Spreadsheet Sales Management

At what point did sales managers start managing by spreadsheet?

At what point did sales management forget the fact that their job was to help other people become profit centres? That their job was to lead, support and manage the efforts of their team members to generate focused activity and effective client engagement.

I know why it happened. We've had years of transactional or process-focused selling because it was easy - people were buying without us having to find them - and the guys who were good at this got promoted. Now the need is for a different kind of selling - transformational or people focused - and the managers just haven't the background. Hence the spreadsheets.

I know why - I just don't know when. Maybe when the tough times hit and the beancounters started managing the costs and not the people.

High Trust Advisors

We are familiar with the term 'trusted advisor' so what do I mean when I use the expression 'high trust' advisor?

There has been a big shift in the market over recent months and things that in the past may have been acceptable - certain 'axioms' of business - are no longer true. The fact that trust has disappeared is obvious and the only way that it will be re-built is on a person-to-person level. It also means that we have to re-define our roles as sales people.

The professional sales person has to become not just an information provider - speaking the language of their business - but a 'non-equity partner' in the customer's business - acting as an interpreter and architect of knowledge about how their company service or product information becomes a solution to the client's real concerns.

In addition they need to become part of the 'experience' around the product or service that they are selling - and become a facilitator of a collaborative and co-creative approach with the customer or client in the definition and solution of their unique needs.

Before we get there we need to create an even higher degree of trust with people than ever before. A client might listen to me and my information if he trusts me - but she will only share her deepest concerns and needs when I have built a deeper relationship, showed the value of the knowledge that I bring and presented a solution - what I term the 3 P's - People Product and Positioning.

It's about People first - if I can develop my skills to a level where I can consciously and effectively develop high trust relationships with my prospects and clients' that is when the fortunes and potential that still exists out there can be unlocked and allowed flow. Put simply 'trust' is not enough - 'high trust' and the perception that it creates in the minds of our prospects and customers - is the key to success.

Kung Fu Business

I've been a student of martial arts for many years and there is a case that business and martial arts share many similarities.

Timing, being balanced, your distance (closeness) to and from your customer - the 'invisible strategies' that make martial arts work have some applications with our clients and customers (and no, it doesn't include the use of violence as and when you might feel like it with certain prospects and clients....!)

My youngest son has recently taken up training and his first martial path is the Chinese art of Kung Fu. Bringing him to class every week I get the chance to learn something of this ancient art (as it applies to 6-10 year olds). They have an excellent young instructor who connects very well with the little guys and each week has a message for his young charges. The two that have struck me most where as follows:

1. Kung Fu actually means 'hard work' - to accomplish anything of value takes concentration and effort.

2.'Horse Mind' is a reflective, attentive mind while 'Monkey Mind' is the 'all over the place', distracted mind - knowing which one to use and when is important.

Effective use of 'Kung Fu' and 'Horse Mind' together with patience and persistence, is what's needed to help us through the challenges we face in business today and emerge victorious from the commercial battlefield.

It is our focus, our intention and our expectations that drive our outcomes. What we hold within our minds is the pattern that we project onto the world.

Points of Compelling Relevance

For year's in selling we've talked about USP's or Unique Selling Points by which we could differentiate our offerings and make ourselves stand out to prospective customers from the 'white noise' of competition.

However I would submit that in the current market that it's not USPs but PCR's that we need and by that I mean 'Points of Compelling Relevance'.

A Point of Compelling Relevance is one that makes the prospect want to give us their left/right hand for whatever it is that we are offering them. It makes them want to sign up NOW and commit whatever they have for whatever it is that we are offering.

USP's tend to appeal to the intellect or the reasoning ability of a prospect - it speaks to the surface of the sale - the logical benefits available by considering the offering.

However a PCR speaks directly to the emotions or the feelings of the client where the benefit of the message is so relevant, so emotionally compelling - that they buy now - the rationale is over-ridden in place of the emotion. That emotion can be trust, greed, envy, profit, ambition, status but it is a compelling emotional trigger. For more on emotionally 'smart' selling click here.

Of course, to create Points of Compelling Relevance requires more thought and testing and tend to be unique to a particular prospect or prospect group but the effect is immediate and unconditional. They buy. Now.

