Category: Coaching/Management

June 5, 2013

Liar! Liar! How To Spot When A Candidate (Or Employee) Is Lying

It’s no great shock to see statistics about the prevalence of lying on résumés – one recent survey pegged it at 66% and another survey’s findings put it at 78%! But what about lying in job interviews? Those numbers look to be even higher. A whopping 81% of participants in a study written up in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology lied during what they thought was a job interview. The average was 2 lies per 15 minutes of interviewing.

So what is everybody lying about and what can you do?

Spotting Lies On Résumés:

According to the AOL Jobs survey the most often items lied about on résumés are current salary (40%), followed by inaccurate or misleading job titles and descriptions (33%), altering employment dates (29%), falsifying references (27%), and listing fraudulent college degrees (21%).

You may not really care if someone is inflating a current salary if the person’s salary requirements fit within your range for the position. But with salespeople, this becomes more important and a bit trickier to figure out if someone is giving you an accurate number. Want to know for sure? Ask for a copy of the candidate’s previous year’s W-2.

Misleading job titles and description as well as altering employment dates, can be ferreted out by calling the candidate’s previous employers. Even if a company won’t answer specific questions, they will almost always verify dates of employment and titles. As for fake college degrees, any company that performs background checks (and there are dozens of online companies that offer these services starting at $15) can verify education. Maybe you are interviewing people for a job where you don’t care if someone has a college degree – but you might want to know if the person is lying about having one.

Falsifying references is probably the hardest of all of these to detect. Candidates who do this, are counting on managers not calling all (or any) of their references, and if so, not asking too many specific questions. If you are not calling a candidate’s previous employers AND references, you are taking a HUGE gamble. (Click here for how to do effective Reference Checking)

Spotting Lies In Interviews (And Other Situations):

Research shows that most of us are terrible at detecting whether or not someone is lying to us. We tend to take things people say at “face value” (you know, “innocent until proven guilty”). The book, Spy The Lie written by three former CIA officers, offers some terrific insight on how to detect if someone isn’t telling you the truth.

One key, the authors say, is really listening intently so that you can pick up on verbal clues. Just spotting one of these verbal clues may not indicate anything, but if you detect a pattern or several of these behaviors – well you may have a Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire! For example, not giving you a direct answer to a question may indicate that a person is trying to think up an answer and is stalling or trying to distract you by re-routing the focus of your question.

Liars may try to skirt the truth and provide too much information to create a “halo” effect in order to skew your perception of them. Over complimenting you or being overly polite (“You look lovely today Mrs. Cleaver”) can indicate the person is trying to ingratiate himself because the more you like someone the more likely you are to believe him.

There also is something that psychologists call “dressing up the lie” which is when someone starts talking about religion or God. The authors say examples of this are phrases such as “I swear to God” or “As God is my witness,” which could indicate the person is “dressing up the lie.”

If someone is lying you might detect it in how the person responds to you when denying something. If you ask, “Did you do X?” A straight forward “no” is usually the honest person’s answer. If the person responds with a non-answer such as “Why would you think that?” or “I didn’t do anything,” the authors say that this is often a way for the person to psychologically avoid admitting to himself he is lying.

In interview situations, I tell managers to avoid typical interview questions where a person can have a rehearsed answer. Ask behavioral interview questions that require specific examples of situations where the person demonstrated the skill or behavior in which you are interested. Good answers will be very specific, not generalizations. When you ask a question be wary of qualified answers such as “most of the time”, “I try”, “for the most part”.

What about non-verbal behaviors? The authors say there are nonverbal cues that can indicate someone is being less that truthful. When watching for these, only consider the cues relevant if they happen in direct response to a question.

For example, if in answering a question the person touches her face, licks his lips, or pulls on her ears, that can indicate the person isn’t being truthful. Lying can trigger a person’s natural flight or fight response which makes blood rush to these areas and make the person itch or have a sensation of being cold.

Another interesting non-verbal that the authors point out is something called “moving anchor points.” Anchor points are what keep a person in a particular spot. If someone is standing then the feet are his anchor point. If someone is sitting in a chair then the buttocks are the anchor point. If a person begins shifting his or her anchor points while answering a question, that can be a sign of the person lying. Also, watch for signs of grooming. This could be adjusting an article of clothing, smoothing their hair or even straightening out the area right around the person.

Someone being deceitful might cover his mouth or eyes or even close her eyes while answering your question. This can mean that on a subconscious level the person doesn’t want to see your reaction to the lie. If the person nods “yes” while saying “no” or shakes his head side to side while saying “yes” that’s called a disconnect, and can be an indication of deception.

I’m going to let Mark Twain have the last words about this topic as he summed it up brilliantly when he said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”

May 21, 2013

Want To Be An Effective Leader? “13″ May Be Your Lucky Number

Often, companies I work with will ask me to define what traits are needed to be an effective leader in their company. What makes someone a great leader in an organization can be highly subjective of course. Some traits that can help a person to be an effective leader in one company might not work in another company. However, there is research that has been done that identifies particular traits that successful leaders possess, regardless of the type of business in which they work.

One Leadership study looked at a particular type of leader, the “Effective, Developmental Leader”. This was defined as successful leaders who focus on the growth and development of the company they work for as well as the people that they lead. These are people who focus on those that they manage because they believe people are the “main engine” that drives the company’s growth and performance.

What the research found was Effective Developmental Leaders had 13 attributes in common; 6 traits (characteristics) and 7 behaviors (actions). As you read through the list, think about your own talents and behaviors and how they match up to these, as well as people you are responsible for coaching and developing:

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1. Dedicated – hard working, productive, focused, efficient, and disciplined.
2. Practical – not a micro-manager, perceptive, pragmatic, tactful.
3. Cooperative – loyal, fair, patient demeanor, contemporary thinking.
4. Assertive – powerful, strong, competitive, authoritative, outspoken, in control.
5. Personable – engaging personality, passionate, sociable, energetic.
6. Analytical – complex-thinker, broad cognitive skills.
7. Focused – strives for success, sees opportunities, sets clear goals, shares vision and knowledge.
8. Supportive – approachable, always willing to help others, asks for feedback, cares about other’s welfare.
9. Developer – develops others, empowers others, positions individuals for success, builds leaders.
10. Delegator – determines needs, directs, decisive, delegates authorities.
11. Advisor – gathers all information, removes barriers, evaluates talent, solves problems, facilitates.
12. Competitive – risk taker, keeps a competitive edge, involved, speaks out, innovative.
13. Charismatic – convincing, assumes responsibility, role model, challenges others.

Keep in mind that the names they gave the attributes are somewhat arbitrary. It’s the definition of the attribute that matters. Some of these traits and behaviors would be relatively easy to spot in someone you work with every day (i.e. Dedicated or Personable). But others are more difficult to determine by observation alone. For example, you might not know if someone has the Developer talent if the person is in a position where he or she doesn’t have any direct reports.

And what about candidates for a leadership position that you haven’t worked with previously? Three of the best ways to determine what traits (those that are innate as well as those that have been learned) a person brings to the table, are behavioral interviews, predictive assessments, and 360 surveys. If you’re not sure what leadership attributes you have and your company doesn’t use assessments, you can create your own informal 360 survey. You can use any number of free online survey companies and with the list above, create the questions. Ask co-workers, direct reports, bosses, and family members to take it. Who knows, you might find that “13” is indeed your lucky leadership number.

Click here for the infographic “5 Ways To Be An Exceptional Leader”

May 15, 2013

10 Tips For Managing Millennial Salespeople

Are you confused/frustrated/perplexed on how best to manage your Millennial (Gen Y) salespeople? There is a lot of information in the media lately about this generation, but recent research shows it doesn’t always apply when it comes to Millennial salespeople. I’ve put together a list of 10 “best practices” for sales managers on my guest blog post at Profiles International. Please check it out!

May 10, 2013

12 Lessons From Mom That Apply To Hiring & Managing Employees

We may hate to admit it some times, but Mom was right about most things. And, many of the lessons she taught us also apply to hiring and managing our employees. Please read my guest post about the “12 Lessons From Mom That Apply To Hiring & Managing Employees” by clicking on Recruiter.com.

May 4, 2013

When You Look Up Positivity In The Dictionary There Should Be A Picture Of Her…

A few days ago I had to fly to Atlanta on business. My flight had a layover in Charlotte for a couple of hours. I got off the plane feeling more than a little sorry for myself. I had been on a packed flight in a middle seat and I was flying with 2 ruptured discs in my neck. So all in all, I was one miserable traveler. I walked into the ladies restroom in Charlotte’s Terminal B next to Gate 4. I heard her before I saw her. As I rounded the corner into the restroom she said, “Welcome, welcome, welcome! Welcome to Charlotte!” I looked up and saw her wide smile and bright eyes. She looked genuinely happy to see me. She was the restroom attendant. “How are you today? Are you doing ok?” I smiled and said hello and quickly headed for my stall. I listened though as the attendant continued to greet every single person who came in, complimented some, asked questions of others, and wished people safe travels as they left.

As I sat there in the restroom listening, I was struck by how much energy and enthusiasm she had for every single person who was in there, and how sincere she sounded. As I washed my hands at the sink, I took quick glances at her down the long aisle way of the restrooms. I could see how people were responding to her. Sure there were a few who just nodded and even a couple who barely acknowledged her. But most of the people were instantly transformed as if they had just met up with a long lost friend. They quickly chatted with her and thanked her before exiting with a big smile on their faces.

This woman was remarkable and I knew I had to find out more about her. I approached her and asked her if she had a break coming up any time soon. She said she didn’t but asked me how she could help me and if there was something I needed. I told her that I was a talent analyst and explained the work that I did and told her that she was the perfect example of someone with the trait of Positivity. I asked her if I could interview her and ask a few questions while she worked. Luckily for me, she agreed. As she answered my questions she didn’t miss a beat, still engaging each person who entered or left. She helped Mom’s with stroller and Grandma’s with walkers. She found something personal to say to every single person she encountered.

For years I have stressed to managers the importance of hiring salespeople with the innate strength/behavior called Positivity. The Gallup Organization defines Positivity as someone who is generous with praise, quick to smile, the type of person others want to be around. People who have this trait have contagious enthusiasm and find a way to lift the spirits of others. They celebrate every achievement and make things more vital and exciting. They believe that work can be fun and no matter what the set backs you have to keep your sense of humor.

The first thing I asked the restroom attendant was what her name was, and she said, “Mary Love.” Can you believe it? What a perfect name for her. I asked her how long she had been working here and she said two years and that she loves her job. “I love making people smile, there’s not enough of that in the world. I welcome people and bless them and pamper them by keeping my restroom clean so that I make a difference.”

I asked her if people were ever nasty to her or unappreciative when she talked to them. She said that rarely happened and even when it did it didn’t bother her because, “Those people are a blessing too, so I don’t let that bother me.” I asked her if when she went through her training for this position if she was instructed to greet people. She said, “No, I just started doing it…I say what comes out of my heart. I feel like this is my purpose in life, to make a difference in people’s day.”

Wow. “I feel like this is my purpose in life, to make a difference in people’s day.” Those words from her are so powerful and such a great example of the power of positivity in your work. Well, Ms. Mary Love you certainly did that for me. After I finished talking with you, got a hug from you, and a quick picture, I walked to my next gate with a very different attitude and outlook from the one I had when I walked into that restroom.

