Selling To Bruce Lee

I subscribe to a Daily Boost of Positivity, and today’s email was too good not to share.

According to Jacob Morgan, modern-day selling has a lot in common with the late Bruce Lee. That’s right: Bruce Lee. How? One of Bruce Lee’s approaches toward martial arts was the idea of fighting without fighting, which can be adapted to the selling world as “selling without selling.” Pretend you had to sell to Bruce Lee, but if he felt like you were pitching or selling to him, he would get to kick you in the head. All of a sudden your approach toward selling would be different. Now, instead of trying to sell, you will try to connect and build a relationship. You will try to build trust.

I really like the image of trying to sell to Bruce Lee but if you pitch or sound sales-y, you could be kicked in the head. Made me laugh!

Have a great day everyone!!

*Daily Boost of Positivity is distributed by Selling Power (sellingpower.com)

Your Thoughts On Fridays

It’s the end of April, and it snowed yesterday. Fittingly all the snow had finally melted off the grass in my yard, and I even started spring yard activities over the weekend.

It likely wouldn’t be that bad if this was the first snowfall of April; but in fact it’s the third. It seems like spring will never officially come; it has shown signs of arriving, only to pull it away again, like Lucy does time and time again to Charlie Brown.

As frustrating as it may be to see thick snowflakes collecting on the ground, again; it reminds me how much a person’s attitude can affect their overall demeanor, and often their performance. This can be properly summed up by comparing two typical thoughts when it comes to Fridays.

“Is it Friday yet?” or “Is it Friday already?”

The first group of people are consumed by the wait for the end of the week; often resulting in lower productivity and potentially lower moral. While our second group is so consumed by the events of the week that Friday has arrived as a pleasant surprise. It stems to reason that the latter group was more productive and could be viewed as contributing to a higher workplace moral.

I don’t think it’s an accident that Friday often surprises some of us. If we thoughtfully plan activities that engage our interests or strengths, time flies. But if we are motivated merely by the end of the day/week, viewing daily activities as mundane and meaningless; I can see why counting down to Friday is so appealing. After all, what else is there to do, right?!

It’s not always easy to push yourself to change your behaviour or your attitude, but it sure is rewarding when you do.

What It Takes To Sell (part 1)

I would like to continue on from a previous post (found here) and there is a new ‘Moment of Truth’, as Google calls it. Previously I recommended an e-book called ZMOT, which outlined a ‘Zero Moment of Truth’ for buyers. It says that once a consumer encounters stimulus related to a product or service, their first reaction is to hit the web. From the standpoint of a buyer, that’s fantastic! An increase in readily available information simplifies what or when to buy.

But how does this impact the sales person?

Sales people are increasingly being engaged once a buyer is already a step or two in their buying cycle; resulting in two main thoughts:

1. What challenges does this create? How, as sellers, do we react?
2. How do we “get in front” of our customers?

Both buyers and sellers want to be in control. A sales person’s preference is to initiate a call, identify a need with a prospect, customize a solution, and then implement it with their new customer (I over-simplified this process, I am aware: work with me). This process is linear and makes sense to all sales people; it is what we do day in and day out. A wrench gets thrown in our plans when a customer already knows what their issue is and has conducted research to find a solution that suits their need the best (they control the situation). What do we do? If we “go back” and attempt to re-visit a customer’s pain points, we run the risk of wasting time. But if we launch into “Sell Mode” we may not understand the complexities of a particular buyers situation; which can result in a misaligned solution or worse.

Unfortunately there is no easy answer. Each sales person is different, each buyer and their needs are different. My take: be different. I would guess that 8 of 10 sales people would regurgitate as much as they can, upon receiving the call from a prospect who seems ready to buy. “Blah blah company. Blah blah blah me. Blah blah blah blah buy.”

Sure, there are ways to phrase our statements that sound different, but most of the time we focus on our company and ourselves. Why not start with some questions? “Sounds like you have done your research. What sites did you find useful? Where was the most valuable information from? What prompted your research? What would you like my involvement to be?” The goal is to attain as much information about the stages of the buying cycle you missed, but without having someone retrace their exact steps. And why not try to gain some insight to how a prospect could arrive at their decision: future knowledge cannot hurt. Accepting that a buyer will conduct their own research and find their own information (read: relinquish control) allows sales people to approach a sales meeting with a different mindset. This can often be a hurdle in itself.

In order to truly be different, we need to go beyond the obvious. Understanding our customer’s buying cycle is critical, but again I feel we need to be able to bring more value than that. We need to sit on their customer’s side of the table, so to speak. We need to be engaged in their business; their goals, their challenges; their processes. THEM THEM THEM. Get it?

In part 2 I’ll address how we, as sales professionals, can start to “get in front” of our customers.

Until then, thanks for reading!

Happy Blogiversary To Me!