The 6th C - Competence

The 6C's of Success - Competence

© Seán Weafer 2008 all rights reserved

The 6^th (and final) C in the model is Competence.

In the blogs to-date we have reviewed Context or environment, Clarity (or focus), Control (the specific actions that need to be addressed to make change), Confidence (which comes from Clarity and a sense of Control) and Communication (how we reach out to others to accomplish our objectives). Put all of the above together and we come up with top-level Competence or performance.

In challenging times everything must contribute to performance. First thing we do as business owners is reduce our costs, our organisation, our people - the initial impulse when times like these hit tends to be to cut, cut and cut. Of course it is appropriate to be rigorous in our approach to cost and financial outlay, cash flow is everything - however, too much cutting can negatively impact on performance.

The firing of colleagues, the removal of incentives and bonuses, reducing expense allowances and so forth can have a detrimental effect on the morale of the remaining people in the firm. Focus is affected, concerns and anxieties start to drain energy from people and fear causes performance to fall.

Just as in the market, trust can become a tenuous thing in the firm - and can only be re-built on a one-to-one basis. As business owners, in order to re-build that trust and the willingness of staff to engage and up their performance we can use the 6 C model in reverse.

If someone is not performing or their performance has dropped significantly, the first thing we can address is how well they are communicating with us.

Have they been keeping us clearly informed of the work that they have been doing, what have they been doing well and what has been working, have they kept us up-to-date on challenges with clients and colleagues or on their own professional concerns? A lack of Communication between owner and staff (the 5^th C) can lead to misunderstandings, anxiety and concerns that negatively impact on performance.  By creating the opportunity for two-way communication we can quickly identify the challenges and what we need to do to address them at an individual level.

So if they have not been communicating why not? Do they not feel sufficiently Confident (the 4^th C) to do so, are they clear about what they want to say, can they feel that they can approach us and discuss their concerns?

How well are they communicating with the market, are they clear on the message that we as a firm want to give our clients? Have they stopped communicating with clients or have they come to believe that nobody is doing business and as a result, no longer communicate with clients and so clients are no longer doing business with us (a self-fulfilling prophecy and a factor on performance).

So if they are not communicating, is their confidence affected? How confident are they with the future direction of the market or the firm? Are they edgy or nervous and if so are they projecting that to clients? Poor communication directly impacts on their confidence and the quality of the message they project to customers. If customers find that they are dealing with less than confident and convincing people - then they make look elsewhere for their suppliers. Recently, the Chinese premier said that in today's market ‘confidence is more valuable than gold' - this is why.

So what builds confidence - this is the 3^rd C - Control. A loss of sense of control directly impacts on confidence and in a market that is in constant flux, a sense of control is the first thing to disappear. Control is the understanding that we have power over the steps or actions that make change. A sense of powerlessness automatically leads to a lack of confidence.

Where does this sense of control come from? Here we return to the 2^nd C - Clarity.

A clear set of goals and outcomes is critical in challenging times. Once we understand the What (what we need to focus on to make change) and the Why (what motivates us to commit to making that change) then all the other C's tend to flow.

We help people gain clarity by making time to allow them to reflect and consider the 1st C - the Context or the environment in which we are operating and defining the things that can make the most amount of change for us.

All of the 6C process comes from the willingness and ability of sales managers to create periods of active reflection for staff. A time to collaboratively reflect on the environment in which they work and together, to create goals and action steps for them to follow.

If you would like more information on how to apply this model to building a powerful sales organisation contact us at sean@seanweafer.com

Building Confidence

Confidence

© Seán Weafer 2008 all rights reserved

In this blog I cover the fourth ‘C' of my 6C Success Model which is CONFIDENCE.

Let's recap on where we have come so far. In the beginning, we covered CONTEXT - our environment and how we respond to it. Most people tend to re-act whereas the most effective of people pro-act. To move to that, we said that CLARITY (or our Focus) - what we focused on and most importantly why we focused on it - was critical and from there we were in a position to move to the ‘Third C' or CONTROL. Breaking our Focus into the individual steps and actions by which we can take back control of things and no longer feel overwhelmed by what we must do to succeed.

Each step that we now take moves us inexorably towards their goal. They see that with every action they take, they are moving closer and closer to their success.  Imagine the impact that has on growing our confidence and sense of self-esteem.

