Changes Coming to Bennett's Blog

Learning from Ski Lessons

Nearly 20 years ago, I took my first ski lesson. In the years since, I’ve taken many more. My lessons would vary from 2-6 hours but regardless of length, I could count on getting loads of instruction during this time – so much instruction that I sometimes thought my brain was going to explode! Make a wedge, do that snowplow, keep your shoulders straight, lean forward, keep your skis parallel, get on your edges, plant the pole and turn, hit your sweet spot, turn on the bump, turn before the bump, etc. etc. etc.! Oh my gosh! How in the world was I supposed to remember everything at one time?  If you’ve taken ski lessons, I’m sure you understand...if you haven’t, just think about any time you had to learn something completely new. 

It was so overwhelming for me, this ski thing! Until, that is, one day when my ski instructor said to the class, “I know I’m hitting you with a LOT of information. Don’t stress about trying to remember all of it. You don’t become an expert skier in one day or one lesson and not everything works for everyone. Instead, take a few key things from this lesson that work for you and apply them. Then take another lesson. Take a few more key things from that lesson and apply them. Keep doing that and you’ll become an expert skier.”  

“Whoa!” was my first thought. “You mean I don’t have to try to do everything at once? I can take what makes sense and make it work for me, little by little? I LOVE this concept!” What profound advice that was for me. 

Well, that advice doesn’t just apply to skiing; I’ve found it can be applied to anything new we’re learning or doing. 

Take the customer life cycle. Trying to address every gap and opportunity at once will quickly overwhelm you. It’s too much and when you try to do too much, you end up confused. At best, you’ll get by; at worst, you’ll lose interest or fail. Rather, why not focus on a long-term improvement plan; one that allows you to address a few key things first and then a few more key things and so on and so on? 

Let’s say you need to focus on your prospecting skill-set first. Or perhaps a gap in your post-sale follow-up is killing you. Whatever it is, prioritize it, focus on it and approach it the same way my ski instructor advised. Find a few key things that work for you and apply them. Once you have them down, find a few more key things and apply them. Each time you do this, you’ll be better than you were before. Do this until your performance in that area is expert or differentiated. Then move on to the next area of improvement. What’s great about this concept is that:

• You can focus more precisely and that leads to better results
• You improve each time you apply a few key things
• You can celebrate successes regularly and keep momentum strong
• You are driven to differentiate your performance

Take a moment and prioritize today...then get on the lift to your ski lesson!

Why It's So Hard to Execute on Sales Initiatives

One of the catch phrases I use in workshops is "Moving from information to execution"... which is all about moving from the receiving of information, to the execution of the concepts involved...and why we struggle with it so much!

It's hard to execute in any endeavor, but particularly hard in the world of sales. 

There are tons of information sources available on HOW you should "do sales"...books, videos, live workshops, etc....and they are all loaded with great strategies and ideas for improving prospecting, negotiating, and closing.  But something happens between the receiving of the information in the workshop, and the implementation of the ideas in the real world:  people don't execute on the ideas and make them long-term habits! 

Here is why I believe this happens:

• Selling involves dealing with our internal anxieties...:
  • Being too pushy
  • Asking people for money
  • Sounding like a normal sales geek
  • Being seen as insincere
    • And these are pretty deep...you don't wipe them out simply by gathering information...
• These strategies take time to practice...and practice...and practice some more...then getting feedback on how we're doing
  • We don't spend enough time practicing...and we don't solicit feedback from anyone (as if those around us COULD give us feedback)
• The world comes barging in the moment we come "off the mountain" of the workshop
  • We just get too busy too fast to be able to focus on executing the ideas

On top of all that you've got the normal resistance to change and trying new things, and the added pressure of top management to produce NOW (and worry about improving yourself later).

One more thing I'll toss in here and that is the "Top Down Support" piece...if owners and top management aren't involved in the execution process of drilling the ideas down into action steps (providing guidance, support AND accountability)...the whole initiative will stall-out and die.