One year today I entered the world of blogging. It’s exciting to know that my thoughts, ideas and impressions are being read; and I look forward to continuing on this journey.

I started writing with the intent to formalize my opinions on Sales, Life and Leadership; and to challenge myself to express my thoughts in a way that I have never been ‘good at’. What I did not expect was to experience significant growth through my writing. And I certainly would never have guessed I would discover a passion for it!

It was a mere 366 days ago that my first post hit the web:

Since deciding to create this blog yesterday, I’ve been rummaging around my head trying to figure out the theme of my first post. I thought about writing while watching two NHL teams fight off elimination, comparing it to a time when my back was “against the wall” and I felt like needed to battle for another chance. That seemed a little too serious.

I also considered sharing about how my 14 month old daughter always tries to push out a fart while I’m changing her because it makes me giggle uncontrollably; relating it to how life is full of small moments that we treasure, and to make sure we absorb as much as we can. But then, I figured I didn’t want my first post to contain the word “fart”…

So I came to the conclusion that I would ramble on about nothing in particular so anyone reading this gets a feel for how my mind works.

As thus completes my Revolutionary First Post!

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who reads along with me; all those who take the time to leave comments; those who share their thoughts on a regular basis; and to those who encourage and support me. The number of connections I have made has been quite unexpected and it’s an honour to be in this with so many like-minded people!

THANK YOU!!

20 Pencils

To those who know me, it is no secret that my favourite sports team is the Calgary Flames; it has been for as long as I can remember. In fact, at one point in my youth, I wanted to change my name to Mike Vernon (goaltender 1985-94 & 2000-02). Now, that’s dedication kids!!

Last week, my beloved Calgary Flames traded the face of their franchise: Jarome Iginla. To me, this is bittersweet. On one hand, the team is seemingly committing to a rebuild; something that is desperately needed. But on the other hand, it will be hard to see #12 play in any other uniform.

One interesting story I read the day after the trade took place was that of 20 pencils, wrapped tightly with a rubber band. These pencils normally resided in Iginla’s locker, but had to be passed on to another member of the Flames with the Captain’s departure.

I don’t know how long they had been in the locker, or their origin. But I had never heard of this analogy before, so I thought I’d share.

A single pencil on its own is easy to break. But a group of 20 pencils bound tightly together, is virtually unbreakable.

I’d like to hear your thoughts.

What on Earth is a ZMOT?

Buying habits and strategies have changed; and it’s no surprise they will continue to evolve as information becomes increasingly available. A replacement battery for a garage remote can cost you $13 at a local electronics store, or you can buy it for $1.01 and have it shipped free, from China: no-brainer!

In a global market place, how do you compete with your competition: be different. Think differently, act differently, and go to market differently.

I recently read a Google e-book called “ZMOT: Winning The Zero Moment of Truth” (click link to the ZMOT site – it’s a free download). The author, Jim Lecinski, offers a new way of understanding the consumer buying model. Traditionally, an advertisement would pique the interest of a consumer (“Stimulus”), the consumer would head down to their local store and find the product they were looking for (“First Moment of Truth”). When a consumer first discovers the product in real-life and comes face-to-face with it, this was the “make-or-break” time for vendors to answer questions and actually sell the product.

Google has discovered that there is a new moment of truth. One that precedes what was previously viewed as the first: deemed the Zero Moment of Truth (“ZMOT”). When a consumer is stimulated by an advertisement, their first reaction is no longer to go to a store. Their first reaction is to turn to the internet; their smart phones, tablets, laptops, or any other device that connects them. As consumers we want to know what we are looking at; and fast. We want to read reviews, we want to find a good price, and we want to measure it against its competitors. Does this surprise anyone?

Every item, new or used, my wife and I purchased for our kids was diligently researched and compared by my better-half. We (she told me which one was best) knew what products performed better, lasted longer, made children happier, and made life easier for the parents. Availability of this information far extends the traditional “Play With It and See” method. We relied on the experience of others to help us navigate our purchase.

No wonder companies like Amazon and eBay are thriving while Best Buy’s are closing locations. If you are not first when it comes to a consumer’s ZMOT, you’re in trouble.

It has become evident that companies have to change their marketing strategy; optimizing search engine terms and tracking clicks are becoming more critical than a flyer mail out (I’m not discounting mail outs). A company’s online presence and their reputation (read: customer service) are critical components to building a successful brand.

I strongly suggest you download and read the ZMOT e-book. Let me know what you think!

The Next Step

Reblogged from Life of Influence:

In my amazing husband's last post, he spoke eloquently about goal setting and the importance of goals. I would like to continue his train of thought by talking about how important it is to keep that goal in front of you, always fresh in your mind, always ready to do what it takes to accomplish that goal, no matter how hard or inconvenienced you may become.

Read more… 877 more words

The inspiration for my post "The Power of Choice", is continuing her husband's adventure in the blogging world. "The Next Step" is her first post for Life of Influence and I highly encourage you to follow her on her journey.