With control comes a greater sense of self-esteem, a belief in our ability to deliver. Self-esteem is increased once we have clear goals and the power to exercise them. Confidence is boosted by the successful achievement of quick "hits" or small actions. Success breeds success and with growing success comes even more energy, more self-belief and more self-confidence.

In the turbulent times in which we live today - where we are not just struggling to make profits but to survive - confidence is a commodity that is in short supply. Yet it is essential to our success because it provides us with two key things.

First, it banishes FEAR:  Fear is ever-present in the world of business today. Companies are closing, people are being laid off, where trust has been destroyed in so many essential relationships - in the market, in the banking system, in the government's ability to deal effectively with the crisis.

Fear is a virus that spreads from person to person, it is fed by the ever present bad news from the media, in the language that people start to use - crisis, meltdown, closures, unemployment, market shrinkage, volatility.

In such an environment confidence acts as a powerful antidote. Why? Because confidence cannot stand still.

It drives people to take action, to move forward, to create innovation and to seek new ideas and new ventures. It encourages people to maintain a positive ‘state' or feeling about things and thus make decisions and take risks for change - which others in the grip of the fear virus cannot do. It encourages and supports people when they choose not to take part in the herd mentality of the recession.

Yes, things are bad - confidence is not an unreality pill - but things can only change when one has the confidence to act. All our decisions are fundamentally emotionally-based - what we decide and how we decide is driven by our feelings. It stands to reason that someone who is confident (based on proper reflection and defined goals) will make the kinds of decisions that will identify and exploit the opportunities that remain in the market place - leading to their success.

Secondly, it inspires people. In times of crisis, people like someone who can step forward and lead the way, show them a path that they can focus on and move forward.

As sales managers we have a responsibility to both our staff and clients to act in a determined and positive manner. We have a responsibility to start to create and manage the expectations of those around us. As a business development coach I know and have seen time and again that expectations drive behaviours.

By creating confidence in ourselves, we imbue those around us with confidence too because they consciously or unconsciously ‘model' our behaviours.

They are intrigued and want to know what it is that keeps our spirits up and our energy strong. They want to do business with us because we become a search light in the gloom that surrounds them. We become people who can loosen them from the bonds of fear that surround them everyday.   They want to do business with us because we strengthen them whereas the market frightens them.

By following the 3 C's we inevitably reach the 4^th - Confidence - and start to transform the world.

Taking Control

Taking Control - the 3rd C

© Seán Weafer 2008 all rights reserved

In this blog I cover the third of my 6C model which is CONTROL. In a world that is continually speeding up - control is something many people fear they no longer have. The reality is that they do have control. However, what they do not do is regularly take some reflective time to decide what their priorities or what their needs are. In the first two C's - Context and Clarity - we have already discussed the importance of defining your own course and taking control of your own environment. One of the ways of doing so was by setting some specific goals to create the vision of an environment that can maximise your degree of success. Once we are clear about our objectives and how they will change our environment, we then have to break every goal down into its constituent parts. Every goal is made up of a series of actions or steps that can be taken to ensure that we invariably accomplish the goal. The Chinese say that ‘every journey begins with the first step' so consider that each action we take to accomplish a goal is a necessary step on the way to success. However what's important here is that an action is as simple as possible. An action can be defined as ‘something that you can do when you leave the room'. In other words, it is something that can be done and has an immediate outcome or result. Make a telephone call, draft a list, tidy a desk - it is something simple, highly specific and immediately has an outcome. An action is not something that can be broken down into something even smaller - for example ‘take a training course'. Taking a training course requires several actions to come into being - book a time, get approval, find the budget - so this might be called a sub-goal. When you have broken your objectives in to highly specific, small achievable actions you will suddenly realise that each action should fall into three categories. The categories are defined in a model which I call CIA: "Control - Influence - Accept for Now". "C" stand for Control - do we control this action, can we act on it now, immediately? This is the first order of change - what we control, we should act upon. "I" stands for Influence - if we do not control this action, can we reach out to someone who does, someone who might act on this for us, can we influence them? This is the second order of change, what might be called a "relationship" action and finally.... "A" stands for Accept for Now - if we do not control it and we cannot influence it, then walk away, for now. Focus on what we can control and influence and "park" what we have no control or influence over. Many of us tend to spend a great deal of our time worrying over things that we can neither influence nor control. By acting on what we control and influence, that which we have to "park" for now, may fall within our control and influence in time. Taking back control means that we have to realise that change is in our hands - and it's in small steps. Once we can start taking action on simple, highly defined steps, that fall under our ability to deliver on - then we take back control and decide the degree of success that we intend to enjoy in even the most turbulent of worlds.

