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EVERYTHING STARTS WITH ATTITUDE

The most important decision we make in our lives is the attitude we choose to express each day when dealing with people or circumstances. This critical choice determines success or failure in sales and in life. The key is the realization that we choose. That’s right. You purposefully choose your attitude. Choosing a positive state of mind will lead to virtually unlimited success in your career and your life. A negative attitude will lead to unhappiness, poor relationships, difficulty at work and ultimately, poor health. In fact, the most common causes of death in the United States are heart disease and cancer, which are related to stress. Stress is a result of a negative attitude, carried out via perceptions, choices and behaviors.

Where Does Attitude Come From?

One of the most powerful questions I ask during training sessions is: "Where does attitude come from?" Often the group will think for a moment. Many will respond with comments such as, "Work," "People," "Traffic" and other examples. Finally, a brave individual will announce, "Attitude comes from within us." This often leads to a chorus of ah-has as people begin to realize the power in that statement. You determine your attitude. We may blame others, circumstances or events for our situation; however, the key is our response to those things or people.

As you read this article, think about your day. We usually have a series of encounters with things and people whom we feel cause a reaction in us. In fact, we choose that reaction. We can choose to respond in a positive or negative way to these challenges. Your challenge, especially in sales, is always to respond with a positive attitude.

Consequences of a Negative Attitude

A sustained negative attitude will kill you. By far, the worst side-effect of a bad attitude is stress and the top fatal diseases in this country are caused, in large part, by stress. Stress turns quickly into anxiety, depression and ulcers. Now that you know you have the power to choose, why choose negative attitudes? Sales people with negative attitudes struggle and have difficulty closing sales. One common statement coming from negative salespeople is, "I’m not negative, I am realistic." This is an excuse for being negative. Reality is what you make it. Make it positive.

Rewards of a Positive Attitude

People like to be around positive people. In sales, customers like to buy from positive people who have confidence in what they are selling and help their customers enjoy the buying process. People do not want to be sold, but they love to buy and own. Having a positive attitude will improve your relationships, make you happier and lead to success. The rewards of a positive attitude are enormous, if you are willing to keep your spirits up over the long term.

Everything is a Learning Experience

Everything that happens to you in your life is a learning experience. This is positive. We may have hoped for a different outcome, but face the facts in a positive light and move on. Let yourself become stronger from the experience, rather than weaker, full of doubt and stressed. Experience is just another word for mistake. Learn from these experiences by choosing a positive attitude that prepares you for the next challenge in life, which is right around the corner.

Avoid Negative People

One of the tragic parts of negative attitudes is that misery loves company. Negative people will search out others and attempt to bring them down to their level. This is how negative attitudes spread. Their negative influence feels powerful and they use it as a self-esteem boost. People do this in attempt to feel better about themselves, but the end result is short-lived and unproductive. In sales, it is hard enough dealing with rejection from your prospects and customers. Find positive people and let their attitudes stick to you.

Being Positive is not Easy

In my work as a manager, I have found that there are basically two kinds of people -- those who take responsibility for their lives and those who blame others. People who take responsibility for their situations are positive people who see the world as a good place. They have made the conscious decision to be this way. This is not easy; however, understanding these basic principles about attitude are the first steps. Keep in mind, choosing your mental attitude is the only thing you can control in your life. Learn and practice a positive mental attitude, and enjoy the rewards.

Source: 

Thomas Young, MBA

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WORKPLACE ETIQUETTE TIPS TO BUILD TEAMWORK IN ANY ECONOMY

No one would dispute that today’s gloomy economic news is a concern for workers everywhere. But, did you know that using workplace etiquette to show courtesy and respect to those in your department or team is a winning way to build up your team?

Workplace etiquette pays in two ways for you and your team. First, it elevates you as an individual—and it’s a good thing to be known as someone who shows respect and courtesy to others. In fact, research shows that workplace etiquette is essential for keeping and being promoted in a job.

Secondly—and of equal importance—workplace etiquette improves work relationships. It shows your team that you care about them, their work, and their value to the team.

Moreover, when the entire team or department embraces professional workplace etiquette, your team’s stellar example can raise the bar for the rest of the organization. As the saying goes, “A rising tide floats all the boats.”

Here are seven ways you can use workplace etiquette and courtesy to set you and your team apart in any economy.

