3 ways working out can improve your career results

On By Joe DeRosaIn SalesLeave a comment

We all know being physically fit improves your overall health, helps to lose weight if that’s a goal, improves heart health and overall cardiovascular activity.  But there’s another element to being physically fit that transcends the health benefits and provides another incentive for us to hit the gym, streets, basements, or where ever you can engage in physical activity.

Over the years doctors and scientists have studied the effects of physical fitness and the impact it has on your professional results.  You heard right.  Being fit can actually improve your performance on the  job.  Whether you’re a sales rep, surgeon, statistician, seamstress, or scientist, being in shape will drive better results in nearly everything you do.

In Exercise: 7 Benefits of Regular Physical Activity, the Mayo Clinic sites 7 benefits or reasons to exercise.  Benefits #3 and #4, detail how exercise improves your “mood” and gives you “energy”.  Clearly those are two critical elements in successful selling.  Who wants to talk to someone in a bad mood, let alone buy from them.  What about the sales rep who comes in like Eeyore?  What a downer.  Of course you don’t want to walk in bouncing off the rooftop, but clearly you need to have a little giddyup in your step.  A good mood mixed with energy throws off a very positive vibe which translates into confidence and demonstrates strong self-esteem.

Finally, Benefit #5 discusses how regular physical activity promotes healthy sleep patterns.  Sleep is an essential part of restoring the brain and keeping it functioning properly.  The Franklin Institute study, Renew:  Sleep and Stress, cites many benefits to “normal” sleep patterns including your ability to learn accompanied by improved memory.  Again, two things every sales professional can benefit from.  On the flip side, lack of sleep, according to the study, results in increased risk of diabetes, Alzheimer, stroke, and depression.

Of course exercise takes commitment and discipline.  As a life-long student of fitness I hit the gym 6 days a week for 60 -90 minutes.  I do something different each day to keep it interesting.  I mix single work-outs with class settings like SPINNING.  Exercise for me has given me the ability to hold my focus for long periods of time during the day in critical business situations.

So if you’ve found your sales results to be flat, think about adding exercise to your day.  If you’re already exercising daily try something different.  There are so many different options available today it’s unbelievable.  Whether it’s Yoga, Pilates, Crossfit, or a simple walk around the block, take action and drive your performance to the next level.  It’s all you.

The anatomy of a great Sales presentation

On By Joe DeRosaIn SalesLeave a comment

Over the years I’ve read hundreds of sales books.  I’ve attended countless sales training sessions with various philosophies from Spin Selling to Solution Selling, and Relationship Selling.  As I’ve sat through these courses as both a rep and ultimately as the head of Sales I began to watch expressions and reactions to the material being presented.  I have seen the excitement, and the hunger, in people’s eyes as they listened intently with the hope that “this will be the training that changes everything” for them, and that “this class will provide the silver bullet” that has eluded them throughout their career.   Most often times they’re wrong.

A recent article on training cited a statistic that 87% of sales training was forgotten within the first 30 days.  This begs the question, why?  Is it because the philosophies being taught are not good?  Are the different sales processes wrong?  Is it just bad information?  Is it because the rep tried it and it didn’t work?  I would offer that all of these sales methodologies have great aspects to them. They all offer tremendous insights and perspectives on various sales situations.  But there’s no such thing as one-size fits all when it comes to Sales training.  Why?  Because all people are different and as such react in different ways when they are being sold to.  That means it’s incumbent on the sales rep to be savvy enough to know what elements to apply in any given situation.

No Sales training methodology will work 100% every time.  The key is knowing what pieces to take from each perspective and incorporate them into your own style and process.  The best sales people know what to say, when to say it, when not to say anything, what questions to ask, how to ask them, and when to ask.

Recently I participated in a discussion on “What makes a great Sales Presentation?”  Some of the responses were very classroom-ish.  The fact is, the more complex you make something the less likely it will be tried, let alone followed.  As such I put together my own step-by-step recommendation for delivering consistent, high-quality sales presentations.

To get the most out of every Sales presentation follow the steps below:

1. Prepare – know the buyer persona you will be meeting with, your competition, your own products and services.

2. Be early. If you’re on time you’re late.

3. Dress the part. I can’t tell you how many sales presentations I’ve sat through where the reps tie was not straight or a blouse had one too many buttons undone. Attention to the small details says a lot about you.

4.SMILE – no one wants to spend time with a grouch or scary person!

5. Listen twice as much as you talk – that’s why we have 2 ears and one mouth.

6. If your product requires a formal presentation use an iPad and get theSlideshark app. It is a powerful tool and demonstrates your ability to “integrate” various tools into a process…the sales process.

7. Boil your presentation down to 3 salient points…be clear and concise but have back-up and detail should the buyer want to dive deeper.

8. Gain continuous buy-in. Throughout your presentation make sure you check in with the buyer to gain their continued approval and agreement. When you get to the end you can sum up your presentation by saying, “we agree this solution makes sense for your business so lets talk about next steps”

9. No matter what the outcome, shake hands, smile, thank them for their time and let them know you will keep in touch…then do it!

Give this a try for a month, or however long it takes you to do no less than 25 presentations.  Then let me know what your results were.  Remember, to be successful in Sales you MUST be a continuous learner, broadening, and deepening your perspective each and every day with each and every presentation you give.  Not even the 9 steps above are a silver bullet but they can certainly help you improve  your overall sales effectiveness.

Like this if it helped.

Happy Selling!

How difficult is it to change your brand promise?

On By Joe DeRosaIn Business, MarketingLeave a comment

promise

A discussion around a brand promise makes for a spirited conversation.  Outside of Marketing professionals, the concept of a brand promise is new, or at least a new way to describe what your brand means and represents.  To understand what a brand promise is, let’s look at what the two terms mean by themselves.

What is a brand?  A brand is commonly defined as a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s product distinct from those of other sellers.  Basically the name you’ve attached to your business as the producer of the product or service you sell.

What is a promise?  A promise is a declaration assuring that one will or will not do something; a vow.  This is your commitment to follow through as you said you would.  Say what you do, and do what you say.

When combined together, a brand promise is what you say to your customers that you will do for them if they purchase your product or service.  Fulfilling that promise is critical to building trust in your brand.  With trust comes growth through more sales, higher revenue, and long-term customer relationships…repeat business.  In the absence of trust, your brand is teetering on thin ice with the slightest move one way or another causing a complete collapse.

Companies that consistently demonstrate their brand promise include:  Nordstrom, Whole Foods, Lowes, and the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.  These companies understand the importance of connecting their brand promise to their operating plans…and they execute in most cases with near perfection.

But what happens when a company falls through the ice on their brand promise?

JC Penney has been struggling for years.  After the Great Recession JCP’s revenues began to fall and store sales declined.  In the fall of 2011, JCP turned to Ron Johnson, a celebrated senior executive from Apple and more recently Target, to lead a turnaround of this iconic brand.  Unfortunately Mr. Johnson began tinkering with an age-old JCP promise that centered around weekly “sales” of their merchandise.  In a bold move Mr. Johnson eliminated “weekly sales” and began promoting “everyday low prices”, a promise Wal-Mart built an empire upon.  I believe what Mr. Johnson missed was the fact that consumer attitudes didn’t align with this new JCP brand promise.

Of course the result of this move became clear very quickly.  The stock price dropped by more than 50% in the 16 months Ron Johnson was at the helm.  JCP’s revenue declined by nearly 30% and profits turned into losses in 2012 and so far in 2013.

So is it even possible to change your brand promise?  The answer is yes.  I’ll explore this process in a future upcoming blog.  As a sneak peek I’d suggest that it all starts and ends with a deep and intimate knowledge and understanding of  your customers, as well as your complete target audience.

What’s happening at Apple?

On By Joe DeRosaIn Business2 Comments

With last week’s financial results posted by Apple showing a $1.3 billion decrease in year-over-year profits, is it possible we are about to witness one of the greatest rise and fall from corporate stardom?  What’s going on at Apple?  What are the employees thinking?  Better yet what is Tim Cook thinking?

Sure Apple returned a nearly $19 billion to shareholders via dividends and share repurchases, but their operating numbers raise some eyebrows.  While revenue was nearly flat at $35 billion this quarter, over the same period last year, what is more concerning is the drop in profit.  This year’s quarterly profit was $6.9 billion compared to a $8.8 billion profit a year ago.  And to make matters worse, sales of iPads dropped by more than 2.5 million units along with a 200,000 unit-sale decrease in Macs.

So what’s happening at Apple?  Have they lost their swagger.  Perhaps.  But why?  Is the answer fear?

Apple has been one of the most, if not the most coveted brand for the last decade.  People rush to buy their products, attend their conferences, and hope to work for a company whose founder is no doubt the greatest visionary of this generation.  Apple’s goals and desires rose above Wall Street’s performance expectations.  They operated with this notion that they could really change people’s lives…and they did.  And, as a result of changing millions of lives they in fact changed the world and how we consume information, use it, access it, and show it off.  Apple products carry a certain cachet with them.  All these accomplishments are the result of many things but perhaps the single biggest driving force behind their success was Steve Jobs.  A bold visionary who bucked the pressures of Wall Street and critics and moved in directions others wouldn’t dare.

Today Tim Cook is at the helm with some big shoes to fill.  It’s hard to expect a mere man, while a good man, to become superhuman like Jobs.  Cook may be a good operator but he’s no Jobs.  He may have walked into the worst CEO seat in the universe.  After all, following in the footsteps of someone like Steve Jobs would be difficult even for many of the greatest CEOs of all time.

Signs are already showing that Apple is becoming a “me-too” company.  After the strange introduction of the iPad mini, I began to wonder what was next.  Perhaps a gaming system like Xbox, or getting into selling flat screen TVs like Samsung?  Apple seems to be flailing about trying to find their way.  They’ve shifted their strategy in their retail stores from a laid-back, informative, fun experience to the typical “gotta sell them something” model used by all other retailers.  Unfortunately this shift has been noticed by consumers and they have voted with their feet as sales slipped to $4 billion, down slightly from a year earlier.

While the fear of failure affects people and companies differently, with Apple it may not have a positive result.  Companies throughout history have turned to visionaries when facing troubled times.  Chrysler turned to Lee Iacocca, GM turned to Bob Lutz, JP Morgan turned to Jamie Dimon, and Xerox turned to Anne Mulcahy.  Leaders that have clarity of vision along with a strong sense of conviction.  These leaders took bold actions, dismissed Wall Street, and focused their attention on the priority of turning their respective companies around.

Apple needs to find its hunger for innovation and market disruption once again if it expects to stay on top.  The out-of-the-box thinking driven by Jobs, along with his obsession with elegant, yet simple-to-use designs, created a Disney-like company where dreams are made of.  Let’s hope the dream is not over.

3 Characteristics of Great Leadership

On By Joe DeRosaIn LeadershipLeave a comment

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John Quincy Adams said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”  That one statement sure packs a punch.

Effective leaders all possess similar strengths.  Discipline, focus, enthusiasm, commitment, and limitless energy are all characteristics displayed with strong leadership.  Leaders are hard chargers who operate with a clear sense of direction and are generally successful in getting people to follow.  After all you can’t be a leader without followers.

And then there are great leaders.  Those individuals who not only are able to get people to follow, but who inspire them to go beyond what they ever dreamed possible.    The great leaders understand the human condition.  They thrive on people engagement and behavioral observations.   They realize that all people are unique and therefore respond differently even when faced with the exact same circumstances.  It is the great leaders’ ability to shape their message in a way that reaches and resonates across a large group of people.  But it’s more than their message.  A great leader is able to not just create a compelling message (vision) but make it believable by the actions and characteristics they demonstrate daily.

Great leaders play at a higher level than regular leaders.  They’re the All-Stars.  The one-of-a-kinds.  The most sought after individuals that people want to meet with, get to know, or work for.  What separates the good from the great are 3 capabilities the leader must demonstrate daily:

  1. Clarity of vision.  Great leaders know where they are headed and how to get there.  It’s crystal clear to them on the inside which makes it easier to communicate outside.  They have a superior sense of direction and know where their own True North setting is which can be felt by those following.  This clarity of vision demonstrates their confidence and conviction in the actions they take and ask others to take.
  2. Teaching.  Great leaders are teachers.  They get energy from meeting with people and sharing their knowledge, perspective and beliefs.  They realize that to be great teachers they must commit themselves to being a life-long learner.  Constantly reading, asking questions, listening, and engaging in the exchange of ideas allows great leaders to capture the hearts and minds of their followers.
  3. Motivation.  Great leaders provide reasons to act.  Through their vision and teaching, they inspire people to take action and begin the journey.  Great leaders know how to motivate those around them by recognizing the differences in people and what drives individual behavior.  Even the great leader him/her-self requires motivation whether it’s spiritual, family, personal or professional they have their own reasons for taking action.

So who are you?  A leader, or a great leader?  Where do you fall relative to the 3 must-have capabilities of a great leader?  You’ve already taken steps to improve your Teaching skills by reading this blog…and I assume others.  Remember, if you can dream more, do more and become more, others will follow.