<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/rss/rss20.xsl" type="text/xsl"?>

<rss version="2.0">
 <channel>
	<title>Jonathan Farrington is the Chairman of The Sales Corporation, CEO of Top Sales Associates and the Managing Partner of the JF Consultancy based in London and Paris.

He is also Chairman of the Executive Board at Top Sales Experts.

To read more of Jonathan's work,visit:&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jonathanfarrington.com&quot;&gt;jonathanfarrington.com&lt;/a&gt; You can also enjoy his popular daily blog here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk&quot;&gt;thejfblogit.co.uk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;
</title>
	<link>http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/author/index/59/Jonathan-Farrington.php</link>
	<description>Jonathan Farrington is the Chairman of The Sales Corporation, CEO of Top Sales Associates and the Managing Partner of the JF Consultancy based in London and Paris.

He is also Chairman of the Executive Board at Top Sales Experts.

To read more of Jonathan's work,visit:&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jonathanfarrington.com&quot;&gt;jonathanfarrington.com&lt;/a&gt; You can also enjoy his popular daily blog here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk&quot;&gt;thejfblogit.co.uk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;
 - Latest business
news &amp; management advice on how best to build your own business -
Free, independent business articles on Strategy, eBusiness, Change
Management &amp; much, much more.</description>
	<language>en</language>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<pubDate>Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:37:19 +0000</pubDate>
	<managingEditor>admin@buildyourownbusiness.biz</managingEditor>
	<webMaster>admin@buildyourownbusiness.biz</webMaster>    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Objectively Re-Assessing Your Current Opportunities</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There are two escalating pressures in to-day’s marketplace that are creating a need for a more disciplined approach towards sales opportunities:

•	The need to be more specialised and individualised in dealing with clients because we can no longer afford to treat all situations in the same way.
•	The reality of competition. -
Often to increase market share, you must do so at the direct expense of the competition. The competitive intensity of the sales environment is escalating with the globalisation of the economy.

These are the main “drivers” behind the demand that organisations adopt methodologies and processes to manage these issues.

By utilising a rigorous and formal opportunity assessment we are aiming to achieve two sets of objectives:

Business Objectives

•	Determine which sales opportunities should be pursued at the direct expense of others.

•	Given resource limitations, decide where and on what basis resource should be allocated to a sales opportunity.

•	Determine whether our company is over-investing or under-investing in a sales opportunity.

•	Enhance forecast accuracy.

•	Use “proven” criteria to reduce the cost of sales

Sales Objectives

•	Identify, quantify, and categorize opportunity assessment criteria.
•	Increase “Hit-Rate” (Win – Loss ratios) by avoiding unsuitable business.
•	Discover where we and our competition stand with a customer.
•	Gain a complete and accurate view of a sales situation prior to writing a sales plan to win.
•	Calculate the probability of winning or losing a deal early in the sales process.


All sales professionals claim to be permanently time constrained: We always have limited time and resources with which to achieve our targets. 

We can be involved in only so many accounts or sales situations before we begin to lose your ability to manage what is taking place. At that point we lose control and the competition takes control.

We can only cont ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/4316/Objectively-ReAssessing-Your-Current-Opportunities.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/4316/Objectively-ReAssessing-Your-Current-Opportunities.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Twelve Golden Principles Of Selling - 2.0 Version</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Twelve months ago, I re-posted my “Twelve Golden Principles of Selling” – which received a fantastic response, and so I thought it timely to update these in the light of events this year. So, this in effect is the 2.0 version, including the original introduction - looks like it will be begging for an annual update, I hope you enjoy it.

I received a call from an ex-student this week who is designing an induction program for new recruits about to embark upon a career in sales. He asked that if I had to create the “12 golden principles of selling,” what I would come up with.
 
Clearly, this is not only a very subjective view, but also I found it terribly difficult to reduce my initial list of the essential rules of selling to just 12. However, mindful of the fact that this exercise is designed to provide guidance to salespeople just starting on the first rung of the ladder, here is my take on the 12 golden principles of selling.

Principle 1: Always Sell to People

This may seem obvious, but it cannot be emphasized enough: You are not selling to an organization or to a conglomerate, but to actual, real people. It is important to remember that all people are different, so you cannot sell the same way to everyone. Second, no two sales are the same, even if they are made to the same company under similar circumstances.

To become a good salesperson, it isn’t enough to know how to sell. You must aim to become a people expert. It may sound shocking, but the best professional salespeople actually like people!
Remember, people buy from people — they always will.

Principle 2: You Have To Sell Yourself

Just as you are selling to people, you must also remember that you are not only selling and representing a product or service, but you are in effect selling yourself. When beginning a sales relationship, it is important to remember a few key aspects to representing yourself well.
First, be interesting. If potential customers are bored by you, they ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/3555/The-Twelve-Golden-Principles-Of-Selling--20-Version.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/3555/The-Twelve-Golden-Principles-Of-Selling--20-Version.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Power Of The Persuasive Sales Presentation</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Sales presentations become so much more compelling at the point when you have identified and agreed all your prospects requirements, and have tailored your presentation so that it illustrates how you can completely satisfy their agreed requirements. If you can then add your unique strengths to what the prospect is looking for, your proposal becomes stronger and much more persuasive.

Here are ten suggestions that help improve the effectiveness of any presentation:

1. Find out in advance how much time you'll have and plan that your presentation will take approximately 75% of the allocated time. This leaves sufficient time for questions and through handling of any objections that you may encounter.

2. If you are in a competitive situation, find out when the other suppliers are scheduled to present and if possible try to be the last presenter. The reason this can be so important is because your prospect can make a proper comparison of your presentation in light of your competitor’s presentations, meaning that they are better equipped to recognise the added value you provide. This also creates a stronger possibility that you can get a decision from them at the end of your meeting.

3. When structuring your presentation start with a quick review of the prospects' goals and objectives, and then list their agreed requirements. This will determine the sequence and structure for your presentation, because ultimately you’ll want to highlight how your solution meets each one of their requirements. During your fact-finding meeting you should have obtained a priority of their requirements so that you can address their most important requirements first.

4. Throughout your presentation incorporate relevant customer testimonials that validate the points you are making, and if you refer to research statistics ensure that you quote the source.

5. At the beginning of your presentation you want your prospect to be interested and compelled to listen to what you are a ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2204/The-Power-Of-The-Persuasive-Sales-Presentation.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2204/The-Power-Of-The-Persuasive-Sales-Presentation.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Negotiation - The Importance Of Trading Concessions</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A “Win-Win” negotiation can only be achieved if both parties are prepared to concede some of their ‘would like to have's’ in favour of preserving their ‘must have's’. The way concessions are handled is a vitally important negotiating skill and can have a huge impact on the final result. Below are ten tried and tested tactics to help you.

1. Discover and agree all the points for negotiation before it begins. Ensure that for each one of these points you have identified whether it is a fixed or a variable point from your perspective. (Variable means that there is some flexibility of movement.) If you have a separate meeting scheduled for your negotiation, it’s a good practice to send out you points for negotiation prior to your meeting. This ensures that both parties aren’t presented with any sudden surprises.

2. Increase the number of points for negotiation (if possible) because you increase the opportunities for a trade. If you only negotiate on price you are potentially setting the stage for a Win-Lose outcome. People very rarely buy on price alone, which is why it’s important to do a thorough fact find at the beginning of the sales process, to flush out the buyer’s list of requirements.

3. Always trade concessions (as opposed to giving them away). This means that for each point where you agree to a concession, you’ll want the buyer to make a concession in return. If you give a concession without requesting a return concession then you’ll be unlikely to get one afterwards. Therefore, it helps to preface your concession with the words ‘what if’. For example, &amp;quot;What if I offered you this (specify concession), what could you offer me in return?&amp;quot; As soon as you begin the process of trading concessions you are creating a frame for agreement, this underpins the belief that together you can reach an overall agreement.

4. Make concessions in small incremental amounts, gradually. If you offer up a large concession too quickly  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2203/Negotiation--The-Importance-Of-Trading-Concessions.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2203/Negotiation--The-Importance-Of-Trading-Concessions.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Goal Setting Leverages Sales Success</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[”Man is a goal seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals.” Aristotle

One of the single, most important skills that a salesperson can possess is to set goals that are so well defined, and so compelling, that they become embedded deep into the unconscious mind, consequently acting as a powerful force that drives motivation and behaviour. If your sales team lacks clarity about why they are doing the job that they do, their sense of purpose will become diluted and as their sales manager you are losing out on a massive piece of their potential.

The art to achieving whatever you want is to have a clear picture of your goal in your mind. You’ve probably heard this so many times before that the power of this one thing may have escaped you. According to Prentice Mulford (1834 - 1891), “Every thought of yours is a real thing - a 
force.” 

To put it another way, thoughts become things.
 
We are all connected to each other and the universe through our energy that ebbs and flows constantly. In fact we are like a powerful electro-magnetic transmitter where our thoughts vibrate at a certain frequency and attract to us, that of which we are thinking. In his bestselling book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill states, “That “the subconscious” mind proceeds to translate that impulse into its physical equivalent”.
 
Yet the mistake made my many sales people is that they don’t think about what they want, they think about what they don’t want. The human mind is unable to deal with negations, such as “I don’t want to miss target” or “this prospect will always go for the cheapest price”. In these examples, your unconscious mind will create ‘miss target’ and ‘prospects who only buy from the companies who offer the cheapest prices’. If you are asked NOT to think of a blue tree then your mind has already started thinking of a blue tree!
 
Therefore, when helping your sales team set goals  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2202/Goal-Setting-Leverages-Sales-Success.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2202/Goal-Setting-Leverages-Sales-Success.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Power Of Testimonials</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[“If you become a testimonial-based seller (which I believe to be the most powerful form of sales in the world), then you can get testimonials for every element, or every step of your sales cycle.” Jeffrey Gitomer, author of Little Red Book of Sales Answers

Customers like to feel reassured that the purchase they are about to make will do everything that the sales person has told them it will do. Why? Because there is a principle based around social proof that effectively confirms, “If other customers like this, it must be good”.

The power of using testimonials during different stages of the sales process increases sales when ‘real’ customers are seen or heard testifying as to how beneficial a product/service has been for them. They increase your credibility because they are third-party endorsements rather than words out of your own mouth. The goal of a customer is to predict the future about a product/service, and by offering real stories from other real customers can turn a picture of your proposition into a tangible experience.

When using testimonials there are a number of elements that can maximise their effectiveness:

• The more specific a testimonial is the more power it has for the customer. For example; “Great company, great service” lacks meaning because it is vague and doesn’t tell the customer anything. Consider the impact when a testimonial becomes more specific: “I was really impressed with this company’s speed of service. They pulled out all the stops so that I had product sitting in my warehouse within 24 hours.”

• Every testimonial should include the customer’s name, their title and their organisation’s name (if relevant), and ideally a thumbnail size photograph of that person. This helps to convey the authenticity of the testimonial and builds credibility.

• Dividing testimonials into different aspects of the sales process can be really useful. When used in context they create more impact. For exampl ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2196/The-Power-Of-Testimonials.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2196/The-Power-Of-Testimonials.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>We Must Look Inwards Before We Look Outwards</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Before looking outwards at our prospects and customers we need to look at ourselves, because each of us is a unique human being with our own desires, dreams, problems and thoughts. To understand how we can communicate and therefore sell more effectively, we need to understand the human communication process.

Every moment our unconscious mind absorbs over 2 million bits of information through our senses. We are bombarded moment by moment with sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches. Yet according to Professor George Miller from Harvard University, we can only process around seven chunks of information consciously at any given moment. That’s an awful lot of information that our conscious mind chooses to ignore or to be more accurate, delete! This means that every individual will process information based on what they a focusing on at that time.

The information that enters our unconscious mind goes through three filters to get to our conscious mind. We delete most of it because there is no way that our conscious mind could cope with what is held in the unconscious mind. We distort the information based on our current situation. For example, a child may interpret the ordinary sounds of a central heating system very differently if they are left alone in the house. This is why, sometimes people can completely misinterpret what we are saying to them, they are distorting the information because they are focusing on a different meaning to the one we wanted to convey.

We also generalise information. For example; once we have learned what a chair looks like we can instantly identify other ‘chairs’ even though we haven’t seen every type of chair. We can generalise the way most doors are opened, how most cars are driven and even how to identify when a person is either male or female.

After the information has been filtered into our conscious mind, there are only four things we can do with it inside our heads…we make pictures, sounds, we talk to ourselves ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2195/We-Must-Look-Inwards-Before-We-Look-Outwards.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2195/We-Must-Look-Inwards-Before-We-Look-Outwards.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Closing With Ease</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Next to objections, closing is one of the most talked-about sales training topics among sales people and sales managers. Everyone wants to know how to close and how to speed up the buying process.

Closing is easy when you have thoroughly appreciated each customer’s specific requirements and aligned the presentation of your solution accordingly. Closing is the process of helping customers to make a decision that will benefit them.

Successful ‘closers’ know that there is no need to use magic phrases or techniques because if they’ve effectively followed the sales process, closing the sale is the next step in a logical sequence. The expression &amp;quot;closing the deal&amp;quot; means getting the business. The phrase &amp;quot;the close&amp;quot; refers to the point in the sales process at which the sales person asks for the business.

There is a closing technique that can be used through your interactions with prospects and customers. Trial closing allows you to check the pulse or attitude of your customer towards your proposition. Trial closing ensures that both you and your prospect are on the same wavelength which adds to a feeling of deeper rapport and general agreement.

There are four important times during the sales process when trial closing can be hugely beneficial:

1. After making a strong selling point
2. At the end of your presentation
3. Before handling an objection
4. Immediately prior to closing

Trial closing gives you valuable insights into the customer’s perspective concerning what you have just said, and enables you to ‘layer in’ another agreement that helps move the customer to an ultimate close.

Here are some different examples of trial closes that can be very effective when used at the appropriate moment:

&amp;quot;How does that sound to you?&amp;quot;

&amp;quot;What do you think?&amp;quot;

&amp;quot;Is this what you are looking for?&amp;quot;

&amp;quot;If I can satisfy your concerns regarding this point, are you happy to proceed?&amp;quot;

&amp;qu ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2194/Closing-With-Ease.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2194/Closing-With-Ease.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Sales Results You Create Are Based On Your Performance</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Performance has many components for example; our activities and abilities are typically, where many organisations focus on. Yet beneath the surface, our beliefs about ourselves, our customers, our job, can either help or hinder our performance. 

You may have heard the expression, “Whatever you believe you can do, you will and whatever you believe you can’t do, you won’t.” It is as if our beliefs (which are unique to us all) become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our beliefs can act as huge barriers that stop us giving 100 percent to something. 

Three Stories that illustrate the impact of beliefs:

	On May 6th 1954, Roger Bannister was the first man ever to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Before this, everyone had believed that this was impossible. Yet, in the same year, 19 other athletes also ran a mile in less than 4 minutes….why? Because Roger Bannister had created the belief that, it could be done and it was. Today, thousands of athletes worldwide run a mile in less than 4 minutes. 

	Charlie Harris was a hobo (tramp/homeless person) in Chicago and was looking for a place to sleep on a very wintry and cold night. He discovered a trailer yard and broke into one of the trailers. As he closed the door of the trailer, it jammed and he could not open the door. After lighting a match, with horror he realized that he was stuck in a refrigeration trailer and would probably die from cold. He did die that night and the coroner found that he died from hypothermia. Yet, the trailer he died in was in for repair and not working. Charlie Harris’s belief that it was refrigerated killed him. (Story taken from Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins). 

	The bumblebee has baffled scientists for years because aerodynamically it should not be able to fly. Yet, it believes that it can and it does! 

Here are six beliefs that can have a positive impact on you: Even if you are not in full agreement with these statements at first, simply open your mind and act  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2189/The-Sales-Results-You-Create-Are-Based-On-Your-Performance.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2189/The-Sales-Results-You-Create-Are-Based-On-Your-Performance.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Creation Of An Objection</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Before attempting to handle any type of objection, it is important to begin by looking at the beliefs that sales people are holding in their minds. If they are focusing on what objections they believe they will encounter, they will unconsciously transmit these thoughts to their prospects.
 
Every moment, human beings perceive things on many different levels based on millions of bits of information being absorbed into the unconscious mind. Our conscious mind is not able to process all of this information and tends to select small chunks at a time. 

At the most basic level there is neurological perception, the way we perceive sensory-based things. This level of perception is based upon the functioning of our end-receptors (i.e. our eyes, ears, skin, nose, tongue and mouth, inner ear, etc.). If there is damage in the end-receptor, our ability to pick up information from the energy manifestations in the world will be affected, sometimes completely cut off so that we perceive nothing, or in limited ways, or in very distorted ways.
 
At another level, an individual’s experiences and consequently their beliefs will influence and colour their perceptions. Ultimately, the only thing that can be ‘real’ for an individual is the ‘reality’ that they hold inside their mind. Have you ever experienced buying a new car and suddenly noticing how many cars of the same type as yours are driving around? This is because your car has been a recent, conscious focus for you so you see similarities with this new focus.

Objections start with a thought. You have to think about an objection to manifest and experience the objection. For years, Quantum physicists have been working to prove the entire Universe stemmed from a simple thought, and this is referred to as &amp;quot;The Law of Creation&amp;quot;. 

When an individual holds a particular thought for any length of time, they are focusing their attention on this thought. This attention will attract evidence of the thought into ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2188/The-Creation-Of-An-Objection.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2188/The-Creation-Of-An-Objection.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Important Is Motivation In Selling?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Motivation is a dynamic state that results in the desire, directional intensity and persistence of behaviour to achieve a long or short- term goal. Without motivation our sales performance, and consequently our results can be severely impaired. When we are, feeling motivated, we light up our performance like a Christmas tree, and equally when we feel de-motivated, everything seems to be much harder work.

As sales people, if we continually look to find motivation from outside of ourselves, then we are placing ourselves in a risky situation because it may not always be possible to have a drip feed of motivation feeding us when we need it most. That is why, the more we can understand about what motivates us personally, the more it helps us to tap into our internal motivational power. 

We are all unique individuals and are motivated by what is important to us personally. The factors that are important to us can be described as our values and are the fuel that drives our behaviour. Our values are unique to us and we each have a different set of values based on different aspects of our lives. For example:

	Career 
	Relationships 
	Finances 
	Health and Fitness 
	Family and Home 
	Social Life 
	Personal Development 
	Spirituality 

If we can discover our values in the context of our career in sales, we are consciously able to identify what is important to us and can therefore begin to notice ways to leverage our own motivation.

If we are doing a job that satisfies our most important values then we will feel highly motivated and energised. Sometimes when we feel de-motivated, it is because we are not consciously aware that certain aspects of our job role are aligned to our career values.

The process to leverage our own motivation is:

1.	Discover what is important to us in our career (these are our career values) 

2.	Prioritise our career values in their order of importance to us 

3.	Develop reasons why our current job role can satisfy each o ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2182/How-Important-Is-Motivation-In-Selling.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2182/How-Important-Is-Motivation-In-Selling.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>No Pain, No Sale.</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you are involved in prospecting then you will already know the challenges of persuading a prospect to give you the business. Ultimately, there is a four-step process involved in buying, that all of us follow:

1. We have to feel motivated to make a purchase, irrespective of its type or size.

2. At some point after we have become motivated to want to buy, we make a decision to buy.

3. Then, after we have made a decision, we want to feel convinced that our decision is the right one and at this stage we may seek approval and input from other people. 
Then we will make our purchase.

4. Finally, after making our purchase we seek reassurance. Interestingly, if sales people have not nurtured newly acquired customers, this can result in ‘Buyers Remorse’ and the customer will get ‘cold feet’ and cancel their order.

Every step of this process requires careful handling, yet if the sales person lacks the ability to motivate their prospect to talk to them, let alone buy from them, the other steps become redundant.

According to a growing number of International Sales Gurus; including Neil Rackham, David Sandler and Anthony Robbins, people are fundamentally motivated in two main ways:

1.	What problem or pain they can avoid and move away from.
 
2.	What pleasure or benefit they can move towards.
 
Imagine your alarm going off in the morning and you realise that you have to get out of bed. It is just too warm and comfortable where you are, so you give yourself another five minutes. Then, after this time, you decide to lie in for another few minutes until you suddenly get a picture in your mind of your angry boss! The consequences of being late for your meeting with him, scares you into jumping out of bed.

Alternatively, imagine your alarm going off on the first  morning of your holiday. The prospect of sun, sea and Sangria fills you with excitement as you jump out of bed to start your two-week vacation.

If a prospect feels content with their ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2181/No-Pain-No-Sale.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2181/No-Pain-No-Sale.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Challenge Of Sales Management</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Having worked with hundreds of organisations during my career, where I have helped, supported and developed sales leaders, I am aware that many of those sales leaders were promoted into their role because they were top performing sales people. Yet, the role of sales person and sales leader has so many differences, which frequently result in the newly promoted sales leader feeling out of their depth and overwhelmed by their newly acquired responsibilities. 

In 2004, a significant piece of research was conducted involving 2663 organisations: The report highlighted the fact that a major barrier to sales success was a failure to select and develop a sales leadership team capable of nurturing and fully developing their sales people’s potential.
 
The majority of sales leaders, new and experienced alike, say they do not have sufficient time or the resources to train and develop their sales teams. They are so focused on sales results, and so accustomed to achieving success through their personal pursuit of those results, that they overlook their greatest potential source of power - the power to achieve optimum performance levels from their teams.

Every sales leader who places an increasing emphasis on performance management will create more productive sales teams. As Colin Mattey, Director, BT Commercial &amp;amp; Brands summarises so eloquently “Performance Management has come to the fore recently in BT Commercial &amp;amp; Brands, and that’s a great thing, but you have to create frameworks where people can actually deal with performance management.” 

I believe that the future trend for producing world-class standards in sales leadership will be achieved not by traditional classroom-based training alone. Until sales leaders are equipped with the resources, competence and motivation to want to accept the mantle of developing their own sales teams, any training is likely to be a tactical ‘one-off’ fix, born out of desperation to ‘hit that target’ rather t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2171/The-Challenge-Of-Sales-Management.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/2171/The-Challenge-Of-Sales-Management.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Top Ten Sales Articles</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[From conception to launch - in less than eight weeks That may not be a world record but it certainly felt like one!

Creating the Top 10 Sales Articles brand, has been a fascinating and hugely rewarding experience that has brought me into contact with a number of people I would probably never have spoken to, were it not for this initiative.

It all began in December 2006, when I produced The Top Article Directory Awards on my blog, with, I have to admit, my tongue very firmly in my cheek. However, that post created considerable interest and received a number of supportive comments. 

Due to a very heavy workload immediately after Christmas, the idea was placed in the Non-Urgent/Pending section of my brain. However, it resurfaced during a casual conversation with an acquaintance in February and, from then on, the thing just gathered momentum.

However, before I committed finance and manpower, I decided to counsel people whose views I respected, and who I hoped would be supportive - Chris Knight of ,i&amp;gt;Ezine Articles, David Bain of BuildYourOwnBusiness, Clayton Shold of Salesopedia, Greg Stewart of The Sales Community, Daphne Slife of The Sales Camp, Marnie Pehrson  of IdeaMarketers etc. Everyone was extremely enthusiastic and so I decided to get cracking.

My own technical team at jfa were seconded, as I needed people I could trust to work quickly, and the outline site design was completed in 48 hours. Then we needed to think about the logistics, this is what we came up with:

The primary objective is to provide a single location, where time strapped business captains, sales professionals and publishers can locate a review of the very best sales articles every week.

For authors, we offer a unique opportunity to showcase their work and benchmark the quality of their writing, against that of their contempories, and have it reviewed by globally recognised sales experts.

How does it work?  Each week we will research and evaluate sales articles submi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1885/The-Top-Ten-Sales-Articles.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1885/The-Top-Ten-Sales-Articles.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What Makes A Good Team?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The organisational structure of a team is important. Who does what, how one job relates to another, the lines of reporting and communication  all affect effectiveness. This is something to continually re-assess. You should, therefore: 

	Make sure that the structure you develop fits the tasks to be done

	Implement any changes on a considered basis

	Explain changes positively (they may be seen with suspicion).

	Keep the organisation under review to ensure you retain a good fit between it and what
it must do (external as well as internal changes or pressures can affect this).

	Fine-tune as necessary with an eye on tasks, individuals and the team as a whole.

Any, even slight incongruities about the way people are organised can easily dilute overall effectiveness. Do not change for changes sake, but do not expect things to remain as they are forever without needing change.

Two Levels of  Self-Sufficiency

If you organise affairs so that people are suitably self-sufficient, it saves time and promotes goodwill. Having responsibility is motivational  people tend to do best those tasks for which they have personal responsibility.

There are two distinct levels of self-sufficiency in how people work:

	Involvement. This can be created in various ways such as: consultation, giving information and making it clear that suggestions are welcome and that experiment and change in how things are done are good. This provides the opportunity to contribute beyond the base job. 

	Empowerment. Empowerment adds the authority to be self-sufficient (making your own decisions) and creates the basis for people to become self-sufficient on an ongoing basis. In sense, empowerment creates a culture of involvement and gives it momentum.

The Power Of Responsibility

Together, involvement and empowerment create an environment in which people can have responsibility for their own actions. But remember:

Responsibility cannot be given  it can only be tak ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1870/What-Makes-A-Good-Team.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1870/What-Makes-A-Good-Team.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>New To Sales Management? Begin With Your People In Mind</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Before you do anything, have the likely expectations of your people in mind. They will tend to define a good manager as one who:

	Is positive and enthusiastic

	Has vision (sees the longer /broader view

	Achieves their own goals

	Is well organised

	Makes good  objective  decisions

	Delegates appropriately

	Provides good  honest  feedback

	Is fair and has no favourites

	Is open-minded and curious 

	Listens (and is available to listen)

	Knows and takes an interest in staff

	Encourages/supports staff development

	Communicates well

	Shows confidence and gives credit

	Keeps people informed

	Acknowledges own mistakes/weaknesses

	Shares experience	

Similarly, people will have firm views on the type of manager they do not want. Those, for example, who:

	Put themselves before their people

	Fail to set clear objectives/priorities

	Dont appear to care about the team (a loner)

	Are secretive (or late informing)

	Procrastinate

	Are unapproachable

	Are not honest, open and fair

	Fail to consider peoples feelings

	Let their personal workload prevent team maintenance

	
This list and the preceding one could easily be extended and will be influenced by factors that are especially important in your job, organisation or function.

Make it your business to discover what is most important to your people.

New Post  New Employer? 

Throughout your planning and progress you need to tailor your approach depending on whether you are moving positions within your current company or moving to a new one.

	Existing employer. Keep in mind that people know you. Your position relative to others will  must  change. You have to create a suitable distance between you and others, and not allow existing relationships (and friendships) to dictate the way things work. At the same time you are (still) part of the team, and how this manifests itself needs consideration. Beware of bei ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1869/New-To-Sales-Management-Begin-With-Your-People-In-Mind.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1869/New-To-Sales-Management-Begin-With-Your-People-In-Mind.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What  Should An Effective Sales Team Appraisal Contain?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I have always worked with the following formula:

Attitude + Skills + Process + Knowledge = Success.

Therefore, when measuring my teams, I always ensure that I benchmark against that criteria: 

A simplified example might look something like this (although I have to admit that my own companies measurement system is much more rigorous):

Personal. 

	Self-organisation &amp;amp; planning

	Motivation and attitude

	Ability to work under pressure

	Team playing and interpersonal skills

	Personal presentation

	Communication (oral/written/listening)

	Flexibility

	Initiative

	Performance vs. objectives

Sales

	Account management

	Business development

	Opportunity assessment -qualification

	Negotiation skills

	Presentation skills

	Strategic work

	Pro-activity

	Forecasting

	Achievement of targets

And for those with supervisory responsibilities you could add:

	Delegating authority

	Decision making

	Motivating - i.e. Creating enthusiasm and confidence

	Appraising and assessing

	Selecting and recruiting

	Coaching and developing

	Creativity

	Planning and allocating resource

	Representing

Next you need to implement a grading or scoring system  I use the following:

E - Poor: Definitely below acceptable standards; performance of job requirements is consistently deficient.

D - Fair: Improvement is needed to meet acceptable standards; performance of job requirements is inconsistent.

C - Average: Meets acceptable standards; performance of job requirements is consistent.

B - Good: Above acceptable standards; performance usually exceeds job requirements.

A - Excellent: Outstanding; unquestionably above acceptable standards; performance consistently exceeds job requirements.

