Sales tips, leadership communication skills insight and more from Steve Giglio, sales training professional for more than 25 years.

10.20.11 Tip of the Week: Say It!

In meetings it’s easy to judge/vote on what your about to say then choose to be silent on the matter…think again.

 
Often in my executive development coaching work I find it’s more important for executives to say what they are thinking versus remaining silent.
 

Even if you are off base a bit you will mutually discover it by engaging versus running silent. Remaining passive and neutral can do more damage to the communication/collaboration than good.

You’ll also avoid the “what if” scenario that could occur later on if you don’t get the results you wanted.  “What if I had said something…”  So next time…say it.  And let me know how it goes.

 

 

10.8.11 Tip of the Week: Paranoia can be good for you

“In business, it’s always good to be a little paranoid.”

A long-time client said this to me recently and he really makes sense.
Often in my coaching assignments, I observe clients assuming that something they set out to achieve has been accomplished by his/her direct reports but in reality, it never did. The reason?  Not enough follow up and diligence.
When you see a situation that instinctively says to you, “caution, be careful here,” you should be. And you need to simultaneously ask yourself, “What am I not seeing here?  Do I really know what is going on?”Look at the issue then look at it again, the mosaic will focus if you focus on the issue.
Let me know how it goes!

 

08.16.11 Tip of the Week: Is My Message on Target?

One of the great things about getting your message right in business, whether it’s to a Board of Directors or client, is that you can cheat on the test!

How?

Simply by asking your audience what is essential to them.

It’s paramount to understand the goals and challenges of your listeners.  You also need to know what they think of you and your team’s work.  And the only way you can truly know is to ask and get direct feedback.  It may not be pretty sometimes, but you will then be able to craft your messaging to what they have said they need.  You can match your services/product to their desired outcome.  But be sure to ASK them what they need,  instead of trying to figure it out in a vacuum.
Try it and let me know how it goes.

08.08.11 Value Proposition

If you have ever done work with me, you know that I am a big proponent of everyone in an organization knowing the company’s value proposition.  It is the DNA and how the company differentiates itself from competitors.  It is also how the company rightfully earns the price put on its products and services.  A recent article on HBR.com backs that up so, take a read of it HERE.

Look for my comments too!  What are your thoughts on this?

07.14.11 On-boarding a New Employee

mentor-photoFinding good, career-minded employees is a big challenge.  And you spend a lot of time, effort and resources making sure you select the best person for the job.  Then they arrive for their first day.  In whose hands do you put their first 90 days of development?

Fast Company stresses using a Core employee, one of the people on your team who is doing the best job.  I’m happy to report that many of my clients do an outstanding job of this, realizing the value in molding a new employee through the live-by-example scenario of surrouding him or her with the best in the company.  It’s another way of instilling the DNA throughout the company.

Here is the article and I have posted my comments on the Fast Company site as well.  Let me know what YOU think.

06.04.11 Coke Exec’s Personal Branding

Like lots of things on the Internet, this article I stumbled upon rather randomly.  But I’m glad I did.  The author, a high ranking executive for Coca Cola, makes an essential point regarding a person’s uniqueness in the marketplace.

I agree with his all his recommendations.  And I’ll add one:  make a list of your great business achievements over a ten year period.  Be specific.

Determine what achievements were fun and daunting at the same time.  Consider what you learned about yourself through these milestones and how you were acknowledged for them. The acknowledgement you received becomes the objective evidence upon which you can can base your brand. Often I work with people to pinpoint these achievements and craft ways to present them relationally to prospective clients.  It makes a difference when you know your own track record and how you were able to achieve your clients’ and your personal goals.
Here’s the article.

 

05.29.11 Working the Room

We’ve all done it: attended a networking event only to come home with a handful of buisness cards and no recollection of who most of those people are. Crain’s NY Business offers some insight into how one can more effectively benefit from such gatherings.  A hint…it takes some forethought and strategy!

Click here for article.

05.17.11 Five Steps to Avoid Overpromising

In this article, the author provides you with some insight about how to avoid overpromising what your company, your brand, even you, can do.  It’s a good lesson, and one that I instill in my clients.  It is, of course, paramount that you know what your company/product/service can do.  But, it is equally important that you know what it cannot.  Avoiding disappointing by under-delivering will stop the undermining of your brand.  Read the article and look for my public comment.

05.11.10 Weird App Prices for Magazines

A lot of my publishing clients are working to bring their print and digital assets together in a package that is attractive to readers, and advertisers.  As you can see from this article, it’s wide open.  Hope this sheds some light on the transition taking place:

http://techland.time.com/2011/05/10/why-are-magazine-app-subscriptions-priced-so-weird/#ixzz1M2XYWf9t

04.30.11 Happiness Differs with Age

“The kids today I tell ‘ya!”  Well, as this article in Fast Company explains, there is more to age differences than the younger set knowing how to Flickr photos via iPhone to their Twitter page.  What makes them happy versus what makes your managers and executives happy differs and you need to know how.

The author’s points are essential to respecting executives on your team and understanding what generally motivates them.

As an Executive Development coach, I’ve found to direct someone you must understand what’s dear to them, what’s at stake for them, and what mark is important they make on their work. Take time to understand these issues.  It will communicate volumes with regard to your desire to shape their behavior to achieve these goals.  And if your employee has been with you for many years, it’s likely that what drives them has changed.  Do you know how?