Overcoming
Obstacles
Does your sales force
have trouble dealing with and handling
obstacles?
Washco
Consulting can help.
Call 828-234-8378
and discover how the "Overcoming
Obstacles" workshop can:
Strengthen
employee confidence, inspire
them to achieve goals, and increase revenue
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Service
Profile
Sales
Training
The
sales department of any company has
a tremendous responsibility.
Their
day-to-day, week- to-week, month-
to-month activities help make up
the spreadsheet of a company's performance
that ultimately translates into success
or failure.
From
experienced sales representatives
to new hires, any person dealing
with customers may need recalibrating
or refined sales training over time.
If
you are looking for an affordable
way to increase sales without hiring
additional staff, let Washco Consulting
optimize the staff your currently
have in place.
Half
Day or Full Day Sales Training
is available with concentration
in the following areas:
1.
Empathetic Listening
2.
Target10toWin!
3.
Overcoming Obstacles
4.
Cold Calling
5.
Designing a Sales Infra-structure
6.
Inside/Outside Sales
7.
Effective Sales Messaging
8.
Feature/Benefit Identification
9.
Needs Recognition
10.
Probing
11.
Networking
12.
Lead Generation
Washco
Consulting now offers a "Train-the-Trainer" program
focused on preparing executives in
charge of training current and future
sales representatives.
Take
full advantage of the winter months
and new year sales meetings by hiring
Washco Consulting to help you reignite
the passion, motivation and drive
in your sales people that will ultimately
increase revenue and take your company
to the next level.
Email
us today for more information. David
Washco |
Business
Humor
"Motivation"
After
attending a job-enrichment seminar,
a supervisor decided that some of
the suggested techniques could help
combat his company's productivity
problem.
He
invited an employee to his office
and told him that he now would be
allowed to plan, carry out and control
his own job. The wanted 'satisfiers'
would be introduced into the man's
job.
The
worker asked if he would get more
money. The supervisor replied, "No.
Money is not a motivator and you
will not be satisfied if I give you
more pay."
Once
again, the employee asked.
"Well,
if I do what you want, will I get
more pay?"
The
supervisor answered, "No. You need
to understand the motivation theory.
Take this book home and read it.
Tomorrow we'll get together and I'll
explain once again what will really
motivate you."
As
the man was leaving, he turned back
and asked, "Well, if I read this
book, will I get more money?"
Management Speak Translation
1.
That's very interesting...
I disagree.
2.
I don't disagree...
I disagree.
3.
You have to show some flexibility...
You have to do it whether you
want to or not.
4.
We have an opportunity...
You have a problem.
5.
You obviously put a lot of work
into this...
This is awful.
6.
Help me to understand...
I don't know what you're talking
about, and I don't think you do
either.
7.
You just don't understand
our business...
We
don't understand our business.
8.
You need to see the big picture...
My boss thinks it's a good
idea.
9.
I didn't understand the e-mail
you sent, can you give me a quick
summary...
I still can't figure out how
to start the e-mail program.
10.
You needed to be more
proactive...
You should have protected me
from myself.
11.
I'm glad you asked me that...
Public relations has written
a carefully phrased answer.
12.
Value-added...
Expensive. |
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 A
LESSON RE-LEARNED
Motivation
vs. Inspiration
As
an Executive or a manager, how many of us
have given someone a raise in salary
in hopes that it would motivate an
individual to step up their effort?
I
was recently approached by a salesperson
requesting a raise in their commission
levels. After
a day of deliberation, I
granted their request ─ a mistake
on two fronts! First, when I
informed the representative of the
5% increase, his response was, "I wanted
more." On top of his lack
of appreciation, the optimistic
side of me mistakenly
thought I
would witness
him walking in the next day with band
aids on his fingertips from the flurry
of sales
calls he made due to his new raise.
Like
many people we work with, this person
is a "good" individual.
Regrettably,
his sales performance has been mediocre
at best (even after much guidance
and multiple offers to help prospect
for him).
A
new mentor of mine and someone who
is quickly becoming a good friend,
recently gave me advice that I have
been applying in my daily life. His
father told him growing up to follow
the Rule of the Three P's: 1. Never
break a promise. 2. Do
not panic, the situation eventually
changes. 3. Never piss anyone
off.
Reflecting
on this new set of rules encouraged
me to draw upon all the advice I have
taken to heart from reading hundreds
of books, listening to multitudes of
CD's, and the many mentors I have been
blessed to surround myself with.
There
is a core truth in my learning
that I have fought and struggled
with until this recent exchange
with my salesperson. "Expending
energy trying to motivate people
is largely a waste of time." Wow!