In fact, her Positivity was still on my mind when my connecting flight landed in Atlanta, and the usual thing happened. The seat belt light goes off, folks begin gathering their belongings, and there are always those people who rush up from the rows behind you rather than waiting to exit when it is their row’s turn. Now what always goes through my mind at this point is my fantasy where I stand up and yell, “Hey – get back to your row! You are not THAT important, wait your turn like the rest of us!!!” and with eyes cast down they skulk back to their seats. Yah right. But this time as I started to feel the slow boil begin, it was quickly cooled by hearing Mary’s words echo in my brain, “Those people are blessings too.” If you know me even a little, you know how NOT like me it is to have that thought.

Mary told me that my interviewing her was a wonderful birthday gift. But I knew the real gift was the one she gave to me and hundreds of other people every day. Her birthday is May 9^th and I would love the readers of this article help make her birthday special. Please leave her a Happy Birthday wish in the comment box below. She asked me to send her the link to this post because she was eager to read it, so I know she will see your comments.

Thank you Ms. Mary Love of Charlotte, North Carolina and Happy Birthday.

April 25, 2013

Are You A Well-Rounded Leader? Oh…That’s Too Bad

Successful business leaders are not “well-rounded.” They are not good at a lot of things. Instead, they are great at a few things. They don’t possess strengths in every area of their work; they concentrate on a few of their most prominent strengths. In fact, being well-rounded actually can prevent you from being exceptional.

People who are well-rounded can make good employees, but they rarely make for great leaders. As Seth Godin says, “Well-rounded and popular people rarely change the world. The one voted most likely to succeed probably won’t.”

Not convinced?

In research done for the book Strengths Based Leadership, by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie, Gallup, Inc. researchers found that of the more than 20,000 leaders they studied, not one possessed strengths in all of the leadership competencies they measured. They found that those who strive to be competent in all areas become the least effective leaders overall.

The research clearly showed that, “Those who tried to be good at everything tend to be masters of none, and the most successful organizations are not led by average leaders. The most effective leaders are those who are aware of their strengths and who have fully optimized them.”

Need more convincing?

A remarkable study by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, reported in the Harvard Business Review, analyzed 360-degree evaluations of 30,000 managers by 300,000 of their colleagues. They identified 16 leadership competencies (i.e., strengths) that correlate strongly with positive business outcomes such as increased profitability, employee engagement, revenue, and customer satisfaction.

What they found is that the most successful leaders were “not good at many things but were uniquely outstanding at a few things.” So of these 16 competencies, it wasn’t that the top performers were strong in all or even most of the areas. The top performers were strong in a few of these competencies – possessing between 2-5 of them.

The graphic below illustrates the 16 competencies that they found differentiated average leaders from great leaders. As you read the list, note the ones you consider to be your strength areas.

The tricky part is figuring out if what you think are your strengths, really are. Most of us are far better at identifying our weaknesses. So how do you determine which of these 16 competencies really are strength areas for you? And, of the ones you consider to be your strengths, which ones do you concentrate on developing for maximum effectiveness?

Step 1: Identify your strength areas.

One way to identify true strengths is to do a 360-degree survey with your co-workers, employees, bosses, and clients. The authors suggest even creating your own informal 360 survey will work. You can also take a behavioral assessment to identify strength areas. Doing either of these is a great way to see if you have any misconceptions or bias about your strengths. But there are also some questions you can ask yourself to help determine your strengths. As you look at the leadership competencies you feel are your strengths, ask yourself the following questions:

When I utilize this behavior or skill does it feel natural and come easily?
Am I energized when I can exhibit this behavior or skill, not exhausted, when I use it?
Do you find yourself seeking out projects where you can demonstrate this strength?
Do you feel passionate about it?
Is it something where you enjoy improving and getting better at?

If the answers are “yes” that is usually a good indication that something really is a strength.

Step 2: Decide on which of your strengths you should focus your attention.

The authors of the study also looked at how these leadership strengths worked together and identified what were the most powerful pairings of these strengths that led to leadership excellence. So, it makes sense to focus your concentration on the strengths that complement one another. (See graphic at the end of this article for the 16 leadership competencies and their companion competencies.)

But there is also another key component to deciding where to place your development focus and that is the “fit” issue. As the authors note in their article, “We recommend that developing leaders focus on competencies that matter to the organization and about which they feel some passion, because a strength you feel passionate about that is not important to your organization is essentially a hobby, and a strength the organization needs that you don’t feel passionate about is just a chore.”

Having some of these 16 leadership competencies is great, but if you are in a position where you can’t utilize them or they do not match up with what the company needs, then you aren’t going to be effective. You have to fit your talents to the task.

Step 3: Maximize your strength areas.

It’s tempting to think you don’t need to work on your strengths because they will always be there. But research shows that isn’t the case at all. The Chally Group, a performance measurement and research firm, has found that with the right training and development, someone can get about 20% better in an area where he or she has some competency. But take that same training and development in an area of natural strength and the person’s achievement can be produce spectacular results.

The moral of this story is, don’t worry about being well-rounded. Focus your time and energy in getting even better in the areas where you already have natural strengths, align those strengths with your company’s needs, and you’ll go from being a good leader to a great one.

April 11, 2013

9 Ways For Gen Y Professionals To Kill Their Careers

Gen Y workers are critical components of the workforce and make up the largest generation of workers at 35%. Like any new generation that enters the business community, Gen Y has to deal with the perceptions that their Gen X and Boomer bosses and co-workers have of them, some of which may or may not be valid. However, I do think that there are some areas that tend to trip up many Gen Y professionals, and I’ve put together a list of the ones I think are the most important.

1. You are impatient and want instant gratification. Being ambitious and driven to succeed at what you do is a tremendous strength, except when it becomes your weakness. Putting unreasonable time limits on yourself to achieve in a position can be your undoing.

Is it reasonable that a majority of Gen Y workers do not think they will be in the same position longer than 2 years? Perhaps, that depends upon the job and the field. But it isn’t reasonable to think that if you are not a V.P. after a year on the job you are “going nowhere.” Interestingly, a lot of you seem to agree with your older counterparts on this topic. A research study¹found:

45% of Gen Y respondents agreed with the statement

“Gen Y feels entitled to job benefits they haven’t yet earned.”

73% of Gen Y respondents agreed with the statement

“Gen Y wants instant gratification.”

2. You substitute technological interaction for human interaction. Gen Y’s technology skills are one of this generation’s greatest assets. But like any strength when overused or used inappropriately, it can have a negative effect. This preference for tech interaction versus face to face or “live” can get in the way of building business relationships with clients and co-workers. It decreases the opportunities to create trust, especially with the older generations.

3. You don’t manage up. As Gen Y professionals are now entering the management ranks, this has brought new hurdles into the generational divide. I’ve seen Gen Y managers who are terrific at managing their employees but terrible at managing their managers. You have to be able to develop the right relationship with your direct manager and at least one level up from that, in order to continue an upward career path in most companies.

4. You don’t know the difference between “good” and “great” yet. People who are “good” at their job go above and beyond the expectations the company has for them. People who are “great” at their job go above and beyond expectations to accomplish things no one even thought about doing before. Use that youthful optimism and creativity in your work, not just your personal life.

“Good is the enemy of great”

-Jim Collins, author, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’tpp

5. You’re focusing on the wrong things. To move ahead in your career you have to make sure you are on the right course to get you noticed by company leaders. You might be doing a great job in certain areas but are those the areas that matter most to your company? You have to look at your job from the company perspective and ask yourself how you can provide the most value to the business. That is where you need to focus your talents and energies.

6. You crave constant feedback. Almost everyone of any age wants positive feedback from their bosses. In fact, in every research study I’ve ever read this is always in the top three of the most important factors in whether people are engaged or not in their work. However, desiring feedback is not the same as needing constant feedback. 35% of Gen Y respondents said they want to communicate with their boss several times a day.² In many professions, this just isn’t realistic. You need to look beyond your boss and develop relationships with older colleagues and mentors who can fill this communication gap for you.

7. You don’t look the part. Yes, the workplace in general is a more casual world than it used to be. However, in most (not all) companies, the fact is that you ARE going to be judged on how you dress and that will factor into a boss’ decision (whether consciously or sub-consciously) on whether or not you are “promote-able.” The disconnect here is that only 4% of Gen Y said they want to dress in business attire². If you are in a field where all around you are in business attire, the old saying still holds true, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.”

8. You’re too casual. This one isn’t just about appearance. Gen Y is seen by other generational workers as just being too casual in general.¹ This includes things like being too informal too quickly in the workplace; informal language usage and misspellings in written communications; and lax in your time commitments. The best advice I think in this area is to adapt and mimic your environment and the people with whom you are dealing. If the boss signs off her text with “L8tr” and sends you emails with no punctuation or capitalization, than so can you. If not….

9. You constantly want to be multi-tasking. Multi-tasking is the enemy. It decreases your productivity by 40% and lowers your IQ by 10 points.³ It’s not just Gen Y, we’ve all been brainwashed to think that we must be able to handle a hundred things at once. But because Gen Y was brought up on electronics, this generation suffers the most from this problem.

Research shows that in actuality only 2% of the population can multi-task effectively.⁴ For the rest of us when we multitask, it’s like we’re doing things stoned (see Infographic below!). The key is to be able to handle multiple things and get them done quickly – but not at the same time. Focus on each task you need to accomplish. Give it your full attention, get it done right the first time and to the best of your ability, and done quickly. Then move on to the next thing. Your brain will thank you, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you will learn new things and how much more productive you will be.

An Infographic On “The Perils Of Mulitasking” by OnlineCollege.org

Article’s Sources:

¹ Gen Y Perceptions Study by Spectrum Knowledge and The Career Center at Cal State Fullerton

² What Millennial Workers Want by Robert Half International

³ http://HBR.org/2011/05/stat-watch-multitasking-101/ar/1

⁴ http://www.PsychologyToday.com/blog/brain-trust/201202/is-your-brain-multitasking

April 8, 2013

What To Do When Your Star Salesperson Wants To Be A Manager

One of the hallmarks of top performing salespeople is the drive to continuously achieve and push themselves to attain more. This strength propels them to grow business and go beyond what they have done before. It also means they typically get bored quickly. Once a top performing salesperson has achieved something he or she will quickly look around for the next accomplishment – the next mountain to conquer. And if you’re not ready with the right challenge, they are going to assume that management is where they should aim for next.

For some, that might be the right path, but for many top performers, it isn’t. The talents and skills needed to be a top salesperson are quite different from the ones needed to be a successful manager. Yes, some people have both, but many times we see new managers, who have been highly impactful salespeople, fail in their new role. According to research done by Manchester, Inc.,

“40% of newly promoted managers fail within 18 months of starting new jobs”

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Often it is because the person has gone into a management role because he or she saw it as the only way to advance and continue a career path, and isn’t prepared or doesn’t have the talents and skills necessary, to succeed in the new position. When this happens, we have failed that top performer and the company. We’ve deprived the company of a star producer and we have neglected to provide ways for a talented employee to grow within his or her areas of strength.

To retain top talent we must find ways to offer growth opportunities that are not limited to a “promotion” to a management position. The best way to reward the people you want to keep is to find new ways to let them use and grow their natural talents. Decide together what would be the best reward for their excellent work and appropriate challenges. This should be an on-going brainstorming collaboration between leaders in the company as well. Find out what types of things your company can offer to top performers. It might be additional training, certifications, mentoring, cross-department training, exposure to senior executives, top performer perquisites, the opportunity to teach others, or maybe creating a unique new position.