In addition I translate these marks into scores, because that provides me with an overall numerical total which is so much easier to use when making comparisons:

I.e. using the a ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1868/What--Should-An-Effective-Sales-Team-Appraisal-Contain.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1868/What--Should-An-Effective-Sales-Team-Appraisal-Contain.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Conducting Appraisals - The Essential Skills</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[All managers expected to carry out performance appraisal should have some training. Ideally this should not just be on the skills of performance appraisal  the how to do it, but also on the reasons for performance appraisal the why we do it. Managers should understand how it fits into the wider strategic process of performance management and how the information and data generated contributes to understanding of the capacity of the human capital of the organisation to contribution to business strategy and value. 

A basic requirement is that appraisers have the skills to carry out an effective appraisal as described above. This means they ask the right questions, listen actively and provide feedback. 

Asking the right questions: 

The two main issues are to ensure that appraisers ask open and probing questions. 

Open questions are general rather than specific; they enable people to decide how they should be answered and encourage them to talk freely. Examples include:
 
	How do you feel things have been going? 

	How do you see the job developing? 

	How do you feel about that? 

	Tell me, why do you think that happened? 

Probing questions dig deeper for more specific information on what happened or shy. They can should support for the individuals answer and encourage them to provide more information about their feelings and attitudes and they can also be used to reflect back to the individual and check information. Examples would be:

	Thats very interesting. Tell me more about ?
 
	To what extent do you think that ? 

	Have I got the right impression? Do you mean that ?
 
Listening:

Good listeners:
 
	Concentrate on the speakers and are aware of behaviour, body language and nuances that supplement what is being said. 

	Respond quickly when necessary but dont interrupt. 

	Ask relevant questions to clarify meaning.
 
	Comment on points to demonstrate understanding but keep them short and do not inhibit the fl ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1867/Conducting-Appraisals--The-Essential-Skills.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1867/Conducting-Appraisals--The-Essential-Skills.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Psychometric Tests And Professional Salespeople - Unhappy Bedfellows?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I have to tell you that when I was first introduced to psychometrics in 1983, I was somewhat sceptical and that scepticism has remained with me ever since; I will explain why in a moment but first a little background information  this might be the boring bit but do stay with it!

Psychometrics evolved from the need to examine ability. At the end of the 19th century, French psychologist Alfred Binet worked on some of the first tests to measure childrens ability. The US army developed its own tests to help recruit fresh troops for the first world war, the so-called Alpha tests designed to work quickly through the hundreds of thousands of applicants and work out who had the required education and background. More notoriously, the tests went through a period of popularity with eugenicists  something psychologists are still trying to live down  with the invention of IQ and aptitude tests. 

Broadly speaking, there are two types of psychometric tests. The first measures ability  verbal or numerical reasoning, for example. The second measures personality traits such as how a person might behave in a given situation or what motivates them. In the world of work, tests are increasingly tailored to the jobs they are used for. The choice of test is absolutely crucial: In order to decide to use a test, you must first analyse a job in terms of what makes one person more successful at it than another. You must be absolutely clear that what youre measuring is relevant to the job performance

So why my scepticism and why do I believe that psychometric testing and professional salespeople are uncomfortable bedfellows? 

Pick up a typical company report and what words do you find? Verbs like analyse, forecast, plan, assess and schedule, are used by organisations that are efficient, productive and predictable. What set of people are required? Obviously, people who are efficient, effective, proficient, competent, productive and co-operative. These traits we can measure and p ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1844/Psychometric-Tests-And-Professional-Salespeople--Unhappy-Bedfellows.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1844/Psychometric-Tests-And-Professional-Salespeople--Unhappy-Bedfellows.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Negotiation - Understanding Sources Of Power</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[One of the main differences between negotiators is how confident they feel when negotiating. Typically, the more confident we feel, and the better we are prepared, the more successful will be the outcome of our negotiations. 

Personal power comes from many sources. To build up and increase our confidence as negotiators we need to step back and analyse the sources of our personal power and compare them with those of the people with whom we are negotiating. 

Power is not absolute. In most negotiating relationships the power balance moves with time as the negotiation progresses. 

Here are just a few examples of sources of power: 

Information Power: 

Information power comes from having knowledge that will influence the outcome of the negotiation. Planning and research can increase our information power, as can asking the right questions before we reach the bargaining phase of the negotiation. 

Reward Power: 

Reward power comes from having the ability to reward the other party in the negotiation. It could be the power a buyer has to place an order for goods and services or the power a salesperson has to give good service and solve problems 

Coercive Power : 

Coercive power is the power to punish. This is seen most commonly in the buyer-seller relationship, but can be a feature of other types of negotiation. 

Situation Power: 

Situation power is the power that comes from being in the right place at the right time. A customer is desperate to place an order and you are the only source of supply in the short term. Having an effective network and keeping in touch with what is happening can increase your situation power. 

Expertise Power: 

Expertise power comes from having a particular skill which you can apply and which can influence the outcome of the negotiation. Improving negotiation skills helps you win better deals. Other areas of expertise could also help the outcome of the negotiation. 

And Finally - Referent Power: 

Referen ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1843/Negotiation--Understanding-Sources-Of-Power.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1843/Negotiation--Understanding-Sources-Of-Power.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Negotiate With The Four Personality Styles</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[People negotiate differently and behave differently during the negotiation process. 
We can observe different styles of negotiation and how different types of behaviour 
can affect the outcome of negotiations. 

In commercial negotiations, some people negotiate quickly and take risks, others 
take their time and try to avoid risk. Some buyers are very loyal, others will 
automatically shop around. Some negotiators can be quite intimidating to the point 
of being rude; others are quite passive and easily manipulated. 

This makes selling and negotiating a real challenge. To negotiate with all these 
different buyer types we need to be able to adapt our behaviour and be flexible in 
our approach. 

To begin this process we can look at two aspects of buyer behaviour; assertiveness and responsiveness. 

People who are assertive are confident and know what they want. They are not 
afraid to put forward opinions and are willing to listen to the opinions of others. 
They are not afraid of conflict and will be more than happy to argue their case. 

People who are highly assertive can be seen as being aggressive while people who 
lack assertiveness are often passive and get taken advantage of. There are times 
when it is appropriate to be more or less assertive and we need to recognise when 
these times are. 

Responsiveness means the extent to which people are willing to respond to us and 
our questions. Some people are highly responsive and will give lots of information 
about themselves, their problems and needs. Others are unwilling or unable to 
respond in this way and we see these people often as being negative or difficult. 

We are all different and some of us are naturally assertive and some of us are not. 
Salespeople tend to be quite responsive, but sometimes we lack assertion. An 
example of this is during negotiations. 

When customers put us under pressure to reduce prices or give discounts we find it 
difficult and uncomfortab ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1796/How-To-Negotiate-With-The-Four-Personality-Styles.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1796/How-To-Negotiate-With-The-Four-Personality-Styles.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Left Brain, Right Brain Or Something In Between?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I have always known that the very best sales professionals are predominantly right-brained: I also suspected the Finance Directors and Technical Directors were predominantly left-brained  so where does that leave CEOs and Managing Directors? 

My perception was that it would all depend on their background but in fact recent experimentation currently taking place in the USA, which I am following with great interest, suggests that the most successful business leaders are in fact balanced That is to say they have no predominance, so they can think logically and methodically but equally, they can be creative and not be confined by paradigms.

In general the left and right hemispheres of our brains process information in different ways. We tend to process information using our dominant side. However, the learning and thinking process is enhanced when both sides of the brain participate in a balanced manner. This means strengthening your less dominate hemisphere of the brain.
 
Linear Vs. Holistic Processing:
 
The left side of the brain processes information in a linear manner. It processes from part to whole. It takes pieces, lines them up and arranges them in a logical order; then it draws conclusions. The right brain however, processes from whole to parts, holistically. It starts with the answer. It sees the big picture first, not the details. If you are right-brained, you may have difficulty following a presentation unless you are given the big picture first. 

Sequential Vs. Random Processing: 

In addition to thinking in a linear manner, the left brain processes in sequence. The left brained person is a list maker. If you are left brained, you would enjoy making master schedules and daily planning. You complete tasks in order and take pleasure in checking them off when they are accomplished. The left brain is also at work in the linear and sequential processing of maths and in following directions. 

By, contrast, the approach of the right-brained in ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1795/Left-Brain-Right-Brain-Or-Something-In-Between.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1795/Left-Brain-Right-Brain-Or-Something-In-Between.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What Leadership Was And What It Has Become</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Leadership was once about hard skills such as planning, finance and business analysis. When command and control ruled the corporate world, the leaders were heroic rationalists who moved people around like pawns and fought like stags. When they spoke, the company employees jumped.

Now, if the gurus and experts are right, leadership is increasingly concerned with soft skills  teamwork, communication and motivation. The trouble is that for many executives, the soft skills remain the hardest to understand, let alone master. After all, hard skills have traditionally been the ones which enabled you to climb to the top of the corporate ladder. The entire career system in some organisations is based on using hard functional skills to progress, but when executives reach the top of the organisation, many different skills are required. Corporate leaders may find that although they can do the financial analysis and the strategic planning, they are poor at communicating ideas to employees or colleagues, or have little insight into how to motivate people. The modern chief executive requires an array of skills.

Some suggest that we expect too much of leaders. Indeed, renaissance men and women are rare. Leadership in a modern organisation is highly complex and it is increasingly difficult  sometimes impossible  to find all the necessary traits in a single person. Among the most crucial skills is the ability to capture your audience  you will be competing with lots of other people for their attention. Leaders of the future will also have to be emotionally efficient. They will promote variation rather than promoting people in their own likeness. They will encourage experimentation and enable people to learn from failure. They will build and develop people. 

Is it too much to expect of one person? He thinks it probably is: In the future, we will see leadership groups rather than individual leaders. This change in emphasis from individuals towards groups has been charted b ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1790/What-Leadership-Was-And-What-It-Has-Become.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1790/What-Leadership-Was-And-What-It-Has-Become.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What Happens When You Have Too Many Sales Leads?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Few marketers will question the value of sales leads generated by direct mail and other direct response methods. However, a poorly integrated lead generation programme can actually reduce the overall productivity of a salesforce.

This is a true story and only the company name has been changed

The case of Newco &amp;amp; Co. illustrates the phenomenon. Newco manufacture a range of specialist industrial washroom equipment; they offer service contracts to maintain the equipment and supply their wide range of hygiene disposable products.

The market combines extreme competitiveness with a marked lack of glamour; therefore Newco have chosen to dedicate a specialist salesforce to concentrate on opening up new accounts  to be subsequently serviced by their operations division. Their objective with this structure is to obtain the widest national distribution for their equipment (which includes dispensing machines). The bigger the population of their equipment, the more they sell of consumable hygiene products  the major profit opportunity for their business.

The salesforce of 50 specialist equipment consultants and key account executives is divided into eight geographical regions, each managed by an area manager under the control a national sales manager. In the course of many years experience in direct marketing Newco have explored most techniques of combining brand-building with lead generation, to support their salesforce and large distributor network.

Direct mail has long represented a sizeable proportion of their advertising and promotion budget; and they are now confident of their ability to generate leads very cost-effectively. Maintaining a high level of salesforce productivity remains an essential ingredient in staying at the top of the hygiene market.

Nevertheless, about two years ago, Newco began seriously to question the role of sales lead generation in their marketing mix. The basic problem was that they had become too good at generating leads.  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1789/What-Happens-When-You-Have-Too-Many-Sales-Leads.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1789/What-Happens-When-You-Have-Too-Many-Sales-Leads.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>One Of The Secrets Of Successful Leadership Is Engineering Team Spirit</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A very good friend and ex-client of mine runs a highly successful information technology service in the South of England and his private-sector customers include many Times Top 100 companies. We often exchange opinions and I recently asked his views on leadership, because I have always been impressed with his commitment to people development

He believes leadership is all about bringing out the best in the firms 1800 employees. We have a very informal, non-hierarchical structure, he says. The task of our leaders is not simply to issue orders but to act as role models in providing our customers with what they want in terms of teamwork, friendliness, delivery and, in general, supplying a top-class service. Many of those who join the company are former customers. We first of all put them through a programme which helps them to understand what we are trying to do, then a management team shows them how our ideas are put into practice. 

When trying to identify future leaders, he and his management colleagues adopt the premise that anyone possessing sufficient motivation can become a leader. But obviously some are better than others, and the best are likely to end up as managing directors, he says. I believe that leadership is something that can be taught, but thats not a reason for trying to teach everybody everything. We need good team players, and the leaders are those who enable them to give off their best. 

The ultimate test of a leader, he believes, is whether the individual can generate trust in others. We are not one of those companies where self-interest is dominant, he says. He would not comment on the general quality of British management, often portrayed in a negative light in the media. I dont know whether we are ahead of other firms in our thinking, but we are certainly doing something different. I dont know anywhere else where the staff can talk to the boss in the frank and informal way that they do here.

I go around meeting each member of the sta ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1788/One-Of-The-Secrets-Of-Successful-Leadership-Is-Engineering-Team-Spirit.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1788/One-Of-The-Secrets-Of-Successful-Leadership-Is-Engineering-Team-Spirit.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Appraisals - Thoughts About Proper Preparation</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Both parties should prepare for an appraisal meeting beforehand if a successful outcome is to be delivered. The person conducting the meeting or the appraiser should: 

	Consider how well the individual has performed since the last meeting.
 
	Consider to what extent any agreed development plans from the last meeting have been implemented. 

	Think about the feedback to be given at the meeting and the evidence that will be used to support it.
 
	Review the factors that have affected performance both those within and outside the individuals control.
 
	Consider the points for discussion on the possible actions that can be taken by both parties to develop or improve performance.
 
	Consider possible directions the individuals career might take. 

	Consider possible objectives for the next review period. 

The individual or appraisee should consider the following points: 

	What they have achieved during the review period, with examples and evidence.
 
	Any examples of objectives not achieved with explanations. 

	What they most enjoy about the job and how they might want to develop the role.
 
	Any aspect of the work in which improvement is required and how this might be achieved. 

	Their learning and development needs with arguments to support their case for specific training.
 
	What level of support and guidance they require from their manager. 

	Their aspirations for the future both in the current role and in possible future roles. 

	Objectives for the next review period. 

Self-assessment: 

In some instances it may be helpful to guide appraisees through a self-assessment process encouraging them to assess and analyse their own performance as a basis for discussion and action. This can improve the quality of the appraisal discussion because individuals feel actively involved in the process and it encourages them to work through the points above beforehand. This can be particularly useful with more junior staff ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1787/Appraisals--Thoughts-About-Proper-Preparation.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1787/Appraisals--Thoughts-About-Proper-Preparation.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Customer Care - The Huge Gap Between Intention And Reality</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When it comes to looking after our customers, quite often theres a gap, a huge gap between theory and practice. There are books about customer relations; there are videos about customer relations; there are Gurus (mostly self-appointed) about customer relations. None of them actually have to deliver customer relations. That chore is left to what was known in the last two World Wars as the PBI  as in Poor B.y Infantry- the foot soldiers. The front line people, your front line people. So what do they make of it all?

You know about Paretos Law  I discuss it often enough  yes that one, the one that says 80% of the business comes from 20% of the customers? Well, it (almost) applies in this case. More than 80% of front line staff havent yet totally bought into the idea of effective customer relations. The other 20% have discovered a very enriching way of achieving a satisfactory outcome from interactions with customers. In other words, most of the time they succeed! And when they succeed, the customers actually thank them!

This cant be about you  can it?

So whats the problem? The first answer is: the Directors the next answer is the Managers. Nonsense, you say. Im one of those, and I have explained very earnestly why we must all focus on achieving first class relations with customers. Really? Ok then! 

Creating business and profit enhancing relations with customers requires the right environment, ethos, culture and philosophy. You cant achieve it by simply telling other people to do it. You can tell them the technique for turning difficult phone calls around, but if they dont feel like doing it, then they wont. 

If You And Your Whole Organisation Dont Believe In Developing Good Relations With All Of Your Customers  It Wont Happen.

When so much time and money is spent on training people about the need for constructive relations with customers, why is it often so bad? For much the same reason that when so much money has been spent on telling people  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1773/Customer-Care--The-Huge-Gap-Between-Intention-And-Reality.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1773/Customer-Care--The-Huge-Gap-Between-Intention-And-Reality.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Successful Leaders Take Decisive Action To Maintain Standards Of Behaviour</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Successful modern leaders should be supportive of staff, but should also take decisive action to maintain standards of behaviour: The worst leaders are those who fail to support staff. These conclusions came from research by The Industrial Society, carried out among 3000 business people, published in 1999. The survey, Liberating Leadership 1999, identified 38 key competencies for leadership, and exposed some myths about modern leadership, derided by some as too soft and people-centred.

Highest rated among the qualities was the ability to deal effectively with breaches to standards of behaviour. The other main qualities were that the leaders did not take personal credit for other peoples work; listened to their staff; worked on their own learning; and were honest and truthful.

Clearly, the Industrial Society said, those around successful leaders, or the observers in this research, do not have difficulty equating supportive leadership behaviour with decisive action to maintain standards above all; they appear to admire the combination of the two.

The five weakest areas of the less successful leaders were that they failed to be sensitive to peoples feelings; failed to recognise other peoples stress; failed to develop and guide their staff; failed to encourage feedback on their own performance, and failed to consult those affected before making decisions. The top 100 leaders identified in the study were also more critical of their shortcomings and displayed more humility than the bottom 100, who tended to have an inflated sense of their own abilities. The Society reported: What is clear is that the most admired leaders are highly skilled in the modern areas of leadership, but importantly they are also able to set tough standards and achieve results. Observers want leaders to combine ethical and inspirational behaviour with the ability to take tough business decisions.

By identifying the highest competency as dealing effectively with breaches of behaviour  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1772/Successful-Leaders-Take-Decisive-Action-To-Maintain-Standards-Of-Behaviour.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1772/Successful-Leaders-Take-Decisive-Action-To-Maintain-Standards-Of-Behaviour.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Constantly Challenge Paradigms But With The Overall Strategy In Mind</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[One of the key tasks of a sales manager is to continually seek ways to improve the way in which their team operates  constantly challenging paradigms and questioning the way we do things around here, will ensure the team remains at optimum performance levels.

However, it is also important to stay within an overall long term strategy and not effect change for changes sake. Here are some thoughts on moving forward in a structured manner.

First, keep the key management functions in mind:

	Define objectives (your own and others)

	Plan (and time) action

	Communicate (throughout the process)

	Support others action

	Evaluate performance (and link to the future)

	Then relate this to the task, the team and the individual people

Keeping the Overall Management Process in Mind:

Define Objectives:

	Task - Identify task and constraints

	Team - Set targets and Involve team

	Individual Needs - Agree targets and responsibilities

Plan:

	Task - Establish priorities 

	Team - Structure and delegate

	Individual Needs - Assess skills, train and delegate

Communicate:

	Task -  Brief and check understanding

	Team  Consult, obtain feedback

	Individual Needs  Listen, advise and enthuse

Support/Control:

	Task - Monitor progress, check standards 

	Team - Co-ordinate, reconcile conflict

	Individual Needs  Recognise, encourage and counsel

Evaluate:

	Task  Review, re-plan and summarise 

	Team - Reward success, learn from failure (and success)

	Individual Needs - Appraise, guide and train for the future

This view encapsulates, and simplifies, the whole process. 

With this picture in mind certain key issues are worth a mention:

Link to the Future:

Ongoing success as a manager is influenced by:

	The attitude you take to the transition

	What you do before you move into a new appointment

	The early focus you bring to bear on key issues

	The relationship you thus cu ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1771/Constantly-Challenge-Paradigms-But-With-The-Overall-Strategy-In-Mind.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1771/Constantly-Challenge-Paradigms-But-With-The-Overall-Strategy-In-Mind.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Negotiation - Becoming Comfortable Using Movement And Concessions</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Making The First Move: 

Asking questions and listening effectively are important skills both in selling and negotiating. The first phase of negotiation involves both parties agreeing the background to the negotiation and fishing for the opening demand or offer. 

It is often better to present the opening demand or offer in terms of a hypothetical question, as this allows the negotiator to retreat to his initial position if necessary. 

The opening offer will probably be at or just about the level of the negotiators maximum expectation, giving him room to manoeuvre, but not so high that the offer lacks credibility. Do not attempt to win. at this stage, but hold sufficient back so that you are able to move, if necessary, at a later stage. 

This is a difficult period in the negotiation process and a professional negotiator will often use silence or other pressure techniques to solicit information from the other 
party. 

Further Movement and Concessions: 

During negotiations, it can be in the interest of each side to keep asking questions and raising objections. Many excellent negotiators are low reactors who will proceed 
very slowly. However, given that the opening position of each party differs, then there has to be movement and concessions if a deal is to be struck. 

Negotiators will tend, at first, to discuss extra demands, trying to get the other side to agree to these without offering anything in return. They will be reluctant to give 
information or will defer decisions in order to increase the pressure on the other person. 

When an offer does come, it will often be on the basis of a quotation based on the minimum quantity at the lowest possible price. In all this, the negotiator is attempting to dominate the interview, pressing for maximum advantage, and trying to force the other person to concede on a major issue. 

The skilled negotiator will ask the other side for a complete list of all his, or her requirements, and will not conced ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1770/Negotiation--Becoming-Comfortable-Using-Movement-And-Concessions.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1770/Negotiation--Becoming-Comfortable-Using-Movement-And-Concessions.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>New To Sales Management? - How To Quickly Establish Authority</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Sometimes a new Sales Manager has to face awkward, contentious, embarrassing or tough issues. Difficult situations, you may have noticed, dont tend to get easier if delayed or ignored. For the manager, dealing with such problems goes with the territory.

It is one of things people watch for. They wonder:

How will this person react under pressure?

What happens when we stand up to this person or make something awkward? 

The answer is simple  show them.

It may be better if you pick your ground early on, by finding a situation that will demonstrate that you have the clout to succeed in management. Thus:

	Select a suitable circumstance (something youre sure of and which matters)

	Make a stand, be adamant  explain, by all means, but stick to your guns

	Dont back down (pressure to do so at this stage may be in the nature of a test)

	Let the word go round  this persons no soft touch.

Forging Alliances:

All sorts of people, regardless of level and position, can be of help to you  now and ongoing. They may be:

	A source of information and advice

	A link to other people

	A provider of mortal support

	Part of the new mix social contacts you will need in your new role

Make a list, initiate contact as necessary and maintain contact at an appropriate level of frequency and in whatever way suits (e.g.: formal meetings, cups of coffee and e-mails).

Those people who may be of help include your immediate line manager, their manger, mentors, staff and assorted contacts and buddies, as well as those in specifically useful functional roles (e.g. training).

Ensure that the relationships you develop are two-way: you must give as well as take if they are to succeed. Strike a proper balance.

Matters of Discipline:

Discipline is unlikely to come up for a while. However, it is certainly important enough to deserve comment in case the matter does arise.

Never duck or delay matters of staff discipline.

Check the situat ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1769/New-To-Sales-Management--How-To-Quickly-Establish-Authority.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1769/New-To-Sales-Management--How-To-Quickly-Establish-Authority.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Leadership - Let's Talk About Emotional Competence</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Old ways of doing business no longer work: the increasingly intense competitive challenges of the world economy challenge everyone, everywhere, to adapt in order to prosper under new rules. In the old economy, hierarchies pitted labour against management, with workers paid wages depending on their skills, but that is eroding as the rate of change accelerates.

Hierarchies are being replaced by networks; labour and management are uniting into teams; wages are coming in new mixtures of options, incentives and ownership; fixed jobs melt into fluid careers.

As business changes, so do the traits needed to survive, let alone excel. All these transitions put increased value on emotional intelligence. Competitive pressures put a new value on people who are self-motivated, show initiative, have the inner drive for outdoing themselves, and are optimistic enough to take reversals and setbacks in their stride. The ever-pressing need to serve customers and clients well and to work smoothly and creatively with an ever more diverse range of people makes the ability to empathise all the more essential.

At the same time, the meltdown of old hierarchies increases the importance of traditional people skills such as building bonds, influence and collaboration. And that is as true for employers as it is for employees. The task of the leader draws on a wide range of personal skills. Research has shown that emotional competence makes the crucial difference between mediocre leaders and the best. Indeed, emotional competence makes up about two thirds of the ingredients of star performance in general, but for outstanding leaders emotional competencies  as opposed to technical or cognitive cues  make up 80 to 100% of those listed by companies as crucial for success. 

Star performers show significantly greater strengths in a range of emotional competencies, such as the skills of persuasion, team leadership, political awareness, self-confidence, and achievement drive. Empathy, one  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1723/Leadership--Lets-Talk-About-Emotional-Competence.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1723/Leadership--Lets-Talk-About-Emotional-Competence.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Negotiation - Planning For A Successful Outcome</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In any kind of negotiation the planning stage is probably the most important. Too often we go in badly prepared and end up giving concessions that reduce the overall profitability of the final deal. The importance of planning is in having a very clear idea before entering into the negotiation i.e. 

	What are my objectives?

	What does the other side wish to achieve? 

	What information will influence the final outcome of the negotiation? 

	What concessions can I make? 

	How am I going to achieve my objectives?

	What part will other people play in the negotiation? 

Generally, the more time that is spent in planning and preparing for the negotiation,the more beneficial will be the final outcome. 

Objectives: 

Before entering into the negotiation, you need to have a clear idea of your objectives and try to work out those of the other side. Ask yourself the following questions: 

	What exactly do I wish to achieve from this negotiation? 
 
	Which of my objectives: 
- Must I achieve? 
      - Do I intend to achieve? 
      - Would I like to achieve? 

	What options or alternatives would be acceptable to me? 

	What are the other sides. objectives? 

	How does the other side see the negotiation? 

Information: 

It has often been said that information is power. In any negotiation, there will be four types of information that is important to the final outcome. 

	What information do I have that the other side has also? 

	What information do I have that the other side does not have? 

	What information do I need to have before negotiating with the other side?

	What information does the other side need before it can negotiate with me? 

This can be particularly important when negotiating with people who concentrate on price issues. 

	What other things are important to this person?

	What pressures does he have on him to conclude the deal?

	How well is his company doing at the moment? 

	How im ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1722/Negotiation--Planning-For-A-Successful-Outcome.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1722/Negotiation--Planning-For-A-Successful-Outcome.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What A Performance Appraisal Is And What It Is Not</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Performance appraisals are an important part of performance management. In itself an appraisal is not performance management, but it is one of the range of tools that can be used to manage performance. Because it is most usually carried out by line managers rather than HR professionals, it is important that they understand this and how performance appraisal contributes to performance management.

The performance appraisal or review is essentially an opportunity for the individual and those concerned with their performance  most usually their line manager - to get together to engage in a dialogue about the individuals performance, development and the support required from the manager. It should not be a top down process or an opportunity for one person to ask questions and the other to reply. It should be a free flowing conversation in which a range of views are exchanged. 

Performance appraisals usually review past behaviour and so provide an opportunity to reflect on past performance. But to be successful they should also be used as a basis for making development and improvement plans and reaching agreement about what should be done in the future. 

The performance appraisal is often the central pillar of performance management however; it is a common mistake to assume that if organisations implement performance appraisals, they have performance management. This is not the case. Performance management is a holistic process bringing together many activities which collectively contribute to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance.

Performance management is strategic in that it is about broader issues and long term goals and integrated in that it links various aspects of the business, people management, individuals and teams. 

Performance appraisals on the other hand are operational, short to medium term and concerned only with the individual and their performance and development. It ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1721/What-A-Performance-Appraisal-Is-And-What-It-Is-Not.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1721/What-A-Performance-Appraisal-Is-And-What-It-Is-Not.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>New To Sales Management? Assess Your Team Sooner Rather Than Later</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[You need to begin to get the measure of people early on. Beware of thinking you are an expert psychologist, but do:

	Listen to what people say and how they say it

	Read between the lines

	Check immediately anything that is unclear

	Address (or note) any apparent hidden agendas

	Be aware of the informal communications channels as well as the hierarchical ones

	Note any areas requiring further investigation

You need to get to know people, their working methods, strengths and weaknesses. This cannot be done in five minutes; start early and handle it objectively.

Beware of making, and acting on unwarranted,instant assumptions about people.

A First Staff Meeting:

Assemble the team as soon as possible, on the first day if you can. Remember, your meetings speak volumes about the kind of manager you are. Plan to make them really effective, therefore.

