Look Beyond The Figures

THE role of the salesman has changed. Global competitiveness and client access to information mean that in order to justify their existence, salesmen need to be so much more than just a source of product information, price and availability. They need to have specialist expertise that allows them to add unique value to the client experience.

The role of the sales leader has also changed. In the past, it might have been considered a management role, given that some sales teams — or at least certain members of those teams — needed controlling.

Creativity, not control

The old-style manager believed that if he could determine what his salesmen did all day,  then he could determine the results. And so, daily call-rates became popular — it was just a game of numbers.

The numbers are still important, but sales success requires ingenuity to identify unique solutions to a client’s problems.  As their leader, you do not require control as much as you require creativity.

Motivation, not monitoring

Some managers feel that it is their constant duty to remind their sales team about sales figures. But any competent salesman will know the state of his figures — and the consequences of under-performance.

In an increasingly competitive and complex marketplace, what your salesmen need is assistance to identify and maximise sales opportunities.

They need to use all their creativity and this means freeing them up — giving them more, not less, autonomy.

“Extrinsic” motivators like bonuses have worked well in sales for very long. But head office belt-tightening has limited such options for many managers.

But for situations where you want people to be creative, “intrinsic” motivators are proven to work better.  Two of these “intrinsic motivators” are mastery and autonomy.  All good salesmen want to prove themselves as masters of the sales art — and given greater autonomy, it is remarkable what they can come up with.

Ahead of the curve

When I was in my 20s, I was often required to explore new sales territories. I would spend several days travelling from one potential dealer to another. The two sales managers I reported to took totally different approaches.

The first used to wait at the door as I returned and his opening words were, “How much did you sell?”

“Nothing”, was my typical answer because potential dealers in a new territory never bought on your first visit. “That’s it, you’re not going back,” he would say.

The second manager understood and engaged in a discussion about the potential of the territory. He had a strategy. A vision. He did not just look to the next turn; he looked at the long horizon.

Ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky once said: “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”

Visionary leaders can spot the trend so they are able to keep themselves — and their team — ahead of the curve.

Imagination and insight

Visionaries have the imagination to see the future and the insight to anticipate its impact. Visionary leaders have the ability to share their imagination and insights with others so they can turn them into reality.

They can help their sales staff to imagine prospecting opportunities that they previously could not see and help them with insights to a client’s behaviour that they previously were not aware of.

One of the oldest stories in sales is of the two shoe salesmen landing in a primitive country. The first salesman sees everyone walking around barefoot and shoots a message back to head office: “No market here. Nobody wears shoes.”

The second sees the same thing and his message reads: “Fantastic market potential. Nobody has shoes.”

When they are so close to a situation, it can be hard for salesmen to maintain perspective. The visionary sales leader can reframe their view so that they see opportunities instead of obstacles.

Article by Kevin Ryan, an international speaker, workshop leader and author with Training Edge International. He is a business communication expert specialising in the areas of employee and client engagement, sales, humour intelligence and presentation skills. 

Contact Kevin at kevin.ryan@trainingedgeasia.com or visit www.trainingedgeasia.com

For more information on our training programmes , please  contact us at 63365804
 

Adapt and Thrive

We are living through one of the most significant and disturbing periods of organisational life that I can remember. Global economic and social change, such as rapid technological developments, volatile oil pricing, changing demographic trends, new emerging political structures and chaotic financial markets have created a turbulent, unstable and highly competitive environment in which organisations must adapt and change faster and more profoundly than ever before. Transactional

Management has traditionally been concerned with the day to day operational requirements of the organisation focusing on planning, organising, controlling; rewarding or penalizing those handling the daily transactions. This is no longer enough.

The deeply unstable environment requires organisations to constantly recreate themselves, their products and their services. Transactional Management is still needed but we need a new model based on Transformational Leadership which can anticipate technological and market changes while showing insight and concern about the strategic direction the organisation must take and having the skill and passion to convince others for the need to change.

Let me compare the fortunes of the electronic giants Sony and Samsung. A decade ago

Sony strode the world as leader in its field. It was innovative, profitable and a brand to be proud of. Samsung operated in its shadow. I can remember Samsung being talked about in quite a derisory manner. In July this year Sony posted its fourth straight annual loss of many millions of dollars while Samsung’s Q2 earnings came in at $5.86 billion operating profit. This is a profound change in only a decade.

Consider the recent history of mobile phones. I think it is fair to say that Motorola pioneered the mobile phone and was market leader in the 1990’s. It lost market share and after being split off and rebranded as Motorola Mobility in 2011, was acquired by Google a year later. Its role as market leader was taken by Nokia who burst on the scene almost out of nowhere with great innovation and creativity. After a stellar rise Nokia too has dramatically declined forecasting a major loss making it its sixth quarter loss in a row.  Though the world’s biggest volume maker of handsets, Nokia lost the top spot in the smartphone market to Apple and others last year owing in part to its weak performance in the US where its smartphone market share fell to less than 1%. Current hopes lie in its recent tie in with Microsoft.  What is happening to Apple, the new kid on the block – well even Apple is under fierce competition from Samsung in the inevitable rise and fall of great companies. In the past this process took decades; now it takes a few years. All the companies mentioned are, or have been great companies packed with talent and the capability to operate effectively and efficiently. Transactional Managers have historically been able to focus and manage these businesses in the more stable environment of the past. It is not now enough.