Attitude is everything. Have a great attitude like your job depended on it. You may not be in your dream job or have a dream boss, but don’t wear a negative attitude on your shirtsleeve. It shows! Refrain from gossip and negative talk about anyone on your team. Rather than building you up, condescending conversation diminishes you instead. Also, be all there—don’t mentally check out by 2:00. And, show yourself friendly to everyone on the team. Research from the Servcorp Index reveals that the majority of American business professionals appreciate being acknowledged by teammates when they arrive at work.

Notch up nonverbal communication. Have good eye contact to show you are listening. Look at the upper part of the face—the eye and brow area. Looking any lower on the face is too social and intimate for the workplace. Avoid crossing your arms over your chest as this can indicate you are not approachable. Give a good handshake to those on your team, not just to your clients.

Be timely, not tardy. Regardless of age, job title, or level in the team hierarchy, be on time for work and meetings. Better yet, be a few minutes early. Punctuality shows your team that you respect them and their time. Complete tasks and projects on time, too; don’t let the team down with excuses.

Use proper tech etiquette. Don’t leave the team hanging. Answer their emails and phone calls in a timely way—by the end of the day if possible, and no later than 24 hours. Using proper grammar and punctuation in departmental emails is just as important as in client emails.

Go the extra mile—it’s not crowded! Look for ways you can help out and show support to a teammate. If he has a heavy day and deadlines to meet and you don’t, step up and offer to help. Your assistance and team spirit will be appreciated by everyone in the group.

Contribute value to team meetings. Focus on the meeting, not on side conversations or on your smartphone. Be open to others’ ideas and points of view. Avoid a ‘my way or the highway’ attitude. It makes you appear selfish and undermines team spirit. Let others finish speaking before sharing your thoughts.

Show appreciation. Everyone likes to be appreciated. Sincerely verbalize and demonstrate thanks as often as possible. Do this both publicly—when appropriate—and privately. If your boss congratulates you on a job well done and you had help from your team members, be sure to tell your boss so they can receive credit, too. They’ll be more likely to rally around you on the next big project.

Truly, nothing could be easier—or better—for building up your team than when everyone engages in workplace etiquette and courtesy. No matter how uncertain the economy, using these tips will make a difference in your own job success and promotion—and in the success of your team. Ready to float your team’s boat higher?

Source:  

Rachel Wagner Etiquette and Protocol

QUALITIES OF A SUCCESSFUL SALES LEADER

The 12 Qualities of a Successful Sales Leader

Recent research suggests that the average tenure of a chief sales officer is about 24 months. Why the rapid turnover? In today’s tough market, CEOs demand a return to growth and change. If the sales leader can’t manage change, CEOs change management.

I like to think of sales leadership as a steam locomotive. Good sales leaders have fire in the belly. They are able to create enough steam to move the train (their people) forward so they can reach the company’s revenue goals, on time and on budget.

Good sales leaders have vision. They see, think, and plan ahead. They are also dreamers. They dream big and with their eyes open. When others ask, “Why bother?” sales leaders see opportunity. They imagine what could be and ask, “Why not?” Leaders keep their followers on track and on time. They say, “Get moving or get left behind.”

A good economy and business model make all sales leaders look very smart. But with success comes arrogance and reluctance to change. What many sales leaders fail to realize is that, while they run the engine in front of the train, there is a second engine in the back that is pushing the train forward. That second engine is the economy. In good times, the engine pushing in the back makes the leader look and feel good. Arrogant leaders often believe that it is their own steam that creates the forward momentum. When the economy shrinks or when the business model falters, the back engine quits pushing. That is the moment of truth in which the true sales leader will create more steam to move the train forward while poor sales leaders get stuck and get the boot.

When the economy runs out of steam, sales leaders are willing and able to build up more steam, pick up the slack, and keep the train moving ahead at top speed. How?

1. They don’t give up until they’ve found the best way to harness the collective genius of their organization to reach their business objectives.

2. They help their salespeople improve by clearly communicating what they need to do to meet the company’s goals and the expectations of management.
3. They coach salespeople and help them adopt the successful behaviors that lead to results.