	Set the time and date to be as convenient to people as possible (you may need to check this with a new group)

	Organise the administration (place, refreshments, acting to stop interruptions, etc)

	Issue a clear agenda in advance

	Make sure the agenda is worthwhile, fits the time available and is useful for those attending

	Tell people what you expect from them (for instance, if someone is to give you a run down on their section or work, let them plan how to do it from your clear brief)

	Set start and finish times  and try to stick to them (you are setting up habits here so be sure to start on time)

	Give people a say  listen  make notes and be seen to take an interest in their views

	Make any action points clear (whether for the group or for individuals)

	Link to the next meeting (you might set a date)

	Confirm anything necessary in writing

A meeting should motivate. People will wonder how your presence and style will affect them. Show them your impact will be beneficial. Spell out how.

The agenda for the first meeting will depend on your prec ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1720/New-To-Sales-Management-Assess-Your-Team-Sooner-Rather-Than-Later.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1720/New-To-Sales-Management-Assess-Your-Team-Sooner-Rather-Than-Later.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Use A Pareto Analysis</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Pareto Analysis is a very simple technique that helps you to choose the most effective changes to make.
 
It uses the Pareto Principle - the idea that by doing 20% of work you can generate 80% of the advantage of doing the entire job*. Pareto analysis is a formal technique for finding the changes that will give the biggest benefits. It is useful where many possible courses of action are competing for your attention.
 
How to use the tool:

To start using the tool, write out a list of the changes you could make. If you have a long list, group it into related changes.

Then score the items or groups. The scoring method you use depends on the sort of problem you are trying to solve. For example, if you are trying to improve profitability, you would score options on the basis of the profit each group might generate. If you are trying to improve customer satisfaction, you might score on the basis of the number of complaints eliminated by each change.
 
The first change to tackle is the one that has the highest score. This one will give you the biggest benefit if you solve it.
 
The options with the lowest scores will probably not even be worth bothering with - solving these problems may cost you more than the solutions are worth.
 
Example:

A manager has taken over a failing service center. He commissions research to find out why customers think that service is poor.
 
He gets the following comments back from the customers:

	Phones are only answered after many rings. 

	Staff seem distracted and under pressure.
 
	Engineers do not appear to be well organised. They need second visits to bring extra parts. This means that customers have to take another day off work to be there a second time. 

	They do not know what time they will arrive. This means that customers may have to be in all day for an engineer to visit. 

	Staff members do not always seem to know what they are doing.
 
Sometimes when staff members arrive, the customer finds  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/57/1719/How-To-Use-A-Pareto-Analysis.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/57/1719/How-To-Use-A-Pareto-Analysis.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Short Sighted Leaders Are Being Left Behind</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Traditionally, one of our largest clients ran its business from manuals. Staff who wanted to know how something should be done would be directed by a senior manager to look in staff manual 108 for the answer. It was not a motivational style of management, and had become unsuitable for fast-changing modern business conditions.

So eight years ago, based on our recommendations they created what they called The ultimate service provision by merging all the information technology (IT) and back-office functions. Management broke with old habits and traditional training, and decided to improve the leadership skills of the senior managers through coaching. 

The outcome has been a resounding success, producing far better results than conventional development training. The evident superiority of coaching explains why more companies are taking the same route and making it a priority.

The Growth Of Personal Coaching:

We believe that coachings rapid growth will continue. Forward thinking organisations are looking for alternative ways to lead and organise staff. The business world has experienced more upheaval in the past ten years than in the previous fifty: Its no accident that this period of unprecedented change has witnessed a boom in executive coaching. 

At the moment one of my senior consultants is coaching a top executive who insists on becoming involved in every detail of the business, causing frustration amongst his junior executives. If hes not in a meeting, he feels hes not working, I was told. Time management and delegation courses had done nothing to cure his faults, which leave him no time for the sort of reflective thinking expected of a senior manager. Coaching, particularly by making him study his own diary and cutting down on the congestion in it, is already having an impact.

The signs are that the boom will continue. A recent survey that I read, which polled H. R. professionals from Europe, America, Australia and Asia found that 88% of the res ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1705/Short-Sighted-Leaders-Are-Being-Left-Behind.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1705/Short-Sighted-Leaders-Are-Being-Left-Behind.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Understanding The Two Most Common Styles Of Negotiation</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Our style of negotiation will be influenced by the style of the other party. If both sides are adversarial; there will be little trust between the two parties, however, if one side decides to be co-operative, there is a danger the other side will use this apparent sign of weakness to their advantage. 

Co-operative bargaining has the advantage of being a more efficient style of negotiation, however certain rules have to be followed by both parties for it to work. 

Let us look at the two styles of bargaining and their features: 

Features Of Adversarial Bargaining: 

	Each side takes up a position and defends it.

	Opening bids are set at unrealistic levels; too high or too low, in order to give room for manoeuvre.

	Movement is small or non-existent until later on in the negotiation.

	Tactics are used to gain short term advantage.

	Too much emphasis is placed on trust. .This really is my best price!

	Information is withheld, or misrepresented.

	The outcome is often win-lose, or lose-lose.

	The more aggressive negotiator usually does best.

	This style does not encourage long term, mutually beneficial relationships.

	Neither side asks enough questions, or explores alternatives in sufficient depth. 

Features Of Co-Operative Bargaining: 

	Each side recognises that the other has needs and feelings and accepts implicit rules.

	Objective measures are taken of what is fair and reasonable.

	Trust is not an issue as either side is willing to share information.

	This style is friendly, but not soft. There is a willingness to trade concessions.

	There is a clear, communicable strategy.

	Bad behaviour is punished.

	This style involves creative problem solving.

	It encourages long term, mutually profitable relationships.

	Each side asks more questions and explores alternatives, rather than taking up fixed positions.

	The usual outcome is win-win. 
 

Copyright © 2007 Jonathan Farrington. Al ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1704/Understanding-The-Two-Most-Common-Styles-Of-Negotiation.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1704/Understanding-The-Two-Most-Common-Styles-Of-Negotiation.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Importance Of Working Together With Your Team</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The principle of working together with your team should underpin how you operate. Managing people doesnt just mean acting as overseer, to see that they get their work done satisfactorily. It means involving people throughout the team in a creative role, to ensure that together you are all able to succeed. 

Involving people on broad issues is motivational. Never underestimate people. Their views can enhance everything: methods, standards, processes and overall effectiveness.

Remember, managers are not paid to have all the ideas that are necessary to keep their section working well in a changing world, but they are paid to make sure that there are enough ideas to make things work and go on working. 

Use your people and make it clear to them that you want and value their contributions.

Underpinning Success:

Some matters are of particular importance to the way a manger and staff work together. This is not the place to review the whole management process, but the following four areas are key and must be addressed correctly early on if results are to follow. 

They are:

	Setting goals

	Project management

	Ongoing development

	Job performance appraisal

A quick look at each of these in turn

Setting Goals:

If you dont know where you are going any road will do

For all its familiarity and common sense this maxim is worth reiterating. No one and no organisation works well without clear objectives. The responsibility for setting many of them may well be yours.

Objectives will only be clear if they are SMART:

Specific	so that they are clearly understood and no misunderstanding is possible.

Measurable	so that everyone knows whether they have hit them, or not.

Achievable	because if they are simply pie in the sky they will be ignored and you, and any future process of objective setting, will lose credibility.
 
Realistic	in the sense that they must logically fit within the broad picture and be a desirable way of proceeding. ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1702/The-Importance-Of-Working-Together-With-Your-Team.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1702/The-Importance-Of-Working-Together-With-Your-Team.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Deal Effectively With Poor Performance</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Poor performance is an issue that faces any manager from time to time. You can deal with it in several ways:

	Put up with it (not to be recommended)

	Re-brief or  train to allow performance to improve.

	Re-assign the person to another task that they can do.

	Terminate employment.

These options are linked. For example, you should only fire an under-performer having first explored the options of training or re-assignment. If having taken up these options there is no improvement, then more drastic action may be necessary and justified.

Do not put off taking action because you worry about the reaction of others. Provided action is justified it will almost certainly be approved.

Most team members hate passengers and are conscious that they and their colleagues have to make up the difference.

A Major Principle,:

There is one maxim that, while it may initially seem somewhat obtuse, should be a guiding principle for every manager  and one to take on board early on. It is simply stated:

As a manager you cannot have the power and the credit.

This means that you have to think in terms of the team. If you want to get things done  then you have to give other people the credit for what they do. Never:

	Pass of their ideas as yours (even when you contributed to their origination)

	Talk about what I have done, when you mean what we or, better still, they or you have done

	Fail to give credit, within the group and beyond

You depend on your people. Do not seek credit for what they do; they will, rightly, resent it. And that will adversely affect their performance. If you want credit, it must come from what you do to make your people effective

Who Is In Charge?

The answer is clear  you are. The hierarchy means something and you should never apologise for it. Supervision works best when it is not overt but, ultimately, there must be supervision. This means:

	Making it clear when, where, how and on what issues your approva ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1701/How-To-Deal-Effectively-With-Poor-Performance.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1701/How-To-Deal-Effectively-With-Poor-Performance.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Some Thoughts About Leadership And Greatness</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Shakespeare was good about leadership, as about most other things. The spoof letter which caused poor Malvolio to make such a fool of himself contains words that say a lot about the subject. Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Greatness and leadership are so closely akin that the words give us a useful point of departure.

Born great has two possible meanings: either being born to a great position, such as that of an hereditary monarch, or possessing natural talents and/or virtues of an exceptional kind. Clearly not everyone born to a great position is worthy of it, and relatively few have the qualities of a great leader. But the greatness of certain offices can rub off on their occupants, who may not otherwise have qualities out of the ordinary.

Some appear to have the gift of leadership, but are found to lack it when tested. Tacitus wrote of an early Roman emperor that he would have been thought capable of ruling if only he hadnt actually been called upon to rule (capax imperii nisi imperasset). Others are recognised as born leaders and exercise effective leadership up to a certain level, but prove disastrous failures beyond that level. It is very hard to judge the point beyond which a person will be overpromoted. 

Some achieve greatness denotes, above all, those whose greatness is self-made. But all of the really great leaders must be regarded as achievers, whatever their advantages of birth and training. Alexander the Great was born to kingship and inherited a strong army. With Aristotle as his tutor, he was perhaps the most privileged person, educationally, that there has ever been. Nevertheless, what he achieved in his short life was beyond anything that could remotely have been expected of him.

Much the same is true of Julius Caesar. He was a young Roman aristocrat whose career began as a demagogic politician, but who turned out to be a military commander of genius. The trajectory of his career ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1677/Some-Thoughts-About-Leadership-And-Greatness.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1677/Some-Thoughts-About-Leadership-And-Greatness.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Nature Of Successful Leadership</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[People have been debating the nature of leadership for as long as records have been kept  certainly as far back as Homer and his peers. The topic continues to fascinate and enthral us today, but the way in which we assess leadership roles is changing.

Where once we looked to military and political leaders for inspiration and insight, now it is increasingly business leaders who hold our attention and provide role models.

Ask someone to name a leader whom they have admired and they are just as likely to name Richard Branson as Tony Blair, Anita Roddick as Margaret Thatcher. This focus is reflected in the growing number of books and articles about business and the main players.

Most writing on good management and what it takes to get to the top focus on leadership. It is regarded as one of the most important areas of personal development. This also explains the growing interest in leadership courses.

Defining just what makes a leader effective, however, remains as difficult today as it ever was. But that does not prevent us from seeking to distil their secrets  quite the reverse. 

Of course, there must be almost as many theories on leadership as there are leaders themselves and models for the best kind of leadership change with the times.

In the 15th century, Niccolo Machiavelli advocated a combination of cunning and intimidation as a way to more effective leadership. His philosophy, if not his practices, became unfashionable some time ago.

Great Man theories, popular in the 19th century and early this century, are based on the notion of the born leader who has innate talents that cannot be taught. An alternative approach that is still in vogue is based on trying to identify the key traits of effective leaders. Behaviourist theory prefers to see leadership in terms of what leaders do rather than their individual characteristics, and it tries to identify the different roles they fulfil. More recently, attention has moved away from the individual  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1676/The-Nature-Of-Successful-Leadership.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1676/The-Nature-Of-Successful-Leadership.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Four Component Parts Of Successful Selling  - Part One </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I first began to recognise the need to be able to benchmark sales performance more objectively and more rigorously over twenty five years ago: The motivation to do this was strong because I knew I was wasting thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of pounds on sales skills training programmes which were not providing me with a proper return on my considerable investment. But I needed to prove my theory because without an accurate analysis of my requirements, I would continue to abdicate that responsibility to the training providers, most of whom had only their own interests at heart.

So with this quote from Drucker, The most effective way to manage change is to create it firmly in my mind, I set about my task, a task that became a journey, which began in 1981 and is still ongoing.

By taking an analytical approach, I arrived at the following equation:
 
Attitude + Skills + Process + Knowledge = Success.
	 
My initial reasoning was this: Attitude is fundamental to any achievement because individuals with the right Attitude are far more likely to embrace the essential Skills, recognise the control that Process brings and have the desire to continually expand their Knowledge. 

Skills are the tools of the trade and have to be developed on an ongoing basis. They also need to be specific, because too much time can be wasted over-burdening employees with inappropriate and irrelevant skills without any identifiable plan for their future requirements.

Process brings organisation, efficiency and control, both for the individual and for management. Effective process provides objective analysis and indicators which can be benchmarked and accurately measured.

Then there is of course a need to build in Knowledge and that must include knowledge of products, industry, market sectors, competitors, business, own company and last but not least, self!

Attitude:

Lets then begin by looking at Attitude: I was fortunate enough to have discovered the Hertzberg Theo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1675/The-Four-Component-Parts-Of-Successful-Selling---Part-One.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1675/The-Four-Component-Parts-Of-Successful-Selling---Part-One.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Four Component Parts Of Successful Selling  - Part Two </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Continued From:&amp;quot;The Four Component Parts Of Successful Selling -Part One 

I then turned my attention to Skills: I discovered that to begin with, the one off programme was supplying a short term motivational buzz and provided my team with a number of thought provoking ideas. However, in reality, once they were back at the front-line the day to day pressures of hitting quota etc took over again and the reactive mindset returned.

Then and it is probably still true today, most - I would estimate at least 80% - training organisations, were making the assumption that all delegates were at the same level in terms of experience, expertise and had the same commercial bandwidth. This was of course, totally unrealistic.

Whilst it is never possible to equate age and experience with success, the reality is that although some professional salespeople do have ten years experience, most have one years experience ten times! 

The very best salespeople  the ones that consistently exceed expectation - have usually received ongoing skills development from the emerging stage all the way through advanced right up to consultative level if appropriate, but the keyword is ongoing

Finally, and this is the most significant and blatant error of judgment most Sales Directors make, I know I did, is that every member of the team receives the same training, i.e. they are all dispatched off to the same course regardless of whether or not they already have those skills or if indeed they need to have them in their current role.

The point here is that there is far too little planning, assessing and objective setting; as I said earlier, it is much easier to delegate that responsibility to the training company. The downside to this approach is of course, so much money is wasted.  

I quickly realised that the first step for any company deciding to make a change in their sales approach was to accept that training must be based on what the salespeople need and should be tailored t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1674/The-Four-Component-Parts-Of-Successful-Selling---Part-Two.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1674/The-Four-Component-Parts-Of-Successful-Selling---Part-Two.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Ten Easiest Ways To Lose Your Customers</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Most of us are involved in some form of business acquisition for our respective companies. We all know that winning business often requires a significant investment in time, resources and energy and that the thrill of the chase is an exciting one. Isnt it a shame that sometimes the customer, who you worked so hard to win, cancels the order during the initial stages because someone somewhere has let them down.

The sequence of events is often typical  an important meeting of department heads is set up to find out who the culprit was and why, but its too late  all you can do is learn from the mistakes  or at least thats the logical outcome.

In this article, I want to cover issues which your company faces in retaining customers and look at:

	The value of customer service

	Moments of truth

	Recruiting, training and motivating customer service staff

	10 ways to lose customers

The Value of Service:

Looking around its easy to see how many companies have developed customer service strategies using the telephone. Take for example some of the fast food establishments who actively promote 0800 care lines, or the soft drinks cans with care line numbers on the packaging and the cleaning product companies with care lines. Care lines are increasing at a rapid pace in some industries.

So what is the value of good customer service? It increases spend, loyalty, reduces cost, promotes your company through positive word of mouth, differentiates you from your competition and can help you charge premium prices for your products and services.

We all want to deliver good customer service and want our customers to go out and recommend us to their friends, family and colleagues, yet finding the most efficient and cost effective way of doing this can be difficult. The telephone can play an important part in developing a comprehensive customer service strategy and should be looked at not just for the obvious applications of inbound care lines but for proact ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1673/The-Ten-Easiest-Ways-To-Lose-Your-Customers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1673/The-Ten-Easiest-Ways-To-Lose-Your-Customers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Moving The Focus Away From Leaders And On To The Followers</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Some researchers prefer to move the focus away from the leader and to examine instead what makes others prepared to follow these individuals. In 1988 an important article published in the Harvard Business Review, entitled In Praise of Followers, began to shift attention away from the machismo of leadership to the less glamorous side of the same equation: the role of followership.

What the advocates of followership recognised was that to become an effective leader, most people first had to learn how to be good followers. With few exceptions, this is as true of the corporate world as it is of military and political leaders. Aristotle noted: He who has never learnt to obey cannot be a good commander.

More than ever today, business executives have to operate as both leader and follower in the daily rounds of their job. Those who study leadership begin to take more interest in the psychological contract between leader and followers. In other words, they began to ask what makes people prepared to follow one leader and unwilling to follow another.

These ideas are now changing both the way we think about leadership and the style of our leaders. This is in tune with other social and organisational developments, including the move to more participative management and the rise of industrial democracy.

Other new ideas are also gaining ground. For example, only now is the notion of emotional intelligence becoming widely understood. For the leaders of the future, it is likely to be as important as a high IQ.

In his ground-breaking 1996 book, Emotional Intelligence, the American psychologist Daniel Goleman explored the issue of personal and professional effectiveness. He argued that in a business world too often obsessed by cold analysis, the emotional climate is more important to the success of a leader than previously recognised. At senior levels, emotional intelligence rather than rational intelligence marks out the true leader: The qualities of leadership a ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1644/Moving-The-Focus-Away-From-Leaders-And-On-To-The-Followers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1644/Moving-The-Focus-Away-From-Leaders-And-On-To-The-Followers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Successful Managers Focus On The Present But With One Eye On The Future</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[My interest in the future is because I am going to spend the rest of my life there
Charles Kettering

All action that you take must be predicated on the necessity not only to create an effective management relationship, but also to maintain it.

Thus,you need to consider alongside each other: 

	The short-term. What will be the immediate impact of this? How will people respond? How will if affect the growing view people have of me as a manager? And will it do the job, get done whatever needs to be done and get it done effectively?

	The long-term. Does this set an unfortunate precedent? Is this an approach that makes sense long-term? Even if this causes upset now, will the logic of it be clear later or will it be promptly forgotten?

While matters of immediate urgency are, in a sense, a priority, always keep the long-term in mind.

Multiple Objectives:

Your job is to get things done  to achieve your objectives. Doing this demands that you win, and keep, the goodwill and support of your team. Therefore, get into the habit of considering:

	The effectiveness of your actions/decisions. Will they achieve the job that needs to be done?

	The way your actions/decisions will be perceived. How will other people react?

Sometimes the response is positive. People approve the decision and applaud you for the line you have taken. In this case you may want to maximise this effect. Sometimes you may feel that the response will be negative, in which case you may need to:

	Reconsider and select another way forward

	Take action, but explain why a particular approach is necessary

	Compensate for the negative reaction. Perhaps you need to do something: you explain it but know it will still rankle, so you find an opportunity to balance it in some way, making it clear that it was exceptional

Nothing Is Forever:

The environment in which you work is, no doubt, dynamic. Change is the order of the day. We may not know exactly what is coming but,  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1643/Successful-Managers-Focus-On-The-Present-But-With-One-Eye-On-The-Future.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1643/Successful-Managers-Focus-On-The-Present-But-With-One-Eye-On-The-Future.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Negotiation - Tactics, Tricks And Threats</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Most successful negotiators recognise that the way people involved in negotiations behave does not always reflect their true feelings or intentions. We are going to look 
at negotiating tactics that may be used by you or on you. Whether or not you choose to use these tactics, it is vital to understand: 

 Tactics work
 
 They can be being used on you, and can be used by you
 
 Once they are recognised as tactics, their effects are reduced, or eliminated 

You may feel that there is no need in your particular case to negotiate or resort to .tactics. in negotiation. This is a matter of personal choice. 

In general, tactics are used to gain a short-term advantage during the negotiation and are designed to lower your expectations of reaching a successful conclusion. 

There are many tactics available to negotiators. Here are some you may recognise. 

Pre-Conditioning:

This can begin before you even get together, or start your negotiations with the other party. Let us take a sales example: 

You telephone for the appointment and the other side says, aggressively:
 
Dont bother coming if you are going to tell me about price increases. Youll be wasting your time and I will be forced to speak to your competitors. 

When you do arrive you are kept waiting in reception for half an hour, without being told why. As you walk through the door into the other persons office they indicate for you to sit down, but they dont look up. Instead, they sit leafing through your competitors brochure, in silence, ignoring your efforts to make conversation. 

You are given an uncomfortable low chair to sit in that happens to be directly in line with the sun shining into the office. At this stage, how confident do you feel? 

The Monkey On The Back: 

Some negotiators have the irritating habit of handing their problems to you so that they become your problems. This is the monkey on their back that they want you to 
carry around for them. 

A classic example  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1642/Negotiation--Tactics-Tricks-And-Threats.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1642/Negotiation--Tactics-Tricks-And-Threats.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Management - Thoughts About Structure, Responsibilty And Self-Sufficiency</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The organisational structure of a team is important. Who does what, how one job relates to another, the lines of reporting and communication  all affect effectiveness. This is something to continually re-assess. You should, therefore: 

	Make sure that the structure you develop fits the tasks to be done.

	Implement any changes on a considered basis.

	Explain changes positively (they may be seen with suspicion).

	Keep the organisation under review to ensure you retain a good fit between it and what it must do (external as well as internal changes or pressures can affect this).

	Fine-tune as necessary with an eye on tasks, individuals and the team as a whole.

Any, even slight, incongruities about the way people are organised can easily dilute overall effectiveness. Do not change for changes sake, but do not expect things to remain as they are forever without needing change.

Two Levels Of Self-Sufficiency

If you organise affairs so that people are suitably self-sufficient it saves time and promotes goodwill. Having responsibility is motivational  people tend to do best those tasks for which they have personal responsibility.

There are two distinct levels of self-sufficiency in how people work:

	Involvement. This can be created in various ways such as: consultation, giving information and making it clear that suggestions are welcome and that experiment and change in how things are done are good. This provides the opportunity to contribute beyond the base job. 

	Empowerment. Empowerment adds the authority to be self-sufficient (making your own decisions) and creates the basis for people to become self-sufficient on an ongoing basis. In sense, empowerment creates a culture of involvement and gives it momentum

The Power Of Responsibility

Together, involvement and empowerment create an environment in which people can have responsibility for their own actions. But remember:

Responsibility cannot be given  it can only be take ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1641/Management--Thoughts-About-Structure-Responsibilty-And-SelfSufficiency.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1641/Management--Thoughts-About-Structure-Responsibilty-And-SelfSufficiency.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Pro-Activity, Reactivity And Vilfredo Pareto</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. In the late 1940s, Dr. Joseph M. Juran inaccurately attributed the 80/20 Rule to Pareto, calling it Pareto's Principle. While it may be misnamed, Pareto's Principle or Pareto's Law as it is sometimes called, can be a very effective tool to help us manage efficiently but it can also be applied to virtually every facet of our lives 

The value of the Pareto Principle for a manager is that it reminds us to focus on the 20 percent that matters. Those 20 percent produce 80 percent of our results, so we should identify and focus on those things. When our time robbers begin to sap our time, we need to remind ourselves of the 20 percent we need to focus on. If something in the schedule has to slip, if something isn't going to get done, we have to make sure it's not part of that 20 percent. 

A New Management Theory:

There is a management theory that proposes to interpret Pareto's Principle in such a way as to produce what is called &amp;quot;Top Gun Management&amp;quot;. Those advocating this theory suggest that since 20 percent of our people produce 80 percent of our results we should focus our limited time on managing only that 20 percent, the so-called superstars. In my opinion the theory is seriously flawed, because it overlooks the fact that 80 percent of our time should be spent doing what is really important and that includes developing all of our people. Helping the good to become better is much more important than helping the great become terrific. 

When we work to develop our subordinates, we should be concentrating on converting what I term, the reactive mindset because we can certainly apply Paretos Principle to reactive versus pro-active. Or, to describe these two mindsets in a different way: The running towards mindset and the running away minds ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/1604/ProActivity-Reactivity-And-Vilfredo-Pareto.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/1604/ProActivity-Reactivity-And-Vilfredo-Pareto.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Negotiation - Dealing With Price And The Closing Stages</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Overcoming the Price Objection:

Price is an issue in most negotiations. We need to deal with the price issue confidently, but with an understanding of the needs of the other side. Here are some notes to help you: 

 Be specific. State the exact price rather than ....well, it will be about £5,000. 

 Maintain eye contact. It makes you look confident. 

 Ensure the tone of your voice is confident and your body language is also confident and relaxed. 

 Use silence. Once you have stated your price, stop talking and wait for the other side to speak. Give them time to think.
 
 Deal with price objections and defend your price, but dont over argue your case. 

 Close down your body language. 

 Focus on price and benefit differences. 

 Begin the bargaining phase. 

The Closing Stages:

The closing stages of any negotiation are vital to the overall success of the final deal. There will come a time when both parties can sense an outcome is possible, and 
each negotiator needs to be careful not to be too eager to close or else the other party will be tempted to hold back for further concessions. 

Once a likely outcome is seen, either party may define outstanding issues, compare arguments and objections, review the position to date and agree a deadline for agreement. If one side avoids making these decisions, the other must probe to find out the reason and deal with it effectively. 

Negotiators must be careful at this stage to identify tactical delays which deliberately attempt to force further concessions. 

The best solution to aim for always, is one where both parties feel they have done well despite having to concede on certain issues. This is called a win-win solution. 
Once either side feels they have arrived at the final deal, it is important to signal this to the other party. 

Body language can say as much about what you are thinking as speech. If you have made your final offer, look as if it is your final offer. Simply ga ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1603/Negotiation--Dealing-With-Price-And-The-Closing-Stages.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1603/Negotiation--Dealing-With-Price-And-The-Closing-Stages.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Structure A Negotiation</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[People who are successful negotiators, always have a well thought out strategy before entering into the negotiation, are well prepared, self confident and structure the negotiation, so that they remain in control of the negotiating process. 

The recommended structure for negotiations is: 

 Establish the issues being negotiated 
 Gather information 
 Build a solution 

Stage 1. Establish The Issues 

Begin by agreeing an agenda for the negotiation i.e.
 
	What needs to be discussed and agreed?
	Who will be involved and what will be their role?
	What timescales are we working towards? 
	What are the major issues that need to be agreed? 

Many negotiators make the mistake of negotiating too quickly whereas skilled negotiators spend 20% more of their time asking questions and looking 
for alternatives.
 
Do be aware that professional buyers will want to gain your commitment on issues, such as: price, early on in the negotiation but you should never commit yourself to anything until you have established everything that is being negotiated.
 
Seasoned negotiators will often bring up an issue at the end of the negotiation, when you are vulnerable and likely to agree to a one sided (Lose-Win) concession, in order to conclude the deal. You can legislate for this ploy by asking the other side for their . shopping list  before beginning the negotiation and refuse to accept any last minute additions to the list. 

Issues will include things like price, delivery schedule, payment terms, packaging, quality of product, length of contract etc. At this stage issues are kept general and no concessions are made or agreements reached 

Stage 2. Gather Information 

This is a vital part of the negotiation and you need to remember that there are four kinds of information 

	Information you have that you are willing to give to the other side 
	Information you have that you are unwilling to give to the other side 
	Information the other side has  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1602/How-To-Structure-A-Negotiation.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1602/How-To-Structure-A-Negotiation.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Sales Managers Need To Be Adept Jugglers And Trained Diplomats</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As a manager you have a juggling act to perform, one which balances different points of view, and often requires considerable diplomacy. 