In upcoming posts I'll start to address ways you can improve execution, but for now just realize it's not easy, and it's the reason most one-time "Cotton candy" workshops don't provide much beyond  good taste and a momentary sugar high.

GB

Information to Execution -- the Key to Mastering Sales

After my 20th high school reunion (I graduated from Westminster High School, in Westminster, Colorado in 1978... "Go Warriors") I decided I was going to tackle something new and learn to do it to some passable level in between each class reunion starting at my 20th and going until I reached the age where I'd forget old things faster than I could learn new ones. 

So, between 38 and 48 years old  I was going to learn to play the saxophone...and a week after the reunion I started taking lessons. Now, about 8 1/2 years later, while I'm no Charlie Parker, I can play pretty well and jam now and again.  So with my 30th coming up in 2008, I'm thinking about what to tackle next?  Any ideas? 

Anyway...what I've learned from this experience of playing the sax is that it's one thing to know the notes, and listen to other people play what it could sound like, and to mentally understand what you should do...it's quite another to train your mind, your ear, and your fingers to make it happen.

I call it moving from information to execution.  And I see it also in my work as a sales trainer and coach. 

It's one thing to know what you should do in a sales call, and to listen to others do it successfully...it's quite another to train your mind, your will, and your mouth to stand in front of a live person and execute on the strategies.

Unfortunately...most sales training programs don't amount to much more than trying to learn the saxophone by going to a recital put on by a sax master.   While you're in the recital, listening to the maestro play, it sounds great...you may even play a note or two that day...and hey, that sounds pretty good...then it's done...the workshop or recital is over...and you're on your own. 

The next day, armed with every good intention, you drag out the sax you bought at the workshop (special one-day only deal) and you to try to play something from yesterday's program. WONK!  What was THAT note?  WANK!!!  Ouch!!  "What did he say about chord progression?  What is an arpeggio?? Oh screw it...I'll wait till the next the recital and go watch THAT guy play"...

This is why I rarely do one-day, or stand-alone, workshops...they're great for sharing information... but without diligent follow-up and accountability, there is usually very little execution.

In my book, "Consultative Closing", I relate it to eating cotton candy.  Great taste...great buzz...but disappears in a flash (AND sticky fingers afterward!)

That's not to say you can't pick up a pointer or two at a random workshop, and there's nothing wrong with that, in fact if you go to those one-day'rs with that concept in mind they're great.  But they shouldn't be viewed as the ONLY input you get to learn how to sell. 

There's also a difference in your experience level...if an experienced musician goes to watch the sax recital, hoping to learn a pointer or two vs a rookie who is going there thinking the one-day event is going to make him a sax master, it makes much more sense.  That's probably why it's experienced folks who generally get the most from those one day motivation-athons put on by Hopkins or Ziglar. 

As I say all this, I actually just completed a one-day workshop here in Denver, and though the turn-out was great, it will probably be my last one...I almost think I did more harm than good...yes people liked it, the information was solid and well-received, etc...but will the attendees execute? 

I mean, does that musician or the trainer give people false hope...making them believe they can be that smooth right away?  Who will be there when they fail, and continue to struggle?  Worse yet, the student may feel even worse knowing they just wasted more money learning things they can't execute on and the negative spiral down may speed up!!

All I know is that changing sales habits and learning new things (like the sax) is easy to dream about...easy to imagine doing...but very, very hard to actually do with any level of mastery.

This is why I prefer to work long-term with a select number of clients...perhaps I'll develop a long-term program that makes sense for individuals and smaller companies at some point down the road. 

Stay tuned on that one!

GB

Execution: How We're Over-Programming Ourselves to Death

There used to be a saying out there..."If you want something done...give it to a busy person".  Always hit me as sort of like those famous Yogi Berra quotes -- "Nobody goes there anymore because it's too crowded"... (you gotta love the Yog)

But I guess it's true (in most cases)...and for two reasons -- 1)  Busy people seem to know how to get things done, so people trust them with tasks...and, 2)  Non-busy people are the ones no one can count on to get out of their own way...thus, they've got lots of time on their hands.