4. They give their salespeople the right technology they need to improve their performance, drive up productivity, and cut out the tedious and repetitive tasks that salespeople are not paid for
5. They help create sales processes that reflect how customers want to buy.
6. They associate analytics with every sales process in order to ensure ongoing improvement.
7. They measure their salespeople’s performance objectively and create a level playing field.
8. They set high expectations for each team member and appraise and review results on a regular basis.
9. They praise good performance in public and consistently celebrate high achievement.

10. They help salespeople connect with C-level executives to help increase the chances for closing the sale – without taking over the salesperson’s role.
11. They create effective compensation and incentive programs that are motivating to the sales team.
12. They generate hope and optimism throughout the sales organization and help their team grow and win against an overwhelming tide of adversity.

How can you spot a good sales leader? Just ask one how long he or she has held his or her job. If the answer is for more than three years and with the same company, you know that he or she has already beaten the odds.

TRABAJA EN BILBAO

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BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION: A FRESH LOOK AT YOUR CUSTOMER NEEDS

Today, we call this business model innovation or reinventing you business model. What is this? It means that no matter what has happened in your past, your current business model may be partially obsolete in some places. In some instances, it may be completely obsolete.

It may be time for some business model innovation.

DEFINE YOUR BUSINESS MODEL

A business model is the ability to generate profits. It’s the process or system by which you create profits. Sometimes, they call it the revenue model. You have to ask yourself,“Is your revenue model or your business model working as satisfactorily as you want? How can you tell?

If your business model is working properly, it means that your profits and your sales are going up at a steady basis.

If they’re not going up, if they are leveled off, or they’re becoming unpredictable or even worse, if they’re declining, then you have to take a timeout and try some business model innovation.

The entirety of the revenue model is based on two things.

1) BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION: YOUR PRODUCT

Your product is what we call a Customer Value Offering or a “CVO.” This is the value that your product offers to your customer.

What problem does your product or service solve, that your customer will pay you for solving?

It is astonishing that today how many people develop and offer products and services to solve problems that customers do not even believe that they have. Many companies will go to market and spend an enormous amount of money developing a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist.

This is why even with the best research, marketing, and product development, 80% of new products fail.

IS THE PROBLEM YOU ARE SOLVING IMPORTANT ENOUGH?

Just like 80% of new businesses fail is that they find that the customers do not have a problem that the product or service can solve, or if they do have a problem, it is not big enough for them to take action or to switch from someone else.

It’s important to evolve your business, is that you become very clear about the problems that customers have, and then you find a way to solve that problem better than anyone else.

This is so important. You have to solve one problem better than anyone else.

That acts as the core of your business.

WHAT IS THE JOB TO BE DONE?

Another challenge is what we can say is every product or service does a job for a customer.

In fact, if you look at it this way, which I think is neat. You say when you buy a product or service, you are “hiring” that product or service to do a job for you that you cannot do without it.

The question is always, “What is the job to be done?”

What is the job that your product or service does for a customer that they will pay you to do for them? You must be absolutely clear about what the job is, and you must be clear about how important it is.

That’s the starting point. The starting point is the product. It must solve a problem or do a job. It must satisfy a need, or it must achieve a goal. It must do something that customers want to be done and are willing to pay for.

2) BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION: WHO IS YOUR CUSTOMER?

The second part of evolving your business is your customer.

Who exactly are you ideal or perfect customers? Who is the customer that, more than anyone else, will buy your product or service immediately? What is their age, education, background, hopes, and dreams? One of the biggest questions of all is,

What role does your product or service play in their lives? Is it an important part of their life? Is it unimportant? What difference will your product make in their lives if they use it or not?” You must be absolutely clear about these.

Many years ago when I started to grow and develop as a speaker and as a person, I began to order and listen to audio programs. My first audio program opened my eyes because it was full of so many good personal development ideas.

Since then, I’ve listened to hundreds of hours of audio programs and every so often I come up with an idea that is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

CONCLUSION

How do you keep evolving as a company?

Keep scanning the horizon of customers and find out what customers need and are willing to pay for, that nobody is providing to them, in an excellent fashion. If you can do those things, you can keep reinventing your business model and stay on the cutting edge.

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ABOUT BRIAN TRACY

Brian is recognized as the top sales training and personal success authority in the world today. He has authored more than 60 books and has produced more than 500 audio and video learning programs on sales, management, business success and personal development, including worldwide bestseller The Psychology of Achievement. Brian's goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined.