“Come on, it’s simple, just make the call…”

“Come on, it’s simple, just ask these questions…”

“Come on, it’s simple, it’s a numbers game just…”

Could I write these sales manager one liners all day? Yes, and it would be as much of a waste of time as the lines themselves. The simple answer is that there is no simple answer. Unless all of your relationships and business happens online through clicks, then your sale is a people sale. Dealing with sales call objectives and sales closing tips can be a mismanagement of time, both yours and your employee’s because of this.

Each individual has inherent hardwiring to respond to needs and drives with certain behaviors. There is no “one size fit’s all” roadmap to success in sales. It is a relationship sport. How many different ways are there to start, build, and nurture relationships? More than one is a good answer.

Like most problems worth solving, the root cause is deeper than you think. It’s likely not a numbers problem, or not enough calls, or weak questioning skills. The more plausible root cause is a lack of self-confidence. This is why effective consultative sales training starts with the individual person, her or his internal hardwiring, previous experiences even before entering the professional world, and where they are most and least self-confident.

As with most of my work, it starts with self-awareness. So, take 5 minutes and give yourself an honest appraisal of areas you are lacking in self-confidence and what the implications of that are on your work performance, relationships, and overall life in general. I hope you learn as many powerful things as I and my clients have.

If leveraging human capital analytics in the above situations or others is of interest to you, please reach out and inquire about training with ADVISA.

In gaining influence, earning customers, and in management it is critical to command the room with self-confidence. Fear is palpable and, yes, others notice when you’re scared. Those who choose to be verbose are likely, and unintentionally, showing lack of competence, confidence, and capacity with each extra word. Before you find yourself in the critical moments, make sure you have effectively conquered your fears.

But how?

Self-awareness + humility

This is step one in conquering fear. If you can be honest with yourself, and know where you are competent and confident, you are well on your way. It’s difficult to experience fear in an environment that you know like the back of your hand. Fear is something you experience internally, and it is influenced by outside forces only when you let it.

Skills Assessment

Getting an objective assessment of your selling and influence skills is a critical baseline to knowing where you stand. The SSAT (Selling Skills Assessment Tool™) is an objective, valid, and reliable instrument to learn where you stand. When you know the areas that need to be buoyed to build confidence, you are able to take a deliberate and focused approach toward development.

To realize maximum employee productivity and to get to the core of the psychology of selling, you need to address fear. Fear within yourself and that of your employees.

Fear. Pride. Prejudice. Racism. Bigotry. Violence. Cowardice. Inequality. Hatred.

These are the foul tasting fruits of a population that has brought about unthinkable tragedies in our world. These are the headlines of a population that needs healing; that needs to listen; that needs to understand that there is not one way to live a life.

Today I reflect upon the unfortunate truth that I still see victimizing others in the workplace, as well as society. It is the belief that the success of another in some way diminishes our own success. That the failure of another is something to be applauded and celebrated. That if someone is different than you, her or his success should be seen as a threat. This is still happening in the workplace, and accounts for inequalities that Dr. King himself relayed so clearly in his I Have A Dream speech so many years ago.

Please take a moment today and share the words of Dr. King with family, friends, and co-workers. His speech should motivate us to find and nurture talent that comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. That the act of providing opportunity for another is of far higher value than elevating ourselves. Above all, that each one of us has this opportunity, and this choice, in our day-to-day lives.

I’ve been granted every opportunity to be successful in my life. May I be big enough and humble enough to elevate others above and beyond those successes I’ve been fortunate enough to achieve.

Thank you Dr. King. Thank you.

Bottled up.

Tense.

Anxious.

Concerned.

This is the start of the long list of impediments that can stall or stop power from being unleashed in your work. They keep that power from being a positive force in the growth and development of your employees. Work is serious business. I “need” to be like this to get the job done. I cannot let my guard down at the office, it’s not in my job description. These lines are true if you let them be true. However, they are limiting factors in your effectiveness as a leader. And your seriousness can inhibit employee productivity and work satisfaction.

Taking yourself too seriously can put significant roadblocks in the way of your own success and that of your company. Examples include how quickly you are offended; or, how polished every office interaction has to be with employees. Taking ourselves too seriously can cause breaches in trust. We all know more than a handful of negative outcomes when trust is breached at work.

Lighten up a bit. Allow your coworkers and employees to see that you are a human being. This “lightening up” is all within the context of the person. I’m not asking you to be Carrot Top here, but to simply not fear being human at work. This is a positive action that decreases the distance between you and those who work for and around you. It’s also a strategy that has aided veteran leaders in improving employee morale and managing difficult people.

Take a moment or two within the next 24 hours to simply reflect on how seriously you take yourself. Consider day-to-day interactions and look for opportunities to lighten up. When you do, you will find how much power was hidden in simply being yourself.

Working hard day-to-day is challenging, even for those who love what they do. Having discipline, focus, and a well thought out strategic plan can add days, months, and even years to effective day-to-day work for any individual without burn out. Do you notice how some people in your office just seem to produce day in and day out? Have you been stumped as to how they have become so effective? Here is a fact to consider:

Performance trumps just about anything

At ADVISA we leverage a behavioral analytics instrument called Predictive Index®. This tool delivers robust data on how an individual is hardwired when it comes to needs, drives, and sources of self-confidence. Put simply, we can learn with uncanny accuracy how someone will choose to work. There are instances when the data on an individual does not align with her performance, and that is natural. Just because we do not want, need, or even like what we do; does it mean we cannot perform? The answer is no. There are stretches for all of us that are hard, take energy from us, and leave us with little to give to our family, friends, and other activities outside of work. When work is hard and full of friction, it’s often because we are misaligned with that type of work. We can still complete the tasks, but it takes more energy for us and it may take longer. Top performers in the workplace have a strategy they adhere to that takes them through these stretches. It is a fact that when we are doing things that we do not want to do it takes more energy and there is a limited runway as to how long we will choose to endure it. However, if you see someone performing in a job know that a large part of it is due to her hardwiring, however the balance can come from experience, skills, education, among other things.

If you feel your operations, sales, frontline supervisors, or marketing team could benefit from a plan to keep performance high during the tough stretches, give me a call at ADVISA and I’ll provide solid behavioral data to that planning process.

Every year, about this time, I take time to look back at how I’ve done as a professional, husband, father and friend.  I tend to focus on my failures first and then work up to my greatest accomplishments for the given year.  I know, for certain, that each year has left me further ahead in each category than the previous.  That is a track record I am proud of and has not come without investment of time, sacrifice, and love.  But, why am I successful?  The best answer I can come up with is simple:  Trust.

I have laid down a year over year track record of doing what I said I was going to do in all things important and most things unimportant or inconsequential.  Consistently I have proven that I can be trusted professionally as an employee, consultant, and co-worker.  I have done the same as a husband, father, and friend.  In leadership skills assessment, how often is this simple but fundamentally critical factor missed?

Why are you successful?  I’m going to bet that trust is a major factor.  It is foundational and essential to the truly successful people in the world.  In my definition “success” goes way beyond pure financial aspects.  If you are managing difficult people in your organization, working on improving employee morale, or taking a serious look at the organizational alignment of your company, look inside yourself first.  Has trust been earned?  Do you trust yourself?

This is a difficult concept to discuss or grasp because it cannot be given by title or pay grade.  Trust is earned and tested over time.  In our world today we want things now.  We want success now.  We want money now.  You can want trust now, but if it has not been earned you have a lot of work to do.

I implore you, as we near the end of the year, to consider the role of trust in your success and the success of your organization.  If you would like to test drive a reliable, valid, and objective instrument to help you gain insight click below and I would be happy to help.