Managing Your Business Environment

The 6C's of Success - a Road Map to Successful Business in Challenging Times

© Seán Weafer 2008 all rights reserved

As entrepreneurs and sales people, success is something we strive for everyday, so here is a simple model for business success that should help to serve as a ‘road map' in the current challenging times.

I call it the 6C Model and it is comprised of the following: CONTEXT, CLARITY, CONTROL, CONFIDENCE, COMMUNICATION AND COMPETENCE.

CONTEXT: The first part of the model deals with Context or, to be more specific, the environment in which we find ourselves working.

In recent months that environment has changed beyond recognition. Not only have world economies moved officially into recession but the global banking crisis has impacted on what liquidity there might have been in the markets - causing a credit squeeze on businesses looking to ‘gear up' while ‘scaling down' to face the worst of what is yet to come.

All of this we know from the constant bombardment of the media - a key factor of our context or environment. We have come to live in the ‘sound byte' world where sensationalism and instant gratification for news become the rules by which we are delivered information. Yet at what cost?

This form of information can cause many of us to react to our environment by making rash or wrong decisions. We quickly find ourselves working in constant fire-fighting mode, simply holding the line against the rapidly changing world and working at such a pace of change that we find ourselves reacting to the changes rather than being proactive.

Fear can start to take hold. We start to believe what others would have us believe. Nervousness dictates our decisions and eats at our confidence - at the precise time when we need to take very rational decisions in order to stay on top of the situation.

When pressurised we often tend to "Reflex", or simply unconsciously respond to stimuli, when we should "Reflect", or consciously choose the course of action that is most beneficial.

It is at times like these, more than at any other time, that we need to be creating the environment in which we work. We have to take control of our context by determining what we allow to colour our perceptions, who we choose to associate with or listen to, to take the time to review our needs and to define our objectives and our wants.

It is also at times like these when we need to review the other factors that make up our business environment.

The markets we are working in - are they too narrow or too broad, are we developing effective pricing strategies, effective cost reduction strategies, where do we shift our spend, do we decide to ‘hunker down' and ride out the storm or do we develop aggressive sales strategies now that everyone else is retrenching?

What about our staff and our teams? Do we have the right mix of people? Are we carrying people we know we should have let go long before this? What are the hard decisions that we need to be making? Are we investing in the skills that they will need to be productive or cutting back on that as an unnecessary expense?

Our business systems and our office environment - what are we doing here?

One final key area that we need to reflect upon is the future context that we may find ourselves operating in. Are we simply relying on what the media and market pundits are telling us or are we engaged in researching our customers and our markets? Are we asking the people who matter to our business the kinds of questions that allow us to start to build forecasting models and sales funnels as to what business is likely to be there in the next 3-6-9-12 months? Are we taking control of our own destiny?

Being aware of the dynamics of what creates the environment allows us to take control of that environment. A critical part of that taking control is making the time for effective reflection so that we do not simply respond on reflex.

Once the environment has been assessed we now move to the next level which is Clarity which we will look at in next week's blog.

Top Gun Sales Directors

'Top Gun' Sales Leaders

© Seán Weafer 2008 all rights reserved

What does it take to create 'Top Gun' best of breed sales directors? Directors who can communicate and connect with their board and with their teams to achieve extraordinary sales performance in challenging times?

In the Eighties film of the same name, one of the scenes that sticks in my mind was the one where the pilots were welcomed to the ‘Top Gun' academy. This place is reserved for the best of the best only.  It was hallowed ground where they would compete for the honour of being the very best

Let's take a look at just some of the ‘Top Gun' questions that I ask my sales management clients to consider so that they can compete successfully for ‘Top Gun' honours of their own.

1. How secure am I in terms of my ability to deliver sales targets in the next 12 months?

A key skill for directors is sales forecasting, as well as having a keen understanding of the commercial elements of the sales process and how it contributes to the bottom line in the business.

