Sales tips, leadership communication skills insight and more from Steve Giglio, sales training professional for more than 25 years.
Jobs change…they come, they go, they get eliminated, they get created…like business roulette! Mission critical for all of us is to stay on top of the wave. If we miss it, we’ve got to find the next one…fast!
When that job change comes, do your best to interview like a consultant. Prepare yourself for the “head” and “spirit” change required to interview like a consultant who will prepare a scope of work for the job for which you are interviewing. It will change your entire interviewing style.
We live in a world of break-neck changes in business. Challenges occur daily with not much time to establish a plan-to-cure. But, a person’s alacrity is contagious, so is their readiness to engage in the heart of an issue. Its the same with an interview.
When you comport yourself as a consultant ready to vet the issue that your prospective employer has, you transform your delivery style from cautious optimism to determined confidence.
I’m not putting forth that you interact with an air of superiority or know-it-allness. On the contrary, I am recommending that you understand the challenge your employer has as though you were selected to resolve it and are meeting to complete your sizing of the job in order to offer a scope of work with a 100 day, six month and year plan-to-cure.
Try it and let me know how it goes.
Every time you observe a Direct’ s client interaction, realize it’s an opportunity for you to coach and develop. Too often we’ll forget to debrief a Direct on what they did well and what they can strengthen. If you coach them correctly, they may lead you to new ways to help them develop. Read more
Picking up from last week’s post about fitting in as a new manager, let’s look at ways to provide direction and shape a Direct’s behavior. Your organization believes you can develop and lead people. Do you believe it?
Many of my clients are quick-learning, driven executives. Often, though, I stress the importance of teaching directs how to accomplish a task/project versus telling them how to accomplish it or worse, doing it for them. Read more
Your career, like it or not, is not in your control. Sure, you can be extremely competent and even praised by your superiors. But in the end, you need your direct reports to be successful in order for your career to thrive. No leader ever accomplished anything without people to lead. You need their vote, it’s that plain and simple. Realize the opportunity here, not the threat. Read more
When communicating an idea or recommendation, it is essential to check in. However, it’s “how” you do it that makes all the difference. Can you ask “Am I right?” No. That’s not appropriate…well…pretty much ever!
You can, though, when you are speaking with a direct report, client or colleague, ask relational check-in questions.
Relational questions provide you with an opportunity to see if your recommendation is resonating with your target audience. It also provides a stopping point during which your client or direct report can provide input, which gives you insight into where their head is during the conversation.
Examples of some relational questions are:
Do you see how this idea can help you this year?
From what we’ve just covered how do you see this fitting in with your overall strategy?
Is this idea on strategy?
Checking in is very important. It accomplished two goals. One, it illustrates you’re concerned about your client’s understanding and accepting of your idea early on in the communication. Two, it shows you have the confidence to ask for their alignment at the start of your communication.
Too often in meetings, I have observed people checking in during the last five minutes of a presentation versus at the beginning, middle and then the end.
You can’t fix a misunderstanding during the eleventh hour of your presentation You can when you uncover it at the start.
Be sure at the start of your presentation to ask for agreement that you have captured the primary goal of your client along with their stated challenges before you present your idea.
My grandfather, and I expect many of yours, always counseled me: “Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.”
I counsel my clients to consider this adage when dealing with their most troublesome clients and business associates. You know the ones…they offer their opinions constantly, practice inactive listening and have an air of superiority that diminishes your position in any conversation. Put bluntly…they are windbags concerned only with themselves. But they must be managed and, you can do it! Read more
“Good morning, boss, I’ve got an idea!”
“Yeah…well…sorry but we’ve eliminated your position.”
Yikes…blindsided by downsizing! What do you do? How do you go about it? Where is your head? Read more