Classically these are the viewpoints of: 

	Yourself

	The organisation

	Your department (or division, section)

	Your people

	External contacts (e.g. customers or suppliers)

Sometimes (regularly?) conflicts arise: something is right for the department and the people, but not for either the organisation or you. On occasions you will find yourself disagreeing with a company policy but having to support it even though you know that your people see it as wrong and personally inconvenient.

How you handle this balancing act is important, and it may be necessary to explain the reasons behind your actions. It is an area for some consistency.

You need to keep certain factors in mind when balancing the interests of different parties:

First and foremost your responsibility is to the organisation and to achieving the targets set for you

You can only do this with the support of your people, so in the long-term you must carry them with you (some disagreement may be seen as inevitable)

You have a responsibility upwards and downwards within the organisation (perhaps one answer is to support a policy, insisting that your people comply, while communicating upwards in an attempt to have it changed if it can be bettered)

You must never be seen as selfish, simply acting to make your own lot better (this will, rightly, always be resented)

You must sometimes be seen to fight your corner on behalf of your section and its people (this will be appreciated, more so if what you take issue with is a nonsense and, especially, if you win!) 

Continually Seek To Demonstrate Your Skills At Balancing Different Interests:

As well as making clear your position in respect of the organisation and the other players you need to consider  and make clear  the relationship between you and your own staff.
You must always  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1601/Sales-Managers-Need-To-Be-Adept-Jugglers-And-Trained-Diplomats.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1601/Sales-Managers-Need-To-Be-Adept-Jugglers-And-Trained-Diplomats.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Role Of Communication Within Management</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In my mailbox this week was a message from a young guy in Australia who has just taken his first step up into management: His question was quite simply  What is the most important management trait I should consider developing first?

Very interesting question, because there are several essential traits that need to be developed as early as possible, but choosing just one - the most important, was a no-brainer for me and this is an extract of my response to him.

Nothing puts you in the bad manager category more swiftly than poor communications skills. 

Staff view an inadequate communicator as someone who is unclear, ambiguous, says too little, speaks up too late, or not at all (keeps secrets unnecessarily) and most importantly, someone who doesnt relate to their viewpoint.

Managers should resolve to communicate:

	Using appropriate methods (memo or meeting, e-mail or notice-board)

	From the right perspective (talk about we not I and put things personally  You will find rather than This is the case)

	Using good communication principles (keep it simple, make it clear, be precise and succinct)

	Explaining both the what and the why of things.

Communication is one of the most important aspects of a managers role and if you feel you need to bone up on it, do so. Ignoring failings or uncertainties risks disaster.

Your early communications will be looked at or listened to carefully. Lines will be read between and inferences about you and the way you do things will be drawn  for good or ill. Take care!

While thinking about communication, make one firm rule for yourself:

Always be courteous to your staff.

The old adage that politeness costs nothing is true. Any temptation that staff may provide to descend into insults or even to be offhand may cause problems and will certainly not engender respect. This applies whatever the provocation  and, believe me, sooner or later if you manage people there will be some!

So, keep cool, count ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1579/The-Role-Of-Communication-Within-Management.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1579/The-Role-Of-Communication-Within-Management.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Transactional Analysis And It's Effect On Our Customer Interactions</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Much of our communication is unconscious. We dont actively decide what quantity of eye contact we should use or consider the impact of our words on other people and the consequences.

When you watch someones facial expression change or sense a shift in mood it becomes obvious that there has been a deep reaction to the communication stimuli.

The study of such responses is called Transactional Analysis, developed by Dr. Eric Berne, an American psychiatrist in the 1950s.

Transactional Analysis:

	Is an analytical thinking process

	Provides insight

	Gives control over actions and reactions

Knowing the basics about Transactional Analysis will give you a better understanding of why people communicate in a certain way. For example, why they feel the need to be aggressive or manipulative to get their point across when they are unhappy about something.

A child who has had to shout to make his parents listen to him will often take this communication pattern into adult life. He will shout at you because he is conditioned to think you wont listen either.

It will also help you choose a more appropriate style of communication with which to respond.

Ego States:

Berne became aware that within each individual there exists three personalities or ego states which have their own ways of communicating and behaving. He also discovered that we shift from one state to another subconsciously. These states are not roles but psychological realities which are activated by feelings.

He identified them as Parent, Adult and Child ego states. This is why transactional Analysis is sometimes called PAC communication.

These personalities develop in the first few years of life and will be shaped according to background, experiences and upbringing.

Parent
Imagine a tape recorder being switched on at birth and all thoughts, feelings, events and behaviours recorded in an unedited version.

The Parent ego state develops by recording all the rules and laws o ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1578/Transactional-Analysis-And-Its-Effect-On-Our-Customer-Interactions.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1578/Transactional-Analysis-And-Its-Effect-On-Our-Customer-Interactions.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Get The Best Out Of Your Team</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In terms of achieving and sustaining optimum performance levels within your team it is vital to recognise from the outset that effectiveness depends on  the interaction of the following three factors;

	Task

	Team maintenance

	Individual Needs

In my view you must:

	Ensure, continuous task achievement

	Meet the needs of the group

	Meet the needs of individual group members

The balance must always be kept in mind (though some compromise may be necessary)

Your own best contribution to getting things done is ideally approached systematically. You must:

	Be clear exactly what the tasks are

	Understand how they relate to the objectives of the organisation (short  and long-term)

	Plan how they can be accomplished

	Define and provide the resources needed for accomplishment

	Create a structure and organisation of people that facilitates effective action

	Control progress as necessary during task completion

	Evaluate results, compare with objectives and fine-tune action and method for the future

The following three-checklists relate back to our original three factors and highlight the thinking that is necessary here

Checklist 1: Achieving The Task

Ask yourself:

	Am I clear about my own responsibilities and authority?

	Am I clear about the departments agreed objectives?

	Have I a plan to achieve these objectives?

	Are jobs best structured to achieve what is required?

	Are working conditions/resources suited?

	Does everyone know their agreed targets/standards?

	Are the group competencies as they should be?

	Are we focused on priorities?

	Are those areas in which Im personally involved well organised?

	Do I have the information necessary to monitor progress?

	Is management continually assured in my absence?

	Am I seeing ahead and seeing the broad picture?

	Do I set a suitable example?

Checklist 2: Meeting The Individual Needs

Ask yourself if each indivi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1577/How-To-Get-The-Best-Out-Of-Your-Team.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1577/How-To-Get-The-Best-Out-Of-Your-Team.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Managing Is All About Motivating</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Resolve now  right now  that you will give motivation priority. Dont be mistaken, motivation makes a difference  a big difference. People perform better when they feel positive about their job. You must:

	Recognise that active motivation is necessary

	Resolve to spend regular time on it

	Not chase after magic formulae that will make it easy (there are none)

	Give attention to the detail

	Remember that you succeed by creating an impact that is cumulative in effect and tailored to your people

Your intention should be to make people feel, individually and as a group, that they are special. Doing so is the first step to making sure that what they do is special

Understanding Motivation:

Every manager needs to know something of how motivation works. The key is to influence the motivational climates by taking action to:

Reduce negative influences. Potentially, the good feelings people have about their jobs can be diluted by negative views on matters such as: company policy and administrative processes, supervision (thats you, unless you are careful!) working conditions, salary, relationships with peers (and others), impact on personal life, status and security. Action is necessary in all these areas to counteract any negative elements.

Increase positive influences. Potentially feelings can be strengthened by specific inputs in the areas of: achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, advancement and growth.

Many factors contribute to the motivational climate  from ensuring that a system is as sensible and convenient to people as possible (reducing negative policy/working conditions), to just saying well done sufficiently often (recognising achievement)

The state of motivation of a group or an individual can be likened to a balance. There are pluses on one side and minuses on the other. All vary in size. The net effect of all the influences at a particular time decides the state of the balance and whether  overall ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1576/Managing-Is-All-About-Motivating.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1576/Managing-Is-All-About-Motivating.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Business Networking - The Best Way To Begin Is To Dive Right In</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Whilst family, friends and other easily identifiable contacts are a good place to start your networking efforts, sooner or later you will need to extend yourself beyond your familiar surroundings and look to attend relevant meetings and/or events.
	
	In many ways, the type of meeting or event that you choose is not particularly important. If your hobby is old model trains, and someone advertises an old model train meeting and exhibition you are obviously likely to meet lots of people who might become good network contacts. However, this is likely to be the exception rather than the rule.
	
	In most cases, meetings or social gatherings of people will be much more general affairs and ones that can only be broadly qualified for their possible relevance.
	
	Start The Networking Adventure
	
	The trick in networking (if there is one) is to treat all meetings or events as an adventure.
	
	Like any adventure, you may have some fear and trepidation about facing the unexpected, but you should also feel some of the thrill of the challenge and excitement in finding new people with whom you can really connect. By making time in your schedule to attend, you can use early opportunities to watch others networking and to get into the habit of talking to the people you meet.
	
	Dont forget, networking successfully means that we sometimes have to stretch ourselves to the edges of our comfort zones  hard at first but much easier with practice.

	Be Prepared
	
	Whether it is a formal meeting or event (with one hundred people) or an informal gathering (of only ten or less) being ready or open to network is very important  like the Scouts motto Be Prepared.
	
	Even if you are shy, introverted, nervous, bored, or tired, you just never know when you are going to bump into interesting and useful people. 
	
	Part of this process of being prepared is to have crisp information about yourself available so that your communication is short, focused and clear - not totally ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1524/Business-Networking--The-Best-Way-To-Begin-Is-To-Dive-Right-In.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1524/Business-Networking--The-Best-Way-To-Begin-Is-To-Dive-Right-In.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Presentations - Tips On Dealing With Anxiety From A Seasoned Pro</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The first thing to remember is that anxiety or nerves means you are alive and without them your presentation would be like you - dead!

What you need to do is learn to control your anxiety and use it to fuel your enthusiasm.

Identifying Fears:

To control your anxiety you must identify what it is that you are afraid of -

		Is it forgetting your lines?

		Is it the audience size?

Once you have established what exactly you are afraid of then establish whether or not you can control it.

Imagine you are the captain of an airliner; do you fear flying? Of course not, because you are in complete control of not only the aircraft but also the crew and the passengers. 

You have a flight plan and before you take off you know the payload, weather conditions for the flight, arrival time, departure time etc. However, what is most significant, you are familiar with flying, you are comfortable with all of that responsibility, because you have flown so many times before and you know virtually everything there is to know about that aircraft.

Therein lies the secret; the more presentations we deliver, the more accomplished we become but equally, we must know what we are talking about, we must know our subject matter inside out, otherwise our audience will find us out

Lets consider the areas that you can control:

		Your audience - After all you invited them.

		Your material - You designed it.

		Your resources - You chose to utilise them. 

		Yourself - Youre no puppet.

If there are any areas youve identified that you cant control, forget them - itll probably never happen.
	  
Controlling nerves and reducing anxiety:

Organise - Give yourself plenty of time to prepare, know what is going to happen and when. Take the time to rehearse your  presentation, preferably with someone you know well. Get them to provide you with objective and constructive criticism.

Visualise - Get into the habit of visualising how the presentation will go, that way ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1518/Presentations--Tips-On-Dealing-With-Anxiety-From-A-Seasoned-Pro.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1518/Presentations--Tips-On-Dealing-With-Anxiety-From-A-Seasoned-Pro.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Essentials Of Decision Making</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Decision-making is something that happens throughout our day but with different degrees of importance, urgency and consequential outcomes.

The important points are:

		Understand the real objectives

		Know the situation

		Be in control

		Carry out analysis using appropriate tools

		Present findings logically

		Select an option

		Do it!

The Benefits of Effective Decision-Making

By following a robust procedure and applying thought and logic to your decision-making process you should be able to make decisions that are:

		Inclusive  take into account the interests of all affected parties

		Defensible  based on the key points and then weighted and prioritised taking into account the relevant values

		Optimal  in both terms of results and in addressing problems

		Sensible  and understandable to interested parties

		Implementable  differentiate between rational and non-rational as well as rationalised 

		Value-adding  to the organisation or individual

Success comes from the quality of the decision itself as well as the robustness of implementation or application.

Tips  

	Once you have finished your deliberations, make the decision quickly  circumstances may change or you may lose momentum.

	Dont sacrifice long-term gain for short-term expediency.

	Understand the differences between important and urgent  the latter requires a rapid decision, but important decisions may require more protracted analysis. An urgent and important decision needs the right level of analysis to enable the optimal decision to be made.

	Remember, people generally support decisions in which they have participated.

	Do not postpone important but non-urgent decisions  set your own deadlines and do not let them be imposed on you.

	If a decision is no longer appropriate, change it  but in a measured manner, not with a knee-jerk reaction.

	If you need help, get it.


Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Farrin ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1517/The-Essentials-Of-Decision-Making.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1517/The-Essentials-Of-Decision-Making.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Who Should Be Involved In The Induction Process?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A common mistake in induction schemes is to leave it all to one person to organise. This puts a lot of pressure on that individual and may reduce the effectiveness of the scheme. It is advisable to involve as many people as you can in the process, by splitting the responsibility and making it more interesting.

Important people to include are:

	Senior managers

	Supervisors

	Person responsible for personnel issues

	Colleagues doing similar roles

	Colleagues from other departments with whom the newcomer may work

In Delivery

Senior Managers

You should always involve the most senior manger in the induction process because:

	It demonstrates that persons commitment to the process, and therefore

	Other staff who are contributing to the induction will take it more seriously

	Newcomers will be impressed that even the most senior staff has time to welcome them

The senior manager can assist in a number of ways: 

	Provide a budget for the induction

	Speak at a presentation about the company history and future goals

	Meet the newcomer (if a small company)

Line Managers

The line manager is probably the most important person in the induction process. This is the person whom the newcomer will be working for. The impression this person makes in the first few days will be a lasting one. It is essential, therefore, that the line manager allows enough time to spend with the new team member.

In the first few weeks the line manager should:

	Make the newcomer feel welcome and at ease

	Introduce the person to the rest of the team

	Go through the job description 

	Go through the objectives of the team and current projects

	Provide lots of opportunity for regular feedback

Set some objectives that are realistic for the newcomer to achieve in the first 2  3 months

Personnel Representative

If your company does not have a personnel function, then whoever is responsible for the following should do th ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1516/Who-Should-Be-Involved-In-The-Induction-Process.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1516/Who-Should-Be-Involved-In-The-Induction-Process.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>It Is Vital To Set Objectives Prior To Delivering An Induction Programme</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Different organisations have different induction objectives. Before introducing an induction programme you must first be clear about why you are doing it. Objectives mainly fall into three groups: 

		Company

		Job 

		Newcomer

Company:

Company-related objectives include giving an understanding of:

		The company: its culture, structure, products and clients

		Policies and procedures: health and safety, performance management, discipline and grievance, pay, holidays, etc.

		Work objectives: departmental and company goals

Job:

Induction enables newcomers to understand their roles better by providing an opportunity to:

		Meet colleagues with whom they may be working

		Receive training to enable them to carry out their roles

		Understand their job descriptions and how they fit in with the company

Newcomer:

		To provide a sincere welcome

		To put newcomer at ease

		To give a good impression of the company

		To give an introduction to the culture of the company 

		To integrate newcomer effectively

		To give newcomer skills and knowledge to do the job well

Your objectives for an induction programme may cover some or all of the aforementioned. 

Whatever your objectives, a good induction programme will not only benefit the newcomer but will also benefit the company in many ways.

Benefits Of Induction

To the Company:

Financial

Many people leave a job because they are disillusioned, let down or misinformed. A good induction will illustrate to new comers that the organisation is committed to them and will do everything it can to retain them as long as possible. This results in reduction of staff turnover and recruitment costs.

Productivity

If newcomers are inducted well they will be able to respond quickly and effectively to the demands of their new roles.

Effect on existing staff

Induction can have two effects on existing staff: they become more aware of the companys objectiv ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1515/It-Is-Vital-To-Set-Objectives-Prior-To-Delivering-An-Induction-Programme.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1515/It-Is-Vital-To-Set-Objectives-Prior-To-Delivering-An-Induction-Programme.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Deliver A Professional Sales Presentation</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[All professional salespeople have to be involved in a presentation at some time in their sales career and Top 5 % players present their proposals every time.

Presentations allow us to : -

	Influence a group of important people.

	Gain consensus and commitment.

	Find out who the real players are and the real status.

	Set ground rules for a major sale.

	Make a lasting impression of professionalism. 


	When it comes to the enthusiasm that sales professionals have for making a presentation, they broadly fall into four categories, (as I highlighted in a previous article - :When It Comes To Making Presentations, The Very Best Salespeople Are Seekers)
	
	The Avoider:
	  
	An Avoider does everything possible to escape from having to stand in front of an audience; in some drastic cases salespeople may seek positions that do not involve making presentations.
	
	The Register:

	A Register is also extremely hesitant of speaking in public, however Registers may not be able to avoid speaking as part of their job but they never encourage it. When they do speak they do so very reluctantly.

	The Acceptor:

	The Acceptor will give presentations as part of their job but does not seek opportunities to do so. Acceptors occasionally give a presentation and feel they did a good job. They even find that once in a while they are quite persuasive and enjoy the experience.
	
The Seeker:

A Seeker looks for opportunities to speak. They understand that anxiety can be a stimulant which fuels enthusiasm during a presentation. Seekers work at building their professional communication skills and self-confidence by speaking often.

The reality is, that making presentations is an essential sales skill, Top 5% achievers are very good presenters. Any salesman or woman, who has ambitions to become the best in their sector or industry, will need to ensure that they can deliver dynamic, convincing and professional presentations, whenever they are called upon to ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1496/How-To-Deliver-A-Professional-Sales-Presentation.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1496/How-To-Deliver-A-Professional-Sales-Presentation.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Recruitment - The Process Of Selection</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A good advertisement is not measured by the number of suitable candidates it attracts. If you have carefully and thoroughly considered the experience and formal qualifications required a number of applicants can be dismissed immediately because they lack basic qualifications or because the age is incorrect. Never the less keep one eye open for the exceptional person who departs from the ideal.

	What does their cv reveal about their life so far, in relation to the major qualities required for the position? If for instance, a high degree of stamina and persistence is a pre-requisite, does their track record to date illustrate a career where targets have been regularly achieved?  What are the standards of performance? Does the record show success in a number of different ventures or positions? What sort of qualities do you think past positions must have required to succeed in them? Are any of these qualities relevant to this position?

	If the candidates write their own cv's are they clear or diffuse, do they go into too much detail and thus reveal a lack of proportion and common sense? Most of the conclusions reached at this stage can only be tentative, but they suggest two things:
	
	The gaps must be filled in from the cv and
	
	Some of the lines on which the interview should proceed

	Consider the applications to find a common link with the candidates
	
	See if there is any link between your own experience, interests, school, military service, etc. and the candidate as this will provide one method of breaking the ice when the interview begins.

	Examine the applications to make sure there are no unexplained gaps in dates
	
	Gaps occur from time to time and to probe them is essential
	
Pencil in some good 'opening up' questions. This helps to ensure that you do not forget that all important question that is so easily remembered after the candidate has gone, it also helps to prevent wasted time, is an aid to nervous interviewees and also is an in ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1495/Recruitment--The-Process-Of-Selection.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1495/Recruitment--The-Process-Of-Selection.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Selection Interview And It's Aims</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[What is a selection interview?
	
	It is a situation in which a personnel selector, through personal contact, provides himself with behaviour to observe - in order to assess the candidate's suitability for a post.
	
	What are the objectives of the selection interview?
	
	The objective of the selection interview is to predict the candidate's probable behaviour in a particular job situation. The only way this can be done with any accuracy is by obtaining a sample of his behaviour sufficiently typical to act as a basis for forecasting what he/she will do in the future.
	
	A major problem is that the behaviour we observe during the short period of the interview may be uncharacteristic. A rather ponderous individual, for instance, may well be able to give the impression of being quite dynamic if he/she has only to keep it up for half an hour. Thus it is necessary to supplement the behaviour which can be observed directly in face-to-face contact 
	
	By eliciting as much as possible of the candidates life history
	The main aim of the selection interview should therefore be to look at say, twenty or thirty years behaviour, much of which is bound to be highly characteristic of the individual concerned.
	It is important to remember, however, that there are two subsidiary objectives of the selection interview. Thus we may say that the aim of the interview is three fold:
	
	To assess the candidates suitability for the position

	To give information to the candidate

	To present the company in a good light to the applicant
	
	The importance of selection interviewing
	
	The interview is only one of a whole range of selection methods in existence.
	
	For example, intelligence tasks exist which give information on the candidates mental agility and aptitude tests can tell us about special aptitudes for manual dexterity, ability to think spatially, creative ability, etc. .
	
	These tasks can highlight the strengths and weaknesses of an individual; testing  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1494/The-Selection-Interview-And-Its-Aims.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1494/The-Selection-Interview-And-Its-Aims.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Become Truly Assertive</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Assertiveness skills are very important in many situations; by being assertive you are letting people know what you want, need or prefer, in a way which is acceptable to both you and them. Put simply; assertiveness is about getting what you want without upsetting anyone!

Lets start by defining assertiveness.

Definition Of Assertion

  Expressing opinions, thoughts and feelings in a non-defensive manner clearly and openly. It is being able to make requests and to refuse requests that are unacceptable 

Indicators Of Non-Verbal Assertive, Aggressive &amp;amp; Passive Behaviour

If you want to become more assertive, pay particular attention to your non-verbal behaviour as this needs to be in line with your verbal behaviour. If they are at odds it is the non-verbal behaviour that is usually believed  The following are indicators, and only that. Just because someone does not have good eye contact and looks away a lot, does not mean to say that they are passive. It is their whole demeanour that is important

Assertive Non-Verbal Behaviour

- Firm eye contact, not staring 

- Expresses anger and pleasure in face when appropriate, sincere reaction 

- Features are steady, not set or changing frequently 

- Stands and sits upright 

- Open hand movements - relaxed posture, head held up

Aggressive Non-Verbal Behaviour 

- Tries to dominate by staring 

- Finger pointing 

- Gives very knowing smile and set face when angry 

- Arms crossed 

- Stands and sits upright, head 'in air', leaning forward 

- Raised eyebrows in disbelief 

- Jabbing movements with hands, banging desk, clenched fists 

- Paces impatiently 

- Sits forward or steps forward

Passive Non-Verbal Behaviour 

 - Hesitant eye contact

 - Looks away often and down 

 - Over smiles, gives ghost smile, even if angry

 - Quick changing features 

 - Slouches, head down
 
 - Fluttering hand movement, or playing with fingers or wringing hands
 - Sits back or  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/1493/How-To-Become-Truly-Assertive.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/1493/How-To-Become-Truly-Assertive.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Twelve Golden Principles Of Selling</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[

Yes, it is that time of year and it is amazing how many things go in &amp;quot;twelves&amp;quot;!

I received a call from an ex-student this week, who is designing an induction programme for new recruits about to embark on a career in sales. He asked that if one had to create twelve golden principles of selling, what would I come up with.

Clearly, this is not only a very subjective view, but also, I found it terribly difficult to reduce my initial list to just twelve. However, mindful of the fact that this exercise is designed to provide guidance to salespeople just starting on the first rung of the ladder, this is what I came up with  I would be very interested in your comments.  

Principle 1:  Always Sell To People

	People are different

	No two sales are the same

	Aim at becoming a people expert

	Professional sales people actually like people
	
People buy from people - they always will

Principle 2:  You Have To Sell Yourself

	Be interesting

	Develop intellect

	Never be arrogant - never talk up or down

	Respect the buyer and they will respect you

	Develop your empathy levels

	Learn to develop rapport 

	Control Your Ego Levels

Principle 3:  You Must Ask Questions

	Develop your questioning techniques

	Remember What? Where? When? Which? Why? Who? And How? 

	Continually test your understanding

Principle 4:  Listen To Understand

	God has given us two ears and one mouth, we should use them in that order

	Successful sales professionals talk for 20% of the time and listen for 80% of the time 

	Develop your active listening skills

Principle 5:  Features Must Be Linked To Benefits

Remember:
 
	Features are common - benefits are personal and specific

	Use the link phrases - which means that...... 

	Be specific

Principle 6:  Sell The Results  Paint A Picture

	Discover prime desires

	Personalise benefits

	Describe end results

Principle 7:  You C ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1460/The-Twelve-Golden-Principles-Of-Selling.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1460/The-Twelve-Golden-Principles-Of-Selling.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Key Stages Of A Consultative Sales Cycle</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Before we identify a typical Consultative Sales Cycle, it is important to discover if you are currently selling in a traditional way or, if in fact, you are already selling consultatively

Vending or Traditional Selling:

	You sell to purchasing managers 

	You sell product

	You defend price

	You fill-out order forms

	You detail features and benefits

	You are a salesperson

	You sell to

Selling As a Consultative Specialist

	You plan &amp;amp; consult with business managers 

	You sell profit improvement systems
 
	You offer a return on investment

	You present a partnered profit plan

	You design improved performance

	You are a business development manager

	You sell with

Ok, lets look at a typical cycle and examine the various stages.

Selection:

The first stage of the business development cycle requires identification and review of the customer base, prospective customers, types of business and competitive services within your market or geographical segment in order to decide:-
	
	Which companies represent potential. 

	How many of them exist.

	In which order they should be approached. 

Suspecting: 

The next stage is to go fact finding. Based on your personal observations and working with existing contacts, you must try to answer the following questions:- 

	Is the prospective client organisation worth spending time with?

	Do they really have a need for additional products and services? 

	Will or does the MAN (the person with the Money, Authority and Need) recognise that need, if not can they be educated?

	How could I justify our products, services, price etc. as a response to the need? 

	Can I identify all the people who make and influence the decision to buy?

At this stage the selection list is further honed.

Prospect Qualification:

This is the Go/No Go decision stage. Based on the information found through personal observation you decide whether the company  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1459/The-Key-Stages-Of-A-Consultative-Sales-Cycle.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1459/The-Key-Stages-Of-A-Consultative-Sales-Cycle.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Induction Programmes Are Not Just For New Recruits</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Induction is not just for newcomers, but for anyone who is in a new situation at work or who has special needs. Induction, therefore, will include:

	Staff newly promoted

	Staff transferred

	Staff requiring re-orientation after major change

	People returning after a long break, e.g. after illness or maternity leave

	Part timers/shift workers

	Those on temporary contracts

	Graduates/school leavers

	Work experience placements

	People on secondment

You must decide which parts of the induction will be relevant to them as they may not need all the information that a newcomer will receive.

Looking After Different Needs

When designing your induction programme, allow it to be flexible to accommodate the different needs of staff. In particular:

	Women returning to work after a long break

	Graduates/school leavers

	Part-timers

	Disabled people

	Those transferred and promoted

Women Returning To Work

Take into account the fact that:

	They may have lost confidence

	Their skills may be out of date

	They will need updating on company changes that have taken place while they were absent

They May also prefer one-to-one coaching rather than group training where they may feel unable to keep up with the rest of the group

Graduates And School Leavers

Some companies that hire large numbers of graduates will have a special graduate induction programme. However, this is not always necessary. What you need to think about is that many graduates have never worked before and, therefore, they will need assistance with items that others may seem unnecessary.

For example:

	How the photocopier and fax work

	Filing systems

	Dealing with customers and clients

	Change from academic style of working to a more pragmatic one

	How to meet deadlines within work hours

Remember, some may need confidence building and a buddy would probably help with this.

Part-Timers/Shift Workers

These  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1458/Induction-Programmes-Are-Not-Just-For-New-Recruits.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1458/Induction-Programmes-Are-Not-Just-For-New-Recruits.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Conduct A Successful Interview</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[	It is easy to forget that the recruitment interview is a selling event: Obviously the interviewee is doing everything he or she can to impress the interviewer(s) and provide sufficient evidence of their suitability for the vacancy ahead of the other candidates.
	
	However, it is also important to remember that we need to sell our company in order to attract the very best staff and during that first interview, candidates will begin forming their opinions of our professionalism and our suitability as potential employers.
	
	Here then are some tips, which will hopefully assist you in improving your interviewing techniques.
	
	Arrange to reduce or eliminate interruptions
	
Choose a quiet and secure room to conduct the interview and if possible arrange for your telephone calls to be taken elsewhere. An engaged notice on the door may be desirable.

	Arrange the seating so that neither interviewer or candidate is at a disadvantage. If possible do not sit opposite the candidate, as this can be perceived as confrontational. Consider your body language and remember this is an exploratory meeting and you need to appear receptive at all times.

