainable Sales and Growth through Development and Consulting

Tag: focus

  • Sales Leadership Lessons from P90X

    Sales Leadership Lessons from P90X

    Who knew that Tony Horton was such a smart dude? Or a great example of true sales leadership?

    Not me. Once I started to listen to his very basic wisdom, I discovered he’s a genius.

    Tony is the host of the popular P90X workout series. 12 DVDs. Pure hell. AbRipper anyone? Plyo-X? The chin-ups? Forget about it! 

    He warns viewers you should be in shape before you can do the exercises. Pretty crazy, right?

    The routines are very challenging, making it easy to be discouraged and quit. Tony knew that’s the real challenge so he solved that problem. He does this by using 4 simple philosophies that can also be applied to managing your sales team.

    Let’s review his wisdom so you can grow your sales leadership muscles today!

    Do your best.

    Sometimes the workout is too hard to finish. Too many reps. Burned out arms. Tony was right there to encourage you to simply do your best. No more. No less either. Just your best. No guilt for stopping before he did. Just an important reminder that your personal results WILL improve over time.  

    Lesson: Selling is hard. Remind your team of what they can do. Refer to the best practices and training they’ve received. Provide support at each level of their performance. Progress and improvement WILL come!

    Forget the rest.

    We often compare ourselves to others. How they look. How much they make. Their sales performance.  It’s hard not to. But comparison is a distraction that does not serve us. Tony knew that. He reminded us to ‘forget the rest’ and focus on YOU because you can’t control THEM.

    Lesson: There are dozens of other sales reps and companies that could be your competition. And none of them really matter. Your team’s #1 competitor is THEMSELVES. YESTERDAY! Help them to forget everyone else and focus on being a better version of themselves every day.  Every week. Every month. 

    70% of a bad work out beats no work out.

    I don’t always want to exercise. I get tired. Sore. Hungry.  Bored. Name it. Every reason. Tony knew that about me too. He reminds me a 70% workout is infinitely better than none of a 100% workout. Show up. Do something. And progress will follow.

    Lesson: Your teams get beaten down. They get tired. 11 ‘No’s in a row takes its toll. Maybe they want to just mail it in. Encourage them to stick it out. Progress is always progress, even in small amounts. Showing up is 80% of success.  

    Food is fuel.

    P90X comes with an eating guide. Packed with information. Recipes. Ideas. Because Tony realized you needed great fuel to make great progress. So he delivered a complete program that teaches WHY the food matters and how to be successful.

    Lesson: Feed your team great content. Books. Podcasts. Videos. Blogs. Workshops. There is tons of great content out there for them. Be a conduit of growth for them. The alternative is Candy Crush and you do NOT want to get me started on THAT!

    Your team is working hard. They’re out there fighting on a daily basis. Use these four principles with them. Daily. They need it. They deserve it.  

    Get them a protein bar. They’re hungry!

    They’re also starving for great sales leadership, be that for them.

    I may be the fittest 54 year old, 6’ 4”, 187 lb bald guy I know. I owe Tony Horton and P90X for some of my physical success. Even though DVD workouts aren’t as cool, I still breakout his routines while on the road.  Turns out his workouts and wisdom have stood the test of time!

    The choice is yours. Can you make the time to channel some Tony Horton to strengthen your team?

    We, of course, are here to support you!

    #BeBrave

    BONUS: Randy and Ken were recent guests on the B2BGrowth Podcast to talk more about their Prospecting Challenge! Don’t miss this great interview!

     

    ♫ Listen to this ♫
    Check out the latest episode on our podcast, UNCOMMON SALES SUCCESS! Subscribe and give us a review on iTunes, or visit https://spanthechasm.com/podcast to listen!

  • Sales Leadership Lessons from 4th Grade Teachers

    Sales Leadership Lessons from 4th Grade Teachers

    I was trying to throw pennies into the fish bowl near my desk.  

    Again.

    For no other reason than to see if I COULD.

    In my defense, I WAS 10 years old.  

    And Ms. Millie, my 4th grade teacher, didn’t scold me. She just moved me. She had already learned that I couldn’t NOT do it. I was extremely distractible. And curious. Ridiculously so on both counts. This was pre-ADHD but I would have been the poster child for it.

    If you know me, that’s not a big surprise.