It’s also important to help your star seller figure out if management really is the logical next step. There are several ways you can do this. The first question to ask your top performer is,

“Why do you want to become a manager?”

In the book, Discover Your Sales Strengths: How the World’s Greatest Salespeople Develop Winning Careers by Benson Smith and Tony Rutigliano, the authors list the right and wrong answers to this important question. How your salesperson answers this question will give you some insight into where to go next in the conversation.

Wrong Reasons For Wanting To Become A Manager:

I deserve a promotion

It will look prestigious and be good for my career growth

It’s time, I’ve been a salesperson for x years

I want to make more money

Want more control & autonomy

The company wants me to

I’m bored and need new challenges

I’m tired of the pressure to sell

I want the respect that comes with being a manager

Right Reasons For Wanting To Become A Manager:

I want to help develop others

I like seeing others succeed and win

I want to build a team

I like encouraging others to reach goals

I like working with talented people

I like recognizing and growing people’s talents

I am energized by teaching and coaching others

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Ask your top performer to write down his or her top 3 strengths. Before revealing them to you, go through these follow-up questions first:

1. Will you be able to attract and develop star performers or will you want to compete with them?

2. Can you sit on the sidelines and watch others play and be the coach or will you want to grab the ball and run?

3. Are you willing to give up the control of being accountable only for your performance to being accountable for an entire team’s performance?

4. Do you want to take on the responsibility of (insert number) salespeople?

5. Will you enjoy watching someone else get the big sale and the recognition that comes with it?

6. Will you want to deal with the administrative work?

7. Will you be able to fire someone that you may have a close relationship to and respect?

8. Are you genuinely interested in the opinions of others or do you just wait for them to stop talking so you can?

9. Does the prospect of figuring out the best way to transform a salesperson’s talents into performance appeal to you?

10. Can you individualize your coaching according to each person and what he or she needs rather than what you want?

11. Are you energized by the prospect of dealing with talented but high maintenance, demanding salespeople?

12. Will getting things done through others be as rewarding to you as getting things done yourself?

Next, ask the person to reveal the top 3 strengths he or she wrote down. Are they an accurate description of the person’s top talents? Do those strengths lend themselves more to sales or management? Ask the salesperson to evaluate as well.

Following these steps is a great way to keep the dialogue open and flowing between you and your top performers about “next steps” and continuous growth. It’s not a “one and done” conversation. You also should consider utilizing a predictive sales management assessment tool to help you and your top performer understand his or her talents, skills, and motivations more clearly and objectively.

___________________________

Infographic: When Your Star Wants To Be A Manager

March 18, 2013

The Secret Of Top Performing Sales Teams

While sales success is in many ways an individual pursuit, a salesperson is usually a part of a sales team as well. Even though there might be healthy competition between members of a sales team, many of the same team dynamics that apply to other departments, apply for the sales department as well. Interesting research has been done on what factors go into separating top performing teams from bottom performing teams.

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review looked at this research¹, which showed that there was one factor that stood out as the greatest difference between top and bottom performing teams…the ratio of positive to negative comments among the team members. (Top performing teams were defined by financial performance, customer satisfaction ratings and 360 degree feedback ratings.) It’s interesting that the positive comments were not just by managers, but by the members of the team, to each other.

Among top performing teams the researchers found that the average was 6 positive comments for every 1 negative comment. Conversely, on bottom performing teams, there were an average of 3 negative comments for every one positive comment. Ouch!

Obviously, this is a huge difference. It’s not hard to imagine the difference in environments and how this would play out in an office. Don’t you think you would sell more in a supportive environment where you feel like your co-workers are pulling for you and noticing great work?

(The same researchers did studies on positivity ratios needed for individuals to thrive, as well. See my earlier post, “The Number 1 Thing Your Employees Want More Of…”)

Study after study points to the same conclusions; positive feedback is what motivates people to improve, repeat top performance behaviors, and continue striving for success.

Positive feedback can come in the form of praise or recognition, private or public, verbal or written. EVERYONE needs it – whether the person is a seasoned pro or a rookie just starting on the job. EVERYONE NEEDS IT AND EVERYONE BENEFITS FROM IT.

For some people, positive feedback comes naturally. For others, it may be that they simply forget to do it, or are not sure how or when to do it.

Managers should encourage co-workers to do this and set the example as well. As with any feedback you give, strive to make it specific to a particular action or event, timely (as close to when it happened as possible), and of course, it should always be sincere. Smile and nod sincerely when you are listening – let them know with your non-verbal actions that you appreciate them. Listed below are some quick ways team members can give support to each other with a positive comment:

Great job on that project!
You should really be proud of yourself.
Wow, tell me about how you did this!
I’ve learned a lot from you.
Thanks for sharing that info with me.
You are so good at that, will you help me get better?
Can I ask your opinion on this?
Great catch on that mistake, you saved the day.
Let’s try your idea!
Thank you for listening.
Thank you for helping.
I keep hearing great things about you.
You really make things happen!
You are so creative.
You are a great problem solver.
I can see how much hard work you put into this.
How do you manage so many things at once?
You are always prepared for anything.

Now go out there and start spreading those positive comments!

¹ ”The Role of Positivity and Connectivity in the Performance of Business Teams: A Nonlinear Dynamics Model” by Emily Heaphy & Marcial Losada American Behavioral Scientist.

See Related Articles:

10 Phrases your Salespeople Want To Hear

Steve Jobs on Hiring And Managing Talent People

20 Low-Cost or No-Cost Ways To Increase Employee Engagement

Tips For Coaching your Salespeople

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An infographic on the power of praise:

February 21, 2013

Salesperson Plateauing Syndrome, How To Prevent This Revenue Killer!

It’s a familiar scenario…A salesperson’s first year in a new job is filled with challenges; learning the products or services, navigating the internal company waters, establishing relationships, filling the funnel. Year two for the successful seller, is about seeing the fruits of those labors start to pay off. It’s exciting and unpredictable. Year three and the salesperson has really hit his or her stride. A solid book of business is established, the salesperson is seen as a leader on the sales team, ah… life is good. Or, is it? Research shows that for many top performing salespeople, this can be the point where they contract “Plateauing Syndrome” which can lead to that silent revenue killer…turnover. Like many diseases, the key to dealing with it is to spot it early and treat it before it becomes pervasive.

Luckily, there has actually been research done on this phenomenon that can help sales managers understand it, see the warning signals, and effectively deal with it before it derails a valued salesperson on your team.

What Causes Plateauing Syndrome? Two research studies* that addressed this issue, one done back in 1989 by the trade publication, Sales And Marketing Management and the other done more recently in 2007 in the Journal Of Selling And Major Account Management, remarkably found almost identical reasons for why top performing salespeople are susceptible to plateauing. They also found that when this plateau effect happens, it usually leads to the salesperson quitting for another job opportunity so it’s critical for managers to address. Here are the top reasons found for why a salesperson can plateau:

Boredom. The salesperson feels she’s done the job so well that there is no challenge left in it. It has become routine and she feels she has stopped learning and growing her skills.

Dead end. There is no clear career path to follow. Where do I go from here? It is the feeling that there is no opportunity to move forward.

Inadequate Management. This encompasses many areas that fall under a manager’s control. The salesperson may feel overlooked by a manager, feel a lack of support from the manager or that he is unappreciated, or that he is not being treated fairly by management. Remember, this may or may not be the case but if you are a sales manager, their perception is your reality.

Burnout. After several years of going full speed all the time, the salesperson is physically or emotionally (or both) exhausted. She may have neglected other parts of her life and now that work is going smoothly, everything else seems anti-climactic.

Economic Complacency. While salespeople are motivated by money, even top performing salespeople can have a point at which they become complacent and need external motivation beyond money to get them motivated to achieve more.

What Are The Warning Signs? The research studies found that there are some advance, cautionary signals that a sales manager can be aware of that indicate the salesperson may be in the initial stages of the Plateauing Syndrome.

Client relationships suffer. This can manifest itself as not establishing rapport with new clients the way the salesperson has in the past, not identifying client needs and responding appropriately, or not following through on commitments.

Detachment. The salesperson seems more distant and detached from co-workers or clients, or both.

Prospecting dwindles. Prospecting activity is no longer proactive and is ineffective.

Resistant to management. The salesperson seems indifferent to a manager’s input, or even insubordinate.

Resistant to new things. When the Plateauing Syndrome is taking hold, a salesperson begins to go into an “auto pilot” stage where she isn’t interested in doing things differently or selling new ideas. (And yet, this is precisely what can snap a person out of a plateau as we’ll see below.)

Works patterns change. If the salesperson suddenly begins working fewer hours, coming in late, is late for meetings, or is taking a lot of sick days this can be a warning signal. Sometimes reducing work hours is the right response to being burned out or feeling overly stressed. The important thing is for the manager to be aware of the reasons why this is the case and discuss it with the salesperson.

How To Prevent Plateauing Syndrome. Interestingly, the research study in the Journal Of Selling And Major Account Management went straight to the source and asked top performers who were in the midst of a plateau, what they felt would be the best way to remedy this situation. Here are their top responses:

Provide opportunities. Because a leading cause of Plateauing Syndrome is when a salesperson feels he is at a dead end in terms of career growth, identifying a career growth plan is critical. A career plan does not necessarily mean a promotion to management. It means a plan that shows how the salesperson can continue to grow his skills, knowledge/expertise, and income.

Avoid excessive job demands. If the plateauing is being caused by burn-out, reducing the amount of job pressure the salesperson feels can reinvigorate her. Many times top performing salespeople going through this think that their managers don’t really understand all of the effort they have put into growing their business and that, “Nothing I do is ever enough.” Make sure your expectations and job demands are fair and in-line with the salesperson’s talents and skills.

Re-design the job to fit the salesperson. If the salesperson is particularly strong in certain areas, try to match those strengths to the tasks you are asking the person to do. Working on things where you are using your natural talents is the most energizing and rewarding work someone will do.

Monetary incentives for superior performance. Obviously if the plateauing is caused by a person feeling complacent because he has met his economic goals, this remedy isn’t the right one. However, plateauing salespeople listed this as a top remedy because many don’t want a ceiling or cap on their income. Set monetary incentives that stretch the salesperson but are reasonable. Unattainable monetary incentives are as bad as not having any incentives, which means they are incredibly de-motivating!

Individualized perks. Look for creative ways to reward the salesperson. Find out what are their interests, personal motivators, what is important to them, and create unique prizes that are developed around those. Or, it might not be a prize at all. It might be putting them in charge of an important project or coaching new salespeople. Find out what their hot buttons are. Not only can it get them out of their funk but it shows you care about them individually and took the time to do so.

Discuss the issue and offer solutions. When you see a top performer heading into the Plateauing Syndrome, address it head on and get it out on the table. Find out the salesperson’s take on why it might be happening (probably one of the reasons listed in the first section above) and brainstorm ideas for solving it. Many times identifying the problem and giving a name to it lets the salesperson know it’s ok to admit it and talk about it.

More competent sales managers. If salespeople are plateauing because they feel their manager isn’t able to address their particular needs, that’s a big problem. Managers (and their upper management bosses) have to be able to assess if they are providing the motivation, coaching, and resources needed for the salesperson to perform.