	Reception

It is important that you advise reception that you are interviewing and provide them with a list of candidates and interview times. If possible have two separate rooms for use as waiting rooms, in case you are running late. This will avoid the possible embarrassment of two candidates having to wait together. Your secretary or an assistant should greet the candidates as soon as they arrive. Offer them tea or coffee and let them know exactly how long they can expect to wait. Remember first impressions are important and you are selling the company not just buying a new recruit

	Examine your prejudices
	
	If the candidate is to work directly under you and in very close association with you, prejudice may be important. The fact that you like fishing, hate suede shoes, don't subscribe to socialism or can't stand ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1457/How-To-Conduct-A-Successful-Interview.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1457/How-To-Conduct-A-Successful-Interview.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>You Have Reached An Important Decision - Now To Sell It To The Troops </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[So, you have reached a decision that will affect other people and you need to now advise them of your deliberations and conclusions so that the decision can be put into effect or implemented without further delay.

The What &amp;amp; The How

Communication is very important, not only the what but also the how:

	Decide what you want the people to do/know after the communication

	Define target audiences (e.g. executive, staff/union, customers, media, etc.)

	Determine the content of the message for each audience group

	Identify the most effective and efficient media to use per message per audience group

	Identify barriers to effective communication (organisation and physical)

	Agree best delivery date(s), day, time and situation

	Identify the most effective communications of the message

	Check if the right message has been heard by the right people at the right time

	Keep at least one step ahead of the target audiences thinking processes 

	Prepare for adverse outcomes

Structuring Your Argument
 
To persuade others to support your decision or lead them into taking the decision that you wish them to take, structure your argument so well that it leads them step by step to the inescapable, logical conclusion. This is the same conclusion that you have reached and are now asking them to agree to.

You must lead them to your conclusions without them realising it, by setting out what is common knowledge:

	The situation

	The issue  the complication or what is wrong

	Then the decision that is required

So far they cannot disagree as you are re-stating facts that should be known and understood.

	Then set out the conclusion that is the decision

	Then the supporting evidence

	Faced with such a logical approach most people will readily come to the same conclusion as you and make the decision

The argument must, of course, be constructed logically and contain no flaws


Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Farringto ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1456/You-Have-Reached-An-Important-Decision--Now-To-Sell-It-To-The-Troops.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1456/You-Have-Reached-An-Important-Decision--Now-To-Sell-It-To-The-Troops.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Decision Making - The Herrmann Brain Theory</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Everyone has a different make-up that influences how they take decisions. Ned Herrmanns extensive research in this field led to the Herrmann Brain Theory.

These are four parts of the brain. As well as the familiar parts (the cerebral brain)  Left (realistic) and Right (idealistic)  there are also the less familiar (Limbic) parts  Top (thinking) and Bottom (doing) [based on the work of Sperry and McLean].	

Components Of The Brain:

*	A (upper left)	Logical, analytical part

*	B (lower left)	Form, process, organisational part

*	C (lower right)	Emotional, feeling part

*	D (upper right)	Abstract, visioning part

The Herrmann Brain Theory

The best performing groups have a balance between the four components of the brain, as is the case with the Star Trek officer team:

	Captain Kirk is the visionary leader D and provides the spatial thinking

	Mr Spock is logical A and puts the ideas into logical order and context

	Bones McCoy expresses feelings C and provides the emotions

	Scotty is the pragmatic engineer B and effects the decisions (I canna break the laws of physics!)


The balance between the characters enables viewers, depending on their own character type, to empathise with one of the officers. This part accounts for the TV programmes success.

It is important, therefore, to understand the type of person you are asking to make a decision. You have to play to his or her style. With groups you have to play to the members. People with similar profiles working together are a dysfunctional group. You will never get the best decisions as members will compete. If, for example, all were Ds, they would spend their time generating ideas but take no decisions

Finally - Group Dynamics

Rarely are important or critical decisions taken by one person. Usually several people are involved, whether through a hierarchical process (e.g. Japanese companies) or in a group, team or committee.

Group dynamics are different from indi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1445/Decision-Making--The-Herrmann-Brain-Theory.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1445/Decision-Making--The-Herrmann-Brain-Theory.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Just How Important Is The Induction Process?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Just how important is the Induction Process? Well, frankly, it is incredibly important  I was prompted to write this article after hearing of the experiences of an ex-student of mine last week. Suffice to say, I was disappointed for her but not surprised. My perception is that far too little thought is given to inducting new recruits and what she endured is commonplace. 

Annabelle Deardon arrived at her new job as an Accounts Manager in a medium-sized advertising agency with great expectations and enthusiasm. After a long recruitment process, she was sure this was the perfect job for her.

This was her experience:

*	Arrived at 9.00 a.m. on Monday as informed  (actually she arrived at 8.50); receptionist did not know who she was

*	Waited 30 minutes for her new manager to come and get her

*	10 minutes into her meeting with him, he was called away and Catherine was left with his colleague, who was not prepared for this

*	Colleague quickly showed Annabelle around and then left her with documents to read

*	An hour and a half and six cups of coffee later, Annabelle was taken by her boss to a rushed lunch

*	The afternoon was much the same as the morning and finally, Annabelle was allowed to go home early

Stresses Of A New Job

Think back to the first day of your current job and the kinds of questions you asked yourself? 

Some of them may have been:

*	What will I be expected to do?

*	Who will I be working with?

*	Where wilI I be situated?

*	What procedures will I have to follow?

*	Will I fit in?

A good induction will help relieve some of the stress by answering these questions.

New Beginnings

Facing a new job makes everyone feel anxious, some people more than others. The way in which you welcome, inform and integrate your new staff will have an effect on the rest of their stay in your company. Therefore, the better the introduction, the easier it is for newcomers to settle in and identify the appropriate behaviour for  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1444/Just-How-Important-Is-The-Induction-Process.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1444/Just-How-Important-Is-The-Induction-Process.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Why Some Decisions Are Harder Than Others</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[While some decisions are easy (what to eat for supper) many more are extremely hard. Usually, a hard decision involves greater consequences/implications or, in some cases, a higher level of resource commitment.

In reality, not all so-called hard decisions are hard. Some feel harder than others owing to scale:

	If a friend asks to borrow £5 youre likely to oblige without thinking about it

	If that friend asks to borrow £1,000 youre likely to be circumspect and ask questions

The decision is the same one in essence  concerning creditworthiness. But, where the amount is greater, we perceive the decision to be much harder because the consequences are greater. Who cares about £5? But, £1,000 is a sum most people would not wish to lose. It represents a risk, but at what stage does the decision become hard - £6, £25, more? The risk is that the friend might not or cannot repay the money and therefore, you might regret your decision. Your decision will be based on your consideration of the risk and the magnitude of the possible loss, although you might not see it in this way.

Defining Hard Decisions

We can define a decision as having hard characteristics when:

	The situation is uncertain  i.e. there is a greater perceived risk

And also when:

	The situation is inherently complex with many different issues  e.g. the siting of a new airport is immensely complex, especially in these environmentally-aware times, because of the factors that must be taken into consideration (flight paths, air traffic control slots, residents, communications links, etc)

	There are several objectives but one or more is blocked and compromises or trade-offs are needed

	Different perspectives can lead to different conclusions  especially true where two or more people are involved in making a decision; they may disagree about the assumptions, probable outcomes or, even, the decision

The key issue is how to handle hard decisions to ensure they are taken ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1443/Why-Some-Decisions-Are-Harder-Than-Others.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1443/Why-Some-Decisions-Are-Harder-Than-Others.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Create A Network Map</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There is ultimately no better way to start networking than to try it for real. The easiest way to do this to commence with the people you already know, rather than to find new ones.
	
	One highly beneficial task you can undertake at the outset is to map or chart your contacts. This mapping can be done in a number of ways.
	
	Network Mapping Methods:

	Write a manual list of who you know and what they do

	Build an electronic database of contacts

	Keep a journal or diary of who you meet, where and when

	Draw (and keep updating) a contacts map

Mapping Your Network

Whilst you may eventually choose to adopt two, three or all of these methods, in the early stages it is the last of these options that is often the most helpful and potentially revealing.

A network map is simply drawn (using squares or circles). You start by putting your name in the centre of the page in a circle and commence drawing connecting lines to people you know, before drawing connecting lines from these people to others that they know. 

	Mapping Conventions
	
	This is very basic map demonstrates how a visual and dynamic chart can be created, which can help both to record quite complex data (and how it is related) and reveal possible avenues that were not obvious before.
	
	One convention is recording four pieces of information for every contact in your network (apart from their name). These are their location, where or how you met and any other useful information that you think is relevant. Whilst this may seem a bit strange and unnecessary for close family and friends, it is remarkable how useful this will be as you build your network over time.
	
	Dont forget, these charts can be used three-dimensionally. When one side or part of it gets too big, transfer a major hub name to the centre of another chart and start to use all the new space you now have for extra contacts.

Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserved]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1442/How-to-Create-A-Network-Map.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1442/How-to-Create-A-Network-Map.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Networking - How To Reach Potential Contacts</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I truly believe that every individual in the whole world is potentially only five or six contact steps away. This five or six degrees of separation shows that even an entire population of over five billion people is still highly accessible. 

However, for practical purposes, we dont necessarily want or need to meet millions, or even thousands of people in different organisations, age groups, religions, professions, culture or places. We are just looking to develop a network that will eventually provide us with additional business.

Ideally therefore, we need some kind of filtering or research system that will help us to build a set of relationships of high quality, or a strong network that can find people and resources both efficiently and effectively.

First Steps

The first step in the filtering process is to establish what sort of contacts or relationships you think may be of value or benefit to you (or the organisation of which you are a part). This is not to run counter to the idea that networking is primarily about giving, but suggests that some relationships are clearly more valuable in the long-term for both sides, given careful thought in the first place. Only you can determine this value.

You may already know, or be close to, someone very powerful or influential but gain no benefit from association. On the other hand, you may find someone in the street where you live who can bring you great benefit if you build a relationship with them. You just need to know what youd like to achieve in order to make reasonable assessment.

Networking Pyramid

When you start to network more widely, you quickly realise that there is a pyramid, or hierarchy of depth or quality in all of your potential relationships. 
                                     
	Pyramid Levels
	
	At the base of the pyramid are what we call suspects. These are people who seem open to an approach to offer support. (remembering my earlier point about giving and reciprocity).
	
 ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1441/Networking--How-To-Reach-Potential-Contacts.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1441/Networking--How-To-Reach-Potential-Contacts.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Where Are You Heading In 2007 - Do You Know?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[It is that time of year when we should be focusing on what we want to achieve next year. Having said that, most people, and I would estimate 80%, because Paretos principle is always pretty accurate, will not set objectives and in failing to plan, will in effect, be planning to fail.

The greatest difficulty most people have is knowing where to begin, so here are some thoughts that will hopefully assist you in constructing an achievable plan for the next twelve months and beyond. 

You have to set yourself goals, become goal orientated and a goal achiever - otherwise you will drift through life like a ship without a rudder hoping to be swept into a harbour of opportunity Unfortunately, without a rudder, you are more likely to end up on the rocks and in later life look back in frustration:  I could have If only I had etc but by then it will be too late.

Do You Have A Life Map?  If Not Think Of The Pilot:

Before a pilot takes off he knows the distance and the payload; he has assessed the weather conditions at departure and arrival points and he has contingency plans should those
conditions dramatically change in any way.

He is the manager of his crew, he is prepared at all times for the unexpected and he is capable of making instant decisions. He is also able to psychologically accept the mundane 

What Have You Been In The Past? Making An Honest Appraisal:

The objective of appraising your past performance, whether that is last year or your entire life, to improve and capitalise on your strengths and eliminate your weaknesses or limitations. Completing a  SLOT analysis regularly will help you enormously.

The SLOT analysis can be an extremely useful technique for you to think about what you can offer relative to your external environment and helps you to take stock of your position so that you can plan your future development.

S = Strengths
What can I do well?
What are my best skills and attributes? 
Where do I have the greatest talent? 
Tr ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/1417/Where-Are-You-Heading-In-2007--Do-You-Know.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/1417/Where-Are-You-Heading-In-2007--Do-You-Know.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Are You Really Making The Most Of Your Most Important Accounts?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A vitally important sales activity is that of managing existing customer accounts to consolidate and grow the relationship. Yet unfortunately, when compared over time, the customers interest levels increase while salespeoples interest levels tend to decrease. This creates a relationship gap and is due entirely to complacency.

Another major issue is that too often the salesperson fails to expand his contact base as this next survey proves which results in vulnerability and exposure to competitive activity

Periodically, the Financial Times conducts a survey of British industry to establish how companies go about their purchasing. The survey is very comprehensive, broken down into many kinds of products and services. 

From a Sales Directors perspective, these are very worrying statistics.

Customer size (Number of employees): Less than 200

Average number of buying influencers: 3.43

Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.72


Customer size (Number of employees): 200  400

Average number of buying influencers: 4.85

Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.75


Customer size (Number of employees): 401  1000

Average number of buying influencers: 5.81

Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.90


Customer size (Number of employees): 1001 +

Average number of buying influencers: 6.50

Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.65

In essence, without a sustained approach to ongoing servicing and support activities, customers that took months to win are ultimately lost because there was a lack of interest from their supplier.

To-days clients/customers are looking for vendors who can be business-partners, who are willing and able to share risks and who are able to properly manage the entire sales process.

Fact: It costs seven times as much to locate and sell to a new customer
as it does to an existing one.

Are you making the most of your customer base? Answer the questions below honestly and fin ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1416/Are-You-Really-Making-The-Most-Of-Your-Most-Important-Accounts.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1416/Are-You-Really-Making-The-Most-Of-Your-Most-Important-Accounts.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Decisions - What They Are And What They Are Not</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Decision making is an essential requirement of management and the very best leaders appear able to make crucial decisions effortlessly standing on their feet  But what exactly is a decision  and what is it not?

According to the dictionary, the verb decide means to determine, to end, to resolve, to settle and to make up ones mind, while the noun decision is the act of settling, making up ones mind, etc. Someone in a position of power is said to be a decision-maker and we refer to those who do make up their mind as resolute or decisive.

The Latin root of the word means to cut away. This points to what a decision really is: to cut away the surrounding clutter, to enable one to see a path to an objective and, by taking a decision (or a series of decisions), to follow that path with all of its implications.

What it is not  A decision is not allowing events to take their course willy-nilly. If you did, an outcome would still occur  but one not influenced or decided upon with due regard to the surrounding circumstances. Such an outcome represents an inability or lack of desire to analyse and reach a conclusion; control has been surrendered. This might not matter  for example, when merely choosing what perfume to wear  but can be of major consequence where commercial or other vital decisions are required

Decision-making is about deliberately opting for one choice from two or more, proactively to optimise a situation or outcome and not let it happen by default.

It is also about trying to minimise the element of chance or risk in life, by taking decisions and actions that will influence the outcome in ones favour.

To sum up, decision-making is:

	The selection of an option over others (which could include no action)

	Under conditions that are uncertain

	Which exposes you to a risk

	In order to reach a specified goal, objective or outcome.

There must be a choice and it must be taken proactively, otherwise it is merely an occurre ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1415/Decisions--What-They-Are-And-What-They-Are-Not.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1415/Decisions--What-They-Are-And-What-They-Are-Not.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Are You Managing Sustained Growth Efficiently, Reliably And By Design?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In his book Fundamentals of Selling, Charles Futrell identifies careful use of selling time as perhaps the distinguishing characteristic of the successful salesperson. Frequently there are two main pitfalls that even experienced salespeople can fall into in terms of activities. 

First, they simply arent doing enough. Whats enough? Enough telephone calls to make appointments, enough face-to-face calls, enough calls that involve or influence the decision-makers. In general, the more focused sales activity salespeople generate, the greater the number of sales opportunities they can create.

Poor Quality Activity:

Second, but equally important, salespeople often arent clear about how to identify the prospects most likely to have a genuine need for their product or service. Without an objective way to prioritise which prospects to contact first and/or an efficient strategy for contacting them, salespeople are doomed to waste a large percentage of their time. Another huge dilemma for many salespeople is how to divide their time between servicing existing clients and generating new business from new prospects.

Existing clients frequently make requests for service that could be dealt with by support staff. But salespeople who lack a disciplined, future-orientated plan for generating new contacts and sales often find themselves spending more time attending to urgent tasks for existing accounts instead.

A common approach among salespeople can be summarised in the saying If you throw enough mud against the wall, some of it is bound to stick. This approach is exhausting, demoralising, extremely unproductive, and very expensive in the long term.

Speed Of Relaying Customer Information:

The Sales Director provides another interesting dimension to activity management. Apart from product or service knowledge, salespeople require knowledge about prospects, clients, and market trends. Therefore, if the information those salespeople require isnt relayed in an effici ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1414/Are-You-Managing-Sustained-Growth-Efficiently-Reliably-And-By-Design.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1414/Are-You-Managing-Sustained-Growth-Efficiently-Reliably-And-By-Design.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Nature Of Networking</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Networking effectiveness starts with a positive personal attitude and an understanding that successful networking is built on a spirit of giving and sharing and not of bargaining and keeping score.

Armed with this knowledge, we can now look at how the process of good networking actually works in practice.

The first thing to realise about networking is that everyone you meet is a useful prospective network contact. This seemingly simple fact is often overlooked, as people engage in their own private screening process before they will talk to anyone.

There is obviously a line to be drawn between talking to anyone and everyone in the street and talking to almost no one. However, if you want to network more and to do so successfully, there are many situations that qualify as the right opportunity.

Taking An Interest in Anybody &amp;amp; Everybody

It is often the case that we dont really know very much about even close people around us (let alone distant contacts). Even if we do know a little, we are less likely to know how far or deep their skill, knowledge or resources extend. If this is true of your knowledge of others, how much do they really know about you?

Herein lays the basic secret of networking success:

	You have to become interested in anybody and everybody

	You have to share more about yourself than you may have done in the past

It is out this mutual exchange of knowledge that network contacts will connect and start to offer support, help, advice, favours, referrals and other benefits on a regular basis.

Core Processes 
 
Developing a conscious understanding of this giving and sharing strategy can take some time and some practice.

In her book How to master networking, Robyn Henderson calls this process earning the right to ask a favour of another person, or giving without hooks. Both of these statements imply two processes that operate pretty much at the same time (and neither of them necessarily out first reaction).

The t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1413/The-Nature-Of-Networking.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1413/The-Nature-Of-Networking.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>2007 - A Fresh Set Of Challenges - Are You Prepared?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Essentially, the task of the Sales Manager is to produce revenue for their company through the operations of the sales staff for whom they are responsible. The size of this revenue, and the profit (however defined) which it should show, are usually predetermined in order to achieve the aims of company policy. The objectives which they set for the various activities which are involved in carrying out this task should therefore be derived from, and be compatible with, company objectives, such as return on capital employed, cash flow, market position, growth.

Since, like other managers, the Sales Manager depends on those who work for them to produce the results by which they are judged, consideration can usefully continue by regularly examining the nature and characteristics of their role.

As we near the end of the year, this is an excellent time to take stock and ask yourself some important questions to ensure that you are totally prepared for the fresh set of challenges that lay ahead next year

*	What are the objectives of my department, function and company?

*	Am I satisfied that I feel these can be achieved - that I have a plan for this?

*	In what ways can my department/company be improved?

*	Is the work in my area altering in nature, quantity or quality?

*	Can the work be done it a better way?

*	Have I the right equipment and facilities?

*	Have I the right number of staff?

*	Am I happy that all my subordinates are correctly placed and loaded?

*	Is my staff doing what I want them to do?

*	Do any of my staff need further training? Have I a training plan?

*	What are the staffing trends?

*	Are my staff happy? Do I spend enough time with them?

*	Have I a trained deputy?

*	Am I satisfied personally?

*	Is my authority defined and adequate?

*	Is my relationship with senior management satisfactory?

*	Where is my next promotion coming from?

*	Am I doing too much routine or administrative/clerical work?

*	Have I  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1404/2007--A-Fresh-Set-Of-Challenges--Are-You-Prepared.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1404/2007--A-Fresh-Set-Of-Challenges--Are-You-Prepared.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Deliver More Next Year With Less</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I want you to deliver more:

-	Profit

-	Sales

-	Productivity

-	Customers

-	Quality

And, by the way, youve got less:

-	Money

-	Staff

-	Time

Sound familiar? Year on year, sales leaders are being asked to achieve improved results with fewer resources or, at least, more from the same. To most Sales Directors, the attainment of a permanent increase in sales revenues must seem like the search for eternal youth; unending and, ultimately, unavailing.

Unfortunately, the task of selling never becomes any easier and as competition continues to intensify, sales people will face issues that can be extremely difficult to deal with e.g. decreased product uniqueness, increased competition within safe markets, longer sales cycles and shorter product life spans.

The reality is that whatever got you where you are today will not be sufficient to keep you there. A rapidly changing environment is the regular background against which organisations must develop.

Change is continuous and will become more rapid as we move forward over time. Sales management must be capable of reacting to those changes, be prepared to take advantage of them and yet stay within the overall framework of a formalised strategy.

The role of strategy is fundamental if the people within an organisation are to be enabled to make the level of contribution of which they are capable. Strategy, based on a good grasp of the core competencies of a business, is an essential precursor to achieving optimal shareholder value.

Getting more for less or more from the same level of resources, is my simple definition of efficiency.

Here then are six steps you can take in 2007 that will help you achieve those increased targets:

Step One: Understand your operation

-	Do you know your operation well enough to improve it?

Step Two: Set the right objectives
 
-	Do you have the right objectives to steer improvement?

Step Three: Check customer perception

-	How can you identif ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1403/How-To-Deliver-More-Next-Year-With-Less.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1403/How-To-Deliver-More-Next-Year-With-Less.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Begin Improving Your Networking Skills</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Before you even begin to look at engaging seriously in lots of networking effort, it is useful to look at your own temperament or disposition,. This is the individuals internal desire to network and to find value and enjoyment from the whole process of building relationships.

For some people this will be an almost irrelevant issue to debate. Their motivation to want to talk to people regularly and to network is naturally high. Taking to strangers in supermarket queues, at bus/train stops or even in the elevators is characteristic of such people. However, even if you really enjoy talking to people, it is a proven fact that most of us are not highly confident and highly motivated networkers. In fact, statistics reveal that:

Only one in ten people is actually comfortable in striking up a relationship with a complete stranger.

Unfortunately, this means that their own misgivings, fears and doubts potentially hinder the vast majority of people

Four Networking Types:

In practice, you can divide people who attempt to build networking relationships into four distinct &amp;lt;i.types.

*	The Loner (little or no networking)

*	The Socialiser

*	The User

*	The Relationship Builder or Networker

Although our aim is to consider the fourth of these in some detail as the role to which we can all aspire (if we are not already there), lets briefly look at each of these types in turn.

The Loner:

*		Likes to do most things by themselves (because they do it faster or better)

*		Doesnt want to bother or worry other people

*		Feels that their knowledge and skills are often superior to most people

*	       Only asks for help as a last resort (and when it may be too late)

The Loner is an easily recognisable type, because there are times when we all believe that we will do better ourselves than if we ask others for help. The Loner will not usually want to bother anyone else, or necessarily see much point in doing so, believing that others will be slowe ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1402/How-To-Begin-Improving-Your-Networking-Skills.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1402/How-To-Begin-Improving-Your-Networking-Skills.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How We Relate Maslow's Theory To The Induction Process</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Even though newcomers will have anxiety, they will also be feeling enthusiastic and motivated to do a good job. The main goal of induction is to maintain this enthusiasm and motivation for as long as possible. This will result in more effective performance.

You maintain motivation by providing your newcomer with:

*	The right type of support and guidance

*	At the right time

*	In the right way

Maslows Theory

A newcomers journey from being nervous and insecure to becoming a confident member of staff who can contribute to the goals of the company, can be compared to steps in Maslows Theory of Motivation.

Everyone has needs and Maslow believed that these needs could be arranged in a hierarchy starting off with basic physiological needs and ending with more intellectually demanding needs.

Until a need is satisfied, a person cannot (or is not motivated to) move on to the next level. It is the same with induction: before newcomers can begin to understand the more complicated aspects of their jobs and company, and before they can be fully effective, they need to be comfortable with some basic knowledge.

Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs
 
To understand the link with induction lets look at the needs:

*	Physiological  basic biological needs, essential for survival, such as food, shelter and sleep

*	Safety  includes protection from physical and psychological threats

*	Social  the need for love, acceptance, friendship and social interaction

*	Ego  includes a need for self-respect, confidence, power and competence

*	Self-actualisation  self-fulfilment, achievement, realisation of potential

The Link Between Needs &amp;amp; Induction

Physiological: During the first few days newcomers require very basic and simple information in order to feel secure, like: knowing where they will be working, finding out where things are and learning the names of people.

Safety: Over the next few weeks they establish a routine and are given assignments w ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1401/How-We-Relate-Maslows-Theory-To-The-Induction-Process.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1401/How-We-Relate-Maslows-Theory-To-The-Induction-Process.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Making The Most Of Customer Service</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Customer care has become one of the most important issues facing businesses in every market. Customer care programmes come under a number of titles - customer services, customer satisfaction, customer focus, customer orientated etc. 

Their common theme is meeting the customers requirements and ensuring that all aspects of the business contribute to customer satisfaction. The intention is to build repeat business if customers are satisfied with the product and the standards of service they receive, they will return again and again.

	Inconsistent Customer Care
	
Inconsistent customer care performance can have a negative effect on customer perceptions. Petrol companies for example, know that every time a customer walks into one of their outlets, wherever they are in the country, they should expect to receive the same standards of service. Nation-wide consistency is essential when customers are likely to visit multiple outlets  one poor performance can threaten the customers perception of the entire operation.

	What Is Customer Care? 
	
	Customer care is about addressing three sets of requirements:
	
	Customer
	
	Staff
	
	Organisation
	
These requirements are interrelated, i.e. it is more difficult to deliver consistently high standards in customer care if the needs of both the organisation and the staff are not taken into account

	Customer Requirements
	
	Excellent personal service - feels valued, listened to, treated as an individual

	Products that meet expectations

	Encouragement to express views and give feedback

	Effective relationship with the organisation

	Problems and complaints are handled effectively

	Staff Requirements
	
	Effective management style

	Suitable working environment - pay and conditions / tools for the job

	Relevant training to develop skills

	Career potential

	Clarity of role / job description

	Performance standards and appraisal systems

	Sense of involvement / value

 ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1400/Making-The-Most-Of-Customer-Service.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1400/Making-The-Most-Of-Customer-Service.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To First Understand And Then Develop Your Emotional Skills</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[All forms of stress have an emotional element, but the emotional energy created by stress can be used to your advantage.

Essentially, emotions are resources which when used skilfully, will have a positive effect.

To begin with it is important to distinguish between thought, intuition, sensation and emotion. You will find those four distinct aspects of human functioning.

When your intention is to communicate emotions but you find yourself talking about thoughts, intuition or sensation, you will probably cross messages with the person you are communicating with.

What are emotional skills?

Emotional skills can be developed and there is a popular misconception that once a person reaches maturity, they are supposed to have learned all there is to know about emotions. However, just as you can develop new sales, technical or intellectual skills, you can, in exactly the same way continue to build on your emotional skills.

These skills include:

*	Control - emotional control is essential in many situations

*	Awareness - including being aware of your own emotions

*	Communication - self-disclosure helps to build trust

*	Catharsis - being able to let go of your feelings where appropriate

*	Transformation - transferring the emotional energy constructively

How to build emotional skills

In order to improve and build on these important skills there are a number of steps you can take . Some may be familiar to you whilst others will need some practice.  

	Control

	- learn breathing and relaxation techniques

	- remove yourself from stressful situations

	- change the subject to something you are comfortable with

	- focus on the positive aspects of your life
	
	Awareness

	- accept that you have every right to be emotional

	- recognise the areas of tension in your body

	- understand that you can feel more than one emotion at a time 

	- notice how particular emotions affect your actions

	Communication

	- practice  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1375/How-To-First-Understand-And-Then-Develop-Your-Emotional-Skills.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1375/How-To-First-Understand-And-Then-Develop-Your-Emotional-Skills.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Lessons In Leadership From  Earnest Shackleton</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I have read extensively, on the lives, characteristics and leadership styles of all the great leaders including: Alexander the Great, Montgomery, Elizabeth 1st, Churchill, Ghandi et al (the list is pretty extensive) 

However, the one that earns my greatest respect and the one with whom I feel the greatest affinity is Shackleton because I have learned so much from his style of leadership  characteristics that I have endeavoured to incorporate within my own management style.