Forecasting allows us to be able to plan to do the best with that we have, identify the resource gaps that we might need to deliver on the objectives as well as getting a good sense of the kind of environment we are likely to be facing along the way.  Only by effective forecasting can we start to create the sales environment in which we can be consistently successful.  Forecasting and planning are key skills for sales directors which often do not come naturally to us.

Effective forecasting is not an option, especially in challenging times such as these, because it allows us to get the kind of clarity and create the kind of conviction that we need in our communication with our board - and if we are to empower our ‘troops' on the front line.

Also, we need to be constantly alert to what else is happening in the business and company environment. Are we fully staffed, what level of skills have our sales people, how up-to-date are our customer databases, are we on top of our customers and have we ‘locked them in', what special events or offers might add revenue.

Our security is dependent on our ability to spot what's coming down the line and ‘adapt, innovate and overcome' to whatever challenges there may be.

2. Do I have clarity about what specifically I should focus on to ensure success?

Success has always been defined as the achievement of pre-defined goals. As sales leaders, we should have highly specific goals for our business and what the business expects us to deliver.

For many of us our business goals tend to be just top-line goals - a sales number or a figure maybe but with little ‘soul' or ‘heart' imbued within it. By ‘soul' or ‘heart' I mean that all goals - as well as having the ‘what' piece - most certainly should also have the reason as to ‘why' the achievement of that goal has a value for each and every person concerned with that goal.

This is what I term the ‘emotional trigger' behind the goal. When you make the goals happen - what do you personally (forget the company for a minute) get out of this - what will you have that you don't have at the moment when the business goal is achieved? What will your managers have, what will each and every individual sales executive have when the goal is reached?

Try these two questions when asking your staff when setting their sales objectives 1. ‘What specifically do you want to do about your sales targets?' and 2. ‘Why specifically is that valuable to you - what will you have that you don't have at the moment when you make this happen?' Try these questions and see what the responses are. You may be surprised.

If you want to empower your team to reach new heights - goals for each and every person should be clearly broken down into what is expected of them (right down to the actions or steps that they need to be taking) and how they will benefit personally when it's done. (Hint: it's not about the sales bonus, it's about what they can do with the bonus).

That clarity must start with us first.

3. Am I in control of the process or am I too reliant on external factors?

Being too reliant on external factors, means that we cannot exercise sufficient influence to make change in the market place - and sales is always about making change in the market place.  By not exercising effective control we are forced to constantly react to the market demands instead of creating and implementing the most effect means of accomplishing our sales objectives.

However, not recognising what it is that we do control is equally dangerous as we can expend our resources and energies needlessly and to little effect.

I created a simple model to clearly identify where I need to be applying my efforts to get the most results, which I call CIA filter: ‘Control, Influence and Accept for Now'.

"C" stands for Control - do I control this action, am I in charge of it, have I the resources and authority to action this now, immediately? This is the first order of change - what we control, we should act upon.

This implies that we should have absolute clarity about our objectives (see Question 2).

"I" stands for Influence - if I do not control this action, can we reach out to someone who does, someone who might act on this for us, and can we influence them to do this for us? This is the second order of change - what might be called a "relationship" action.

To exercise this ‘second order of change' we are required to have extensive personal networks. Networks allow us to leverage our influence way beyond or sphere of personal control.

Networks also need to be both external and internal. In selling, it is natural enough for us to build networks in our market place, establish a little profile, set ourselves up to attract new clients. However, real ‘top gun' sales directors spend as much time building their internal networks with the departments (and their directors) that is responsible for supporting our operations on the front line of selling.

They focus just as hard on building their personal brand or profile within the firm, positioning themselves at the heart of key company networks, identifying and connecting with the key stakeholders in their success and then using these links to provide support to others as and when required - so that they can reach out to them for a favour when we are most in need.

Finally: "A" stands for Accept for Now - if I do not control it and I cannot influence it, then I walk away, for now. Focus on what you can control and influence and "park" what you have no control or influence over.

Many of us tend to spend a great deal of time worrying over things that we neither influence nor control. By acting on what we control and influence, that which we have to "park" for now may fall within our control and influence in time.

4. How effectively am I communicating with the board and with my team?

Staying in control of the sales message is the remit of the sales director. We have a responsibility to manage that message upwards to the board and down to the front line sales team. But the message needs to be interpreted differently for both parishes.

