by Art Waskey | Dec 22, 2020 | Art of Sales Weekly
Daunted By New Responsibilities
Are you in a new leadership position and feeling the need for some job guidance? As a master coach, I recently worked with a client who found himself promoted to Vice President of the company which had recently acquired his business. As the junior partner in the company he founded, this individual was very comfortable with many facets of management. His new executive responsibilities, however, seemed a bit daunting.
The Qualities of a Master Coach
As people move up the career ladder, and in particular when there is a sudden jump, feeling insecure about the job ahead is common. Guidance from someone more experienced, such as a master coach, can be very useful. Here are some key qualities to look for in a mentor.
Experience – People in their sixties and seventies have a wealth of experience and task-specific knowledge. There are few business problems they haven’t solved and this allows them to coach a client creatively and effectively. For example, when one of my clients recognized the growing demand for dry ice to transport the new COVID-19 vaccine, as a former industrial gas industry executive, I was able to lead him to the right connections for the best equipment and proper training in the use and handling of that substance.
Insight – The right coach is constantly monitoring his student’s progress. He must be able to recognize if his client is not able to process or act upon his instructions, and redirect him if necessary.
Patience –The imparting of new skills requires moving forward in small progressive steps and this requires patience. A meaningful connection between the trainer and apprentice is necessary to make this journey work.
Empathy – As a coach is trying to impart something foreign and unknown to his student, he needs to have empathy. For example, after I demonstrated a new skill to a student, he explained why he preferred his current method. I had to sympathize with him. It is difficult to let go of our tried and true habits. I persisted in encouraging him to give the new technique a try and eventually he recognized the tremendous long-term time savings this new skill afforded him.
Job Guidance
If you are feeling overwhelmed in your new position, ask for the help of someone more experienced. A master coach is there to give you job guidance and improve your ability to lead the team.
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by Art Waskey | Dec 15, 2020 | Art of Sales Weekly
There is bright news on the horizon and companies find themselves gearing up to hire additional staff. As the vaccines for COVID-19 are approved and people are immunized, we look forward to getting back to work on a broader scale.
Hire for Key Personality Characteristics
Employees are the heart and soul of any business and represent a significant investment, so you want to choose carefully. Let’s review some key personality characteristics that you should look for as you add new talent to your workforce.
Culture fit – It is vitally important that any new recruit fits into your company’s culture. Be sure he or she shares your values. The right person is someone who can build trust with clients, engage in healthy conflict, make real commitment, hold people accountable, and focus on the team’s results.
Relationship builder– All employees should have a healthy respect for relationship building. You want a person who operates well within a team and is willing to share the credit of a job well done. Look for an individual who asks good questions, listens to what others are saying, and stays engaged in conversations.
Openness – To be effective as a team, employees must be willing to be open about their business dealings. In his book, The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni described a principle he called Vulnerability-based Trust. “A leadership team must be willing to be completely transparent, honest, and naked with one another.”
Work ethic – You want people with a good work ethic, the types who are always asking for more to do and show interest in learning new things. Self-motivation, diligence, and the ability to take responsibility are important values to look for in an individual.
Talented – While intellectual capacity is important, common sense is a talent even more critical to success. I once worked with an executive who was excited to add a Harvard MBA in Finance to his team. The new hire was indeed intelligent but was unable to translate his academic pedigree into practical ways of getting the job done.
Organized – Be sure your candidate illustrates good organizational skills as these are some of the most important and transferable skills an employee can have. You want your new employee to be a person who can plan, prioritize, and achieve his or her goals.
The Right Hiring Process
As you gear up to expand your team, look for these key personality characteristics in future employees. The right hiring process will result in a strong and loyal team, and will save your company time and money.
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by Art Waskey | Dec 10, 2020 | Art of Sales Weekly
Over 11 million Americans are currently unemployed according to bls.gov, which means many people are struggling to find ways to create new opportunities. Adversity is part of life. Sometimes, it’s trivial and throws you off for only a few weeks. At other times, it’s life-changing. The coronavirus pandemic fits squarely into the latter category and has made it an especially challenging time to be in the job market.
Tips for the job seeker
If you are looking for work, here are some tips I have developed this year on how to best to approach the difficult situation you find yourself in:
- Share your emotions – When you lose a job, it often feels like failure. Many people experience grief, similar to the kind of sorrow you feel with the loss of a loved one. It’s important to share those feelings, preferably with someone who has been through an unexpected job change. You are better able to express your anger, pain, and disappointment to a kindred spirit. Ignoring those emotions can prevent you from moving forward.
- Assess your finances – Finances are a concern for most of us. Be sure to evaluate what you will require monetarily until you find a job. Most people do not have the funds to support a long period of unemployment. Check with your state and federal offices to see if you qualify for unemployment insurance, including special pandemic unemployment assistance.
- Develop a plan – Once you have dealt with the emotional and financial aspects of your situation focus on problem-solving and develop a plan. Consider why you lost the job. Was it just the result of the pandemic or were there other issues at play? Perhaps this is a good time to make a needed career change or find a job that better matches your skill set and passion.