Sir Ernest Shackleton has been called the greatest leader that ever came on Gods earth bar none for saving the lives of twenty-seven men stranded with him on an Antarctic ice floe for almost two years.

From 1914 to 1916 Shackleton and his men survived the wreck of their ship Endurance, in the crushing Antarctic ice, stranded twelve hundred miles from civilisation with no means of communication and no hope of rescue. The temperatures were so low the men could hear the ice freeze. They subsisted on a diet of penguins, seals and ultimately dogs.

When the ice began to break up, Shackleton set out to save them all on a heroic eight-hundred mile trip across the frigid South Atlantic  in little more than a rowboat.

Unlike most of the polar expeditions, every man survived  not only in good health, but also in good spirits  all due to the leadership skills of Shackleton.

So What Are The Leadership Lessons We Can Learn?

Here are just a few that I have adopted;

*	Cultivate a sense of compassion and responsibility for others. As a leader you have a bigger impact on the lives of those under you than you can imagine.

*	Once a career decision has been made, commit to stick it out through the tough learning period.

*	Play your part in creating an upbeat environment: A positive and vibrant workplace is important to productivity.

*	Broaden your cultural and social horizon beyond your normal experiences. Learning to see life from different perspectives will give you greater flexi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1374/Lessons-In-Leadership-From--Earnest-Shackleton.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1374/Lessons-In-Leadership-From--Earnest-Shackleton.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Five Main Drivers For Improvement Within Organisations</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[It is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the   ones most responsive to change&amp;quot; - Charles Darwin 

Whatever got you where you are today will not be sufficient to keep you there. A rapidly changing environment is the regular background against which organisations must develop.

Change is continuous and will become more rapid as we move forward over time. Senior management must be capable of reacting to those changes and be prepared to take advantage of them and yet stay within the overall framework and agreed strategy.

The role of strategy is fundamental if the people within an organisation are to be enabled to make the level of contribution of which they are capable. Strategy, based on a good grasp of the core competencies of a business, is an essential precursor to achieving optimal shareholder value.

The worlds leading organisations continuously seek to improve their performance. There may be unlimited potential for achieving accelerated improvement but if this potential is not being realised, good change agents must line up and mobilise all the forces (or drivers) for improvement.

There are five main drivers for improvement within organisations:

	Strategy

	Lean operations

	Balanced culture

	Customer responsiveness

	Leadership

Strategy sets direction and give focus to improvement. It must however be deployed throughout the organisation to be effective.

Processes need to be mapped and analysed in a methodical way; projects must be managed; problem symptoms traced to root causes; data must be collected before decisions are taken; trends in customer preferences detached and fed back; improvement activity of any kind reported on and coordinated; improvement action measured. Just about everything should be done to a discipline.

A balanced culture means effective, creative management of people. Customers are served by people; processes are managed by people. Only people can deliver q ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1373/The-Five-Main-Drivers-For-Improvement-Within-Organisations.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1373/The-Five-Main-Drivers-For-Improvement-Within-Organisations.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Recognising Signs That Tell You Your Business Is Heading For Trouble</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Has your business started to take a turn for the worse recently? Are your cash flow worries keeping you awake at night?

The following ten questions will help you to determine if your business is the lean mean fighting machine you believed, or a bed-ridden sick note, coughing and spluttering its way on a wobbly pair of last legs.

1. Increase in staff turnover

If you've watched a number of your key employees walk away from the business recently you should sit up and take notice. Staff is arguably a company's most valuable asset and if your people are leaving, it's often the first sign that something is going wrong.

The problem is not just the associated cost of recruitment, but also training new starters and the additional burden on remaining staff while the new team members get up to speed, that add further strain on the business.

Remedy

One of the best ways to keep track of staff morale is to hold regular reviews where employees can air their views on both the business and their specific concerns without fear of recrimination.

2. You lose a key account

It's believed that winning a new customer is seven times more expensive than keeping an existing customer happy. Small businesses are often too reliant on a couple of main customers, as demonstrated in the collapse of MG Rover and Courts not that long ago.

There are a number of reasons key accounts could defect: Your product or service is not of the standard promised or expected, or you could be beaten on price, quality or service.

Losing a key account can have a serious impact on your cash flow. Credit companies such as Experian offer a credit scoring service which can be invaluable when setting credit terms for key accounts. This is important: You wouldn't lend a stranger £20,000, so why offer new customers this kind of credit facility without checking their financial strength? 

In order to manage this risk further, there is a wide range of bad debt protection policies available whi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/1371/Recognising-Signs-That-Tell-You-Your-Business-Is-Heading-For-Trouble.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/56/1371/Recognising-Signs-That-Tell-You-Your-Business-Is-Heading-For-Trouble.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What Does Your Business Card Say About You?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Of the four business meetings I have held so far this week; only in one case was the other person able to produce an up to date and informative business card, despite the fact that they were all very senior executives

As I have said on numerous occasions, a common (and often overlooked) image feature for every would-be business professional, is the business or calling card (the summary information about yourself you choose to give to others).

Although there are no hard facts on the subject, it is estimated that 90% of people do not have a calling card at all. In fact the breakdown looks as follows:

Of the 10% that do have a calling card:

	25% have an informative card

	35% have cards showing only name, address and phone number

	40% have cards with out-of-date or incorrect information

This means that only 2.5% of people have a card that is up to date, accurate and gives a reasonably full picture of who they are and what they do. 

Always Carry Your Calling Card 

Having no calling cards (or one that is inaccurate or short on detail) is a major inhibitor. Even a supply of blank cards is better than none at all, as you cant possibly expect people to remember everything that you tell them. Nor do you want to constantly write down names, phone numbers and any other information, in long hand, every time you meet someone.

The design of your calling card can vary enormously in style and look. However, it should be easy to read and include a minimum of name, address and daytime phone numbers. 

However, I believe today that it is also appropriate to include fax number, e-mail address, and mobile phone numbers.

Focus On Your Skills Not Your Job

Youll notice that a job title is deliberately not included in the list. Although in principle there is nothing wrong with including it, it is much more useful to use the space under your name to describe what you do in a precise and concise way that is meaningful to anybody that you meet. Wor ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1367/What-Does-Your-Business-Card-Say-About-You.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1367/What-Does-Your-Business-Card-Say-About-You.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Covey's Seven Habits Should Be Revisited Regularly</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When a colleague loaned me Stephen Coveys The Seven Habits Of Highly Successful People many years ago, it took me about three months to get round to reading it  I now realise that I wasted those three months! In fact, I read it three times in order to ensure that I had fully digested the wisdom.

Whilst I cannot claim to have experienced an epiphany of Damascus Highway proportions, it did cause me to make fundamental changes to the way I conducted business. In reality, I was practising much of what Covey suggests, but I was doing so in a fairly unstructured and ill-disciplined way. However, in what I now term my Post Covey period, I do ensure that I audit myself regularly and I would urge you to do the same.

Covey is also responsible for the book Principle Centred Leadership, and many of his ideas and approaches relate to the management of people. You are encouraged to consider, as you read through my summary of his ideas,(You will find this in the Self-Improvement section of my article vault - the address is in the sidepanel on the right)how any of it might relate to your own particular situation as an individual, as well a manager.

Coveys view focuses on interdependence, on what he calls mature interaction. When we are truly interdependent, then we have achieved and are practising all seven habits. The habits are in fact steps, leading us from dependent through independence to interdependence and making use of our innate human characteristics  moving us in effect from what Covey terms private victories to public victories.

In any situation, our natural human response is to look for similarities to situations we have previously encountered. In doing this, we fail to recognise the situation we are actually in and we fail to recognise opportunities and challenges presented to us. In effect the way we see the problem is the problem  which accounts for why we find ourselves repeating patterns of frustration and feeling unable to respond appropriately to s ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1361/Coveys-Seven-Habits-Should-Be-Revisited-Regularly.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1361/Coveys-Seven-Habits-Should-Be-Revisited-Regularly.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Selling Is The Key Element In The Total Marketing Process</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There used to be a popular misconception that successful sales people are born, not created, which presumably referred to the belief that to be successful in selling one needed to possess the &amp;quot;gift of the gab&amp;quot;. That may have been true in the old days when the travelling rep believed he could sell &amp;quot;Ice-cream to Eskimos&amp;quot;, but of course this has changed and selling is no longer a dirty word.

Business people in the UK have devalued selling for far too long and some managers have convinced themselves that they would do better if they did not employ salespeople - after all good products sell themselves, don't they? As a consequence, until very recently, salespeople have done everything possible to avoid calling themselves &amp;quot;A Salesman or a Saleswoman&amp;quot;. They have developed a series of euphemisms such as: &amp;quot;Sales Engineer&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;Account Executive&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;Technical Sales Consultant&amp;quot; etc. But nowadays we accept that we all sell everyday - doctors, lawyers, estate agents, architects and politicians. The fact remains that anyone who is in business has to sell themselves and their products - and the so called &amp;quot;Captains of Industry&amp;quot; - Branson, Roddick, Marshall, Hanson, Gates, Dell and Co. are thought the best salespeople in the world.

It therefore follows that the quality and success of our salespeople will ultimately determine the success of our companies. Certainly the world has become more competitive and in order to survive and stay in business we need to continually expand and develop the skill sets of our sales team. 

Sir John Harvey-Jones said Most companies fail not in their attempts to be innovative or creative. In this country most of them fail because they undervalue the importance of professional selling

Unfortunately, the task of selling never becomes any easier and as competition continues to intensify, sales people will face issues that can be extremely difficult to deal with e.g. decreased pro ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1356/Selling-Is-The-Key-Element-In-The-Total-Marketing-Process.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1356/Selling-Is-The-Key-Element-In-The-Total-Marketing-Process.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Deal Effectively With Grievances</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Dictionary definitions of grievance are:

	Grounds for complaint

	A cause of grief

	Distress

A grievance might originate from any one of a number of sources. As a manager, you need to be able to listen actively to grievances. It will help if you appreciate the following key facts.

Key Facts About Grievances

Grievances are often below the surface  they are the moans and groans that provide fodder for the grapevine. They are the hygiene factors of the Hertzberg view of motivation: those issues that need to be cleaned up to maintain a sense of order. 

They include such items as:

	Working conditions

	Supervision

	Interpersonal relationships

	Company policies and how they are administered

	Money

	Job security

	Status

More Key Facts About Grievances

Grievances surface and become visible when the relationship between a company and the employee is unsatisfactory to the employee, and the employee is prepared to bring this formally, to the managements attention.

This is the formal side  clearly, grievances bubble below the surface before the formal process takes over. Good management is able to deal satisfactory with grievances before they become formalised.

Prime Objectives

The prime objectives for handling grievances need to be concerned with:

	Providing a means for employees to offload, urban and release themselves

Having a consistent and equal procedure to resolve

Typical Grievances

Grievances can be about anything at all. Some examples follow, covering relationship and company issues:

Work relationship issues

I am treated badly by x

I cannot get on with y

I am made to feel small

I am not appreciated by the company

Company issues:

On policy: - We were told to work on a Saturday and we never do that

On administration: - It takes three months for expenses to be paid

On work conditions: -  This place is too cold and too dirty

On wages: - X is paid more than me and w ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1349/How-to-Deal-Effectively-With-Grievances.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1349/How-to-Deal-Effectively-With-Grievances.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Discipline - Getting The Improvement/Punishment Balance Just Right </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[First, we need to appreciate that discipline involves handling the behaviour of apparently problem people.

Problem people key facts:

	The behaviour is the problem, not the person

	Seeing people as a problem can be dangerous and destructive, in relationships and in managing people

	It is vital to separate out the person from the problem

A problem person is someone whose behaviour does not meet the normal standard we expect. It follows, therefore, that we will need to be clear what the standard expected is. We will look at this shortly.

Defining Discipline

Dictionary definitions of discipline mention:

	Instruction

	Maintaining order

	Mental training

	A system of rules

	Controlling behaviour

Is Discipline Punishment?

The view of discipline as punishment may originate from childhood associations, and the view that discipline is all about a wrong to be corrected.

A balance needs to be struck between viewing discipline as punishment or improvement.

The Improvement/Punishment Balance

To punish is to:

	Cause the offender to suffer

	Inflict a penalty

	Chastise

	Give a penalty for wrongdoing

	Reprimand

	Correct

To improve is to:

	Make better

	Use for good purpose

	Become better

	Progress

	Be more prosperous

Conclusion:

The key aim of discipline at work is to encourage unsatisfactory employees to improve. (The word discipline derives from the Latin Verb discere. This means to teach or mould.) Keeping the focus on improvement, means having a view that discipline is about trying to gain, and not using blame.

When Is Punishment Valid?

You should use punishment as a final sanction only, when everything else has failed. Remember, the prime objectives have to relate to gaining improvement.

Key Facts

Discipline is:

	Conforming to a system of rules for conduct

	Ways and norms and expectations of behaviour

	Sometimes hidden in peoples/companies bel ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1348/Discipline--Getting-The-ImprovementPunishment-Balance-Just-Right.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1348/Discipline--Getting-The-ImprovementPunishment-Balance-Just-Right.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Incredible Value Of Networking</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[To some, networking means simply meeting or calling someone new for what might be a one-off discussion or event. In this limited sense, networking is only a trading relationship in which two parties seek to discover whether they have anything of mutual interest to talk about. They either make some sort of exchange or quickly move on. This makes networking a highly transactional subject, much like buying and selling or negotiating with someone.

My view is very different because I believe that networking has a much wider definition. In fact it can be a major social and life skill to be used in both a business/organisational and personal setting.

Network &amp;amp; Relationship Building

The relationship building aspect of networking is a long-term commitment to knowing more about yourself and others and what you may be able to do together that you couldnt do (or couldnt do as well) alone.

The reality is that anyone can systematically adopt effective networking as an individual strategy. It can play a key part in linking you with a wider range of people who can help you to achieve more  whatever more means for you

The Benefits Of Networking

The benefits of effective networking are many. Some of these are:

	It is the most cost effective marketing tool available

	Networking referrals will typically generate 80% more results than a cold call

	70  80% of all jobs are found through networking

	Every person you meet has 200  250 people with whom they connect who can potentially assist you

Anyone that you might want to meet or contact in the world, is only five to six people contacts away from you

As if these reasons were not enough, a healthy and active link to a network is a vast resource available to every individual at a low personal cost. It can help you to achieve a range of goals that otherwise might be too hard or out of reach.

A key point to understand is that networking is achieved at low personal cost not no personal cost. ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1317/The-Incredible-Value-Of-Networking.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1317/The-Incredible-Value-Of-Networking.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>It's Important To Keep Our Internal Customers Happy Too  </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Ask a colleague to define the customer and they will probably say Someone who buys from us. 

What about internal customers? Colleagues, other departments, branches, suppliers? They are equally as important and deserve to have their problems and complaints taken seriously.

External customers sense if there is a good working atmosphere, a co-ordinated approach to customer service, teamwork and high morale. It gives them confidence to stay with you

Passing Blame

Why is it that when customers blame us for something going wrong we are quick to blame others, especially in big organisations?

We passed the order to stores weeks ago; I dont know what they have done with it. (You know very well its still in your in-tray!)

Customers see through these feeble excuses and are not impressed!

Why do this?
	Stores are always making mistakes; attributing one more to them wont make any difference

	Theres a particular person in Stores you dont like

	No one will find out whether they are to blame are not

	They have blamed your department often enough

	They always beat your staff at the annual bowling challenge

Two Way Process

Lack of communication between departments is often cited as the reason for poor working relationships. They never tell us anything is a frequent cry.

Communication is a two way process. The most efficient of systems will not be effective if people dont read their messages, look at the notice boards, and log on to their computers, check their voice mail or pay attention at meetings.

Getting people to sign memos only provides proof of receipt, not of having read them. They need to want to know whats going on.

Low morale and a critical and suspicious environment will prompt employees to see customers as a nuisance and not the lifeblood of the business. Every employee needs to appreciate that they contribute to customer satisfaction even if they are working behind the scenes, e.g. maintenance, cleaning, refuse col ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1316/Its-Important-To-Keep-Our-Internal-Customers-Happy-Too.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1316/Its-Important-To-Keep-Our-Internal-Customers-Happy-Too.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Become An Active Listener</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Your role in the sales situation alternates between sender and receiver of messages. The very best sales professionals devote a large portion of the sales interview to listening.

Creative Ability is geared to perceptiveness. Your ears are as important to perception as your eyes.

Understanding people and Human Motivation demands alertness to behaviour clues. Among the most important clues is the words people use.

Human Relations is helping others like themselves. Sincere listening demonstrates sincere interest.

The best sales approach begins with a question. Listening for the answer is your guidepost to the right road.

Solutions to problems are based on what we hear in answer to the questions weve asked.

Good listening is the shortest distance between you and more sales; better sales, faster sales.

Good listening is a skill that requires much conscious practice.

There are many bad listening habits common to most of us.

	We label subjects dull and uninteresting and tune out.

	We look only for facts, not ideas.

	We stress the speakers manner of delivery and speech habits and ignore the contents of their words.

	We let our emotions colour and obscure the inflow. (We judge before we understand, and lose the thread.)

	We permit ourselves to be distracted.

	We pretend to listen but we dont hear
.
	We go off on mental tangents.


These poor listening habits are pick-pockets that rob us into mental and sales poverty. Be alert to them and avoid them.

Good listening is real work. But there are many things in our favour. Average speech speed is 125 words per minute. We can listen six times as fast. This gives the listener a time advantage over the speaker.

The good listener applies the EARS Formula to exploit this advantage. They:

Evaluate  search for evidence that the speaker might use to support their statements

Anticipate  tries to predict what the next point will be

Review  mentally summarises the main  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1315/How-To-Become-An-Active-Listener.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1315/How-To-Become-An-Active-Listener.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Importance Of Empathy In Selling</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him you are his sincere friend. Abraham Lincoln 

Nowhere is this truer than in selling, where you are trying to persuade another, often a stranger, to make a decision they may not even have considered prior to your meeting.

The buyer-seller situation  like any human contact  is an exercise in human relations: the interplay, cause and effect of behaviour by two or more people on each other. In the buyer-seller situation, the seller must be responsible for shaping mutual behaviour.

Whats the difference between human nature and human relations?

	Human nature is the instinctive behaviour that governs action concerned with the self and with self-interest.

	Human relations are concerned with how we think and act in terms of others interests.

Successful selling demands that human relations be dominant over human nature.

Selling is not something a salesperson does to a prospect. Selling is something you do with the prospect in a process of discovery and interaction  human relations at work.

The greatest barrier to success in this process is the Egocentric Predicament. This consists of being overly and unnecessarily concerned with self. Our ability to be perceptive and concerned about others is inversely proportionate to our self-concern.

When self gets unnecessarily in the way, the fruitful cycle of good human relations stops producing.

The key to understanding and accepting others, is to first understand and accept oneself  starting with the realisation that, rather than strive for an unattainable I should be image, we should settle for our real self as I am  accepting shortcomings along with strengths.

The following points provide a practical answer to the I am versus I should be conflict.

Recognise it  and recognise that its source is rooted in the views of others.

Either (a) accept your I am image or (b) decide on attainable, constructive steps to achieve I should be in t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1314/The-Importance-Of-Empathy-In-Selling.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1314/The-Importance-Of-Empathy-In-Selling.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Problem Solving Is The Bedrock Of Successful Selling</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds  - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Forfoolish consistency read dull routine. Routine  doing things by habit,  subconsciously, without thinking   is the enemy of success.

The human mind is a computer. You programme your computer by the input you feed into it: learning, knowledge, experience and so on. If you programme your mind with images of failure, you will fail. If you build a bank of success images, your computer will direct you to success.

How do you build and input images of success into your computer?

By creativityby thinking.

The fruit of thinking is knowledge; and knowledge is the medium from which skills are built.

In skills learning, there are four steps:

Step One:

The Unconscious Incompetent. They dont know that they dont know. The salesperson that is making mistakes, but is not aware of them.

Step Two:

The Conscious Incompetent. They know that they dont know. This is the beginning of wisdom. The salesperson that is aware they are not cashing in on their full potential and wants to learn how to improve.

Step Three:

The Conscious Competent. They have learned and are aware of what they have learned  and they use it! They know why! The salesperson who knows how to make a successful approach call and can programme and execute their presentation to achieve their objectives.


Step Four:

The Unconscious Competent. They have learned so well that they use their knowledge with a semi-automatic skill. Their skills have reached a level where they are no longer self-centred. They are free to devote their efforts to the needs of others. The professional salesperson who does the right things to get results, but functions without conscious attention to what they are dong or why.

Note that I say semi-automatic. Even the Unconscious Competent should have the ability and the sharpness to call forth self-awareness.

Purposeful self-awareness, plus a knowing application of skill,  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1313/Problem-Solving-Is-The-Bedrock-Of-Successful-Selling.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1313/Problem-Solving-Is-The-Bedrock-Of-Successful-Selling.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Understanding Buyer Motivation</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[All meaningful actions are performed for some reason or purpose. This is commonly called motivation. Success in selling requires an understanding of these basics of motivation:

	Your motivation both as a person and as a salesperson

	The other persons motivation both as a person and as a buyer

The most important fact to remember in influencing the behaviour and decisions of others is that  People do things for their reasons, not ours.

Every successful sale then, is made not so much because of the excellence of your product or of your sales pitch, but because consciously or unconsciously, you have found the human reason why your prospect should buy. You have found the door to their motivation and have opened it. The more you understand the function of human motivation, the more successfully you will sell.

In its simplest form, motivation emerges as a cycle. It starts with a want or need, expressed or hidden. Inherent in this is a problem, a problem that must be overcome in order to satisfy the want, that must be solved. Once solved, the want can be satisfied and the cycle is completed.

In terms of personal development there are several levels of needs. You will no doubt  be familiar with Maslows pyramid of need:

These needs are basic to everyone you sell to, live with, or encounter.

At the bottom of the pyramid are The Physiological Needs.  These include food, shelter, warmth, sex and sleep. They are instinctive needs common to all living creatures. Until these needs are satisfied, the higher needs are purely academic.

Then comes Safety which  is almost as basic. Security is another word for this need: security in ones job, in ones place in societysafety from unknown dangersfreedom from pain.

Love is a more sophisticated but no less essential need. Every human being wants others to care about them, to receive affection. They want to have the approval of othersto be understoodacceptedrespectedto belong. And equally important, they ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1312/Understanding-Buyer-Motivation.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1312/Understanding-Buyer-Motivation.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Customer Complaints - Techniques For Special Occasions</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I need to say right up front, that most people who complain have a legitimate reason to do so and as I discuss in my article: &amp;quot;Do You Welcome Customer Complaints Or Do You Have Your Head In The Clouds?&amp;quot;, we should actively welcome customer complaints.

However, sometimes it is just not possible to reach agreement with or appease a dissatisfied customer or client. 

You should always be alert to the following:

The Manipulator:

Everyone would like something for nothing given the chance, but most of us stop short of deliberate scheming. Those who are clearly out to complain to get freebies  meals, vouchers, tickets  need firm handling otherwise they go away and tell their friends to try the same trick. They could put you out of business.

The Noisy One:

Plenty of volume, fist thumping, table banging, bulging veins but no real cause for complaint. Sounds familiar?

These people just want to be heard. Theyve got a bit of a chip on their shoulder. Take them away from the crowd, sit them down (its harder to get angry then), stay in control and if all else fails say, Im not prepared to listen until you stop shouting. If need be, call for back-up

Techniques For Special Situations:

Chronic Complainers:

Some people (less than 10%) complain out of habit. Its a behaviour pattern they have learned. You can see them coming, again and again. The rules are simple.

	Be patient; dont give them real cause to complain about your attitude.

	Ask closed questions, keep dialogue to a minimum. 

	Stick to the point.  

Some managers call their bluff.

Well Mr. Davis. I am really sorry you are yet again unhappy with our service. Perhaps you would like to try  on the High Street.

This often stops them in their tracks.

In Summary - Drawing The Line:

Every company will draw its own boundaries but some general guidelines used by many businesses include:
	Threats of violence  physical and verbal

	Abuse  swearing, shouting

 ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1306/Customer-Complaints--Techniques-For-Special-Occasions.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1306/Customer-Complaints--Techniques-For-Special-Occasions.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Identify The Four Personality Types Resident In Every Boardroom</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you are a regular visitor to my blog you will know that recently, we have been developing a new leadership suite of programmes and this has led me to further investigate what I term Personality Types and Merrill &amp;amp; Reid call Social Styles in their excellent book Knowing About Social Styles. 

There are four personality types or social styles  Analyticals, Drivers, Expressives and Amiables  and all four have their own unique approach to business, their own language and thought processes etc. As a consequence, the very best sales professionals have become adept at recognising which personality they are dealing with and adapt their approach and communication style accordingly.

In every boardroom, you will always find three of the four personality types, occasionally, all four: I have discovered over the years which personality is likely to fill which position on the board but more on that later.

The Driver:  

Lets begin by looking at the characteristics of the Driver. Drivers are action and goal oriented, need to see results and have a quick reaction time. They are decisive, independent, disciplined, practical and efficient. They typically use facts and data, speak and act quickly, lean forward, point and make direct eye contact. Their body posture is often rigid and they have controlled facial expressions. 

They rarely want to waste time on personal talk or preliminaries and can be perceived by other styles as dominating or harsh and severe in pursuit of a goal. They are comfortable in positions of power and control and they have businesslike offices with certificates and commendations on the wall. In times of stress, drivers may become autocratic.

The Analytical:

Analyticals are concerned with being organised, having all the facts and being careful before taking action. Their need is to be accurate, to be right. precise, orderly, methodical and conform to standard operating procedures, organisational rules and historical ways of doing thin ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1304/How-To-Identify-The-Four-Personality-Types-Resident-In-Every-Boardroom.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1304/How-To-Identify-The-Four-Personality-Types-Resident-In-Every-Boardroom.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Relate To And Communicate With The Four Personality Types</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Sometimes we get on instantly with other people, occasionally theres a clash. Changing your behaviour to suit different people is perfectly normal. It doesnt change you as an individual, nor is it manipulative.

What you are sounds so loudly in my ears that I cannot hear what you say.
 Ralph Waldo Emerson

Influencing the Driver:

Present your ideas in ways that boost the persons prestige. Genuine praise can work wonders. Use power words such as: best, biggest, unique, powerful, fast, money, first. Go for a decision, quickly and often.

Influencing the Analytical: 

Like the Driver, this personality is strongly independent. Dont rush things  plan to give the person plenty of breathing space and thinking time. If your suggestions stack up, the person will come round to your way of thinking. Putting everything in writing (along with lots of juicy statistics) can be good idea. Above all, dont even think about misleading this type of person  it will be spotted instantly.

Power words that work well include: proof, evidence, facts and figures, research, logic, tried and tested, safe, reason.

Influencing the Amiable:

Amiables often have a long record of poor decisions. They are, therefore, suspicious and slow to accept new ideas. Take your time; nurture the relationship and work hard to gain their trust. Be prepared to provide ample proof and guarantees that your ideas will pay off.

Power words, that work well include: security, safety, guaranteed, reliable, popular, tried and tested, fail-safe, proven.

Influencing the Expressive:

Expressives like to be liked and appreciated. They need people around them and are anxious to develop and maintain relationships. Be prepared to steer and control the conversation.

Power words that work well include: fun, appreciate, enjoy, convenient, trouble-free, and inexpensive.

Summary:

First of all it is important to recognise that, there is no best style. Merrill and Reid found that around 25% of the ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1303/How-To-Relate-To-And-Communicate-With-The-Four-Personality-Types.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1303/How-To-Relate-To-And-Communicate-With-The-Four-Personality-Types.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What Are The Characterstics Of The Very Best Sales Performers?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As you can imagine, I am often asked by sales leaders anxious to recruit the best salespeople they can afford, just what is it that makes a consistently top performer, what are their characteristics, where are their strengths and what differentiates them?

Over the past twelve years I have trained and developed thousands of sales professionals, from foundation right up to master craftsman level and this has given me the opportunity to formulate an accurate profile of a Top 5% Achiever.

So What Is It That Top 5% Players Do?
 
They:

	Position themselves with the real decision-makers and avoid those without approval power. They are able to first identify and then access the formal decision making unit.
	
	Not only get the order but a satisfied customer, repeat sales, enthusiastic reference sites and constantly increase sales penetration within their accounts.