For the board, the message needs to be couched in the language of the board.

What terminology do they use when they discuss the business? What are the expectations of each of the other directors for the business? What are the metrics that they use - how do they measure success and how do they know (in their terms) when we are proving to be successful?

Do they understand the dynamics of the sales process and what are their unique views about how they interact with the customer? Do they understand that all their staff are equally involved in creating and keeping customers and do we (as sales leaders) make it clear that everyone in the business is selling.

For the front line team, what is the consistent message that we carry to our customers both in times of challenge and in time of plenty? What are there needs from us - how can we serve them better? What are their current unique challenges? Am I acknowledging and reassuring them as appropriate. We need to connect, involve and engage with our teams and our people. In the new world of the ‘soft power' market place management from the ‘ivory tower' is ineffective - we need to lead by inspiring and by being of service to our people.

In the new collaborative and contemporary market place - and for ‘Top Gun' sales directors - there are no ‘little people', everyone is deserving of their attention.

In the competitive world of sales and sales management only the best qualify for Top Gun.

Hibernate or Activate

God I love good weather and it is 'cracking the stones' here in old Dublin town...loving it. The sun is shining and the summer is coming. But we have a question to ask ourselves.

Traditionally the summer is a time of rest and relaxation, the kids are off school, the traffic is lighter in the cities and we like to feel that the pressure comes off a little - we start to hibernate. We rationalise that people are on holiday, nobody wants to make decisions, everybody is away and so its ok to take it easier.

Not this year. There is no time to hibernate this year. By all means set a holiday date and take it. R&R is critical for mental, physical and spiritual relaxation - and more productivity as a result. Enjoy the break but before and after we cannot afford to take our foot off the pedal.

Holidays are not what they once were. People stagger holidays, some take winter holidays and others take it off-peak. So there are people working - decision makers are in place and doing business and so should we be.

Activate. Get focused, engage in even more focused activity, set a specific personal and sales objective for the summer season and reach it. Stay in the game when others head for the sidelines. It'll make all the difference to making the numbers when it comes closer to the end of the year.

So don't hibernate - activate.

New Sales Coaching Podcast

A recent presentation to sales managers at the Sales Institute of Ireland has just been released on a podcast. Its a full seminar of about 70 plus minutes so feel free to listen at your leisure guys.

Sales Coaching Podcast by Seán Weafer

The Perfect Sales Storm

I know that this has a phrase that has been beaten to death recently with regard to reporting on the recession but I thought it summed up the situation we are facing in B2B selling right now.

I had lunch with a successful senior executive last week to discuss how he was getting on with a recent role move. His job is to re-invigorate a very large sales team within a very well established firm and a very well known name. To his horror he has discovered something of great interest to all of us charged with leading the way back from the brink.

It's not just that his sales people have neither sales process nor sales relationship skills - but his sales managers don't have it either and so can't support the front line sales people. Yes folks the truth has dawned - we are dealing not just with sales people who have been order-taking and not really selling (actively acquiring and building profitable relationships) but a whole generation of sales managers have been promoted who don't have the skills of relationship or process selling either.

Traditionally sales managers were good sales people who were promoted to keep them and their sales ability within the firm. They might have traditionally lacked leadership skills but at least they had the sales skills. Many of today's generation of sales managers have neither the sales or the leadership skills - and that is the perfect storm.

I work with firms to provide a three-tiered intervention that deals with just such a scenario. if your firm is facing just such a 'perfect storm' and you'd like some complimentary guidance on how best to resolve it drop us a line here and let's talk. We've got the skills to help you ride out the storm.

Wireless...AGAIN!

I've had the pleasure recently of visiting the United Arab Emirates and am currently still here. For the first part of my trip I stayed at the Atlantis Plam resort in Dubai - about $650 a night (courtesy of a client company I might add..) and guess what? Yep - I HAD TO PAY FOR WIRELESS ACCESS!

Then I moved to Abu Dhabi the capital - a beautiful place and beautiful people, I would be very happy living here and stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel. Another lovely hotel (not cheap either)...and guess what? I HAD TO PAY FOR WIRELESS ACCESS!!

I have just moved all my training and coaching work (back home) to a hotel - because they provide free wireless access.