The difference these days it seems is that EVERYONE is being called on to "get something done", both the busy and the non-busy people.  And I think it's because we've just dreamed up too many damn things to do!!!

It doesn't matter if we're talking about adults, teens or even kids...it seems we can't just do things part way, we've got to over-complicate everything to the point where we spin off 50 tasks, or "things to do", revolving around it. 

Take for example, playing on a baseball league.

When I was a kid (did I just use that phrase?)...you signed up, found out what team you were on, the week before the season you got your uniform...then you showed up for practice, played some games, got a cheap trophy at the end of the year...done.  I rode my bike to practice, the folks may or may not come to games...

These days playing baseball it's like...go to a tryout to determine your level...get on with a team... attend throwing, batting and catching clinics before, during and after the season...practice 4x as much...play not only your games, but travel to multiple weekend-long tournaments...once the season is done attend off-season practices...more clinics...etc etc. Now mom or dad must drive to every practice (you know with kidnappings, etc) and are given "jobs" around every game (bring food...keep score...manage the travel plans, etc etc) 

The same is true in everything we do in our "off hours"...church...at schools...fantasy football...NOTHING is easy...NOTHING is cheap...and thus FEW THINGS ARE FUN. 

And forget about our work lives -- I mean, what job have you seen getting easier and less complicated these days?   

With all this, it's no wonder EXECUTION is the hot topic in business these days.   We're discovering that there are just a few folks who can balance everything and keep all the plates in the air at the same time.

I think it's funny that the 60's generation...the one that rejected the corporate, heavy, square-ness of the adults at the time...ends up creating the most anally-retentive, overly corporate, overly-programmed culture in history...

So what do we do about it?  For me, I've started to stem the tide by doing three simple things:

1. Just say NO more often...the fewer tasks I sign up for, the better I am at those tasks...
2. Question the hype...what parents of young athletes unfortunately find out only after they've wasted days and weeks and years, and thousands of dollars on little Jenny or little Johnny's sports career, is that only about 1 percent of kids playing sports will get a full-ride scholarship...and the REAL dirty secret is...those kids that DO get the full-rides, usually end up HATING it when they get there because the school OWNS THEM (talk about over-programming)...
3. Break everything down into manageable mini-steps...the Mini-Step concept I've coined for the sales process works everywhere, with everything...when you break something down into small actionable steps, you can manage the process and make things happen

GB

Execution is the Answer

I have been doing a good deal of research on the latest "hot area" in business -- Execution!   The folks at Franklin-Covey have been working in this area for a few years now, and what they've discovered is that only a small percentage of people, and businesses, are executing with excellence in the most critical areas on a consistent basis.

Their findings, boiled down to a level I can understand, is that we've "got just too damn much on our plate"...we walk around with 20 or 30 important things to accomplish all the time.

The whole "execution and focus movement" basically states that we have to identify what is MOST IMPORTANT, or they call it WILDLY IMPORTANT, and then execute with excellence in those areas above all else.

This hit me like a thunderbolt!  One of those, "they're talking about me!" type of things. 

Here is one thing they point out that really hit home:

• If we have 2 to 3 important goals...we'll achieve with excellence 2 or 3 of them...
• If we have 4 to 10 important goals...we'll achieve with excellence 1 or 2 of them...
• If we have 11 to 20 important goals...we'll achieve with excellence NONE of them...

Ouch!

So the first step is to identify which of our "to-do's" is MOST important.  This is hard because they are all important and need to get done, but what is MOST important...vital to our success and survival?

Think about that and we'll continue with more on this in coming posts.  In the meantime, if you want to know more about this, here is a link to a white paper the Franklin-Covey folks put out on the subject.  Good read indeed...

http://www.franklincoveyfrance.com/images/xQ_White_Paper.pdf

GB