Out of 'adversity' comes opportunity

In this case I'm not talking real challenge and drama. Just something that knocked me off-track a little recently. Those of you that have been tuning in for a little while will know that one of the things I like to do is to run. I'm not particurly good at it in that I've never really been built for endurance sports but I'm improving quickly.

At the end of April I signed up for some running events, which started with a (ridiculously difficult) 20K off-road event and the initial block of 5 bookings culminates in a 45 mile ultra marathon in January. I know...

Anyway, I duly started training like a madman and lo and behold I picked up and injury. And surprise of surprises, I sort of ignored it. And when I say sort of, I ran on it including a 16K treadmill run a few days ahead of the 20K race. I think it was at this point that my poorly knee said enough's enough. You idiot. And loud enough for me to pay attention. In the back of my mind I was thinking if I could just run through it (stay with me) I'd be fine for the half marathon road race scheduled for August... Uh huh.

So as I lay on the physio's couch 10 days ago and having a variety of pain inflicted as part of the examination, I casually asked about the prognosis. Afterall, I've a half-marathon to do. You can forget that said Physio. No running for 3 weeks at least. 3 weeks? At least?! :-( (And yes, I'm looking for a replacement event, probably late September..).

I was sent away with an order to rest, ice and take anti-inflammatories. Oh, and to maintain cardio fitness I have to swim. As many times per week as I can fit in. Great. From running out in the sunshine in the great outdoors I have to flap around smelling of chlorine.

Many moons ago, I was a competitive swimmer, so I know my around a pool without drowning (so far). It even turns out I still have some moves, which surprised me. But not as much as how completely exhausting swimming is compared to running. First session I was winded after just 2 lengths of the pool. This can't be right?!. I can run 12+ miles and I'm fairly fit! Different sport, different muscles, breathing etc. etc.. All in all, seriously hard work. However....

Turns out I rather like it. In fact, time allowing, I've been in the pool almost everyday since being ordered there under sufferance! I've got a bit of a routine worked out, spoke to a lifeguard who's an ex-triathlete who gave me the use of some floats to work arms and legs separately and gave me some tips. All of a sudden I'm transported back in time to days when I was up at 5am (then not now!) to swim before school and loving it.

So there you have it. Could be a bit of good old fashioned 'if life give you lemons, make lemonade' in action. I should do that more often!

Thanks as always for stopping by.

Sales Surgery Part 2 - Sales Managers

So first an apology. I said this would be the next post after the original Sales Surgery post and a couple of others squeaked in ahead, so sorry about that. Such is the hazard of a spur of the moment blogging style!

As I mentioned before, the guys at Acquire Coaching and I have recently started running sales workshops and sales surgeries. They are proving to be popular with sales people and are returning fantastic results. Why? The sales guys like the ability to have an open and frank conversation in a non-judgemental environment, to be able to learn from their peers in a workshop setting and to have dedicated 1:1 time with an objective sales expert.

We're also working with sales managers. If I use the IT space as an example, most sales managers I meet have had no formal training. As in zero. Surprised? Don't be. The reason is that in many instances the sales manager has been promoted from the sales ranks and therefore knows the systems, people and many of the procedures. Which is great, and probably makes for a faster start in turning in completed forecasts to the big sales boss. So that's the report taken care of.

Now, what about the team? Most sales people appear to be part of a team or operational unit. However, in practice, they are a team of 1. They get paid on their own results. There may be a 'team' element to the compensation plan but in the main, it's every man for himself.

So how does that translate to being at the head of the 'team'? In many instances not too well. So often we see a style of management where the manager berates the employee for a low forecast. The employee seeks refuge in submitting higher numbers, and then is in the firing line again when he under-delivers against his unrealistic forecast!

A potentially never-ending circle ensues, which isn't great for anyone involved. A good sales manager has to lead, manage, motivate, mentor and support his team. The manager must make the most of his experience in the field by passing on that knowledge to the benefit of the business.

A typical sales team is often made up of an eclectic mix of individuals and personalities of differening age, experience, attitudes and interests. How do you bring those disparate pieces of the puzzle together? How do you motivate individuals when they all have their own unique goals, values and requirements?

That's the $64,000 question. We get asked this all the time. And the answer? Part of the answer lies in the statement from the first post: A great salesman does not a good manager make. Not automatically anyway.

A great sales manager needs to care and have humility for others. He can't look out just for himself anymore. He must also have chameleon like qualities. One face to 'the management', another to customers, another to staff? Why? It's how you build relationships that work and get you where you need to be. That isn't to say you must be fake. Far from it. Be genuine in all things, and be aware of how you are perceived in order to get the most from the 'transaction'.

Let's put this in some everyday examples. I'm working at home and I'm on the phone to a new customer or prospect. I'm being professional, polite and crisp in my speech and communication. As I put the phone down my youngest son (who's 7 and likes to scare the hell out of me by creeping in to the office unnoticed) walks in and asks me a question. How do I respond? Do I continue in the manner that I used with the customer? No, I automatically switch to an appropriate 'language' for my son.

We do this all the time at home. We've just finished yelling down the phone at the call centre operative trying to sell us something and then in the next breath gently say 'would you like a coffee darling?' or something similar. You get the drift.

We also need to look at what motivates the individual. In the same way that if, like me, you have 2 children who are very different in temperament, you have to use different methods to get the best response. This exact same thing needs to be applied in a team setting if you're going to get the best out of that team and the individuals within.

This last point is often the trickiest bit of all. Either it's missed completely or just not performed very well. This is where we're making a real difference.

We need to constantly nurture our team for it to grow in the way we want and need (that's the link to the picture, in case you thought it bizarre :)). There's so much more, but not for today's post!

If you'd like to chat about how you can overcome some of these issues, please to get in touch.

Thanks as ever for stopping by.

Winning Takes More Than Merely Turning Up

So an interesting few days have passed. On Friday I watched with increasing gloom the England Vs Algeria football match. As is always the case when England play (football, rugby, cricket etc.), whether justified or not, there is always an enormous expectation of victory. In fact a rout would be preferable!

It's indicative of the England performance, or lack thereof, that my 2 young sons, whom for both this is the first World Cup that's been of interest, first complained of it being boring and then took themselves off to bed before the match limped to a close.

So what went wrong? Did the England players turn up to the World Cup Finals expecting to walk through their group opposition? Where was the hunger, the determination to succeed? Have they forgotten that it's an honour to represent ones country? It certainly looked to be the case.

We could be forgiven for thinking that they turned up for the game expecting to casually thrash Algeria. No effort, physical or mental, just turn up, win and go home. Put like that it sounds pretty stupid doesn't it?

This happens a lot in business. We have a great idea or product. Or we're naturally talented and our skills are in demand for a while. We're surprised when an orderly queue for our product or services doesn't form.

It takes concerted effort to not only achieve initial success but to stay successful. Look at Coca Cola. It's been the number one soft drink for how many years? And yet it advertises all year round to ensure it stays in our minds and more importantly our wallets. I still love the Christmas ads. What can I say?

Very little in life it seems, unless you're incredibly lucky, is a 'gimme'. We have to work not only hard but smart too. Consistently. Back to the sprint vs marathon analogy.

Sometimes we can't see the wood for the trees and that's where it can help to have an objective pair of eyes take a look.

I'm always happy to help. Thanks for stopping by.