Because Plateauing Syndrome has been found to correlate closely to salesperson turnover it’s important to watch for it and address it quickly. Or, as Benjamin Franklin wisely put it,

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

See Related Articles:

Are You A High Maintenance Employee?,

How Much Time Should Sales Managers Spend Coaching Their Salespeople?,

Why Your Salespeople Quit, The Number 1 Thing Your Employees Want More Of (No It’s Not Money),

10 Phrases Your Salespeople Want To Hear, 20 Low-Cost Or No-Cost Ways To Increase Employee Engagement,

Tips For Coaching Your Salespeople

*Sources: Sales And Marketing Management study by William Keenan Jr., 1989, the Journal Of Selling And Major Account Management study by Robin T. Peterson & Minjoon Jun, 2007

Salesperson Plateauing Syndrome Infographic:

February 12, 2013

Are You A High Maintenance Employee? Is That Good Or Bad?

There seems to be a lot of discussion out there right now about “High Maintenance” employees. Depending on what you read, these are either the folks that are destroying companies or the ones that are driving the success at companies.

Which is it? Is being a high maintenance employee a good thing or a bad thing? Should we hire these types or avoid them like the plague?

In a word…yes. Because, there are different types of high maintenance employees. In her book, “High Maintenance Employees” Katherine Graham Leviss classified two types as:

I propose that there is also a third type of high maintenance employee:

The High Maintenance High Performers are the highly talented employees who are challenging to manage but produce the biggest results and are worth it. The High Maintenance Low Performers are the employees who spend more time figuring out how to game the system than they do working. They need to be ferreted out of a company because they are dead weight dragging it down. The High Maintenance High Performers But Just Not Worth It employees are really the biggest threat to a company. They are the highly talented employees who produce results, but in the process exhaust everyone and can destroy morale and company culture.

Based on some great books and articles on this subject (see footnotes below for links) and my own experience analyzing employee performance, I’ve put together some of the characteristics of each High Maintenance “type.” As you read through these, do you see yourself or people you manage? (And, if any former bosses of mine happen to be reading this…yes, I know I’m in here too.)

High Maintenance High Performers:

Confrontational and Blunt. They usually get right to the point and are direct about what they want because they KNOW what they want very clearly.

Bored Easily. They master new things quickly and then get bored once they have, and look for new challenges. That is why they frequently are job-hoppers. They simply must feel they are continually learning and moving forward.

Low Bureaucracy Threshold. They do not deal well with bureaucratic obstacles and are not typically diplomatic in dealing with it. They usually ignore corporate hierarchy and do not have an innate respect for authority. They respect accomplishments – not titles.

Demanding. These are talented, high performing individuals who know their worth. They are demanding of themselves and have very high standards. They push limits and boundaries to see what’s possible. This also means that they demand the same from those around them. They have high expectations and do not “suffer fools gladly.”

Independence. They want clear, direct communication of what is expected of them and then the latitude to get it done their own way. They want freedom and control over their work. And, to that end, they question EVERYTHING. It’s not meant to be disrespectful. It’s because this is how they learn and because they need to know the “why” of something in order to evaluate what they are being asked to do.

Emotional. It could be something big or something seemingly insignificant, but if they feel it is important they will get involved and give it their all. A favorite phrase is, “It’s the principle of the matter.” They fight for what they believe in.

What I Do Matters. These high performers need to feel that their work makes a difference in the success of the company. They are usually very entrepreneurial and see their work as running their own company within a company.

Recognition. They have a very strong ego drive and need continual recognition for their accomplishments. They must feel they are appreciated for their expertise and what they bring to the company. They want to be asked their opinion about things and be “in-the-know” when it comes to company politics or inside information. I’ve always said, praise high maintenance high performers and they’ll kill for you.

Quick Decisions. They are very decisive, trust their gut, make decisions quickly and expect others to do the same. They get frustrated when dealing with people who want to analyze and think through all the possible outcomes first.

High Maintenance Low Performers:

Blame Game. Nothing is ever their fault. They are unable or unwilling to see their part in any situation where they have made a mistake. The closest they might come is to admitting they made a mistake but then follow it up by saying they only made it because of someone else.

H.R. Groupies. Because they are chronic low performers, they are constantly in H.R. complaining about something in order to cover their butt and deflect attention away from the real issue; which is of course, their sub-par performance. Many times they take advantage of well-intended H.R. managers because they are so adept at playing the martyr.

Everything Is “Unfair”. They are always complaining to their manager about some perceived slight they feel they have received. It seems that someone is always getting more of something than they are and they believe if only they had a level playing field they could be a top performer. They make it their business to know everyone else’s business and they are obsessed with knowing just what everyone else is doing and getting.

Bad Money Management. Because they are overly concerned with what others have, they frequently are materialistic and live beyond their means. This creates more stress as they find themselves increasingly in debt with no way out. Often they look to their company to bail them out.

Always An Excuse. No matter what the situation, these people are masters at having a well thought out and prepared excuse for their lack of performance. It might be something in their personal life or something work related, but you can be sure it will be creative.

The Lifetime Movie Effect. Something is always going wrong. One day it’s a flat tire, the next day maybe it’s spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend trouble, or kid problems, or someone is sick/dying/in a car accident, you get the idea. No one can be this unlucky. Usually they are just more weapons in their arsenal to make you either feel sorry for them, not put them on probation/fire them, or buy themselves some more time.

Nothing Is Ever Enough. You can give them everything they have asked for and yet it is like filling up a sink with no drain plug. No matter how much you give, it will never be enough and they will continue to under-perform and sap your strength. Why? Because they just don’t have the talent to do the job, or they are just too lazy to do it.

High Maintenance High Performers But Just Not Worth It:

ASAP Syndrome. Everything is urgent. Everything is needed As Soon As Possible. They constantly expect everyone to drop what they are doing to help them with even the smallest of details. Big things, small things, it doesn’t matter everything is a crisis and top priority.

More Drama Than A Soap Opera. This is one of the most insidious problems with these types of high maintenance employees. They create drama by intentionally stirring the pot. They gossip, they divide and conquer, they look for ways to increase their stature at the expense of others (usually their boss). They manage to get people all whipped up and upset over things they ordinarily wouldn’t have given a second thought to…It’s like the little devil sitting on your shoulder whispering in your ear.

Reply To All Disease. They are constantly emailing EVERYONE about EVERYTHING. They feel the need to involve everyone in what they are working on, usually in an attempt to point out, “See how great I am, look at all the things I’m doing.”

“You Do Know Who I Am Right?” The ego drive has really warped into something sinister; a sense of entitlement that is way out of proportion to who they are. Yes, you may be a top performer, but you’re not curing cancer. They feel the rules, guidelines, procedures, etc. just don’t apply to them and it creates resentment and chaos with the mere mortals who work with them.

More Of A Hog Than Boss Hogg. Not so much a money hog (although they can be) as a credit hog. They are constantly hogging all the glory for any accomplishment and fail to credit those that helped them achieve it. Rarely is an accomplishment in a company the sole work of one person. Yet these types of employees would have you believe that without them nothing would ever be achieved. It infuriates co-workers and destroys any team building and teamwork culture a company has tried to build.

The Grudge Master. They can remember every slight (perceived or real, large or small) that has been done to them. They just can’t get past it and take everything personally. They use these as justifications for their own poor behavior or choices.

“That’s Not My Job.” Not only are they not team players but if you ask them to pitch in and help out with something they deem beneath them, they will be insulted and pout. If they feel certain tasks or jobs are beneath them, what message does that send to the person who normally does those things?

Obviously, High Maintenance Low Performers need to be terminated or helped to “de-recruit” themselves as I like to say. But what about the High Maintenance High Performers But Just Not Worth It employees? Can they be reformed and join the High Maintenance High Performers group? And what are the most effective ways to manage High Maintenance High Performers? I’ll leave those questions for Part 2!

Resources:

“Confessions Of A High Maintenance CEO”, David K. Williams, Forbes,

“The (Unlucky) 13 Traits of High Maintenance People”, Cheryl Conner, Forbes

The 3 Types Of High Maintenance Employees Infographic:

February 4, 2013

How Much Time Should Sales Managers Spend Coaching Their Salespeople?

We all know that coaching salespeople is a critical part of a sales manager’s job, but just how much coaching is necessary to make an effective impact? How many hours should a sales manager spend on coaching salespeople? Who benefits most from coaching – top performers, core performers, or under achievers? And, what constitutes great sales coaching – how does a sales manager best implement it?

These were my questions as I set out to research definitive answers. It turns out there are several studies that have been done on these exact questions. So, here are the answers…

How many hours should a sales manager spend coaching? About 5 hours per month, per salesperson. Therefore, if you have 10 salespeople you should be spending 12-13 hours a week on individual coaching or roughly 1/3 of your time. The Sales Executive Council’s research study showed that salespeople who received more than 3 hours of coaching each month performed at 107% of goal, with 5 hours per month, per salesperson as the optimum amount.

A study reported in the London Business School’s Business Strategy Review found some startling results as well. A sales manager of a large insurance company freed up 2 hours a day to dedicate to coaching her salespeople. In the course of just 3 weeks, sales were up 5%! The article points out that this required her to pass off some admin work to others and decrease her attendance at internal meetings, which brings us to our next question.

Given that coaching salespeople is the number one thing a manager can do to increase revenue, what is keeping them from doing it? The answer is mainly two things – too many other time draining tasks (being bogged down by administrative work i.e., paperwork, reports, emails, phone calls, internal meetings, etc. that have no direct impact on revenue growth), and lack of training. This is backed up by what the research says is the problem as well as what sales managers themselves say they need.

Most sales managers spend almost half their time on administrative tasks and selling (results of a study by the Sales Management Association). In contrast, top performing sales managers spend almost half their time on coaching and motivating sales people, according to Objective Management Group research. Additionally, only about 15% of all sales managers even spend as much as 25% of their time on coaching, even though salespeople that are coached daily outperform other salespeople by 30%!

The other issue that prevents coaching is a lack of training for sales managers. Many sales managers are promoted because they were of course, top performing salespeople. However, they often receive little training in how to effectively coaching others. Only 7% of sales managers were found to be effective at coaching without training in Objective Management Group research. Sales managers themselves seem to know this because increased training was cited as a top item that they feel would make them more productive, along with better time management, increased admin support, and less paperwork (Pace Productivity Inc. research).

Who benefits the most from sales coaching? The answer may surprise you. The Sales Executive Council research study found that great coaching from a sales manager does not improve the performance of all salespeople equally. In fact, great coaching impacts the middle or “core” salespeople the most. Core salespeople who receive ineffective coaching average 83% of goal attainment. However, when they receive great coaching, that jumps to an average of 102% of goal. Coaching had very little impact on under performers. While the research didn’t show coaching to have a large impact on increasing goal attainment with star (top) performers, it did have a significant impact on RETAINING those star performers. Top performers were 50% more likely to stay if they received good coaching. In essence, the study found that you coach your core performers for increased productivity and the top performers to keep them happy.

What is great sales coaching and how do you implement it? It’s important to remember that coaching and training are not the same thing. Training is more about teaching and acquiring new skills. Coaching is more focused on how those skills are applied, the “doing.” I think this graphic outlines the essential elements of sales coaching.

