"Fire That Customer"

If you have to "fire" a customer, chances are, you played fast and loose with the customer acquisition process. Don't get me wrong, occasionally businesses change, people change and there is a valid business reason to cut ties. It happens. Most of the time however, if you are being honest with yourself, you probably shouldn't have taken on that customer to begin with. So why do you do it to yourself? Let me know if any of these sound familiar:

  • They're so big, it will do wonders for our numbers. Volume, Volume, Volume Baby!
  • They're unhappy with our competitor and I know if we "steal" this customer, it will hurt that competitor real bad. Take THAT, You Evil Competitor!!!!
  • I need to hit my sales budget, and I need a "win". I'll Do Anything for a Sale, Please, Please, Please!
  • I know I can land this prospect if I can lure them in with a great deal upfront. I'll make it up later by raising their price. They'll completely understand, they're business people too, Right?!?
  • Everyone else in the market does "this", I'll tell the customer we can do it too. When they "sign on the line", I'll negotiate a higher price for "this" or tell them we can't do it.

There are others, but these are the top 5. Also, in the majority of cases it's a combination of some or all.

So what does this all mean? Of course, if you're in a "unhealthy" relationship. Get Out, and FAST! Beyond that, though, here are a few items to consider as you attempt to acquire new business in the future. Ask yourself:

  • Are this prospect's core values as a business, aligned with our core values?
  • Is this prospect using my "needs" against me? If so, do I think their behavior will change on the next order?
  • What is the reason my competitor wants to "let this customer go" and should that be a bellwether?
  • How needy is this prospect? Will our time and effort be worth the profit gained?
  • How difficult has this prospect been to work with during the sales process? Chances are, it's not going to change.
  • Are they asking me to do something I'm not comfortable doing?
  • After our meetings, I feel like I just left the battle ground of world war III?

There's no hard / fast rule regarding customer acquisition. If you've thought it through, you're honest with yourself, and you think it's a good fit, then make the deal. If you have ANY hesitation, chances are, it's a bad call. If it is, price yourself out of contention and spend your time acquiring someone else.

 

The video is magnificent.

It's quite special to work for an organization that commits itself not only to it's customers, but more importantly, it's employees. Oldcastle is one of those companies. They are dedicated to finding and sharing stories of hope, service and goodwill throughout the organization.

As leaders, it's important to Serve, Inspire and Recognize. I am proud of our organization. Prouder of our leaders. Proudest of our people!

Congratulations Russ Salmon! You deserve it! The video is magnificent. Best Quote Below...

Evolve or Die!

Great article from Bill on the State of Sales Management! He makes some great points:

Many of you have heard this stat by now, and it should bother our profession: The average tenure of a sales leader in 2013 is 19 months, down from 24 months the year prior. This is horrible. This is embarrassing. 

Perhaps cliché`, but times have changed. Our world, our customers and specifically our workforce has evolved significantly, evolved in a way that makes a leader’s perceived skills, obsolete. What else has changed?

- Time demands
- The demographic and psychographic of the work force
- The way customers buy
- Our understanding of what motivates sales people to sell more
- The way teams want to be led, managed and coached
- Technology
- Data/information

It is clear that most sales leaders have not kept pace with the above evolution. There is still a strong tendency to “manage” with the primary focus being numbers as opposed to focusing on those that produce the number.

Something to ask yourself - Are you evolving or dying? As leaders, whether in sales or in business, we must evolve to the ever changing landscape, priorities and motivations of our people.

Bill (William L Eckstrom, President of ExCell Institute) and his organization have decades of experience in helping sales leaders be the most effective they can be.

LINK TO HIS FULL ARTICLE

Bill Kutik and Adam Miller talk about the future of learning.

Another Great Interview from Bill Kutik. Bill talks to Adam Miller from Cornerstone OnDemand. A great conversation ensues around the future direction of learning and development. Couple of great ideas I took away:

"The future of learning...is about social, mobile and video." - Adam Miller

Over the last 20 years, e-learning has been driven by flash based courses. Flash and Mobile don't play well together. As a result, that content is becoming less and less relevant in a mobile world, without a complete overhaul.

With the advent of HD mobile devices, it is becoming easier and easier for end users to capture and create their own content.

"The future is 1-5 minute or 18 min videos" - Adam Miller

We'll see an ever increasing need for these mobile videos that will provide just in time performance support for employees. The goal is to reach workers when they need the information to be successful. This applies to both the "floor" worker and the desk bound worker.

Social learning will help support ongoing development - whether it be a community of practice, virtual "office hours", or group collaboration on a project.

"I've always thought that development was at the center of talent management for any organization." - Adam Miller

"...train the people that are not top performers and further develop people who are top performers to take on the next role." - Adam Miller

Great listen - Thanks to Bill Kutik and Adam Miller


http://billkutik.appirio.com/2014/09/radio-show-161-adam-miller-ceo.html

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The Millennial Definition of Success - Adam Nash

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Adam's article focuses on several fundamental areas of importance for the millennial generation. However, one thought at the top of the article in particular stood out to me. Adam says he was asked the question why he would join a company like LinkedIn. His response,

"...when I was asked why I joined the company, I would tell them that it had always been true that success in business was based on what you know and who you know. LinkedIn was just the modern incarnation of that powerful fact."

What a great quote. It captures the essence of business perfectly. We all know that relationships are the keystone to success.

Great article, awesome read:

The Millennial Definition of Success - Adam Nash

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Your Company's Dirty Little Secret

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Interesting article Bill, great points with some sound advice for leaders at all levels. From the article:

1. Start small. Within your sphere of influence. Within your team. Every day, make sure you're asking your team three questions: • "What's holding you back from getting more done?" • "What bottlenecks or barriers can I remove for you?" • "What resources, tools or processes would help you move as fast as you want to?"

The full article: Bill Jensen's Article

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Engage a Mentor with a Short-Term Project - Karie Willyerd - Harvard Business Review.

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Engage a Mentor with a Short-Term Project - Karie Willyerd - Harvard Business Review. Great Article by Karie. She's 100% right. Today's leaders are pulled ever thinner and simply can not commit to long, deep relationship building with more than one or two "protégés."

By creating short term stretch assignments for key talent, you can maximize not only the leaders time, but also the return on the interaction.

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Companies & Social Media - How to deal with negativity

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A few years ago I read an article online regarding organizations and social media. The crux of the article dealt with organizations being paralyzed to jump head first into social media. At the time of the article, the inability for organizations to moderate and control how people responded to their messages and what was posted, stifled their desire to act. The article urged companies to relinquish their control issues and join the new world in creative commentary of their own. The below video is a perfect example how Honey Maid embraced this challenge and made proverbial "lemonade from lemons". Good on you Honey Maid - this should be an inspiration to all companies.

Honey Maid: Love - YouTube.

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Star Performers Don't Succeed On Their Own - Kevin Evers - Harvard Business Review

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How much time and effort do we invest in our 'B' and 'C' employees? What could we accomplish if we spent half that time working with our 'A' players? How many of those 'A' players would we retain? Best line from the article:

"Star performers need training and coaching, too — and as the global war for talent continues to heat up, organizations need to step up and deliver the goods."

Star Performers Don't Succeed On Their Own - Kevin Evers - Harvard Business Review.