"Exceptionalism doesn't have to be a trait you're born with. It can also be what you're capable of accomplishing with the talents you possess. "
-David
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, motivate your staff overall to achieve their goals and ultimately increase your company's bottom line!
Book by September 17th and receive 25% off!
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"Ride-Along Coaching"
For those in outside sales, the term, "ride-along" is all too well known.
It's the one or two days a month that a manager literally rides in your car with you all day long as you make sales call after sales call.
For employees, it can be the cause of sleepless nights, stomach ulcers and overall general dread.
From an employer's point of view a ride-along can be as grueling as an 8-hour interview.
Ultimately, the goal of a ride-along is to simply capture a realistic snapshot of the status of the territory, evaluate the effectiveness of the salesperson assigned to it, and discover opportunities for growth.
As an Employee, would you like to:
1) Learn what managers are really looking for and how they evaluate you
2) Learn how to prepare for a successful ride-along or job shadow experience
As an Employer, would you like to:
1) Learn from a third party the true status and potential of the territory
2) Obtain an unbiased assessment of sales talent (strengths and areas of opportunities)
Washco Consulting specializes in Ride-Along Coaching for sales individuals or corporate sales teams.
Areas of concentration include: Key Account Identification, Territory Development, Messaging, Cold Calling Techniques, Relationship Selling, and Probing and Closing Skills.
your target audience.
Call today for more information on Ride-Along Coaching. |
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Business Humor
A quality management consultant was visiting a small outdated English manufacturing company, to advisethem on improving general operating efficiency.
The advisor was reviewing a daily report which dealt with aspects of productivity, absentee rates, machine failure, down-time, etc.
The report was completed manually on a photocopied proforma that was several generations away from the original master-copy, so its headings and descriptions were hard to read.
The photocopied forms were fuzzy at the top-right corner, where a small box had a heading that was impossible to read.
The advisor noted that the figure '0' had been written in that box on every daily report for the past year.
On questioning the staff who completed the report, they told him that they always put a zero in that box.
When he asked them why they were entering the zero they looked at each other blankly. "Hmmm.., I'm not sure about that," they each said, "I guess we've just always done it that way."
Curious, the consultant
searched the files to see if he could find a clearer form, to discover what was originally being reported and whether it actually had any significance.
When he found the old reports, he saw that the zero had continued uninterrupted for as far back as the records extended - at least the past thirty years!
A little frustrated, he packed away the old papers and turned to leave the room, but a box caught his eye.
In the box he noticed a folder, entitled 'Master Forms'. Inside he found the original daily report proforma master-copy, in mint condition.
In the top right corner was the mysterious box, with the header that clearly read...... 'Number of Air Raids Today.'
Are your employees just "checking" the box or have you empowered them to "check the box?" |
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 Black Belt in Business-Mastering the Basics
In martial arts, the definition of a Black Belt is "one who has mastered the basics." That's right-the basics. If you ever get the chance, watch a Black Belt in action. Their movements, grace, incredible timing and sense of awareness are amazing. In life, as in martial arts, looks can be deceiving. Muscle bulk, height nor age are indicators of which individual has earned such a rank. Almost anyone, with determination, commitment, and the right teacher (sensei) can attain this level of success. At this point in your career have you mastered the basics? The key to mastering anything is constant practice under the correct guidance. Improvements, no matter how slight, bring you one step at a time closer to your goal. In other words, it's all about your attention to the small incremental details. So are you constantly practicing your trade? There might not be an official belt or medal handed out when you reach a certain level of mastery in the business world. However, those individuals are celebrated with higher commissions, promotions or opportunities for personal and career advancement. The question is always asked, "So, how did you do it?" Those who aspire and have drive to succeed are constantly seeking something new to adopt in their repertoire of skills. And we are not disappointed a bit to learn that there is no magic bullet. Individuals and organizations wishing not just to succeed but exceed must be mentally and physically agile. They must adopt the ability to change with greater speed and comprehension. Ultimately, they must execute with the precision of a Black Belt. There are 5 fundamental principles through which you can begin the journey to earning your Black Belt in Business:
- Balance: Balance is derived by proper footing. Without balance among faith, family, and work life, your foundation is slippery and meaningless. You fight a continuous battle that never goes away. Today's companies which recognize the importance of autonomy, mastery and purpose, promote this "work/life balance" to employees to avoid burn-out.
- Bend your knees: In martial arts, as in many sports, you hear this reminder a thousand times. You cannot be effective in business if you are rigid. Be flexible with your approach to new opportunities for improvement. It is often said, "Abandoned opportunities are never lost, they are simply pursued by the competition."
- Close mouth/tuck chin: Part of learning how to defend yourself involves learning how to fall properly to minimize damage. Closing your mouth and tucking your chin are the first steps to falling properly. Taking a shove or push in the business world requires this approach as well. To echo Stephen Covey, "Seek first to understand and then to be understood."
- Perfect Practice: Practice does not make perfect. "Perfect practice" makes perfect. Invest your time and research your trade. Identify and rid yourself of bad habits. Success is born out of day in and day out incremental improvements. This is where the importance of a mentor can play a valuable and vital role.