The Sales Executive Council research found that what separated top performing sales managers from others was not just about who and what they coached, but HOW they coached as well, starting with the commitment to 5 hours a month per salesperson. The research identified ten “hallmarks” of outstanding sales coaches as outlined in this graphic.

Where do you go from here? My suggestion would be to first get a true handle on where you are spending your time. You can track your time with a planner or there are online resources too. An easy, and free way to do this is at www.MyHours.com. Track yourself for two weeks and then look at the resulting data. You will probably be surprised at what you find out!

Sales Managers Time Priorities Infographic:

January 22, 2013

10 Things You Should Know About Gen Y Salespeople And 4 Of Their Most Common Mistakes

It seems like every week there is a new article about Millennial/Gen Y workers. But when I read these articles, I always wonder if the information given also holds true for Gen Y SALESPEOPLE? I set out to find any current research I could on Gen Y salespeople (those born approximately 1980-1999). It turns out there have been several studies done. What follows is a summary of the most interesting aspects of the various studies and research. Be ready to be surprised because a lot of it is different from what we’ve been hearing about how to manage Gen Y. It’s time to separate fact from fiction when it comes to Gen Y salespeople and how to manage them.

“The Children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, they show disrespect for adults, and love to talk rather than work or exercise… They contradict their parents, chatter in front of company, gobble down their food at the table, and intimidate their teachers.”

Who made that astute pronouncement? Socrates (469-399 B.C.E.)! As the quote from Socrates demonstrates, every generation thinks the younger generation has it too easy and is obnoxious. And, that holds true for the older three generations currently in the workforce with Gen Y. It is probably felt more intently because Gen Y workers now make up the largest segment of workers and are growing.

As you read through this information it’s important to keep in mind that even though this is research done on Gen Y salespeople, it’s still generalized. Not every Gen Y salesperson is of course the same. You need to take into account the type of industry you are in, the type of sales, and the individual’s sales talents as well. This information is just a starting point. The best way to know which of this applies to your Gen Y salespeople? Ask them!

FACT 1: The Number 1 Motivator For Gen Y Salespeople Is Money: This one surprised me. Yes, I know that for most salespeople this is a primary motivator, but I didn’t think it would overwhelmingly be number one for Gen Y. There are so many articles about how Gen Y wants to make a difference in their work and are willing to work for less money if it is a company they believe in, yada, yada, yada. Well, guess what? That didn’t even make the top 5 among Gen Y Salespeople. Gen Y salespeople are motivated by money and access to good managers.

FACT 2: Gen Y Salespeople Are Mouthy Expressive. Keep in mind that GenY has grown up on the web. A research study done by Vorsight & The Bridge Group, Inc., on Gen Y salespeople calls it the “democratization of voice on the web.” It means they have always been able to express any opinion they have to just about anyone they want, through the internet. If you have an idea, you can float it out there to all your friends, as well as strangers, and see if spreads; if it has merit. Gen Y salespeople have taken this same expression into the workplace. What feels disrespectful or exasperating to Gen Y and Boomer managers, seems natural to them. That is, to express how you feel about something you are asked to do, or to have an idea put out there for evaluation by others rather than just being told “no” by their manager. If you are managing Gen Y salespeople you need to be willing to listen to their opinions and feedback – even when unsolicited – and be prepared to discuss. This is why many refer to this generation as Generation WHY rather than Generation Y!

FACT 3: Gen Y Salespeople Crave Recognition. Most salespeople enjoy recognition in some form. After all, it is this ego drive that helps propel them to achieve. The difference is that research on Gen Y salespeople shows that they need it a lot more often. Constant feedback is critical to their success or failure. And, they want it now. In a 2012 research study by Achievers and Experience Inc, 80% of Gen Y said they prefer on-the-spot recognition over formal reviews, and feel that this is imperative for their growth and understanding of a job.

FACT 4: Gen Y Salespeople Will Not Typically Leave A Job Just For More Money. Gen Y overall has been described as “job jumpers.” So, it would stand to reason that money motivated Gen Y salespeople would probably be even more like this. Actually, the research shows that isn’t the case. Most would prefer to stay with their current company IF there is a clear career path where they can continue to develop marketable skills and grow their income. In other words, if you show them that they can accomplish their work ambitions with your company, they would like that. If you can’t, they will jump. And really, weren’t you the same way when you were in your 20s? Why would you stay in a position if you feel there are no growth opportunities? Growth doesn’t necessarily mean management either. It means learning new skills, additional training, financial growth, etc.

FACT 5: Gen Y Salespeople Are Impatient But They Are Not Lazy. Yes, they are constantly looking for the next big thing and need to be kept challenged. They tend to work fast, and work on the go. So while managers say Gen Y salespeople aren’t willing to put in long hours, according to a research study by Sibson Consulting; it also found that in actuality, they are more willing to do work in off hours than other generations, but on their own terms. They just aren’t sitting at the office doing it.

FACT 6: Gen Y Salespeople Are Goal Oriented. This may explain then, why the same research study found that those managers also said that 92% of their Gen Y salespeople met their goals as well or better than salespeople of different generations. What this seems to tell us is that while Gen Y salespeople may not want to be at the office until 7pm or come in early, somehow they are getting the work done, and done well.

FACT 7: Gen Y Salespeople Need Different Training. Gen Y salespeople say that they feel the other generations move too slow. They hate going through training with older salespeople because they believe the others are holding them back. They are used to doing things online and quickly. Remember this is a group that grew up playing video games. They tend to learn by doing (experiential learners) rather than being lectured. They need training that is interactive and allows them to experience what is being taught.

FACT 8: Gen Y Salespeople Want More Coaching And Mentoring. When Gen Y salespeople were asked what would help them be more successful, this was the number one answer. This is a generation that is used to having hands-on guidance from parents and teachers. They look to managers to be their mentors and provide insight and feedback. Veteran salespeople can be called upon to mentor as well. And by the way, they are on to something when it comes to mentoring. A research study done on this topic found that 35% of salespeople who do NOT receive mentoring look for another job within 12 months.

FACT 9: Gen Y Salespeople Like Contests & Competitions. One of the common things you read about Gen Y is that they aren’t competitive because they are the “trophy generation” where everyone gets a prize just for participating. We read that they are group oriented (which is true) and that they prefer team goals to individual competition. But this is where Gen Y salespeople differ. They like having individual goals, and they want to know how their goals tie-in to the bigger picture of the company. Gen Y salespeople are competitive and like contests, with 86% responding to a survey that they participate. This is especially true when they get to have input on what the reward will be.

Just what are the rewards that Gen Y salespeople like the most overall? They want cold hard cash, career development opportunities, and trips. (Study by Dr. David Brookmire)

FACT 10: Gen Y Salespeople Don’t Respond Well To “Command and Control” Management. The “command and control” management style works through extrinsic motivators such as threats, dictates, and a manager who is a “commander” instead of a “coach.” That is not how Gen Y was raised and not what they experienced in school and college. This style of management stunts Gen Y salespeople because it inhibits their intrinsic motivation, which is the desire to feel ownership of their work and to feel good helping their clients and achieving goals. Gen Y salespeople work hard when they feel important and appreciated which is called the “psychological pay” principle. A “command and control” management style takes that feeling away from them.

The last piece information I’ll end with is from an article on Inc.com about the most common mistakes a Gen Y salesperson makes.

1. Giving The Prospective Client Too Much Information At Once. This is a common mistake – where the salesperson just throws up information all over the client. Because Gen Y is so good at collecting information – especially about their product, they go overboard and inundate the client with more data than most could ever want. Teaching a Gen Y salesperson to edit is a valuable use of your coaching time.

2. Not Having Information About The Client’s Company. Interestingly though, they tend to not do enough due diligence on the prospective client’s product or services. They need to be focused more on learning about the client and less on presenting why their company’s products are the best.

3. Not Showing Proper Deference To The Client. This issue relates to style as much as anything else. Gen Y salespeople can come across as cocky little know-it-alls to prospective clients. Instead of telling a client what they should be doing, they need to be more consultative and ask questions. They also need to remember that the client knows more about his or her business than the salesperson does, and show respect for that knowledge.

4. Not Having A Clear Expectation And Goal For The Meeting. Too many times a Gen Y salesperson will go into a client meeting and not have a clear idea of what he or she wants to accomplish in that meeting. They need to decide what the end result goal of the meeting is to be, so that they can properly evaluate if it was a success. Simply presenting an idea and ending with an “I’ll get back with you next week,” isn’t a clear goal. An expectation of a “next step” at the very least, should be a goal for each meeting.

“What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand.” - Confucius

Gen Y/Millennial Salespeople – The Facts Infographic:

January 14, 2013

The Number 1 Thing Your Employees Want More Of…(No, It’s Not Money)

What’s the number one thing talented employees want? To be praised and appreciated for what they do. Research studies continually show that this aspect of a job is the one that most determines whether or not you retain your top performers. Why then do those same research studies find that it is also the area employees say managers neglect? We all know that praising our staff is important and most of us feel that we are doing it on a regular basis. So again, why do most employees say they aren’t getting it? Probably it is because we don’t do it the right way. In fact, many managers are really bad at it. I know what you’re thinking, “Can praise ever really be bad?” Isn’t it like pizza, even when it’s done badly, it’s still pretty darn good? Actually, praise delivered in the wrong way can have the opposite effect of what you intended. More about that in a minute…

Praise, The Addictive Drug

Praise is absolutely critical to a person feeling positive about his work. Gallup found that 69% of employees prefer praise and recognition from their managers more than financial rewards, and 82% percent say when they receive praise it inspires them to improve their performance.

How much praise does someone need? Gallup suggests that most people need daily praise in their work environment. In a study* published in American Psychologist, researchers found that top performers experienced a positive to negative emotions ratio at a minimum 3:1 and as high as 11:1. This means that for a person to “flourish” he/she needs to experience at least 3 positive interactions for every 1 negative. When you think about how much negative feedback a salesperson receives every day, it becomes more apparent why sales managers in particular, need to supply the positive feedback in order to stimulate those positive emotions. That is where praise comes into play.

When you praise a person it obviously produces positive emotions. This causes a chemical reaction in the brain and a release of the chemical called Dopamine. This is the powerful and addictive chemical that when released, makes a person feel joy, pleasure, or pride. When Dopamine is released, it is exactly the same chemical response that happens after taking cocaine. If you praise someone for a particular behavior, Dopamine is released which gives the person a “high” and makes him want to repeat the behavior to induce that feeling again. And, praising your employees is a lot cheaper than cocaine.

All of this may sound very time consuming. How are you going to find time to praise all of your employees on a daily basis? First, YOU are not the only one who can be doling out the praise. Encourage a culture of peer recognition and praise. Getting praise from a co-worker can produce the same rush of emotions as it does when a person receives it from a boss. Secondly, it’s likely that you interact with your employees many times throughout the day and probably over a hundred times a week. Praising someone can take 10 seconds.

The more difficult thing is remembering to do it. When you see or hear about something praiseworthy make a note or enter it in your calendar or to-do list so that you don’t forget to deliver the praise. A helpful tool is a Praise Log. It’s a simple way to keep track of who and what you want to praise. if you track yourself with this tool, you will find it becomes second nature and you will develop your praise muscles!

