The Boy Scouts and I share a common, urgent message that we have been delivering for years: Be Prepared! We live in a “need it now” culture. Too often, that means not doing the preparatory work needed before you talk with a potential client. “I just don’t have time” is what I hear most often. […]
I’m struck at how often people unknowingly forget to find and/or understand a client’s personal values. Without knowing these values, how can you tailor your recommendation, lead a team or recommend a change? Here’s a hint…it’s all in the listening. (sound familiar?) Yeah…I’ve posted previously about listening first! Your Values May Not Be Their Values Generally […]
A bold statement. And it was said to me by a prospective client at our first meeting! As I heard him say this I was slightly taken aback and countered with, “That’s great to hear. I’m curious, though, what’s one skill you’d like to strengthen as we look at our potential collaboration together?” He said, “I never […]
This is part three of a three-part series designed to help you plan your leadership and get your team ready for 2017. The other articles are focused on Looking Back to Move Forward and Creating Your Mission Statement. Now that you’ve studied what’s worked with your organization, critically reviewed your go-to-market strategy and established your […]
Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz” movie famously proclaimed to her dog, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Well, neither are we! In these transformative times, it’s essential to insure that your mission statement mirrors the direction in which your organization must travel. Your mission statement from two years ago needs to be […]
This is part one of a three-part series dedicated to helping you plan your team’s direction for 2017. Part 1: Look Back to See Forward Here are six essential questions for you and your leadership team to resolve to gain a clear line-of-sight into what occurred this year and where you need to tack your […]
I’ve heard every excuse in the world for why presentations fail. Here are some doozies: “I didn’t get enough sleep last night.” “There wasn’t enough time to prepare.” “My boss just threw me in there without warning.” “I got lost so I was late. It threw me off my game.” “The moon was in the […]
Curating your organization’s value proposition is a fun exercise that brings people together along with synthesizing your company’s DNA. Too often, however, organizations feel they need to present their history of achievements, how they began as an organization X number of years ago and/or the biographies of their founders. All of these are wrong. How your organization got […]
When interviewing someone for a job, we generally have a few key characteristics that, if found, would indicate the person will be successful with our company, right? But, how often do we look at our own sales teams with the same amount of examination? What I’ve found over the years, whether it’s with Fortune 500 […]
Email. Text. Chat. Voicemail. All of these have become common ways in which we communicate with clients and business associates. But what about the big one…the phone call! Lost in our digital age is the importance a phone call can have in determining the future of your business relationships. And yet, many times I’ve witnessed seasoned […]
