Tag: Leadership

Leaders: You may be doing it wrong.

Invest your time like you would invest your money- In the places you will get the best return.

I want great returns on my investments. I can get that in a couple different ways:

First, I’d look for stocks that have a good rate of return. Steady performers that have good growth and a solid balance sheet. My buy in cost will be higher here, but the return will be steady and large.

Next, I’d scout for the next big performer. I’d look in the middle of the pack for companies that have a great profile, good potential, and require a moderate investment. I’d love to discover the next Amazon, Apple, or Keurig and watch it grow.

Last, once in a great while, under the right circumstances, I may throw a few dollars at some penny stocks and hope for the best, but I’m certainly not going to build a portfolio around them. I also want to be well aware of declining stocks, sucker bets, poorly run operations and shady companies that are looking to consume my resources and sap my positive outlook.

[bctt tweet=”Invest your time like you invest your money- In the places you will get the best return. “]

Leaders, how are you investing your time?

Are you spending all your time with penny stocks? I hope not, but the reality is that many are. Sadly, many leaders feel they must fix what is broken and in doing so, they neglect the best performers.

We wouldn’t invest in a plummeting stock, right? But we will give up an entire Tuesday to spend with Bill, who hasn’t hit his number in three consecutive periods. Meanwhile, Tracy, one of our President’s Club winners for the last three years is left alone. (‘Surely, she’ll call if she needs something’.) Absurd.

Your time is the equivalent of your investment dollars. You only have so much to invest. It is your job to maximize the return. You owe it yourself, your company, and your people to make wise, well thought out decisions about how you will invest.

Investing in your high performers costs more. You have to prepare better, you will need to clear bigger obstacles, and you will have to work really hard to get them to higher growth numbers. At this level, even a modest return is huge dollars. They also constantly perform, year after year after year. 20-40% of your investment should be made here.

Your mid level people should be mined for gems. Make consistent investments in this pool and you will not only find your next star, you will likely see great returns. Overall, we are in it for the long game, but stay aware of market trends that may cause this group to fluctuate-  you may see something that is worth heavy investment for a large, quick return or you may find yourself in a position to offload some deadweight before it drags your portfolio down. You will spend the majority of time managing this group so you can stay nimble, informed, and can make needed adjustments. Plan on dedicating 40-50% or your investable time here.

The remainder is yours to spend as you see fit. Take some risk, invest in a penny stock here and there if you like. There’s no harm in taking chances provided you aren’t betting the farm. Whatever you do, stop making investment in those who are showing a consistent, downward trend. Know when to call it a loss. Pay the brokerage fees and sell them off. Your team will thank you.

Go look at your calendar. Look at how you’ve allocated your time this week and next. Make sure you are investing your time like you’d invest your money. Leave the penny stocks for newer investors. You go make wise, thoughtful leadership decisions about your time that will get great returns that will provide for a comfortable retirement.

Let me know if I can help.

If you’d like to read more blog posts from The Win Source, you can find them here.

Please subscribe to receive future posts directly to email.

Ideas, comments, and questions are always welcomed! Happy Selling!

 

 

 

 

 

5 Skills Your Next Salesperson Must Have

People often ask, “What are the things you look for when hiring the best salespeople?”

That answer has changed over the years. Relying on what made people successful a decade ago won’t cut it today. Things have changed.

Technology, availability of information and our ability to communicate ideas in an instant has accelerated the rate of change in the workplace. As a result, skills that used to be advantageous are becoming all but imperative. To be successful in this fast-paced business environment curiosity, creativity, teamwork, and flexibility now stand out as hallmarks of effective salespeople.