How To Give (And NOT Give) Praise

Be Specific. Praise needs to given for a specific behavior. Passing someone in the hall and saying, “Hey, you’re doing a great job, I appreciate it,” is NOT praise. In fact, that is the type of thing that will have the opposite effect on a person. Now that person is wondering, “Does she even KNOW what I do or care?” Instead, try something like, “I really appreciate the way you took care of Client XYZ’s issue with billing. I know that was difficult and I just wanted to thank you.” When you are done, leave – don’t go on to bring up other work situations – that can be done separately. You want the person to have a moment to digest the praise and feel the release of Dopamine.

Go To Their Turf. Don’t call your employee into your office to deliver praise. It’s more effective if you make the effort to go to them. Besides, everybody’s stomach drops with a summons to the boss’ office even if you haven’t done anything wrong (it’s like that feeling when you see a police car behind you and are nervous even if you aren’t speeding). If you can’t deliver it in-person then write a handwritten note, email, text, call, or leave a voice mail message. In-person praise is powerful but I also think it’s good to mix in written praise as well. Written notes can be saved and pulled out and re-read when you need a little pick-me-up.

Be Sincere. Seems like a no-brainer, but don’t praise someone if you don’t genuinely feel appreciative. Most salespeople have a very well developed B.S. detector.

Be Timely. Try to give the praise as close to the action that warranted it, to reinforce the behavior.

Praise Something Less Obvious. Yes, you should praise a salesperson for getting a great sale. But it is also important to praise some of the “little things” that a person does that helps get to the accomplishment. Praise the behaviors you want to see repeated.

Praise Along The Way. Don’t always wait to praise an end result. Give praise for continuing work on a difficult task. This type of praise encourages a person to keep pushing and not give up.

Praise Everyone. It’s important to praise all of your employees, regularly. This includes your veterans as well as rookies. Don’t think a veteran sales person doesn’t need it – I guarantee you no matter how much praise the person has received, it’s like jello, “there’s always room for more.” What if you have an employee and you can’t find anything sincere and genuine to praise? Fire the employee – she is in the wrong position and deserves to work in a job where she can shine.

Praise Is Not Deli Meat. Therefore, praise should not be “sandwiched” between corrective feedback. Praise should ALWAYS be given without any “buts” or other information attached to it.

Manners Are Not Praise. Saying “thank you for getting me that report” or “thanks for your help” is not praise. It’s good manners to say these things (which are very important of course) but don’t confuse it with praise. Saying, “thank you for getting me that report and outlining your ideas the way you did; it really helped me understand the issues better and make a better decision” is praise.

Get Over Yourself. Sometimes managers are uncomfortable giving praise. They feel it comes across awkward or they get nervous. That’s ok. You still need to give it. Like anything else, practice makes it easier. Remember, this isn’t about how YOU feel, it’s about the person you are praising.

Commit to making praising your employees a top priority. You’ll boost those positivity ratios and you’ll see a boost in your team’s productivity as well.

“The two things people want more than sex or money are recognition and praise.” - Mary Kay Ash, Founder Of Mary Kay Cosmetics

*2005, American Psychologist, Barbara L. Fredrickson and Marcial F. Losada study

How To Be A Good Boss Infographic:

December 28, 2012

10 Phrases Your Salespeople Want To Hear

We all know that words are powerful, especially when they are coming from the boss. So, what you say to your salespeople (and how you say it) at critical moments, can make or break your relationship with a salesperson.

Jeff Schmitt had a great post on Forbes titled, 15 Phrases That Build Bridges Between People. I’ve adapted those to what I think are 10 Phrases Your Salespeople Want To Hear.

1. I trust your judgment. When a salesperson comes to you with a problem are you too quick to give him the answer? Many times the salesperson knows what is the best course of action to take, but may feel the need to get your blessing. How empowering for a salesperson to hear from the sales manager, “I trust your judgment”! What do you do if you are not sure the salesperson does have the right solution? Then use phrase #2…

2. What do you think? By saying this, you are telling the salesperson that you value her opinion and want input. You are opening the door to a collaborative relationship. Asking for other’s opinions show you respect their knowledge and expertise. It doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything suggested, but it tells you where the salesperson’s head is at on a particular issue and will help you incorporate that into your decisions. Once you know what the salesperson is thinking you can steer the conversation with phrase #3…

3. What if we tried…. This is a great opening phrase when you have a direction you want to steer the salesperson to without being overly prescriptive. Toss out the kernel of an idea and let the salesperson run with it and develop it according to how he sees fit. It gives the salesperson a starting point but allows him to use his own creativity and feel ownership of the idea and the process.

4. How can I help? So many times salespeople feel that they are fighting an uphill battle within their own companies. Battling with paperwork, bureaucracy, and other departments often makes it seem that they are at cross purposes with some of their co-workers. And that’s just inside the company. Now add on all the obstacles they have to overcome with clients. Salespeople need to feel like their sales manager will move walls for them and do whatever she can to help make that sale happen. Just simply saying, “How can I help you” is powerful. You are telling the salesperson you understand the situation and validating the frustration many salespeople feel.

5. We will figure this out. What’s important here is the word “we.” Use it whenever you can. It shows the salesperson that you are all in this together, that he isn’t out on an island all alone. It shows you are invested in making things work out the best you can. This phrase also has a very calming effect and that’s important because sometimes the salesperson can feel so overwhelmed, it’s hard to see how things will get resolved.

6. What I hear you saying… This is a great way to repeat back what a salesperson has said to you. By doing so, you are ensuring that you have understood what has been said. You also are demonstrating to the salesperson that you really are listening and that she has your full attention. It’s human nature to hear what we want to hear – this phrase makes sure we are hearing what THEY want us to hear.

7. I don’t know. These are hard words for most managers to say. It seems so counter-intuitive to say, “I don’t know” and think that a salesperson will respect us MORE for saying it. But it’s true. It’s ok not to have all the answers. In fact, some of the best, most creative solutions come from not knowing an answer and seeking out information. A close relative to this phrase is “Let me think about that.” Salespeople are persuasive and usually want an answer or decision from you immediately. And certainly there are many times when a quick decision is warranted. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that everything has to be decided this minute. Sometimes, a little reflection or time to seek out additional information is what elevates someone to being a leader and not only a manager.

8. You’re right. Who doesn’t want to hear these words??? Salespeople get a lot of “no’s” which is in effect, someone telling them “you’re wrong.” If your salesperson is right about something then say it flat out, “You’re right.” And by the way, don’t say, “you may be right” or the even worse, “you’re not wrong about that.” I once had a manager who said that all the time and I wanted to scream, “Just say it! I’m right! Just say it!” What about when they are not right? How can you effectively lead that conversation? Start with phrase #9.

9. Let me play Devil’s Advocate for a moment. This is a terrific way to give feedback to a salesperson when you want to show her another way something might be handled. It allows you to demonstrate the flaws in a plan, but in a de-personalized way. Rather than telling the salesperson, “I think you should do xyz,” you are simply pointing out what “others” might object to or say.

10. Thank you. Yes, it’s simple. So easy, right? Maybe. But probably the most common complaint I’ve heard from salespeople over the years is a variation on, “My sales manager didn’t appreciate me.” Saying “thank you” is recognition of the work a salesperson is doing. It shows the salesperson you are engaged, you noticed, and you appreciate it.

Why Every Newly Hired Salesperson Needs A “Sales Pal.”

Why Your Salespeople Quit

Tips For Coaching Your Salespeople

An Infographic from the folks at MindFlash on some managerial habits you want to avoid!

7-habits-of-a-highly-ineffective-manager_50290f831fdd3

December 20, 2012

Why Every Newly Hired Salesperson Needs A “Sales Pal”

A research study recently done in the UK found that 70% of employees see their “9-5 buddies” as the most important factor in Gilligan enjoying their job. While the survey was not done only with salespeople, I have to think, given the social nature of most salespeople, that this would be a key factor among them as well. Additionally the study found that only 55% thought money was the most important thing. (Ok, that percentage might not be as high among salespeople!) I think this survey’s findings* on the importance of having a connection with your co-workers, further underscores the need for every newly hired salesperson to have a sales “buddy” or what I like to call a “Sales Pal.”

One of the best ways to create a successful launch of a new hire is to pair him or her with an accomplished salesperson who is interested in helping others succeed by being a mentor. In other words…a Sales Pal.

Batman Need more convincing? 87% of the top 100 training programs used a mentoring/buddy system as part of their onboarding for new hires.** (Tips For Creating A Salesperson Onboarding Program.)

Another study found that 60% of managers who fail to onboard successfully, cite failure to establish effective co-worker relationships as a primary reason.*** Researchers also found that new employees are more likely to have learned and embraced company values and culture if they have a mentor or buddy.***

So, boil all this down and what does it mean? Sales Pal = Retention

What is a Sales Pal?

Laverne and Shirley A Sales Pal is someone who takes on the role of a “player/coach” with your new hire. The Sales Pal is there as a resource and peer adviser. A Sales Pal should be a superior performer (not necessarily someone who has been there the longest) and have good interpersonal skills and a desire to coach and help others.

The Sales Pal is someone who knows what it takes to be successful in this particular sales role in your organization. He or she can be instrumental in guiding the new hire in the right direction. The Sales Pale should not be responsible for providing sales training but rather training in how things get done in your company. Every sales department is different.

Fred and Barney The Sales Pal should be someone that the new hire can easily relate to and can trust completely. One of the purposes of this role is to create an informal environment in which the employee can ask and receive information about the ins and outs of how things work in your department and in your company. These may be questions that the new hire would be hesitant to ask you, because you are the boss. Besides, what if it’s a question about how to best handle you?!

The other important purpose of a Sales Pal is that having someone in this role has been shown to significantly speed up the learning curve for the new hire. Additionally, it helps establish a comfort level for the new hire and a feeling that someone at work cares about his or her success and “has my back.” It creates a sense of belonging. All new hires should have a Sales Pal whether they are a rookie seller or a veteran seller with years of experience.

Lucy Ethel Provide the Sales Pal with any tools that might be needed to be effective. Go over with the Sales Pal what your expectations are for how this person will help the new hire and how you envision the person maximizing the relationship. Give pointers on coaching and effective communication skills. You should monitor how things are going periodically. Check in with both the new hire and the Sales Pal to get input from each on the process. If it is not working, or not a good fit, consider a change to someone different. You can always position it as you want to expose the new hire to different types of successful sellers.

You should be sure that the salesperson you select understands that there is no additional pay or compensation for being a Sales Pal. However, if you can provide small tokens of appreciation, that can be a nice, unexpected touch that demonstrates your gratitude.

It is usually not a good idea to have the same person be a Sales Pal for every new hire. You will want to rotate this among several accomplished salespeople.

How To Select The Right Sales Pal

Select someone who you are sure will be a positive role model and who WANTS to do it. Not everyone will want to invest the time and effort in doing something like this. Make clear that this is a commitment for more than just a week – it is open ended.
Ensure the Sales Pal has time to be accessible to the new hire and that it won’t affect the person’s own selling. Someone who is disorganized or has difficulty with time management is likely not a good selection.
Try to match the new hire with a Sales Pal that you think he or she will relate best to and learn the most from.
Select someone who is proud of your organization and has demonstrated strong interpersonal and leadership skills. It also should be someone who can teach and communicate procedures and policies well.
Select someone who is energized by taking on additional responsibilities and will look at being selected as a reward of recognition not a burden.