Did a motivational speaker just say
this?
Although
I have built a career vested largely
in motivation, I have been studying
it through the blurred glasses of one
very impactful time in my own life. In
my first two years of sales, my
performance barley brought in commissions
of $18,000 each year. Needless
to say, my results were subpar.
However,
just like the sculptor who is able
to chisel out a masterpiece from a
block of stone; I had a manager and
friend named Charlie who recognized
my potential and guided me to
become the top salesman in the company
the very next year.
Over
the years, I have consistently and
mistakenly given him the credit for motivating me
to become my best. Did you catch
that? Motivating me. I
have been wrongly assigning him credit
for the action that took place.
The
truth is, Charlie didn't motivate me.
I asked him recently, and he agreed.
The motivation was already there lying
dormant inside of me, and that is what
attracted him to "inspire" me. There
is no doubt that Charlie changed the
course of my career through his ability
to awaken my motivation for achievement
by his proper guidance and his positive
influences.
There
is a clear difference between motivation
and inspiration, and my hope is that
you would accept this truth before
you are 20 years into your career.
I
recall a quote from a book I highly
recommend, Good to Great. This
will be featured in next month's Pink
Penguin Solution's Newsletter. "Spending
time and energy trying to motivate
people is a waste of effort. The
real question is not, "how do we motivate
our people?" If you have the
right people, they will be self-motivated. The
key is to not de-motivate them."
This
recent managerial experience has reemphasized for
me the importance of having the right
people on the sales bus. Thank
you all for sharing the journey of
continuous learning in business
with me!
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 From
the Podium |
"A
Story Within a Story"
As
a karate instructor and a personal
trainer, I often get requests to
speak to student groups on health
and nutrition. At the request of
Fitness Teacher, Sherrie Cerrito,
I recently spoke to the high school
students at Hickory Christian Academy. 
My
focus for the talk was about making
the right choices and valuing the
lessons in our decisions. Mrs. Cerrito
touches on the dangers of drug enhancing
steroids in her class, so my goal
was to reinforce this message both
physically and verbally.
The
youth at Hickory Christian Academy
are dealing with heavy issues that
most high school students face: negative
influences, peer pressure, poor self-esteem,
lack of attention in the home, etc.
It seems that the importance of physical
appearance is impacting students
at a much younger age than before.
The students at HCA are no exception.
The students appear fairly equal
in intelligence so they are seeking
ways to stand out. Athletic excellence
is a great way to set your self apart-
if it's done in a healthy manner!
As
a former natural body builder, I
am all too familiar with witnessing
the issues involving steroid use.
While at times I have been tempted,
I have never used strength enhancing
drugs. But, I know many athletes
who have. The choices they made negatively
impacted their health and their emotional
well-being.
Fifteen
years later, while I am still benefiting
from my non-compromising decisions,
I often run into people whose compromised
decisions have caught up with them
through poor health, broken relationships,
or lack of confidence in their potential
natural abilities.
All
good speakers will agree, in addition
to a good message, you must provide
something to keep the audiences'
attention. This can be accomplished
through voice inflection, humor,
a medium or even a demonstration.
I like to achieve this through my
martial arts breaking demonstrations.
There is nothing like a large stack
of cement, wood, and ice blocks to
keep the audience on their toes.
Once the cement dust settles and
the ice shards have stopped flying,
it's humbling to witness the audiences'
amazement that there are no broken
bones and no sliced limbs.
Martial
arts breaking is accomplished
through much practice and discipline.
I end my demonstration with this
message: "Nothing is more important
than a good foundation. Next comes
the abilities─accuracy, speed,
then finally strength. So goes life.
Ensure you have a strong and stable
foundation."
I
try to model to student, friends,
and mentors, that you can have success
in life and athletics by making the
right choices and learning from your
poor decisions. As a black belt and
U.S. Breaking Champion, I am living
proof that spiritually, determination,
a regular work-out and a healthy
diet are great parts of a strong
and stable foundation. |
| In Review |
Lion
for Lambs
Despite
media reports to the contrary, I
believe we are a country woven out
of exceptional Americans. We
are definitely a country that feeds
off of unsung heroes and stories
of underdogs. We are  often
times inspired to make an important
commitment in our lives after
witnessing a heroic incident on the
television or being emotionally moved
by a story told by a loved one. For
good reason, we
take stories based on real events
closer to heart.
As
bitter and jaded as the Hollywood
box office has
made us, once in a while, like a
diamond in the rough, we have the
rare opportunity to be changed by
a non-fiction movie. Lions
for Lambs (2007) is a provocative
thriller that explores the consequences
of taking a stand. And while
this story is not based on true events,
I have got to believe a story very
similar to this one takes place more
often than not in this great country
of ours.