    Ms. Millie taught me a lot about managing sales people. If you manage your sales people as if they are 4th grade, ADHD kids, you won’t be disappointed. This may seem like odd advice, so let’s break it down into 3 easy lessons:

    Give crystal clear direction: We often assume our teams clearly understand what we’re telling them to execute. Eg: We tell them to ‘Get with the Economic Buyer’ and everyone says ‘Yes!’  But they may have no idea how to carry this out. Sometimes what is clear to us, is NOT clear to your team. Slow it down and give directions in a paint-by-number fashion. First this, then this, and finally, do this. You know the old adage about making assumptions, but it’s also foolish and cruel. It’s not fair to anyone, including you.

    Practice patience: People won’t ‘get it’ the first time you say it, even if they nod their heads. They got something but probably not what you truly meant. Explain it again. Explain it slowly. Explain it in different terms and associate it with the WHY. Ask them to restate what you’re asking and help them clarify.  It takes time, much like learning to do anything new, such as walking or riding a bike. But no one got frustrated with you because they knew it was part of the process. Give the same courtesy to your people.

    Set realistic expectations:  Skills are built one on top of the other and that takes time. I am someone who has a tendency to teach too many topics in a workshop. I now only expect my students to grasp one concept and work on it until mastery is achieved. Give the same courtesy to your team. Whatever you are asking of them, make sure they work on that thing until it’s mastered. You have a lot on your plate, but flooding them with your ideas and demands will frustrate you and create a feeling of failure for them.

    [Take Action Now!]
    Go back to something you are asking your team or individuals to do. Review the instruction and expectations that you set.  If you handed or explained it to me in the same way you did for them, would I understand it?

    If what you’re asking can’t be understood by ADHD 4th graders, head back to the drawing board and start over using the 3 principles above.  

    While Ms. Millie is no longer with us, her legacy of patience and love lives on. Thank you Ms. Millie for understanding me, for loving me and for helping me become me. You were a saint then and will be one in my mind for eternity.

    Will your teams say the same of you?

    Imagine:  How would it feel with less confusion in the day-to-day leadership of your teams if you put these concepts into practice? You will be in control of your very own classroom.

    You up for it?

    We are, of course, here to help you #BeBrave!

    ♫ Listen to this ♫
    Check out the latest episode on our podcast, UNCOMMON SALES SUCCESS! Subscribe and give us a review on iTunes, or visit https://spanthechasm.com/podcast to listen!

  • Sales Leadership Lessons from Mom

    Sales Leadership Lessons from Mom

    We just celebrated Mother’s day, and it turns out mom’s wise words can help strengthen your sales relationships.  

    All based on a phrase mom often said. At least my mom said it:

    ‘If you mess up, you fess up and you clean up.’

    We are ALL guilty of making mistakes in selling and they come in many forms: Mistakes about capabilities, errors in pricing or terms, false statements about a Gartner report, incorrect API integrations, wrong about revision compatibility.  (By the way, for clarity, I’m guilty of all of these!)

    It doesn’t matter. We have all stepped in it.  

    So…what’s is the plan?

    Duh….

    Hide it. Step around it. Deny it. (Yep, I have done all of these too!)

    But then the voice of mom rings in my head. That simple lesson from my childhood. I messed up and it’s time to fess up and start doing the clean up.

    But what does it look like? It’s actually simple but takes a lot of courage and discomfort until you’ve done it 10, 20 or 50 times (Yep, I’ve done it this many times and am now an expert!).

    Let’s break this down:

    Mess up. First you have to acknowledge the mistake to YOURSELF. Being human means mistakes are inevitable. Review your work, and when something is off ask yourself how this will impact the relationship and the deal. If there’s negative consequences down the line, then onto the next part.

    Fess up. Time to COMMUNICATE what happened. It sounds like this:

    ‘Hey Jim, on the pricing for the configuration I sent you, I was wrong. I made a mistake and that changes it by $75,000.  I’m so sorry. Can you please forgive me?’

    Stop and wait for Jim to forgive you because you MUST repair the relationship before anything else.

    It is hard to say you’re sorry.  For me, it’s even harder to ask for forgiveness. But, through my own experience and working with others, until we make relational restitution, there is no point in moving forward.

    Clean up. Make it RIGHT. Your mistake is going to impact your customer’s experience, but you can turn it around by offering something else of value, however small.

    I understand that my mistake has ramifications. Here is what I can do. We are going to offer …..  I owe it to you to take full responsibility for my actions.’

    Take ownership. There’s no other way.