Sales Pal Responsibilities

Be an accessible resource and coach for the new hire on policies, procedures, work rules, company culture, clients, etc.
Don’t try to clone yourself. The new hire may have a different way of selling and that’s fine.
Don’t be judgmental or criticize. Be a sounding board or let the new hire vent when needed.
Provide insight and positive feedback to the new hire on things that you are observing and offer guidance.
Introduce and include the new hire in social interactions in the office to facilitate the person feeling that he or she is a valued part of the team.
Assist in training the new hire at the sales manager’s direction.
Be patient, invest in the relationship and don’t try to cover everything in a day or a week.
Identify additional resources for the new hire.
Be discreet. The new hire will only trust you if he or she knows that you will keep things confidential.
Be positive. A new hire already is nervous and may have doubts. If you are not a positive influence that will increase a person’s anxiety about this new position.
Be proactive. Ask the new hire specific questions about how things are progressing and how you could help.
Try to avoid giving your opinions about others in the office and no gossiping.

Take the time to map out a formal Sales Pal program for your sales department. As Robin would say, “Holy cow Batman, that’s brilliant!”

* Jobsite.co.uk, ** As ranked by Training Magazine, *** “Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success” by Talya N. Baver, PhD.

(Here’s an infographic on research Gallup, Inc. has done on the importance of having a “best friend” at work. Will a “Sales Pal” become a best friend? Who knows? But it couldn’t hurt!)

gallup

Social Tools Can Improve Employee Onboarding (blogs.hbr.org)
Onboarding: The Made-Up Word that Delivers Big Value (openviewpartners.com)
The Importance Of Being Trained: Why Onboarding Increases Employee Retention (dyn.com)

December 6, 2012

Why Your Salespeople Quit

A recent article I read quoted some shocking research findings…94% of employees who leave a company do so because they were dissatisfied or had a desire to leave NOT because of the attraction or availability of an outside job opportunity. (See Infographic and link to article below)

But what about salespeople specifically – why do they leave? Is it for the same reasons or different ones? Over the years as I’ve interviewed and coached salespeople, I noticed that their answers to why they left a job are usually for one of the reasons listed below. You’ll notice that most of them start with, “My Manager…” That isn’t a coincidence. Even the reasons that aren’t directly sales manager related are still issues that a sales manager has influence over, or at least could acknowledge and look for ways to improve or work around them. As Marcus Buckingham said, “People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.” Boss Whip

My Manager Was A Bully – Descriptions of this sales manager usually revolve around the sales manager who constantly threatens or tries to intimidate salespeople into performing. You know, the “Coffee is for closers!” type.

My Manager Was A Control Freak – One of the top reasons salespeople are drawn to sales in the first place is the opportunity to work independently and feel they have control over their business. They are entrepreneurial and look at sales as running their own small business operation. If they feel their manager is watching every move they make, it feels insulting and implies you don’t trust them. Holding people accountable? Absolutely. But that does not mean micro-managing. Micro-management just does not work with top performing salespeople.

Michael-Scott-Bobblehead-the-office-403247_400_400

My Manager Was Worthless – Ouch! The examples I usually hear on this one are about management ineptness or inability to help a salesperson get things accomplished. Top salespeople look to their manager to help them cut through the company bureaucracy, be their supporter and cheerleader, be a sounding board, and offer advice or ideas when needed. If salespeople don’t see their manager as a resource and someone who can help them meet their goals, you’re dead to them. (Click HERE for “Tips For Coaching Your Salespeople”)

My Manager Was Constantly Changing My Goals/Compensation – Sales managers that continually change commission structures, budgets, or goals, quickly gain the ire of their salespeople. Not only does it make you look indecisive, it makes the salesperson feel powerless. And it’s just as de-motivating to constantly be changing a salesperson’s focus and priorities. Managers who have a new “flavor-of-the-week” priority they want a salesperson to concentrate on selling, frustrate their salespeople and diminish their effectiveness.

My Manager Didn’t Appreciate Me – Sound egotistical? Maybe, but a strong ego drive is crucial to successful selling so why are so many sales managers surprised that their salespeople need ego stroking? Recognition and praise are critical components to managing people successfully but I think this is particularly important with salespeople who deal with far more rejection than successes. They need to know their manager understands what they face each day, and appreciates it. Sure praising a great sale is good – but that is expected. Praise and recognition for other aspects of the job like creating a great presentation, helping the client achieve an objective, developing strong client relationships, even getting paperwork in on time – now that, a salesperson will remember. Keeping a salesperson engaged and motivated is paramount and is a direct indicator of how long that person will be with you, and more important – how effective! (Click HERE for “Keeping Employees Engaged”)

My Manager Played Favorites – Sure this might sound a little like “teacher’s pet” finger pointing, but perception is reality. Salespeople do tend to be hyper-alert to whether or not they are on a level playing field with their fellow sellers. I think this is because salespeople are usually quite competitive by nature. And, wouldn’t you be frustrated if you thought the person(s) you are competing against had an unfair advantage over you?

My Manager Only Cared About Himself/Herself – Often I hear stories from salespeople about how their sales manager wasn’t invested in making the salesperson a success, it was all about the sales manager looking good. Examples of this include the sales boss greedy manager who is a “credit hog” and takes the credit for a salesperson’s success; the egotistical sales manager who is all about being “the boss” – you know the type, they refer to the sales team as “MY sales team”; and the sales manager who positions everything to upper management in a way that makes him or her look like the hero. When coaching new sales managers I tell them if you shine the spotlight on yourself you’ll soon be playing to an empty house, shine the spotlight on the achievements of your salespeople and they will make you a star.

My Manager Was A Liar – This one is simple to avoid. Don’t make promises unless you are 100% sure you can keep them. And if you make a promise, back it up 100%. Salespeople are expert at nailing people down and getting an answer. It’s called closing! As a sales manager, you are spinning a lot of plates and it is easy to give a quick “yes” to get something resolved quickly. But that can come back to haunt you and cause problems later if you can’t deliver. It’s better to say, “I’m not sure” and set a time to revisit the issue than to be seen by your salespeople as someone who doesn’t live up to his commitments.

No Growth Opportunities – Salespeople are entrepreneurial, and a characteristic of being entrepreneurial is wanting to continue to grow, learn, and do new things. When salespeople leave because they say there were no growth opportunities it doesn’t just mean management jobs. Take the time to find out what each of your salespeople are interested in learning and doing. Many times, it ISN’T a management position. It may be additional training, learning a new product to sell, mentoring rookies, collaborating or learning about other parts of the company, etc.

Compensation – When a salesperson leaves because of money (although numerous research studies have shown that this is RARELY the top reason a salesperson quits) it is usually because he or she feels they are being stifled or “capped” on their income potential. Most salespeople are motivated by the concept of “the harder I work, the more I sell, the more money I make.” If that is taken away (whether it is perception or in reality) it can severely de-motivate the salesperson.

The Sales Team Sucked – No, no one has actually said it to me quite that way. But, top performing salespeople will leave if they feel office workers bored they are working with sub-par sellers. Quite simply, talented people want to work with talented people. If a salesperson feels that they are surrounded by other salespeople who are not as motivated to achieve, the salesperson starts to wonder, “Why am I here?” Top salespeople are energized by other successful salespeople because they like to measure their success against what their co-workers have achieved. It doesn’t feel like a win if you are Michael Jordan and you slam dunk on a high school kid.

Lack of Tools, Training, or Leadership – It is important to salespeople that they work in a culture where they feel the company is investing in them. This means having the tools and support they need to be effective salespeople. And, that includes having an Onboarding Program to get a salesperson started off on the right path – and the right training tailored to each individual. (Click HERE for “How To Keep Your New Salesperson From Circling The Drain”)

It also means having a management team that is able to articulate and implement a vision for where they are headed. Having strong management leadership is a critical component to long-term sales team stability. If the company is in continual chaos, sales turnover is always the end result.

“Training and development (of employees) must be built into a company on all levels – training and development that never stops.” -Peter Drucker

Infographic courtesy of Paycom. (click here to read full article)

why employees leave infographic

October 7, 2012

20 Low-Cost or No-Cost Ways To Increase Employee Engagement

You want your highly talented, top producing employees to stay? Give them more money, right? Well, not necessarily. Sure offering a fair, competitive salary will help attract great talent. To retain great employees they need to be engaged (no, not to each other). What is an engaged employee? Here is how Gallup defines the levels of employee engagement⁸.

• ENGAGED employees work with passion and feel a profound connection to their company. They drive innovation and move the organization forward.

• NOT-ENGAGED employees are essentially “checked out.” They are sleepwalking through their workday. They are putting in time, but not enough energy or passion into their work.

• ACTIVELY DISENGAGED employees aren’t just unhappy at work; they’re busy acting out their unhappiness. Every day, these workers undermine what their engaged co-workers accomplish.

WHY IS ENGAGEMENT IMPORTANT?

Just a 5% increase in your employees overall engagement converts into a 25-85% increase in profit.¹
Companies with a high percentage of engaged employees have almost FOUR times the “earnings per share” growth rate as other companies in their same industries.²
Companies with high numbers of engaged employees have 13% lower turnover rates.⁶
Increases in recognition and praise leads to higher employee engagement which leads to lower turnover, higher customer loyalty, and increased overall productivity.²
66% of employees cited “appreciation” as very significant motivator to performance.⁶
Engaged employees are twice as likely as those who are actively disengaged to recruit people to their company.²

Now here are some scary statistics to consider:

72% of American employees are either “Not Engaged” or “Actively Disengaged”.²
79% of employees who quit cite a lack of appreciation as a key reason for leaving.⁴
70% of top salespeople say they left because of a breakdown in their relationship with their manager.³

What Causes Employees To Become Disengaged?

Through research, Gallup has identified 12 questions that they’ve shown relate to employee engagement (The Gallup Q12⁷). Do you think your employees would answer “yes” to these?

Do you know what is expected of you at work?

Do you have the materials and equipment to do your work right?

At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?

In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?

Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?

Is there someone at work who encourages your development?

At work, do your opinions seem to count?

Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?

Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work?

Do you have a best friend at work?

In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?

In the last year, have you had opportunities to learn and grow?

Not sure how engaged your employees are? A good place to start is to survey them. You can create a survey at no cost at www.surveymonkey.com. Or, do an internet search for employee engagement surveys as there as scores of companies who specialize in this area.

20 Ways To Increase Employee Engagement:

Here are some no-cost or low-cost ways to increase employee engagement. Not all of these will be right for your particular situation, but some of these are things that everyone could, and should, be doing.

1. Give each employee a sheet to fill out and ask them what are the ways they like to be recognized (public, private, peers, managers, CEO?) and 5 ways they like to be rewarded.

2. Give meaningful, specific, timely, sincere THANK YOU’s to your employees on a regular basis. EVERY EMPLOYEE SHOULD RECEIVE SOME SORT OF RECOGNITION OR APPRECIATION ONCE EVERY 7 DAYS AT A MINIMUM.

3. Peer-to-peer recognition. Allow your employees to award “bonus bucks” of play money to co-workers for a job well done, helping others, reaching a goal, etc. Create a “prize closet” where employees can choose prizes with their accumulated “bucks.” Prizes can be movie tickets, restaurant gift cards, company shwag, car wash coupons – get creative!