Transformational Leaders need to focus on the leadership skills that enable them to establish and communicate vision and goals, guiding and empowering others to accomplish them. Transformational Leadership requires us to take risks, think creatively and courageously, be decisive, and communicate the vision of where we are going and how we are going to get there. This approach and the skills required are quite different from the traditional skills of management.

Ultimately Transformational Leadership is about change and four stages of change have been identified. First it is necessary to make a compelling case for change. Second it is important to inspire a shared vision, seeking broad input and encouraging everyone to think of a new and better future. Third, change needs to be led. A sense of urgency must be instilled. Collaboration has to be encouraged and the self-confidence of followers must be increased. Finally, change needs to be embedded. This is achieved by, for example, monitoring progress, changing appraisal and reward systems and hiring staff with a commitment to empowerment and collaboration. Transformational Leaders articulate their vision in a clear and appealing manner, explain how to attain the vision, lead by example and empower followers to achieve the vision.

In summary, Transformational Leaders promote new possibilities and generate a compelling vision of the future. They manifest passionate inspiration and visibly model appropriate behaviours. Their goal is change and their energy, enthusiasm and vision opens up new and exciting possibilities within their organisations. 

Article Contributed by Chris Fenney, Co-founder and Director of Training Edge International

Email:chris.fenney@trainingedgeasia.com
Website : www.trainingedgeasia.com



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You can learn from great leaders but you still have to create your own unique style

How do I become an effective leader? This is a question most leaders ponder, and in the search for the perfect answer to what that ultimate leadership approach and style might look like, many probably realise this is not as easy as they had imagined.

Why is this? There are many reasons.

First, there are so many books and opinions on the subject it is hard to identify one that stands out significantly from all the rest.

Second, none of them seems to be the best in all circumstances, and third, some of them plainly seem to emulate the particular style of famous and successful leaders.

An effective leader is authentic

Being a leader is a daunting task with a lot of challenges and worries about doing the right things in the right way. Hence, looking for the ultimate leadership style or method to be effective in all situations is an understandable desire.

In fact, the quest for the perfect leadership style and characteristics has been relentless for decades, but has still not produced a clear picture of what that one ideal leadership approach or style is — and it probably never will!

This is because it depends on the situation, sometimes referred to as situational leadership. British leader Winston Churchill was ideal at the start of World War II, and is often credited with mobilising the war effort in Britain and leading the country to victory. But he is generally perceived to be less effective in the following peacetime years.

Ernest Shackleton has been called “the greatest leader that ever came on God’s earth, bar none” for saving the lives of 27 men stranded with him on ice floes for almost two years in the Antarctic. He never got his men to the South Pole, but he got them out alive under the most extreme circumstances.

These remarkable men had very different styles of leadership, yet they were both entirely authentic as individuals. But however much you admire one particular leader, you can’t just suddenly imitate someone else’s style without coming across as insincere or fake.

Authentic leadership is about being true to yourself, to be your own person, staying true to your own values, being consistent and believing in a common purpose.

Hence to be an authentic leader, you need to demonstrate that you are able to build trust, demonstrate passion for what you believe in, practise what you preach, build solidity and ensure delivery.

When you have found your authentic leadership style and your own “voice”, you can then be inspired and learn from others, adapt to situations and apply situational leadership based on your own leadership style.

In other words, we can learn from others’ successes and mistakes — but we can’t be exactly like them, because that would not be authentic.

Therefore, it is important to understand the fundamentals of what authentic leadership means to you. You have to define your own authenticity, while appreciating how you can still learn from other leaders and your own experiences and adapt your leadership style when required.

Be an effective leader by managing yourself

Being an effective leader is not only about leading others, but also about how you manage yourself. Effective leaders are able to manage and juggle multiple demands on their time and still stay focused, without getting stressed out or losing the big picture.

This is because they have built a set of effective behaviours and habits around them, which guide them and their direct reports, team members and colleagues.

Therefore, being an effective leader has as much to do with building the most effective behaviours and habits as developing the right leadership components to effectively lead others.

Research shows you can continue to learn new skills, embrace new competencies and keep learning and adapting throughout your career.

No one is born a great leader — all great leaders grew into their role. And the most successful are those who stayed authentic.

Article by Niels Kemp Rasmussen, Senior Consultant with Training Edge International who specialises in helping clients uncover hidden potential and increase performance in their organisations.

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