The Power of Choice

I have been struggling to properly formulate my thoughts surrounding this post. Not simply because of the nature of the topic and its implications; but because I do not consider myself “good at it”.

It struck me when I heard a friend of mine, after losing her husband, stand in front of a large group of mourners and state that she is “Choosing not to ask why” these events unfolded the way they did. She went on to explain that she and her husband had been working to eliminate the “What if?’s” from their vocabulary. In a moment of sorrow, she consciously chose not to ask why her husband was taken from her and her children. That takes strength. It takes conviction.

In that moment, I was reminded how our choices have a profound influence on our life.

This goes beyond the decision to pursue one career versus another. It goes further than the type of people you choose to associate with. The impact of our choices, as it relates to our hardships and the adversity we face, define us.

The reason I do not consider myself “good at choices” in this context, stems from the fact that I have mainly managed life’s challenges. I have taken the lumps life has handed me, and more often than not I have done one of three things:

1. Shy away from it (or quit). In turn I learn nothing, gain nothing, and lose an opportunity to grow and become stronger.
2. Take on challenge, turn it around, and find a way to live with it. Learning only how to manage as it pertains to the situation: without growth.
3. And most rarely: I embrace it. I funnel life’s challenge and actively engage in changing my thoughts and my actions. Permanently.

The true power of choice, the one that can have the greatest overall effect on our life, comes down to how we act and grow when we face an obstacle of significance.

Take a moment to reflect on those who you deem “Most Successful” (in life success, not necessarily financial success). I am willing to bet they fall into the third category when it comes to adversity.

There is a happiness strategy that tells us to wake up every morning with a positive thought, be thankful for the day, and repeat self-assuring phrases. I have found that can only get you so far. What I have begun to realize is my happiness is still determined by a positive mental image; however, the crucial difference stems from how I react when I face a challenge.

Here is what I mean: Ever have those days when the last thing you want to do is go to the gym? You know you should, but every fiber of your being is keeping you on the couch. How do you feel when you can muster up the drive to get up and go? From my experience, those days where I fight myself, push through my road blocks, and go; I feel more energized than after any other work out!

Going to the gym cannot begin to compare to the hardships many of us face/have faced, but I would argue that the more challenging the situation, the greater the positive impact if we harness our adversity.

Renee, after losing her husband, had many choices. She is choosing to trust in a plan outside of her control, and only controlling what she can. She is making a statement her children can and will admire. Renee is embracing her adversity: by her actions and her attitude, she is influencing the lives of those around her.

What will you choose to do?

No Yelling Required

Clear and concise communication helps foster healthy relationships: this should not come as a surprise. While watching the Tim Horton’s 2013 Brier (how Canadian is that?) on TV this past weekend, I was reminded how crucial communication can be.

For those of you who may not be familiar with this annual Canadian competition, I will fill in the blanks. Every February and March female and male curlers represent their provinces and territories vying for a national championship. Scotties Tournament of Hearts showcases the best female curlers we have to offer, while the men’s showdown is called the Brier.

Before continuing, you will need to click the link below to watch a brief clip.

Final Shot 2005 Scotties Tournament of Hearts

Omitted from the clip is the discussion that precedes most curling shots. Teams communicate thoroughly as they consider their strategy and different options prior to throwing a stone (curling rock); planning not only their shot, but their opponents potential options as well. Similar to any other sport, team communication and strategic planning in curling leads to success. But that is not the point I want to make.

Aside from the jubilation after a perfectly executed shot, did you happen to notice all the yelling that took place from the time Jennifer Jones let go of the rock until it first made contact with another?

A lot. And loud!

How many times do you think she has thrown a stone with the same team? With the same two people sweeping in front of the stone as it makes it way down the sheet (ice)? With the same person marking a spot on the ice, approximately 44 metres (144 feet) away? Hundreds? Thousands? More?

With each shot, however rehearsed, comes the screams of communication between team members. For those of you who may have never watched curling, this is not exclusive to the ladies. All curling teams, male or female, in all different countries, yell.

The reality is that ours and other’s circumstances change constantly. It seems at times that the only constant in life is change! How do we insure that our objective is achieved, withstanding whatever change or challenge may arise? Communicate: constantly and consistently. No matter how many times you or your team has repeated the same task, proper communication is critical to the accurate completion of the task.

Maybe don’t yell it though.

A Lasting Impression

Over the weekend, my wife and I attended the prayer service and funeral for our friend, Alan DeSilva. It was inspirational to see the number of lives Alan influenced in his 30 years on earth.

As part of the eulogy, we were reminded of a saying of Alan’s that he truly embodied; and it has remained with me. This expression has universal implications and I wanted to share it.

“They don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care”

Make an effort. Be genuine. Connect. Care.

It makes a difference. And like Alan, you will have a positive impact on those around you.