- Look for an opening: In martial arts as in business you should constantly be looking for an opening. This opening may be a competitor's weakness or an area where you can proactively create a need and provide a solution.
A large part of individuals begin schooling in martial arts to learn to fight and or defend. The majority never earn their Black Belt. Those who endure, discover something important.
As the training progresses, they soon become aware of a stronger core calling; the molding of oneself into a better person with a deep appreciation for the dignity, honor, and humiliation of teaching others the basic skills of success.
Imagine if corporate America practiced that same discipline! Are you up to the challenge to earn your Black Belt in Business? |
 From the Podium |
"A Story Within a Story"
I was recently asked by Contemporary Pastor, Paul Cummings of Corinth Reformed Church in Hickory, to speak to the youth group about self esteem. I jumped at the chance because I felt especially challenged during that time in my life. As a youth, I struggled with a sense of personal mediocrity and felt that I was average at best.
 My personal journey to confidence and success through God inspires me to reach out to others who are not secure in their hearts. I thought long and hard when preparing to address this group, about how to get their attention and
more importantly how to keep it! Parents of youth will agree that most "eye rolls" stares occur about 30 seconds into any serious conversation.
Our youth today live in an intensely visual society. I decided that a motivational talk about self esteem combined with a Martial Arts breaking demonstration would be the right approach. Key points combined with the smashing of cement blocks, ice, and wooden boards would certainly make an impact.
Here is the condensed message I shared:
There is no greater energizer of self-esteem than to use your God given talent/gifts to make a difference in other people's lives.
- We judge others by their appearance. We judge ourselves by who we are on the inside. When we are wrapped up in ourselves, it makes for a very small package.
- Money can buy you a house, a good time etc., but it can't buy you a home, good friends, or a goodnight's sleep. Money can buy you a crucifix necklace around your neck, but it can't buy your salvation.
- We tend to use God as a spare tire versus the steering wheel.
- Do not strive to be the best. Strive to be YOUR best!
- Failure is an Event, not a Person.
- Find a mentor or an accountability partner.
- Ask yourself, "What would you do if you could not fail?" Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is!
- "Achieve through humbleness. God will use your quietness."
- Do not be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
- It was professionals who built the Titanic and a common man who built the Ark!
- Time and Truth travel together. All it takes for truth to triumph is for time to pass.
You + God = Enough.
Based on the video playback of the talk to the youth, I saw no eye rolling, texting or walkouts, so all-in-all I consider this event a success! Our youth are a gift. They are our legacy and glimpse into the future. It is all of our responsibilities to make sure they know without a doubt that they were Designed for Accomplishment, Engineered for Success and Endowed with the seeds of Greatness. |
| In Review |
Book Review: DRiVE - The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
 This book is NOT for the faint of heart. Are you brave enough to lower your defenses and be open to the fact that in this economic climate, being receptive to new and fresh ideas could catapult you to success?Google and Apple are examples of companies who have bravely placed themselves under the microscope. As a result, they have become even more successful! Those who study their industry in order to excel know firsthand, that typically only one (maybe two) books ever impact us enough to change our perspective and direction. DRiVE is clearly one of them.
Daniel H. Pink , the author of DRiVE - The Surprising Truth About What Motivates US, has also authored three other bestsellers. I contacted Mr. Pink and asked him to describe his book and research in one sentence. He responded, "Carrots & sticks are so last century." Pink continued by saying that for the 21st century work, "We need to upgrade to autonomy, mastery & purpose."
Pink takes a hard look at the 20th century motivation technique of "carrots on sticks" - the mentality of rewarding individuals only if they do a certain action. He questions the effectiveness of this method for today's time using scientific research and best practices.
Pink notes how companies like Apple and Google for example, are using what science shows - "the secret to high performance isn't our biological drive or our reward-and-punishment drive, but our third drive - our deep-seated desire to direct our own lives, to extend and expand our abilities, and to live a life of purpose."
These companies are attributing their recent success and release of new products to their adoption of this secret to high performance.
Are you in a position of motivating others? Do you yourself need new found motivation? Are you curious as to what drives others and their success? This book is crucial to your future success.
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| Next Steps |
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Washco Consulting is proud to announce the launch of its new creative division, "Pink Penguin Solutions." Serving the advertising and marketing needs
of small, mid and large sized businesses in North and South Carolina, Pink
Penguin Solutions offers big agency creative and marketing services without
the big agency price.  While
David focuses more on business coaching through Washco Consulting, wife
and partner, Amy, brings over 10 years of experience in traditional
marketing and advertising agencies to the table through Pink Penguin
Solutions.
Amy
has worked with clients in Myrtle Beach, Charlotte
and most recently, Hickory. Her industry background includes Education,
Government, Retail, Hospitality, Entertainment,
Golf, Real Estate, Transportation, Paper, Manufacturing, Healthcare, and
Furniture.
Let Pink Penguin Solutions help you stand out from the crowd. Projects include: affordable Website Analysis and turnkey Website Development including Optimization (SEO), Blogs, Business Facebook pages, Logo Creation, Brochure Design, Trade Ad Design, Annual Report Creation/Production, Public Relations and Copywriting.
Call 828-234-9111 or email Amy today
for a free consultation for your upcoming project. See
www.pinkpenguinsolutions.com for more information.
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