When are quality (and not so quality hotels) going to get the message? Customer service in the Information Age means FREE access to the web wherever and whenever. Marketing teams in hospitality please note. I for one - where I get to choose - will always vote with my feet to where I can continue to conduct business without the inconvenience or the insult of being charged to connect with my world and on my terms.

Ninja Business

For many years I have studied martial arts. The art I have studied is not a sport but one which focuses on real life fighting skills or CQBS (close quarter battle skills) as it is sometimes called. Like many martial arts its heritage resides in Japan and my chosen 'warrior way'  is known as the Bujinkan or 9 Warrior Schools.

One of those schools is Ninjutsu and the tradition emanates from the Ninja tribes in Koga and Iga provinces in Japan. The school or tradition today is known as the Tokukure 'Ryu' (or school) and dates its lineage back 1000 years through 34 grandmasters or 'Soke', as they are known.

The ninja have become figures of fun and fantasy over the recent years but their skils were very real and extraordinary. They could blend both psychology, physiology and the secrets of timing, distance and balance to overcome all obstacles - or perish in the attempt - such was their commitment.

As sales and business people we could learn much from their tradition. An absolute unswerving comittment to our mission, the ability to thrive, adapt, innovate and use all the tools, environments and networks at our disposal to emerge victorious from battle.

But mostly we can learn from what the word 'Ninjutsu' means. 'Jutsu' means an art form - living , evolving, growing, developing, constantly changing, never the same. Unlike the word 'do' which means a fixed path or 'way' (e.g. Judo)  jutsu is inherently present, dealing with the 'now' and constantly flowing and adapting to change and circumstance.

'Nin' means a number of things from survival, to the ability to endure and to overcome.

The art of survival, endurance and the ability to overcome the challenges that face us in the current environment is as relevant to the modern 'ninjas' who operate in today's business world as ever it was for those past warriors who fought to protect their family, their people, their temples and their homes.

After all, do we not share a common purpose? To serve those who matter the most to us.

Networking ...no. Access....yes.

This is an interesting year. I am seeing a great demand in people looking to network, to connect and engage with others - both digitally and personally. There is a great upsurge in the interest in networking. Apart from the fact that this is in keeping with the values of the r'evolution that is now here, its also about seeking new opportunties for their career and businesses.

Yet, there is a corresponding fall in membership in business organisations, chambers of commerce and societies. Why?

People think that networking is about attending events in the vague hope that something might come from a chance meeting. It's not about that at all. It's about ACCESS. Meeting the right people, in the right environment, with the right introduction so that LATER they can either make a decision in your favour or you can provide a valued service to them or they can connect you with someone who can assist you.

Networking is fundamentally a mercenary activity. It is about being in an environment where you can actively target and access the right kind of people for your business. Any organisation or event that claims a benefit from networking once you are a member should actually clearly define who you have access to at the events. Without it...it's not worth the cost of membership.

It's not about the opportunity to network...it's about the opportunity to get access. This is the point that needs be clearly spelt out by organisations that trade on the strength of their membership and the opportunities to network.

Relationship Marketing

There's nothing nicer than someone showing appreciation. A handwritten card or note is usually the best but we usually don't do it do we? Write it out....put it in the envelope...search for stamp...go post it ....what's the point?

I came across a wonderful new on-line card marketing system for personal services businesses just recently that I've signed up for www.SendOutCards.com

Now you can do all your card writing on-line and the nice people at SendOutcards.com will print the card for you (you can have one that you make yourself - or choose from a huge range of special interest and business cards), sign it digitally with your personal signature, stick your logo or photo on it) pop it into the envelope and then post it for you. You can send out just the one ...or mount a mass campaign to thousands.

In fact, I liked it sooo much I signed up as a distributor. Just what I like - a value-added service, that I can use in my business, with no inventory, makes life easier and allows me to show my appreciation to my clients - all from the comfort of my laptop.

I'll even be sending my St Patrick's Day cards from it too..! www.SendOutCards.com

New Year New Rules

Welcome to 09 - a brand new year, a new world and new rules. The first rule is focused activity. Change either happens to us or we make it happen ourselves. Personally, I prefer the latter - that way I don't allow other people's rules or expectations to dictate my outcomes.