4. Post thank you notes to a person’s office door or cubicle.

5. Reward a job well done with a special parking place. Maybe yours?

6. Reward employees by offering to do one job task that they dislike the most in their jobs, for one week.

7. Write a note to the spouse of a high performing employee, praising the great job he or she is doing.

8. Create an “ABCD” award – going Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

9. Publish individual as well as team accomplishments in a company newsletter.

10. Establish a company social network (see www.Yammer.com) where employees and management can communicate successes and important information.

11. Put up a large bulletin board and allow employees to post things of personal interest, successes, and notes of thanks and encouragement.

12. Always start a company meeting, large or small, with some sort of team or individual recognition.

13. Create a traveling “trophy” that can be passed from employee to employee for meeting certain criteria.

14. Celebrate employees’ hiring anniversaries with the company – reward retention and loyalty.

15. Recognize a great performance with a standing ovation.

16. Give certificates for free car washes – or wash the car yourself! Great for salespeople.

17. Create a “recognition book.” This can be as simple as a spiral bound notebook. Employees write a thank you and give recognition to a co-worker and “pass it on.”

18. Put up a large whiteboard with dry erase pens. Employees can write successes, thank you notes, or encouragement. Erase it each week and write new ones.

19. Have the managers cook breakfast at work for a team that hits a particular goal.

20. Make sure each employee has a weekly individual meeting with his or her manager where goals and expectations are being discussed as well as asking employees for input and ideas.

”It’s time for us all to stand and cheer for the do-er, the achiever – the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.” -Vince Lombardi

Sources:

¹People Metrics Employee Engagement Report, http://www.peoplemetrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/2011-Employee-Engagement-Trends-Report_PeopleMetrics.pdf

²Gallup’s Engagement Survey 2011, http://www.gallup.com/poll/150383/Majority-American-Workers-Not-Engaged-Jobs.aspx

³Gallup, Inc. http://www.gallup.com/strategicconsulting/157223/building-world-class-sales-force.aspx

⁴O.C. Tanner Company’s Carrots.com survey, http://www.carrots.com/resources/white-papers

⁵Gallup, Inc. Research Whitepaper, http://www.gallup.com/strategicconsulting/126806/Q12-Meta-Analysis.aspx

⁶ Watson-Wyatt Research firm research cited by carrots.com whitepaper

⁷Gallup Inc. http://www.gallup.com/strategicconsulting/121535/Employee-Engagement-Overview-Brochure.aspx

⁸http://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/146351/Strengthening-Company-Performance.aspx

An Infographic On Employee Engagement From www.nbrii.com

September 22, 2012

Tips For Developing An Onboarding Program

EVERY NEW HIRE needs to go through an Onboarding Program – even veteran salespeople. They may not need the basic training in how to sell (sometimes they do!), but the newly hired veteran salesperson still needs to be made to feel welcome, to feel he or she made the right decision to take this job, to establish a relationship with his manager and co-workers, to learn who does what, to be shown how things work, and to have the structure and comfort of knowing there is a plan in place designed to make the transition to this new job a success.

The Aberdeen Group research found that 86% of new hires decide to stay or leave a company within their first six months and new employees are 69% more likely to stay longer than three years if they experience well-structured onboarding.

Not sure how to put together an Onboarding Program? Follow these steps to get you going and to maximize those new hires’ talents. To get started you need to decide two things:

1. OBJECTIVES – Your Onboarding Program needs to be developed around the objectives you want the new salesperson to achieve in the first few months of employment. What is it that you want the new hires to have learned and understood after they have gone through it? Make a list of all of those objectives.

2. IMPLEMENTATION – Then you need to outline what steps the person will take to accomplish those objectives. Next, start assigning timelines for accomplishing each of those objectives. You then must decide how each objective will be learned and who will oversee that process.

It should not be a “one size fits all.” For each new hire the Onboarding Program needs to be individualized according to that person’s experience, skills, previous training, and talents. But you can put together a format and then tweak it for each new hire.

Be sure to include time each morning and at the end of each day for one-on-one time with your new hire, EVERY DAY that first week. The relationship you establish will likely decide if the person stays and is a success or leaves. Schedule the time and keep to it. This is the time you will use to touch base with how the person is doing and feeling about the onboarding process. Feedback from the new hire to you and you to him or her, is critical. You are the most important person when it comes to whether or not the new salesperson will succeed.

Gallup Graph One of the main reasons employees either leave or are a success in an organization is a direct result of their relationship with their manager. “In the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue,” Gallup wrote in its survey findings.

A great way to jump-start your relationship with the new hire is to do a “Salesperson Questionnaire.”

Solicit feedback early and often. Feedback is not a one-way street. It should be flowing in both directions. You should be proactively asking questions of new hires on how they feel they are doing, how the onboarding process is going, and if there are any issues to address, in order to encourage the new hire to give you feedback. And you should be giving feedback as well. Let the new hire know how you think things are going, what you are observing and hearing and any issues or concerns you have. The most important part of feedback is remembering to ask for it! In your meetings with the new hire, ask several specific questions (see sample questions below) each time and take notes.

Are we delivering on what we promised?
What do you like about the job so far?
What’s been going well? What are the highlights of your experiences so far?
What do you need to learn to improve? What help do you need to become successful in this job?
What are the things that you don’t like or feel could be improved?
What have you found to be the most rewarding?
Compare your job to what we explained it would be like – how is it accurate or different?
Whom have you found to be the most helpful when you have questions?
Am I being clear in setting expectations and goals for you?
Is there anything I am not doing that I could be doing better to help you?
Is there anything I am doing that you wish I wouldn’t do?
Am I giving you the feedback that you need? How could I improve upon that?
Do you feel that you fit in and are an important part of the team?
Have you had any uncomfortable situations or conflicts with co-workers or clients?
Do you look forward to coming to work or do you have concerns that are bothering you?
Are there any things that you would change about your job if you could? What are they and why?

Asking these types of specific questions within the first few weeks will also create a culture where your direct reports feel comfortable coming to you with ideas or concerns. They will see you as a valuable resource in their growth and development as successful salespeople.

Here’s a great Onboarding Infographic from the folks at MindFlash.

September 15, 2012

What I Learned From Peter

Recently I was asked “who is the person, living or dead you would most want to meet?” Now I will admit the FIRST thought that popped into my head was Princess Diana, however, she was quickly supplanted by Peter Drucker. The fact is I love Peter Drucker and he, more than any other person has influenced my professional life. If you haven’t read any of his writings, you owe it to yourself to begin immediately. You will be profoundly changed. I guarantee it.

Peter Drucker was a writer, professor, management consultant and self-described “social ecologist.” He died in 2005 and was called by Business Week as “the man who invented management.”

He wrote 39 books, along with countless articles. He coined the term “knowledge worker,” and he spent his life examining the best ways to manage these “knowledge workers.”

As you read through these Drucker gems, keep track of how many of these you adhere to and see how you stack up on what I call the “Drucker Management Scale.” So without further ado, here are some of my favorite things that I learned from Peter…

“What is management? Management’s task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their strengths effective and their weaknesses irrelevant.”

“One does not manage people. The task is to lead people and the goal is to make productive the specific strengths and knowledge of each individual.”

“The only thing that differentiates one business from another in any given field is the quality of its management on all levels.”

“Management’s first job is to think through, set, and exemplify (company) objectives, values, and goals.”

“Training and development (of employees) must be built into a company on all levels – training and development that never stops.”

A business enterprise has only one true resource: people. It succeeds by making human resources productive.

“Common vision, common understanding, and unity of direction and effort of the entire organization require the definition of, ‘what our business is and what it should be.’ Without this there is business frustration and failure.”

“Whoever is content to rise with the tide (rather than looking ahead) will also fall with it.”

“The area without specific objectives will be neglected. If objections are only good intentions, they are worthless. The must be transformed into work that is specific, with clear, unambiguous, measurable results, a deadline and assignment of accountability.”

“Knowledge workers have mobility. They can leave. Therefore, employees have to be managed as partners and it is the definition of a partnership that all partners are equal. Partners can not be ordered, they have to be persuaded. Therefore, the management of people is a marketing job. In marketing you don’t start with the question, ‘what do WE want?’ One begins with the question, ‘what does the other party want?’”

“What the boss does and says, his or her most casual remarks, habits, even mannerisms, tend to appear to subordinates as calculated, planned, and meaningful.”

“Management by crisis …is a sure sign of confusion by management. It is an admission of incompetence, that the manager doesn’t know how to plan… and that the company does not know how to direct them.”

“You can not build performance on (people’s) weaknesses, you can only build on strengths.”

“Making the right people decisions is the ultimate means of controlling an organization well. They reveal how competent management is, what its values are, and whether it takes its job seriously. People decisions can not be hidden. They are eminently visible.”

A great place to start reading Peter Drucker is http://www.druckerinstitute.com. It’s like a Peter Drucker themed Disney World. Enjoy!

Here’s an infographic of some of Peter Drucker’s most well-known books.

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45% of Gen Y respondents agreed with the statement

“Gen Y feels entitled to job benefits they haven’t yet earned.”

73% of Gen Y respondents agreed with the statement

“Gen Y wants instant gratification.”

“Good is the enemy of great”

-Jim Collins, author, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’tpp

An Infographic On “The Perils Of Mulitasking” by OnlineCollege.org

1 Gen Y Perceptions Study by Spectrum Knowledge and The Career Center at Cal State Fullerton

2 What Millennial Workers Want by Robert Half International

3 http://HBR.org/2011/05/stat-watch-multitasking-101/ar/1

4 http://www.PsychologyToday.com/blog/brain-trust/201202/is-your-brain-multitasking

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“40% of newly promoted managers fail within 18 months of starting new jobs”

“Why do you want to become a manager?”

Infographic: When Your Star Wants To Be A Manager

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¹ ”The Role of Positivity and Connectivity in the Performance of Business Teams: A Nonlinear Dynamics Model” by Emily Heaphy & Marcial Losada American Behavioral Scientist.

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An infographic on the power of praise:

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“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Salesperson Plateauing Syndrome Infographic:

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The 3 Types Of High Maintenance Employees Infographic:

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Sales Managers Time Priorities Infographic:

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“The Children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, they show disrespect for adults, and love to talk rather than work or exercise… They contradict their parents, chatter in front of company, gobble down their food at the table, and intimidate their teachers.”

“What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand.” - Confucius

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Gen Y/Millennial Salespeople – The Facts Infographic:

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“The two things people want more than sex or money are recognition and praise.” - Mary Kay Ash, Founder Of Mary Kay Cosmetics

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How To Be A Good Boss Infographic:

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“Training and development (of employees) must be built into a company on all levels – training and development that never stops.” -Peter Drucker

Infographic courtesy of Paycom. (click here to read full article)

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WHY IS ENGAGEMENT IMPORTANT?

What Causes Employees To Become Disengaged?

20 Ways To Increase Employee Engagement:

”It’s time for us all to stand and cheer for the do-er, the achiever – the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.” -Vince Lombardi

Sources:

An Infographic On Employee Engagement From www.nbrii.com

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Here’s a great Onboarding Infographic from the folks at MindFlash.

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“One does not manage people. The task is to lead people and the goal is to make productive the specific strengths and knowledge of each individual.”

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¹ Gen Y Perceptions Study by Spectrum Knowledge and The Career Center at Cal State Fullerton

² What Millennial Workers Want by Robert Half International

³ http://HBR.org/2011/05/stat-watch-multitasking-101/ar/1

⁴ http://www.PsychologyToday.com/blog/brain-trust/201202/is-your-brain-multitasking