Persevere
Going through adverse situations is tough and the pandemic is testing our strength on so many levels. To get through adversity, you must persevere in your quest to create better opportunities. This resiliency will lead you to a better job. I have found that after a year in new position, most people find they are better off financially and enjoy greater job satisfaction. Stay strong.
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by Art Waskey | Dec 1, 2020 | Art of Sales Weekly
To effectively plan for the New Year of business, it is important to recap your transactions in 2020, review their effectiveness, and realign your goals accordingly. Each autumn, I recommend that all business executives take serious look back at how they filled their work days and weeks.
As 2020 was the year of the unexpected, this exercise requires an even deeper level of commitment than in the past. In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell describes how paradigm shifts change our lives and how we view the world. With its impacts on our health, careers, the economy, and our interpersonal relations, the Coronavirus certainly qualifies as a paradigm shift. COVID19 has changed our lives and the way we conduct business. As executives, it is important to acknowledge this and to take the opportunity to close out this year with intention and care so we are able to plan effectively for the year ahead.
Consider these questions
As you reflect on 2020, here is a series of questions for you to consider:
- What projects did you complete or put in motion this year?
- What aspect of your business has given you the greatest gratification and fulfillment?
- What part of your job has created the most frustration, disappointment, and displeasure?
- Were there areas where you discovered you were vulnerable?
- What unique qualities do you bring to others around you?
- What is your one greatest take-away from 2020?
- What are the projects or actions you could take that would make you successful in 2021? What will you accomplish, where will you grow, and what impact will you have on others?
Develop a plan for the new year
In light of the fact that it has been an upside down year and, that there is the promise of more change to come, a 2020 recap, review, and realignment of goals will take time and effort. Focus on the best of your past and use those results to develop an exciting, enthusiastic, and directed plan for the New Year.
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by Art Waskey | Nov 23, 2020 | Art of Sales Weekly
One question I am frequently asked by young professionals is how to make their hours of hard work count toward career advancement? Many feel they are treading water — working long hours and spending whatever time is needed to get the job done but not getting to the next level. To understand the actions that best enable you to move up the career ladder, let’s look at what separates the top 10 percent performers from the rest of the field?
The Character of Success
In his book The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle identifies The Three Rules of Deep Practice. Whether it’s music, sports, writing, or any other discipline, Coyle writes that it is through deep practice that you develop the specific characteristics that differentiate you from the crowd.
Here are Coyle’s Three Rules:
- Chunk It Up – First, look at the task you face as one big chunk and find an example of someone who has succeeded at a similar challenge. Analyze how that person divided the project into small component pieces, and then acted on them. Memorize those actions.
- Repeat It – Second, sharpen your skills though repetition. Repetitio mater studiorum est –repetition is the mother of study, and Coyle sees it as invaluable to career advancement. Each time you practice an action you improve on it and on its timing.
- Learn To Feel It – Third, get to know and recognize your full potential, what UCLA psychologist Robert Bjork calls the sweet spot. This is the productive, uncomfortable terrain located just beyond our current abilities, where our reach exceeds our grasp. Here is how Bjork suggests you identify your potential: (1) pick a target, (2) reach for it, (3) evaluate the gap between the target and the reach, and (4) return to step one. It can be an uncomfortable exercise at first, but is one that will help you get to that next level quickly.
Achievement Gained
Reaching and achieving the next level in a career, or in a specific skill set, requires a lot of deep practice. To the sales professionals I mentor, I advise that while the effort may be uncomfortable, career advancement is best gained through following these three rules.
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by Art Waskey | Nov 16, 2020 | Art of Sales Weekly
A rep came to me with the news that he was finally making headway with a prospect, but had trouble with them making the commitment. His new contact had told him that he would “think about” his proposal. As his manager, that phrase did not trigger enthusiasm. Experience has taught me that “thinking it over” generally is a polite way of saying “no”.
Gaining commitment
I advise our sales reps to seek an unequivocal “yes” or “no” from prospects, but realize they may be faced with a “maybe”. When this happens, ask the client why he is hesitating. You may be surprised by the response. Here are some common reasons a potential customer may choose to “think about it”:
- Lack of trust – If you haven’t spent sufficient time getting to know the customer, you haven’t earned the right to ask for an order. Spend more time bonding by asking more questions.
- Too polite – Some people simply can’t say “no”; it’s against their nature. You need to make them feel comfortable with a negative response. Try saying, “It’s okay for you to tell me “yes” or “no”, but please don’t tell me, “let me think it over.”
- Not the decision-maker – The person you are dealing with may not be authorized to approve the sale. Ask, “In addition to you and me, who else might be part of a decision like this?”
- Needs proof – While your sales target may agree with the value of your product as proposed, he may need to see it perform before making a final decision. Offer this — “Would you be willing to give me a purchase order pending an agreed upon trial period of satisfactory performance?”
- Not in the market – If your client says he is not in the market for your products, you have failed to establish what he needed in the first place. Pursue every sale on the basis of where your customer has a problem or an opportunity to grow their business.
Discovery time
As you can see from the points above, equivocal responses can be avoided if you spend more time discovering and establishing customer needs before making a pitch. “I’ll think it over” is really just a nice way of saying “no”. Invest some time in finding out why.
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