  1. Curiosity: Salespeople must be inquisitive asking ‘why’ and exploring the origin of projects, objectives and resources so they can get to buying motives quickly. Failure to do so can result in lost time, missed deadlines and tasks. Today’s salespeople have to use curiosity to help them develop empathy, putting themselves in the buyer’s shoes, so they can truly understand the buyers position and the impact of the sale they are trying to make.
  2. Creativity: Buyers have become very well informed. The information at their disposal is vast, allowing them to make decisions at a very rapid pace. If a salesperson is going to get their attention, they have to be creative. It seems that much of what we need to know has been reduced to a tweet, a snapchat, or a meme that we scroll through rapidly. Buyers have no patience for lengthy emails or requests for hours of their time. Creativity can open many doors and goes a long way in advancing or closing the sale.
  3. Teamwork:  The share economy has created groups and teams for everything. People buy and sell in groups. They share knowledge, insights, roles, and data. These challenges put salespeople in a situation where in order to be successful one has to learn to work both independently to uphold individual responsibility but also must get results through or with others. The Lone Wolf is no more.
  4. Flexibility:  Salespeople must be willing to pivot quickly. Tasks and projects can end and be spun up in an instant. If a salesperson is to succeed they must be mobile and willing to flex quickly. Failure to do so can make them look unproductive or leave them feeling frustrated in their role. Win fast, lose fast.

Bringing all of these skills together creates a salesperson that can understand why a target is set, can use people and resources to hit the target, and then can review the best parts of the work to make improvements and adjustments so the work continues to get better. Hire for these skills and the effectiveness and efficiency of your sales team will go up. You will see better results.

Speaking of getting better- Skill number 5 is Continuous Improvement. Many salespeople will have read this article because of the title. They will have clicked on the article wanting to know if they possessed the skills of the best salespeople, wanting to compare themselves to what was written, to see whether they measured up. Those salespeople are continuously striving to improve themselves by staying informed, honing their craft, and learning how to be more effective and efficient. You want those people on your team.

 

Do you have other skills you hire for? Drop me a note or comment with the critical skills you think salespeople must have. I’d love to hear about it.

If you’d like to read more blog posts from The Win Source, you can find them here.

Please subscribe to receive future posts directly to email.

Ideas, comments, and questions are always welcomed! Happy Selling!

Two Ways To Become An Unforgettable Leader.

There are two ways to become the type of leader that people will remember their entire career. You can make those you lead feel BIG or you can make those you lead feel small.

This week’s blog is to serve as a thank you to the leaders I have worked for in both categories.

To those that made me feel BIG: 

Thank you for your kind words. The thoughtful cards, notes and emails you sent have been saved and I reflect on them often. They make for a good ‘pick me up’ on days where the job gets tough. I want you to know that as much as I appreciate the monetary reward, perks, and cool SPIF’s you offered, one of the things I will treasure the most are the inspiring words you spoke to me when times were tough. Some of my favorites were simple and unscripted. I knew when they were spoken that they were genuine and heartfelt.

  • ” I know you can do this.”
  • ” Every time I ask you for a dime, you bring back a quarter.”
  • ” We can put our heads together to plan but when it comes time to execute, you’ll need to do it on your own. I need to know you have what you need because second place won’t work.”
  • ” The team depends on you.”
  • “Thank you”

These are only a few of the many inspiring things you said. What made them so powerful  was the combination of the timing, the connection, the relevance, and the words themselves. In those moments, you made me feel like I could do anything; you made me feel like any goal was possible; you made me want to work harder; you made me achieve more than I thought I could; you made me feel BIG. I felt great reward when I knew I made you proud. There was great confidence that came from the time you spent with me. Much of my creativity and good ideas stemmed from your ability to paint a clear vision of the future, you helped me dream of what could be. My motivation came from the way you connected me to something great. I felt BIG because I knew you wouldn’t let me waste time in minutia. I knew we would create great things together.

You made me want to be a better leader. You made me want to serve others. You set the bar high and even though we no longer work together, I want you to know that you still inspire me. I think of you when I’m tired and want to quit. I wonder what you would tell me when think of taking the easy path. When I’m not sure I know the right words to say to my team in the tough moments, I think of you. When I’m afraid to speak up, I reach inside for the confidence you put there. Thank you for all of that. I will remember you and how BIG you made me feel every day for the remainder of my career.

To those that made me feel small: 

Thank you for the lessons of what not to do. I will remember you and your lessons for the remainder of my career also.

I hope someday you get to work for someone who makes you feel BIG. It will change your life.

 

 

If you’d like to read more blog posts from The Win Source, you can find them here.

Please susbscribe to receive future posts directly to email.

Ideas, comments, and questions are always welcomed! Happy Selling!