I
honestly don't remember this movie
having a big impact in the theatre
when it came out. It's probably because
it walks softly and carries a big
stick. My wife and I sat down to
watch it together on a Saturday evening
with intentions of enjoying a rare
two hours of mindless TV. Thirty
minutes into the movie we both had
pen and paper in our hands, writing
down one quote after another, only
to find ourselves comparing notes
after the 85 minute movie was over. We
both acknowledge that we are complete
nerds.
Amy
and I both wondered "how did we miss
one of the most epic movie scenes
regarding commitment? Had
it largely escapedthe publics'
eye as well? We asked various
friends and family members, and not
one person could recall this movie.
We almost began drawing straws to
decide who was going to write about
the impact of this movie in our next
news letter.
In
short, there are two separate stories
interwoven in this movie. One
story is about an extremely gifted
college student who is being confronted
by his teacher, Robert Redford. The
teacher, intellectually and aggressively
challenges his student through a
round of questioning as to why he
is wasting his talents.
Meanwhile
a second story about two other students
of seemingly unexceptional intellect
and talents unfolds. These two students
were paired together and confronted
with a simple mid-term project. They
ultimately went far beyond seeking
a good grade. They demonstrated through
actions the definition of "conviction."
The
two stories of the gifted student
and the two seemingly ungifted students
are woven together cleverly through
a mid-term project which asks the
question, "What foreign relations
theory or concept can be best applied
here at home to a greater affect?"
Through
superb writing, strong acting and
wonderful directing, Lions for
Lambs touches on everything that
makes this country of ours great
and simultaneously brings light to
our weaknesses. The bantering
dialogue touches on the myriad of
feelings we have daily. As
a student in college, an adult starting
a career, or a parent trying to inspire
their children to make a difference
in this world-we all face those moments
of truths when we must make a decision.
The
message is not for the weak of heart. "Rome
is burning son! And the problem
is not with the people who started
this, they are past irredeemable,
the problem is with us. All
of us. Who do nothing, just
fiddle, who try to maneuver around
the edges of the flames."
If
you are squeezed for time, cannot
fit another book into your schedule,
yet are looking for that catalyst
which will inspire you to take action
on that goal you have been putting
off, head to the local library with
your kids and check out Lions
for Lambs.
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| Next
Steps |
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Have
you scheduled your 2011 S.W.O.T. Analysis?
As we head to the end of the year, companies
traditionally are striving to meet and/or
succeed forecasting goals and are focused
on closing out the current year. Take
note from the book, "Good to Great," companies
which are double minded about this process. They
keep one eye on the close-out, and focus
the other eye on preparation for the
new year ahead.
It
can be a struggle in business to force
yourself to slow down and take time
out to assess and adjust course. An
ideal way to do this is through what's
commonly called a "S.W.O.T. Analysis." This
term was coined by Albert
Humphrey in the 1960's/1970's. It's
an acronym meaning: Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats.
Information
gleamed from a S.W.O.T. Analysis is critical
for planning staffing adjustments, development
of vertical markets, setting sales goals
and developing marketing and advertising
strategies.
If
you could be shown a way to drive revenues,
minimize costs, and increase company
morale, in turn allowing you to outpace
your competition, thereby improving stock
performance and increasing your public
awareness, wouldn't it be worth 30 minutes
of your time exploring the value of a
third party S.W.O.T. analysis?
Executive
leadership, management and marketing
departments may have led this initiative
in the past for larger companies. Small
to mid-sized companies, however, may
not be conducting this exercise at all. The
truth is that all companies regardless
of size should conduct a S.W.O.T. annually.
While
the concept may not be new, Washco Consulting
is recommending a new approach to this
exercise. Typically, S.W.O.T.'s are developed
by in-house employees biased by current
corporate or economic conditions, thoughts
or perceptions rather than truths, and
fear of retaliation from upper management.
Perhaps upper management is overconfident
mistakenly believing they have their
thumb on the pulse of their company or
that the time is not well spent.
Washco
Consulting provides outside, unbiased
S.W.O.T. Analysis for companies of all
sizes. This third party information is
compiled in an easy to understand report
and will make a tremendous difference
in the course you set for your business
for 2011. Whether your vision in part
is to improve internally or looking externally
to out-pace the competition, know that
it is your decision today, not your conditions,
that determine your destiny. Let
one of your decisions be a S.W.O.T. analysis
for 2011 success. Call today to schedule
your S.W.O.T. Analysis with David and
get a jump on revenue growth.
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