Rebels make their own rules and I've started my focused action by recording and editing a demo DVD (see the video clips on the site by the end of the week) and new promo audio CD for sales directors and entrepreneurs called 'Zero to Hero - Questions that Change'. Should have that up as an audio file as well in the coming weeks. I'll use both to start driving more business for the practice within the week.

I've also written and recorded another new audio/workbook programme called 'Rebel in a Business Suit® - Transformational Questions' which takes you on a journey through 9 levels of development: Meaning & Purpose, Vision, Control & Influence, Work/Life Balance, Performance, Communicating & Influencing, Sales/Business Development and Delegation. Finally, I've just finished the edits to a new DVD/Workbook programme called 'Rebel in a Business Suit® - Rebel Secrets™ for Entrepreneurs'.

So a great start to New Year with new energy. If it hasn't been quite as busy for you - change the rules and take more action. Life should be exciting this year.

One Inch Wide

I received some good news yesterday - I have just been made a Fellow of the Professional Speakers Association. Recognition is always welcome isn't it!

The PSA is a fantastic body with a host of people with tremendous expertise. It's amazing the learning that can be gleaned from rubbing shoulders with this diverse population. There is a further opportunity to do that for me next week when I open the second day of the conference on the main stage with my Rebel in a Business Suit - How to Succeed in the New World of Work.

One (seemingly small) lesson, which has taken time to digest and some amount of courage to committ to, is the lesson of 'one inch wide - one mile deep'. The PSA recommends that tightly nicheing what you do and then providing information in tremendous depth and quality for that niche is one of the best ways of building a business model. It was really only last night that the power of that lesson hit me as I mused on the current market changes in this r'evolutionary age.

A highly-focused approach to a market sector is a powerful way of developing a laser-sharp focus and more income. In this time of uncertainty, choosing to committ to one or two small niches might seem a little crazy but ultimately I believe in a couple of things about 'down times'. 1. In uncertain times customers will pay more (not less) for proven expertise - they want certainty not experimentation. 2. Never compromise on price - but deliver excellent value.

Fire Tempers Steel

Anyone else finding it tough out there recently? I'm finding it challenging getting people to make decisions around coaching and seminars. It seems like we are in the middle of a huge upheaval in business at the moment - a time of momentous change for all of us and nothing will quite be the same again. R'evolutionary.

A time of fear, nervousness and uncertainty. But also a time when ingenuity, flexbility and innovativeness will be rewarded.

When the news struck last week I was working with a group of bankers on the 7th floor of a hotel. Needless to say I made sure that the doors and windows were immediately locked! These guys did not want to be in my room learning how to coach their teams. My co-facilitator turned to me and said 'so how do we make this r'evolutionary Seán?'. Good questions..wished I'd thought of it.

So we turned the day into a practical exercise on how they were going to coach their reports on how to handle the crisis situation. By role playing they internalised the learnings - and learned from each other. Then we role played using their coaching skills to coach clients on remaining calm - I couldn't have asked for a better example of coaching the 'reluctant client'.

A friend once said to me that 'fire tempers steel' - we are being forged in the fires of chaos now. But the steel will shine through in the end. Innovate, adapt and triumph.

Objections Are Better Than Indifference

I am constantly amazed at how fearfully many sales professionals face objections to their propositions.

Wouldn't the world be a wonderful place if everyone immediately understood the huge value that we bring to them and opened their cheque books and wallets to us without question? But seeing as they don't - we need to consider sales objections in a different light - as something positive rather than negative.

Look, I can work with an objection - I can probe it further, I can change the way I'm communicating. If they're objecting to what I'm presenting at least they are engaged in the sales process and trying to understand what it is we are presenting. They are looking for more information, or clarity or a reason to buy.

What I can't sell to is indifference, where someone has zero interest in what I'm selling. This can only occur where we got our prospecting criteria wrong in the first place and we are talking to the wrong person. Alternatively it may be happening because I have committed some major 'faux pas' that I'm not aware of, that has caused them some degree of annoyance and hence passive resistance to me or the proposal.

Either way, it's time to move on - selling is about service, not about trying to ram what we have to offer down their throats - that was the old days. The age of 'hard power' selling and not the modern market place where 'soft power' selling is required. The world is an abundant place and it is so much easier to sell to those who have a need and desire for our services and products.

Where objections can never be met by probing, engagement and uncovering the real need behind the objection - retreat, re-group and move on.