	Know how to minimise the uncertainties of a cold call on a new account, by careful planning and rigorous opportunity assessment.
	
	Recognise when to treat an old account as a new prospect and keep the relationship fresh, alive and maintain profitability
	
	Never entertain business they do not want because they recognise that it takes just as long to work an unprofitable opportunity through the sales funnel, only to lose it at the death, as it does a profitable one. They trust their own judgement but also rely heavily on objective assessment.
	
	Readily identify and know how to deal with the four different buying influences present in every sale i.e.  Economic Buyer, Technical Buyer, User Buyer and Ally.
	
	Understand how to prevent sales from being sabotaged by an internal enemy. They insulate themselves by developing strong allies within.

	Are able to recognise fail-safe signals that indicate when a sale is in jeopardy. This comes from experience but also information supplied by their allies.
	
	Are rigorous in tracking account progress and are able to accurately forecast f ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1290/What-Are-The-Characterstics-Of-The-Very-Best-Sales-Performers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1290/What-Are-The-Characterstics-Of-The-Very-Best-Sales-Performers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Presentations - What Audiences Want And What They Definitely Do Not Want</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In todays business world of quality circles and managing for excellence, the most successful individuals are often accomplished presenters. Thats because a successful presenter is more than just a fact dispenser - he or she really knows how to communicate with their audience, someone to whom people listen. The effective speaker in business, just as in the political arena, is the one who can make people hear the facts and believe the message.
	
	Unfortunately, public speaking is not something that comes naturally to most of us. Without prior training in the basics of timing, body language, humour, organisation and all the other skills that go into the act of public speaking, even the smartest, liveliest and most articulate individual can wither in the glare of &amp;quot;the spotlight.


	What Do Audiences Want?
	
	To feel you know your stuff
	That you look the part
	That you respect them and acknowledge their situation and views
	To find what you say links with what they want from you
	To have sufficient information to make a considered judgement about what you say (they will weigh it up)
	To be clear about any action necessary - at the end 
	
	And above all to find it understandable, interesting and a good fit with the audience and the occasion.

	And In Summary: What They Most Definitely Do Not Want?
	
	To be confused
	To be blinded with science / technicalities or jargon
	Lost in the structure (or lack of it)
	To be talked down to
	To be made to struggle to understand inappropriate language
	To be made to make an enormous jump to relate what is said to their    circumstances
	
And they do not want to listen to someone whose lack of preparation makes it clear they have no respect for the audience. As with most things in life, preparation and planning is everything.

It is important to remember that as the presenter or speaker, we are there for our audience, they are not there for us  we must earn the right by proving our cre ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1289/Presentations--What-Audiences-Want-And-What-They-Definitely-Do-Not-Want.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1289/Presentations--What-Audiences-Want-And-What-They-Definitely-Do-Not-Want.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Some Thoughts On Dealing With Interuptions And Feeding The Monkeys</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Where Do Interuptions Come From?

The Boss
	Who often has the power when it comes to setting priorities

Subordinates
	The more accessible you are, the more theyll use/abuse you

Fellow workers
	Interrupt for many reasons from social to those that are work-related

Clients and customers
	These you cant ignore

Phone
	Sounds familiar?

Dealing With Interruptions:

When youre interrupted, ask yourself whats more important: the interruption or what youre working on? You can keep a To Do list to re-focus on what you should be doing after the interruption has gone away. 

What you can do is try to keep interruptions short  What do you want, why, when, etc? You can also Keep a log of who/what interrupts you: a pattern may emerge. 

You should also consider the following  they work for me!:

	Be assertive; learn to deal with Have you got a minute?
	Invent deadlines
	Continue to look busy 
	Stand up to interruptions
	Remove the chair in front of your desk
	Reduce eye contact
	Collect your papers, check your watch
	Go to them  this way you can leave any time
	Learn to say no
	Plan a quiet hour

And Finally  Beware Of Monkeys:

Despite being a busy person, it is easy to get sucked into doing things for others. Often these tasks have nothing to do with your job (perhaps they interest you or you are flattered to be asked!).

Each time we say yes to these requests we collect another monkey, namely a problem that started with someone else (who is working for whom?).

Furthermore, monkeys eat into our discretionary time; the amount of time left after meeting the demands of boss and job.

Taking the monkey often means that you are taking on a problem. Also, you are preventing others from taking the initiative and dealing with it themselves.
  
So, to handle monkeys:

	 Deal with them as they happen (say yes, you can help or no, you cannot).
	 Do not allow them to become too many to handle.
	 Feed them ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1280/Some-Thoughts-On-Dealing-With-Interuptions-And-Feeding-The-Monkeys.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1280/Some-Thoughts-On-Dealing-With-Interuptions-And-Feeding-The-Monkeys.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Turning Customer Complaints Into Customer Referrals</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Its a mistake to think that because a customer has expressed dissatisfaction with your product or service they will not come back to you.

They wont return if you handle the situation badly. However, some of your most vociferous complainers could become your most loyal customers, because you handled the situation well and treated them with respect.

This means recognising some essential traits:
	Customers want to be respected
	They want attention
	They want to be appreciated and recognised
	Most of all they want to be understood

Losing Customers:

Why do businesses lose customers?

A survey with which you may be familiar, asked customers why they changed supplier/vendor. Here are the results:

	Developed a good relationship with another supplier       5%
	Less expensive products elsewhere                                9%
	Unhappy with service/product                                        18%
	Because of the poor attitude of  the supplier             68%

Your Customers Are The Lifeblood Of Your Business:

It is never easy to win new business, which is why we should nurture existing customers and try to minimise problems and inconvenience.

Its a good idea to:
	Make regularly visits or calls  spotting trouble early on can help prevent it
	Reply to calls/queries as soon as possible
	Talk to your customers  find out about them
	Keep them well informed
	Conduct regular reviews of your performance - see your service through their eyes

Ensure that the lifeblood keeps flowing through the veins of your business.

Solving Problems:

Suppose they are difficult.

Few people are truly difficult. In any case it is important to make a distinction between difficult people and difficult behaviour, which is often a result of non co-operation on your part.

	Focus on the problem (challenge?) not on them
	Show interest  bring out their likeable side
	Put yourself in their shoes  remember empathy?
	Be personal  use th ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1279/Turning-Customer-Complaints-Into-Customer-Referrals.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1279/Turning-Customer-Complaints-Into-Customer-Referrals.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Communicate Effectively With A Dissatisfied Customer</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Handling any sort of conflict requires you to draw on all your resources. In particular your communication skills. 

The reality is that we all have many communication skills, but dont always use them effectively and certainly we do not take the opportunity to improve them as often as we should

We relate to people on two levels:

Consciously: when we carefully select our words, gestures and behaviours.

Subconsciously: when unknowingly we send out subliminal messages. These often have the most impact on people and can make them feel uncomfortable

Listening Skills:

There are two aspects to communicating: receiving and sending messages i.e. it is a two way phenomenon.

Would you say you are a good listener? Consider the following questions:

	Do you have a tendency to interrupt or finish other peoples sentences?
	Do you find yourself losing patience or concentration?

If so, you need to work on your listening skills. Or:
	Do you stay focused when another person communicates with you?
	Do you make notes, give good feedback and demonstrate that they have your full attention?

Showing people you are listening by nodding and asking questions is a good way of demonstrating that you are taking them seriously and interested in what they have to say.

Listening, however, is a difficult task for most people. It requires us to:

	Block out all distractions
	Be observant  use eyes and ears more than mouth! 
	Keep an open mind and not be judgemental
	Stay calm, not rising to any bait
	Keep all personal prejudices at bay
	Listen all the way through 
	And also listen for what is not being said  read between the lines.

Language:

In difficult situations most people are careful to choose their words by avoiding:

	Inflammatory language, e.g. Thats impossible, no one else has complained about that

	Criticism, e.g. You should have contacted  dept

	Swearing, e.g.!!**?*!!

	Insensitive language, e.g. Its not designed fo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1278/How-To-Communicate-Effectively-With-A-Dissatisfied-Customer.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1278/How-To-Communicate-Effectively-With-A-Dissatisfied-Customer.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Importance Of Developing A Formal System For Handling  Complaints</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Most medium to large businesses have a policy for handling complaints but perhaps need to review it from time to time. Businesses that take a mainly ad hoc line would benefit from developing a consistent approach. Whatever policy is in place it should be:

	Easy to understand

	Simple to implement

	Effectively communicated to all staff

What To Include:

Some of the key features of a good policy include:

	Mechanisms for people to complain

	A system for logging and analysing complaints

	Identification of those who will be responsible

	Procedures for handling different levels of complaint

	Ways of keeping customers informed

	A structure of compensations

	Follow-up action plan

Information From Customers:

There is no point having a policy to handle unhappy customers if they are not encouraged to come forward in the first place. Such an invitation to comment or complain can take the form of something impersonal written on the packaging:

Customers who are not entirely satisfied with this product should  (action)

Or something very personal, following the example of the Chairman of a major food chain, who prints his own phone number on the packaging of products!

Questionnaires, comment cards, suggestion boxes, exit surveys, market research are all positive ways of encouraging customer feedback.

Informal verbal feedback from talking to customers is often the most valuable of all. However, in the industries within which I have most experience, i.e. I.T, Telecommunications and Finance, I have always insisted on regular formal account reviews. 

Logging &amp;amp; Analysing Complaints:

It is essential to have a system in place that collates and considers the nature of a complaint if corrective action is to be taken, to prevent a re-occurrence.

To do this it is important to define what your company means by a complaint.

	Is it solely when someone gets angry?

	Is it when they mildly point out an error?

	I ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1277/The-Importance-Of-Developing-A-Formal-System-For-Handling--Complaints.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1277/The-Importance-Of-Developing-A-Formal-System-For-Handling--Complaints.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>When It Comes To Making Presentations The Very Best Salespeople Are Seekers</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[All professional salespeople have to be involved in a presentation at some time in their sales career and Top 5 % players present their proposals every time.

Presentations allow us to: -

	Influence a group of important people.

	Gain consensus and commitment.

	Find out who the real players are and their real status.

	Set the ground rules for a major sale.

	Make a lasting impression of professionalism. 

	When it comes to the enthusiasm that sales professionals have for making a presentation, they broadly fall into four categories: 
	
	The Avoider:
		  
	An Avoider does everything possible to escape from having to stand in front of an audience; in some drastic cases salespeople may seek positions that do not involve making presentations.
	
	The Register:
	
	A Register is also extremely hesitant of speaking in public, however Registers may not be able to avoid speaking as part of their job but they never encourage it. When they do speak they do so very reluctantly.

	The Acceptor:
	
	The Acceptor will give presentations as part of their job but does not seek opportunities to do so. Acceptors occasionally give a presentation and feel they did a good job. They even find that once in a while they are quite persuasive and enjoy the experience.
	
The Seeker:

A Seeker looks for opportunities to speak. They understand that anxiety can be a stimulant which fuels enthusiasm during a presentation. Seekers work at building their professional communication skills and self-confidence by speaking often.

In Summary:

The reality is, that making presentations is an essential sales skill and as I highlighted earlier, Top 5% achievers are very good presenters. Any salesman or woman, who has ambitions to become the best in their sector or industry, will need to ensure that they can deliver dynamic, convincing and professional presentations, whenever they are called upon to do so.

Becoming a Seeker is a pre-requisite for success!


Copy ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1276/When-It-Comes-To-Making-Presentations-The-Very-Best-Salespeople-Are-Seekers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1276/When-It-Comes-To-Making-Presentations-The-Very-Best-Salespeople-Are-Seekers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Prepare A Professional Presentation</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As with all things in life, the quality of the preparation affects the final outcome and this is certainly true when it comes to planning and preparing a presentation.

I have experimented with a number of methods over the years but I do believe that the simplest are usually the best.

The Collection:
Over a period of time think all round the subject and note down on a large sheet of paper or indeed several sheets, everything that comes into your head about the subject of your presentation. This is rather like a personal brain storming session and should be done roughly, in the order in which the thoughts occur; do not attempt to write a speech at this stage

The Central Theme:
This second method requires you to decide on the exact message you want to get across and writing it down in one simple sentence. Then you think all around the sentence, scribbling down the ideas as they come to you - this method is almost identical to mind-mapping

Before selecting or rejecting any idea, it is important to decide:-

Who are my audience?
How much do they know already?
How much time will I be allowed?

Having taken account of the answers to those three key questions, it should be possible to answer one further one -

What do I want to say?

This is the stage at which you can decide your headings and sub-headings and put them into a logical order. Your structure then begins to take shape. Essentially you go back to the notes you made during the ideas stage and select which ones you wish to use - and then put them in the right order.

Remember you probably will not have time to tell your audience all you know about your subject  after all this is not an information dump Use only what is relevant and what can be dealt with in the time at your disposal  this may involve a ruthless reduction exercise.

It is suggested that if possible leave the speech, once written, for 24 hours. Then re-read and revise, removing any jargon or unnecessarily flowery phas ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1275/How-To-Prepare-A-Professional-Presentation.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1275/How-To-Prepare-A-Professional-Presentation.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Planning Is The Key To Delivering A First Class Presentation</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The book of lists published every year in America, has accumulated and ranked a dazzling assortment of fascinating topics. Amongst them is the list of mankinds worst fears
	 
Do you think that death is our greatest fear? - No thats tied for sixth place with sickness
	
In fifth place is our fear of deep water
	
In fourth place comes our fear of financial problems
	
In third our fear of insects and bugs
	
In second place is our fear of heights
	
So what do you think ranks as our worst fear?
	
It is in fact, the prospect of having to stand up in front of an audience and make a speech or give a presentation.
	
Interestingly, the most common problem among inexperienced presenters is the fear of fear the feeling that they will be unable to overcome this nervousness. This fear is normally multiplied by the number of people they are talking to.

	The Value Of Nerves:
	
	However, the adoption of certain basic principles will help to control nerves.
	You will note that I say control rather than eradicate - which leads to the first of these principles.
	
	Feeling nervous before and at the start of any presentation is not only natural, it is necessary. Without that keyed-up feeling, the adrenaline will not flow in the presenter and therefore the presentation will be flat and unexciting.

	Remember that of the three key elements in any presentation  -i.e. the audience, the content &amp;amp; the presenter, the presenter is the least important


	Also remember that you are not alone. Nearly every great orator, whether they are a politician, an actor, an evangelist or a great sales person, feels the same nervousness that you feel. (indeed many of them feel it worse)

In nearly every case the audience is on you side.

	In Summary:
	
	The biggest fear is probably of drying -up you will not do this if you are properly prepared with a good set of notes. If you are lost for a word, dont worry, it will either come to you or the audience will s ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1274/Planning-Is-The-Key-To-Delivering-A-First-Class-Presentation.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1274/Planning-Is-The-Key-To-Delivering-A-First-Class-Presentation.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong> SCOTSMAN A Simple But Very Effective Opportunity Assessment Process</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As I have highlighted in a number of articles dealing with opportunity assessment, having a tilt at every windmill that presents itself, is neither practical nor profitable. Qualification, is a core competency that every professional salesperson should take on board as quickly as possible.

Working to the maxim that All business is good business is unrealistic and totally erroneous. It takes just as long to work an unprofitable opportunity through the pipeline only to lose it at the death, as it does a profitable one  the ability to determine which is which, can have a huge impact on your ultimate success in a front-line sales role 

The following is an explanation of the S.C.O.T.S.M.A.N. a very basic but nevertheless, accurate forecasting and qualification system. There are eight qualification elements that should be considered for each potential client. If you identify five or more areas which are positive, then the client is worth entering into the sales funnel and progressing further.

S.C.O.T.S.M.A.N. will not only allow you to identify potential buyers, but will also enable you identify areas which need converting, in order to ensure that you achieve the sale.

Solution:	

Is there a solution you can supply and support?
Can it be matched within your companies current portfolio?

Competition:

Are you aware of who you are competing against?

Originality:

Can you offer something original or unique to this potential sale?

Timescale:

Are you aware of their timescale?
Is their timescale reasonable?
Does it fall within you own sales cycle criteria?

Size:

Is the potential order value worth the effort?
Is your company large enough to handle it? 
Is the potential client of a size that you would normally deal with?

Money:

Is there a budget allocated?
How much is it? Is it approved?
It is reasonable; can you provide a decent solution for that amount? 

Authority:

Are you speaking to the right person? 
Do they have the  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1273/SCOTSMAN-A-Simple-But-Very-Effective-Opportunity-Assessment-Process.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1273/SCOTSMAN-A-Simple-But-Very-Effective-Opportunity-Assessment-Process.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Are You Working Smart  Or Are You Working Dangerously Hard?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There has been increasing evidence that sales professionals and sales captains are working longer and longer hours, thereby putting health and family relationships at risk. Pressure to complete and meet the ever-increasing demands of customers (as well as the need to achieve higher sales quotas) is forcing people to spend more of their time working.

Whilst stress does have its benefits; too much can cause errors of judgement, mistakes, accidents and damage to health. Some people are more vulnerable to stress from overwork than others; American researchers identified two types of managers  Type A who, though thriving on stress, are vulnerable to its effects, and Type B who rarely let events disturb them.

Not only are there Type A managers but Type A organisations  is yours one?

Types A &amp;amp; B:

Type A	
	Try to do more and faster	
	Concerned with speed, performance and productivity	
	Tend to be aggressive, impatient, intolerant, hard driving and always hurried	
	Preoccupied with time
	Start early
	Strong competitive tendency
	Always want to succeed
	More likely to have heart attacks

Type B	
	Easy going
	Take difficulties in their stride	
	Spend time on what theyre doing
	Rarely harassed
	Less prone to heart attacks	
	Take time to ponder alternative
	Usually feel theres plenty of time
	Not as preoccupied with time

Stress What Is It?

Popular definitions include: the result of a person being pushed beyond the limit of their natural ability When used in physics, stress is defined as the external pressure applied to an object, the resultant change is called strain

Applied to people, we mix up the two terms, using stress to refer to both the pressures were under and the effect it has on us 

What Causes Stress?

	Where you work
Red tape, changes, demands from customers, uncertain future
	Your Job
Volume of work (too much/little), deadlines, pressures, being responsible for staff
	Your career to dat ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1190/Are-You-Working-Smart--Or-Are-You-Working-Dangerously-Hard.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1190/Are-You-Working-Smart--Or-Are-You-Working-Dangerously-Hard.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Conduct Meaningful Meetings</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Too many meetings, too little time. When the true cost of holding just one meeting is accurately calculated, it should provide sufficient motivation for us to want to ensure that all of our meetings are meaningful, necessary and can be justified.

I am sure you heard the one about meetings?

&amp;quot;Are you lonely?

- Work on your own?

- Hate having to make decisions?

- Rather talk about it than do it?

Well, why not hold a meeting?

- You get to see other people

- You can sleep in peace

- Offload decisions

- Learn to write volumes of meaningless rhetoric

- Feel important

- Impress (or bore) your colleagues

And all in work time!&amp;quot;

But of course, it doesn't have to be like that.

Are Meetings A Waste Of Time?

Why they cause frustration

	Too many of them

	No real purpose

	Too long

	Platform for the talkative

	Few decisions come out of them

	Make straightforward issues complicated

	Often slow things down

Potential benefits

Run properly they can be an effective means of:

	Communication to a group

	Meeting people face-to-face

	Improving the quality of decisions

	Getting to know people

	Drawing from a variety of different experiences

	Building teams

The following figures are based on a working year of 288 days, with one working day equal to 7 hours. (I wish!) You begin to realise the true cost of holding a meeting.

Salary Per Annum: £40.000

One Hour Meeting: £24

One Day Meeting: £168

Salary Per Annum: £60.000

One Hour Meeting: £36

One Day Meeting: £252

Salary Per Annum: £80.000

One Hour Meeting: £48

One Day Meeting: £336

Salary Per Annum: £100.000

One Hour Meeting: £60

One Day Meeting: £420							

Some Tips To Ensure A Successful Meeting:

	Only hold meetings if they are really necessary

	Could people be told any other way?

	Consider the cost; meetings are expensive  time away from job, salaries of those atte ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1189/How-To-Conduct-Meaningful-Meetings.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1189/How-To-Conduct-Meaningful-Meetings.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Develop Rapport - That Most Essential Business Skill</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[What Exactly Is Rapport?

Rapport is the most important process in influencing others. It is vital if you want to maintain  relationships. Without it, you are unlikely to achieve willing agreement to what you want. People who have excellent rapport with others create harmonious relationships based on trust and understanding of mutual needs.

Rapport is the cornerstone of all mutually effective relationships. It needs constant vigilance to keep it alive and effective.

Why Is It So Important?

Rapport is similar to money  when you are short of it, it increases in importance. Without rapport you will reduce your chances of getting:

	Unconditional agreement to your ideas and suggestions

	Full commitment from others

	Business, promotion, fiends

The way in which you interact with others has a major bearing on your success as an influencer.

Being in rapport means that you are in agreement with others both verbally and non-verbally.

Ten Good Reasons To Build Rapport
	
	 	To really win friends and influence people

	 	To connect rapidly with a wide range of people

	 	To communicate magically

	 	To build solid, lasting relationships

	 	To create incredible results

	      To help others improve performance and increase success

	 	To handle conflict

	 	To get promotion

	 	To talk your way in to things

	      To talk your way out of things

A Recipe For Successful Influence

Ingredients

Trust

Openness

Comfort

Acceptance

Empathy

Flexibility

Something in common

Shared understanding

Method

Mix together as required. Notice changes and be prepared to maintain a flexible approach throughout. Keep communication flowing on all levels.

Self-Disclosure

Telling others how you feel and what you think and believe, as well as telling them about your background, is a kind of currency. Give out information and usually you will receive a lot back in return.

People swarm, flock and grou ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1146/How-To-Develop-Rapport--That-Most-Essential-Business-Skill.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1146/How-To-Develop-Rapport--That-Most-Essential-Business-Skill.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Two Steps To Get You To Yes More Easily</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Unless the person you are influencing offers an unconditional yes to your proposals you will need to do or say something that will generate a positive decision.

Here are two steps you can take towards getting a decision:

Step One:

Ask yourself How does this person normally go about making decisions? Most people usually have a preferred way of making up their mind. Some people take their time to decide, others are happy to make snap decisions. You can sometimes push the latter, but will need to tread more carefully with the former. 

Step Two:

Have a variety of ways in which you can stimulate a decision.

Spot The Signals  Verbal And Non-Verbal

Knowing when to ask for a decision can be critical. Ask too soon and you may frighten the other person off. Ask too late and you may miss your best chance. Watch for signals that suggest the other person is ready to decide:

	Leaning forward, seeming more interested and involved

	Head up, good eye contact

	Stoking chin thoughtfully

	Nodding or smiling in agreement with you

	Upward infection in voice tone

	Requesting more information

	Asking you to repeat some points you made earlier

	Making notes

	Asking What if  or Suppose  questions

	Checking guarantees, support, follow-up plans

	Picking up your written proposal and double checking aspects

	Discussing implementation details

Dealing With Ditherers

A good way of avoiding a decision is to say I want to think about it.

Sometimes people do want time to think things through. But, very often, this can be an excuse or a put-off.

Ask:

	What exactly do you want to think through? (Whatever you do  dont pause here!) Is it the implementation schedule? Is the bottom line? Is it the timing?

Once you have isolated the real reason, you are much better placed to respond to the objection.
Going For Yes

	If you agree, shall we go ahead right away?

Its very directness appeals to the Driver or E ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1145/Two-Steps-To-Get-You-To-Yes-More-Easily.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1145/Two-Steps-To-Get-You-To-Yes-More-Easily.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Categories Of Buyer Resistence</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[It is not enough to know whether people are for or against you and your ideas and proposals. The people you want to influence can be divided into nine categories 

Those who:

	Covertly disagree

	Openly disagree

	Comply  reluctantly

	Remain undecided

	Have insufficient information
		 
	Are not able to see a need

	Need to think it over

	Consider it the wrong time

	Have to refer the decision to others

You will need a different strategy depending on what stage the person to be influenced is at. Be realistic about your chances  it is unlikely that others will move from open disagreement to active support. The best you may achieve is to move them to neutral. But thats victory!

Covert Disagreement

Well, Ok, if thats what you want.

Thinks to self: What a load of nonsense  Im not doing that.

These people are actively working against you. Gently transform their energy into a willingness to talk openly about their concerns. Once you have done this, you can then: 

	Work to build rapport and a positive relationship

	Stress areas of agreement before moving onto areas of disagreement

	Use humour and positive anecdotes

	Meet regularly to develop a working relationship

	Respect their position, promote your own

Open Disagreement

Hmm  it might be possible, but I doubt it

People who disagree need time to come around to your way of thinking.

	Support your statements with proof and evidence

	Use statistics and numbers accurately and appropriately; avoid trickery

	Be clear about areas of agreement and disagreement

	Ask little and get it, rather than a lot and be turned down

	Demonstrate ways in which you understand their viewpoint

	Show that you seek a win-win outcome

Reluctant Compliance

Well, if thats what you want, thats what well have to do.

Link your point of view to the compliant persons feelings, values and concerns to move him or her towards actively supportin ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1144/Categories-Of-Buyer-Resistence.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1144/Categories-Of-Buyer-Resistence.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Why Buyers Object And Resist</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[To handle resistance to your ideas and influence, you will first need to pinpoint exactly why there is an objection. Typically, people object or resist because they:

	Dont fully understand your proposal

	Misunderstand it

	Dont feel a need to go ahead

	Dont recognise the benefits and advantages

	Dont believe your claims 

	Are happy to remain as they are

	Genuinely need time to think things through

	Dont trust you

	Display general inertia

What Type Of Resistance?

Objections and resistance usually come in three identifiable forms:

A condition is a genuine, non-negotiable reason why someone cant go ahead or agree to your proposal (eg: company policy, legal reasons, a contractual obligation).

An excuse or a put-off, is usually made because people are not convinced of the benefits of your ideas. Excuses cannot be answered  conviction is the only solution.

A real objection can include lack of money or resources, time constraints, happiness with the status quo.

Strategies &amp;amp; Tactics

Resistance can be very frustrating. You are anxious to get on with things and it is hard to see why others are stonewalling. This is the moment to back off and take stock.

	Listen carefully to what they are saying to you.

	Watch their body language  does it contain any hidden messages?

	Step into their shoes; try to see things from their point of view.

	Consider what would have to happen for you to be convinced?

	Plan your responses carefully.

	Take time to construct carefully thought through responses.

	Check that you have provided acceptable responses to doubts and fears.

	Seek areas of agreement and stress them, minimise areas of disagreement.

Categories Of Resistance

It is not enough to know whether people are for or against you and your ideas and proposals. The people you want to influence can be divided into nine categories and in Part Two of this article:Categories Of Buyer Resistance, I id ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1143/Why-Buyers-Object-And-Resist.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1143/Why-Buyers-Object-And-Resist.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Recognising The Different Influencing Styles</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The way in which you behave as a manager and the approach you take will have a marked effect on your ultimate success or failure.

Having a range of approaches and styles of behaviour gives you more flexibility. It increases your options  and your chance of success.

Natural Styles

Most managers have a natural style of influence which they prefer to use whenever possible. More flexible managers also keep in reverse a fall back style, used when the preferred style doesnt achieve the desired results.

However, there are at least eight identifiable styles of influence  not including aggression, manipulation or force!

Because you are influencing a wide range of people, proficiency in a wider range of styles will ensure more success. Stop outside the comfort zone of your natural style and enjoy greater success by practising new ways of influencing.

However, do think carefully which influencing style has the greatest chance of succeeding. Varying your styles too much may give you a reputation for being unpredictable

The Autocratic Approach

You tell them, they agree

Use the push style when:
	You are looking for a quick response
	You seek only short-term commitment
	You are happy to check up and follow through

This approach works best when supported by power, authority, age, knowledge or wisdom. Resistance or objections are minimised. You tell others what you want then to do.

Do remember though that autocracy can be a high-risk strategy. It may result in a feeling of You won, I lost. Theyll get you next time.

The Collaborative Approach

You include others in the decision-making process.

Use the push style when:
	You want to maintain long-term influence with others
	You seek a high level of commitment
	You have no time to enforce the outcome

This approach works successfully without you having any power or authority.
  