    A funny thing happens when you say you’re sorry and ask for forgiveness. Relationships often become stronger through the process. Trust levels increase, not decrease.

    Some of our best referrals were from my biggest mistakes. And, because I listened to mom, stronger relationships were forged.

    Our mistakes usually find the light of day and when that happens, the only option we have left is manipulation. And no one wins then.

    Mom was right. Are you ready to practice the wisdom of your mother? It’s up to you.

    Your prospects and clients deserve it.  Step up!

    #BeBrave!

     

    P. S. ♫ Listen to this ♫  We just launched our podcast, UNCOMMON SALES SUCCESS! Check it out on iTunes, or visit https://spanthechasm.com/podcast to listen!

  • 3 Sales Leadership Lessons from Yoda

    3 Sales Leadership Lessons from Yoda

    Have you ever wondered why Yoda bothered training Jedi when he was completely kick ass on his own?  

    He knew a valuable principle that would benefit many sales leaders:

    Heroism doesn’t scale

    He knew the necessity to invest in others so the Jedi, keepers of the balance of the Force, could carry on the mission of the Jedi Council. His goal was on the greater good.

    At Span the Chasm, we work with many well-meaning sales leaders who believe they have to do everything, be in the center of everything, be the expert of everything. Maybe you feel this way too? It’s pretty common.

    Why do we do this? Because we want it done right and on time! And we need to know what’s happening when we get asked.

    Totally makes sense, right?

    The Truth is: You simply CANNOT do it all!

    So, what did the 3 foot tall, wise old Jedi do? Luckily, Yoda left us many success leadership lessons to learn.

    3 quick lessons to focus on today:

      1. Focus on being Other-Centered®: Stop making it about you and start making it about your individuals and your team. Pick specific elements to coach them on. It could be deals at certain stages or specific activities like time management or prospecting. Some need help with mindset and the ability to see more opportunity than barriers.

        Yoda put his precious time and energy into Luke. It was all about Luke. Luke was often a very slow learner and easily distracted, so…..
      2. Focus on Patience: Growth takes time, effort and encouragement. Something YOU might be excellent at could take someone else months of effort to gain competency. They’re going to fail.  Again. And again. However, you know that investing in people is the highest ROI activity you can make over time. This is also an opportunity for your growth!  

        How many times did Luke fail the training exercise? A LOT! And Yoda pressed on because he knew how important it was, so…..
      3. Focus on Focus: That’s right. Focus on focus. Clear the space. Many things that don’t matter compete for the time and attention of your team. Protect them from these things so you can invest in their growth. Staying on task and keeping them Focused on What Matters® takes discipline on your part and theirs. A LOT of discipline. Together you can accomplish much.
        If the skill or behavior they’re developing is hard, THEY may look for distractions. It’s your role to keep them focused.  

        Yoda did it with Luke when Luke’s mind got cluttered. He helped Luke keep his focus so he could be trained to carry out his mission.

     

    As a result of their many years together, Luke gave Yoda the most honored title he could:

    Teacher

    Our role as leaders is not to be heroes. It’s to humbly invest in those that have entrusted us. To refine them, grow them and seek the ultimate title for us:

    Teacher

    If you’re a sales leader, how many members on your sales team would give you that title? If not that one, what would it be? Micro-manager? Egomaniac? Can’t delegate? Control freak?

    Immediate action:  Take a moment NOW and HONESTLY rate yourself on the focal points above. Better yet, ask your team members. Ask them for candid feedback. Take it in and don’t defend. Learn about you. Carefully consider it.  

    Change is difficult. It usually comes with pain.  

    Luckily Yoda took on the role of teacher, so Luke could maintain balance in the universe. He went on to save many.

    Your mission is equally important: Help your team achieve their personal and business goals, to sell better, to serve more, to achieve THEIR mission! Because their development will serve the greater mission of your entire organization.

    Imagine:  What would be the impact on your team’s production if you achieved an average of 15% improvement in each rep?  Think about it!

    You up for it?

    We are, of course, here to help YOU become a master YODA teacher.  Because we, too, aspire for the title of Teacher.

    The ideas in this article were inspired by Star Wars® and the wonderful book, Mindset by Carol Dweck. I highly recommend you read it!

    #BeBrave!

    P.S. If you’re ready to send your team to an immersion experience that will teach them lessons in focus – then join us on May 15, 2019 in Atlanta. Register today!

    Can’t make it on May 15? Sign up here to get on our list for future events.