A word of caution, democracy takes time and can result in watered down solutions. Remain consistentl ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1137/Recognising-The-Different-Influencing-Styles.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/33/1137/Recognising-The-Different-Influencing-Styles.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What Gets Buyers To Yes?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When we agree to an idea or proposal, its because theres something in it for us. Its hard to influence people who cant see whats in it for them. Sounds one-sided, but it is true. Call it self-interest, selfishness or whatever. It is only human nature to ask, What am I getting from this?

People will say yes to your ideas if they meet their needs or match their view of life in the following areas:

	Principles and values
	Beliefs and opinions
	Needs and wants

So Give People What They Want &amp;amp; Need

People agree to ideas and suggestions that match their needs or views of life. Underpinning all our lives are certain principles and values that we hold to be true. These become guidance for how we conduct our lives. They influence and mould our behaviour. They can differ greatly from person to person and successful influencers always take principles and values into account.

But how?
	Notice what principles and values drive other people
	Ask questions and invite comment and reaction
	Check with those who know them well

Some examples of principles:

Integrity and fairness are an integral part of business dealings.
I think that older people deserve courtesy and consideration.
Moral behaviour is part of the fabric of daily life.

It would be unproductive to spend time attempting to dislodge these deep-seated principles. Instead, harness them to add leverage to your suggestions

Beliefs &amp;amp; Opinions

Beliefs and opinions can be transient or short-term. Remember when you used to believe in Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy, giants and witches? Proof can easily dislodge a belief. So too can time.

An early step on the road to influencing others may include having to change lingering beliefs or convictions before you can proceed further.

I think that BubbleClean washing machines break down more often than the Tumblingsystem range.

I think that all politicians are corrupt.

I never make decisions on the 13th.

Each of thes ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1136/What-Gets-Buyers-To-Yes.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1136/What-Gets-Buyers-To-Yes.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Is Your Organisation Totally Committed To Succeed?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[It is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change&amp;quot; - Charles Darwin 

Whatever got you where you are today will not be sufficient to keep you there. A rapidly changing environment is the regular background against which organisations must develop.

Change is continuous and will become more rapid as we move forward over time. Senior management must be capable of reacting to those changes and be prepared to take advantage of them and yet stay within the overall framework and agreed strategy.

The role of strategy is fundamental if the people within an organisation are to be enabled to make the level of contribution of which they are capable. Strategy, based on a good grasp of the core competencies of a business, is an essential precursor to achieving optimal shareholder value.

Dependence on salespeople is key to delivering the latent capability of a business. Our salespeople are the greatest source of competitive advantage we have and that is precisely why we should continue to invest in them and fully develop them. This is particularly true now that in most market sectors competitive advantage is continually being eroded  i.e. International barriers are coming down, selling time is becoming limited, competitors are getting smarter, fewer and fewer names are appearing on companies databases, and product uniqueness is rare. Conversely, undeveloped personnel can bring down a company through inadequate performance, leaving the competition to harvest the marketplace. 

If your organisation wants to permanently increase its sales results then it may need to approach sales differently to create the difference that makes the difference in order to positively impact bottom line performance.

In Summary:
Organisations and salespeople who have 100% commitment to doing whatever it takes to elevate their sales to a whole new level are the ones most likely to succeed. Trying to operate a sales  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1120/Is-Your-Organisation-Totally-Committed-To-Succeed.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1120/Is-Your-Organisation-Totally-Committed-To-Succeed.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Very Best Sales Managers Are Great Influencers</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Question: What is the number one need for success in business today?

Answer: To persuade others of your value and the value of your ideas.

So What Is Influencing?

Influencing is getting your own way, especially unobtrusively.

Most managers do it, most of the time.

	You can influence others simply be being you (notice how easily children are influenced by the behaviour of those around them)
	You can influence covertly, behind the scenes
	You can use more open strategies and tactics

Great influencers manage to get other people to go along with their ideas while maintaining the relationship. If people feel manipulated, relationships will be damaged. It is important to understand the different strategies available to you and to plan your approach. 

Mastering The Art:

Increasingly todays managers are measured by their ability to influence others in the workplace. Being able to get people to do what you want has a direct effect on:

	The well-being of your staff
	The prosperity of your company
	And, ultimately, your own destiny

You are probably already successful at influencing others  some of the time. How can you become consistently successful? If you can identify your strengths and weaknesses and make a few changes, nothing can hold you back.

Typical Areas Of Open Influence:

A lot of the time, especially in business, influencing is necessary and we accept it as part of human communication. It operates openly and usually follows a recognised process. Open influence can be seen in:

-	Meetings
-	Presentations
-	Sales conversations
-       Debates and discussions
-	Change management
-	Reports
-	Proposals
-	Negotiations
-	Performance management
-	Process management
 
Typical Areas Of Hidden Influence:

Influence can also operate in a less open and direct manner. Your behaviour will be noticed by others, even though you are not necessarily trying to influence them. Your words will always be interpreted, however su ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1119/The-Very-Best-Sales-Managers-Are-Great-Influencers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1119/The-Very-Best-Sales-Managers-Are-Great-Influencers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Management - The Key Performancet Areas</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this article is to help you think about your strengths and weaknesses and then use this analysis as a means of taking some self-development action.

The Attainment of Targets:
	Do you always attain targets by the time deadlines?
	Do you know what to do and do you do it, when performance starts to deviate from plan?

Ability to Get Things Done:
	Are you a good objective setter, planner and above all controller? 
	Do you always finish what you start?

Co-Operation:
	Do you have the ability to work with others in a friendly co-operative manner - and can you inspire others to co-operate?

Initiative:
	Do you have both the desire and the ability to ornate and develop constructive ideas? 
	Are you a self-starter?
	Can you work with minimum brief?

Dependability:
	Are you really dependable? Are you thorough and accurate in everything you undertake?

The Selection of People:
	How is your ability to meet manpower quotas? Do you surround yourself with good people? 
	Are you skilled at getting the facts?
	Do you make good 	judgements?

Delegation:
	Do you produce your results through others - as opposed to trying to doing everything yourself?
	 Do you delegate wisely?

Planning and Organising:
	Do you have written down objectives?
	Do you plan in detail how these 	objectives will be attained?
	Do you anticipate problems and plan how they will be overcome?

Vision:
	Do you look well ahead? Are you a good forecaster?
	Do you think about the future, its opportunities and problems you will have to overcome?
 
Creativity:
	Do you generate ideas frequently? 
	Are you always working out ways and means of doing it better?

Training Ability:
	Do you understand thoroughly the basic principles of the training subject? 
	Can you tailor training to suit the individual? 
	Are you a good communicator? 

&amp;quot;Selling&amp;quot; Company Policies:
	Are you  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1093/Management--The-Key-Performancet-Areas.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1093/Management--The-Key-Performancet-Areas.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Skills You Must Cultivate If You Wish To Develop As A Leader</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[No one has all the skills of management or leadership to the same degree, any more than they have the personality traits to the same degree. However, it is much easier to learn or acquire skills than it is to develop new personality traits. There are five basic skills, and the degree to which any individual cultivates those skills, may well determine the degree of their success.

Co-operation:

No one ever got very far completely by their own efforts. It has been said that none of us have ever accomplished anything without the help, or the results of the work of someone else. No one walks alone through life. Enlisting the help of the right people and at the right time is what we call the ability to enlist co-operation.

A genuine leader will understand that co-operation is a two-way thing and that in order to enjoy the co-operation of others; they must in turn be prepared to give co-operation in a like measure. They avoid unnecessary friction with associates in every possible way. They recognise that each person, whether superior or subordinate, has certain responsibilities and makes certain contributions to the group, which are a part of success. They realise that they are all important - and they treat them as such.

The leader must invite suggestions from others and give each suggestion careful and courteous consideration. They see that the originator receives full credit. He knows that asking anothers opinion is the sincerest form of praise. They understand that when associates have a part in the formulation of any plan or programme or in arriving at a decision which affects them, they will work all the harder to make that plan, or programme, or decision, turn out right.

Organising and Planning:

An effective leader must be an organiser. They must have the ability to see and grasp the whole picture, separate it into its component parts, determine what has to be done and in what sequence.

A true leader knows in advance that all is not going to be  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1092/Skills-You-Must-Cultivate-If-You-Wish-To-Develop-As-A-Leader.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/1092/Skills-You-Must-Cultivate-If-You-Wish-To-Develop-As-A-Leader.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Construct A Winning Business Proposal</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A professionally prepared proposal is an essential part of the overall sales cycle and is often the only way some members of the customers decision making unit (DMU), find out about you, your company and your proposed solution. If you fail to adequately represent what you have to offer, all of that time invested in first locating the opportunity, initial meetings, qualifying etc, will have been totally wasted. 

Here then, are the essential ingredients of a professional proposal.

The Contents:

A well laid out Contents page shows how your thoughts are organised and supplies a ready guide to your in-depth review of the selling argument.
If your document is so short as to not require a contents page, then you are showing how little information you have.


	The objective

	The current situation

	Current constraints

	Recommended benefits

	Recommendation of products

	The final justification

	Supporting documentation:

	- Product guarantees

	- Service information

	- Cost breakdowns

	- Third party references

	- Training

	- Timetable for implementation

	- Appendix



The Objective:

An objective is a statement that can be looked at in terms of measurable change once the decision is taken. If your objective offers no change from the present situation then this is not an objective at all. 

The Current Situation:

A clear statement of what is currently taking place within the prospective customers own work environment.This should cover equipment, volumes, work practices and anything to do with the department or departments that are involved.

Current Constraints:

As with an explicit need, a clear statement of desire to solve a perceived problem, the listed problems should be the statements of the decision maker and not your own.You must gain the agreement of the decision maker as to the exact wording of the explicit need so that it is their statement and not your interpretation.

Recommended Benefits:

 ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1091/How-To-Construct-A-Winning-Business-Proposal.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/1091/How-To-Construct-A-Winning-Business-Proposal.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Value Of The Joint Coaching Call</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Today, more and more organisations are waking up to the value of building a strong coaching culture. Analogies to athletic coaching are common but especially apt. Training alone does not guarantee that a great athlete will deliver a gold medal-winning performance. This can only come from continuous daily support and guidance from an expert coach. Equally, top sales professionals need expert coaching support from their managers to stay at the top of their game. Whether coaching is delivered face-to-face, on the telephone, or via e-mail, those organisations that have a strong coaching culture attract and retain the best salespeople.

The challenge for Sales Directors is to provide the support that sales managers  all of whom are hard-pressed for time  need in order to provide the kind of support their salespeople must have. Successful Sales Directors have found a range of supporting tools, resources and kits that save managers time and enhance the impact of their coaching time.

Whatever coaching framework is chosen by an organisation, it must be easy to use, flexible, so that the coaching sessions are tailored to the needs of their team, participative, so all of the salespeople are engaged and, above all, fun. The fun factor encourages salespeople to become hooked on their own continued development

This paper, along with In Field Coaching focuses on the importance of taking the coaching initiative out of the office and into what we call live scenarios.

Planning the Coaching Call:

	General background (The salesperson briefs the manager)

	Objectives for the call (What does the salesperson want to achieve)

	Plan/strategy (How do they hope to achieve their objectives)

	Areas of coaching focus (The manager sets the objectives here)


Reviewing the Coaching Call:

	How do you feel about the call?

	How close do you think you came to achieving your objectives?

	How do you think your plan worked? How well were you able to implement yo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1090/The-Value-Of-The-Joint-Coaching-Call.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1090/The-Value-Of-The-Joint-Coaching-Call.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Sales Management - What's Involved?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[What any individual Sales Leader actively does is conditioned by the size of their company, the products it sells and the way they are sold, the organisation of functions within it, and perhaps their own special ability. They may carry most or all of the responsibilities which would be those of a Marketing Manager, if this position does not exist within their company.

Essentially, however, the task of the Sales Leader is to produce revenue for their company through the operations of the sales staff for whom they are responsible. The size of this revenue, and the profit (however defined) which it should show, are usually predetermined in order to achieve the aims of company policy. The objectives which they set for the various activities which are involved in carrying out this task should therefore be derived from, and be compatible with, company objectives, such as return on capital employed, cash flow, market position, growth.

Characteristics Of The Role:

-	Many of the factors which affect success are not within their control (such as competitors and government legislation)

-	They are nevertheless required to forecast future sales and to plan their operation accordingly, using their judgement and experience. 
	
-	They must depend on other departments for the design, production, quality and delivery of products for which they obtain orders, just as
            those departments must depend on them to get these orders.

-	The sales staff that they rely on to produce the results they have planned for, are for most of the time working alone, not under their immediate control. 
	
-	They are engaged in a constant struggle to obtain increased sales against competitors with the same aim.

Although the basic functions and skills of management, discussed later, apply to their job, it is clear that such qualities as creativeness, flexibility, tenacity, and ability to deal effectively with people, will be particularly important. At the same time the abilit ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1089/Sales-Management--Whats-Involved.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1089/Sales-Management--Whats-Involved.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Telemarketing Is Still An Essential Function Within A Dynamic Sales Team </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Uncovering new opportunities and potential new business is an essential task of any sales team, however, it is probably one of the most unpopular activities. The main reason for this is that professional salespeople, just like the rest of us, fear rejection.

The reality is though, if we have confidence in our products, solutions and services, we owe it to ourselves and to our company to tell as many people as possible. I have always taken the view that if a prospective client rejects my proposal, then they have lost out on dramatically improving their business. A positive and confident mind-set is essential for successful telemarketing and cold calling. 

So what are the rules?

Plan &amp;amp; Prepare:

Make sure that you are prepared for the call:-

	Have all the relevant documentation to hand.

	Prepare a script including everything you wish to ask. Use bullet points not sentences.
 
	Familiarise yourself with the script - practice, write down your agenda and be direct.

	Keep the opening of the conversation simple, but say something interesting, try using a prime desire statement to grab their interest so theyll want to hear more.

	Explain why you are calling.

	Question - use a variety of questioning techniques i.e. Open, Reflective, Direct, Hypothetical, Exploratory etc.
    

Set Yourself Goals &amp;amp; Clear Objectives (Primary &amp;amp; Secondary):

Consider - what is the purpose of the telephone call? (aim high but realistic)
 
	Is it to inform?
 
	To establish a need?
 
	To obtain an appointment?

Never attempt to sell your product or services over the phone (unless you are in a telesales role)

Never make a statement you cannot back up.

Remember to Discipline Yourself - Dont Be Deflected


Ensure That You Have The Right Information:

Never assume that the information you have is correct:

	Confirm you are talking to the right person.

	Confirm they have the authority and not just the title.

Be informed ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1088/Telemarketing-Is-Still-An-Essential-Function-Within-A-Dynamic-Sales-Team.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1088/Telemarketing-Is-Still-An-Essential-Function-Within-A-Dynamic-Sales-Team.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>An Effective Way To Deal With Objections</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[An objection can be looked upon as sales resistance, and without it you cannot expect to make a sale  just as in electricity, you cannot expect to have current flowing from one end of a conducter to the other without resistance.

Making a sale is like driving a car from A to B, where you accelerate and decelerate according to the road conditions. If the car were lifted, the wheels would not touch the ground, it would not have resistance, and without friction you wont be able to move forward, no matter how fast the wheels are spinning.


Objections can arise from the buyer wanting:

	- Doubts clarified

	- Further information

	- Reassurance on certain points

They may be:

	- Openly expressed

	- Implied

	- Hidden

And if they are hidden, it is the salespersons job to smoke them out, for an objection that is not discovered and dealt with is a lost sale.

Objections can be rational or irrational. In face-to-face selling, most objections come from the buyer  but an inexperienced salesperson could provoke some objections himself if he or she is not vigilant.

Dealing with Objections:

Either:

	- Pre-empt the objection  kill it off before the buyer thinks of it, or

	- Answer it immediately

If you tell the buyer you will deal with the objection later, then forget about it, or worse,ignore it, you will risk the buyer thinking you are either hedging or ignorant of the answers. In either case the sale could be threatened then or later.
 
Unprofessional or inexperienced salespeople do not know how to recognise an objection and deal with it, and disregard what the buyer has said. They carry on regardless and hence lose the sale. Salespeople who do a wishy-washy job when selling, by not confronting objections and dealing with them in the right manner will always come out with sob stories to defend their poor selling abilities. Their excuse for losing the sale will be that the buyer gave them a tough time and complained about the produc ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1087/An-Effective-Way-To-Deal-With-Objections.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1087/An-Effective-Way-To-Deal-With-Objections.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Problem Employee?- Hold A Counsel Interview</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A Counsel Interview is a practical approach to dealing with staff problems - and all such situations. Issues rarely solve themselves and therefore it is essential that managers recognise that a problem exists and then solves it as rapidly as possible, because an unhappy employee will not be working at optimum performance levels.

Step One: Decide to Hold a Counsel Interview

Where a situation is wrong, and is obviously going to get worse, take the positive decision to hold a counsel interview, it is the only way. Face the problem - do not simply hope it will go away. Prepare for the interview by brushing up on the interviewees background. Give the interviewee a general idea of what the interview will be about when arranging the time and place to have it. When that time comes, make certain that the meeting will not be disturbed in any way.

Step Two: Uncover the Facts

Ask questions to get the other person talking. It may be that the answers to some of the questions are already known. That does not matter. What is being looked for is a key, something to unlock and let out the real cause of the worsening problem. Get the person to unburden themselves.

Step Three: Agree the Cause of the Problem

Once the interviewee has admitted there is a problem and given the details, the counsellor can start to rebuild the situation. Only after such a frank discussion can the real causes of the problem be agreed. This agreement is essential to a cure. Without it there is a strong likelihood 	that it is effects, not causes that are being dealt with. 

Step Four: Allow Interviewees to Speak for Themselves

In any situation like this it is much better for the interviewee to solve their own problem. So, let them talk and provide their own suggestions for what should be done. That way they will have a far higher level of commitment to taking action.

Step Five: Decide the Course of Action

The counsellor has to listen to the interviewees suggestions for putting the s ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1086/Problem-Employee-Hold-A-Counsel-Interview.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/1086/Problem-Employee-Hold-A-Counsel-Interview.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Are You Receiving Enough Customer Complaints?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[It is said that 91% of people dont complain. They prefer to obtain their revenge by not buying from a business that has given them an inferior product or a poor service. 

They have a passive power and they know it! 

The following is a true story  only the name of the business has been changed

Blooming Buds was a well established garden centre on the outskirts of a growing town. Two years before it closed it had expanded to include a café, a gift shop and an organic fruit and vegetable outlet. As well as employing a core staff of ten it took on a number of seasonal and part-time staff. The company didnt have a customer service policy nor did it believe in wasting money on training. Customers seemed happy enough. After all they hardly got any complaints. No everything in the garden was rosy.

The manager should have been a bit suspicious. No complaints doesnt mean that all customers are happy. Most of us dont bother complaining. We just walk away and dont go back.

The expansion, unsurprisingly, led to a variety of organisational and logistical problems. There were staffing shortages, managerial inexperience, reduction in quality etc. Gradually business dropped off but still, nothing was done about it.

The staff stopped telling the manager about some of the problems they had encountered because he wouldnt listen. He invested heavily on advertising, and making sizeable capital changes. He never once thought of getting some feedback from the customers. Eventually the inevitable happened. The business had to close.

Complaints Are Opportunities:

Opportunities to do what?

	Evaluate how well you are doing
	Identify weak points in your system and processes and put them right
	See situations from the customers point of view
	Improve customer satisfaction
	Create long-term loyalty  handling disgruntled customers well often leaves them feeling more positive about your organisation than before

Some Worrying Facts:
 
One unhappy customer ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1071/Are-You-Receiving-Enough-Customer-Complaints.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/1071/Are-You-Receiving-Enough-Customer-Complaints.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Ten Suggestions For More Successful Sales Meetings</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Suggestion 1:
Insist on punctuality, for there is nothing which detracts from a meeting so much as people coming in late with lame excuses or returning late from a coffee break. Not only is this disruptive for the meeting but it is bad for group discipline as well and each time a manager allows this, they relinquish a little leadership capacity. Start the meeting on time to the minute. Do not wait for late arrivals and whatever you do, do not be late yourself.

Suggestion 2:
Begin the meeting in the way you plan to carry on throughout - with a friendly smile and a dynamic greeting, do not commence in a flat uninspired monotone. Be informal, relax and encourage team members to do likewise. Do remember that a sales meeting is one of those few occasions where you can provide collective motivation so you need to be at your inspiring best.

Suggestion 3:
Explain the objectives and always sell the objectives by providing the team with good reasons why each item has been placed on the agenda. It is likely that you will want to discuss performance(s) since the last meeting and it is essential that you highlight success. Whatever you do never, ever, hand out criticism en bloc because that is the most morale sapping thing you can ever do. Rather deal with sub-standard performance one to one. However, do feel free to deliver collective praise in copious amounts whenever appropriate.

Suggestion 4:
Use some kind of visual aid during each session. The most common and easy to use visual aid is a PowerPoint presentation; closely followed by the flip chart which allows you to be spontaneous should you need to be  one picture really does paint a thousand words!

Suggestion 5:
Make quite sure that you achieve full agreement at the close of each session. You should aim to get full commitment from all present at the meeting, that they will definitely do what you have asked them to do. At the end of the meeting an action plan should be prepared and circulated to everyone  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1070/Ten-Suggestions-For-More-Successful-Sales-Meetings.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/1070/Ten-Suggestions-For-More-Successful-Sales-Meetings.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Don Quixote Approach To Opportunity Assessment</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Emerging salespeople typically believe that all business is good business and to an extent, I can understand this viewpoint. If you are trying to make a name for yourself, being put under pressure by your sales manager to get “runs on the board” and earn the respect of the more experienced and successful members of the team, it is difficult to walk away from any opportunity if you believe you have the remotest chance of winning it.

However, it is essential that more seasoned professionals fully understand both the value and importance of rigorous objective qualification, not just at the front end but right the way through the sales cycle. Qualification is a process not a single event and even internal and reactive salespeople should be fully skilled in asking a small number of basic questions regarding precise requirements, time scales, budget, competition etc before they are prepared to reveal their price and delivery. 

As the value of the product, service or solution increases, the depth of the qualification should increase proportionally.

External salespeople have the opportunity to meet with prospective customers and it is far easier to extract information face to face than it is via the telephone, however, it is vital that some initial answers are elicited prior the that first exploratory meeting in order to ensure that the meeting will be worthwhile to both parties. With sales costs spiralling upwards and sales time becoming limited, considerable prudence is required on the part of the salesperson.

During that first meeting, a considerable amount of detail can and should be uncovered e.g. background and history of the company, the key individuals, the composition of the DMU (Decision Making Unit) if there is one, timescales, budget, competition, current suppliers, buying criteria etc. Only by rigorous questioning will the salesperson be able to answer the following questions when they get back to the office: Is there a requirement/need that my  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/952/The-Don-Quixote-Approach-To-Opportunity-Assessment.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/952/The-Don-Quixote-Approach-To-Opportunity-Assessment.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Leadership And The Pleasure Of Walking Tall</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In your leadership you can accelerate your effectiveness if you utilise basic tips such as the following:

Stick to Subjects You Know:

Do not try to sound like an authority on subjects on which you are not sure. Stay on the track! Stay with those topics you have prepared to talk about and have the background and knowledge to impress your listeners favourably.

Learn To Think Like a Leader:

This means being ever on the alert for ideas, quotations, figures, benefits, anything you hear, read, see or think about that might be valuable as ammunition for you. Examples always help to sell your points; keep on the lookout for them.

Prepare - Prepare – Prepare:

Supposed leaders who have little worthwhile to say, have been known to resort to tricks and camouflage to make themselves look good! Dropping names, blaming others, using meaningless technical terms, lamenting the shortage of time, quoting mysterious authorities - all these devices have been used.

Successful leaders agree however, that the more you do your homework the less the need for any tricks. Know your material, prepare with care in advance, then you will have confidence in your developed and natural leadership traits and skills.

Developing Your Team:

Motivating is that leadership skill of developing other people to do a better job. 

Within every business there are recognised criteria for people development and we call them, The People Developers, they are:

	Achievement

	Recognition

	Participation

	Growth

These four factors are inter-related and overlap. One factor may be more important to one individual than another and it is your job as a leader to ascertain what others require in their development.

Lets look at these motivators as they relate to the development of your team and your leadership.

Achievement:

Satisfaction, a sense of personal accomplishment that a challenge has been met and the job has been well done. For most people, achievement is a reward ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/951/Leadership-And-The-Pleasure-Of-Walking-Tall.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/951/Leadership-And-The-Pleasure-Of-Walking-Tall.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Essential Art Of Delegation</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Delegation involves transferring to others the right and duty to perform certain tasks to certain standards. It is successful when subordinates have the personal qualities and competence to carry out the tasks. Decisions should be taken as close as possible to the point where they will be carried out.

Delegation is the transference to others of the authority and responsibility for carrying out certain tasks. Successful delegation implies that those to whom the tasks are delegated;

* Know what it is what they have to do.

* Want to achieve it.
  
* Have the means to achieve it.

* Have the ability to achieve it.

What Is Authority?

In any organisation there is a degree of formal authority which goes with the job. A subordinate expects their boss to have a wider knowledge, wield a greater influence, and carry more weight than they do themselves. At the same time, there is an added dimension to authority which is invested in the person themselves which we call leadership.

The effectiveness of authority in a business situation depends, therefore, on the extent to which it is accepted by the people over whom it is being exercised.

What Is Responsibility?

Literally it means answerable or accountable to another for something. A subordinate to whom a task is delegated is, therefore, accountable to their boss for the successful performance of that task. The overall objectives of the organisation cannot be delegated. They must be split up and new responsibilities or obligations created at every level in the organisation.

Why Delegate At All?

In a very small organisation the person who created the firm will have staff to help them carry out some of the tasks. Frequently they tend to keep decisions to themselves. As the company grows, this method of delegation is likely to be less and less effective. Every decision - even in the smallest matters - has to go right up the line.

What Should A Manager Delegate?

Those things that a subordinate c ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/920/The-Essential-Art-Of-Delegation.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/920/The-Essential-Art-Of-Delegation.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Identify The Different Types Of Buyer Needs</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Customers and prospects possess a hierarchy of needs which have to be uncovered and the very best professional salespeople have become masters at recognising those needs. 

Rarely do you get information unless you ask for it. You need information to sell your services or products and look for future sales possibilities. Skilful questioning means that you do not seem to be imposing on the prospect by asking too many questions.

Types Of Needs:

	Implied Needs are statements about problems, difficulties and dissatisfaction
       
An examples would be: “Our system is too slow, we cannot handle the volumes, and the system is unreliable” 

	Explicit Needs are specific customer statements of wants or desires

An example might include: “We need a faster system, we have to cut costs, and we need more reliability”

Uncovering implied needs will suffice only in small sales, as the sales opportunity grows larger, the more important it is to uncover explicit needs

Implied Needs Have To Be Developed Into Explicit Needs With Questions: 

Types of questions:

Uncovering Questions, to find out about problems or implied needs

Developing Questions, take the implied needs and develop them into explicit needs

Uncovering Implied Needs:

Situation Questions, find facts and information about the customers present situation e.g.

“How many people do you employ?”
“What markets are you in?”
“What is your annual sales revenue?”
	
Problem Questions find out about problems, difficulties or dissatisfaction

    “How easy to use is your system?”
    “Is the system reliable?”
    “Do you have quality problems?”
    “How do you manage with.......?”
    “Are you satisfied with........?”

Developing Needs:

In a larger sale, uncovering problems and offering solutions does not work. Needs have to be developed with implication questions. Implication questions will increase the seriousness of the problem

The Value E ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/919/How-To-Identify-The-Different-Types-Of-Buyer-Needs.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/919/How-To-Identify-The-Different-Types-Of-Buyer-Needs.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Sales Management - The Essential Core Competencies</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Management, and particularly sales management, operates on and obtains its results from the staff that are managed. This clearly puts emphasis on the behavioural skills required to promote good human relations and helpful attitudes. These skills are developed mainly from:-

*	An interest in individual needs and points of view
*	Readiness to direct time and thought to analysing attitudes
*	A sense of justice or fair dealing
*	Respect for the personality of others


To enable the staff that are managed to develop their abilities profitably for themselves and their company, good human relations alone are not enough. The manager has to define tasks, set proper objectives, and maintain firm control. The basic skills required to do these things are:

	Analytical Ability:

Information coming to Sales Managers is of all kinds, from verifiable facts to rumour. It is important to be able to sort the wheat from the chaff, to see the relevance of items of information to one another, and to draw conclusions which seem to fit the facts. Again, when a problem arises it is necessary to analyse it to seek its causes i.e.is it a
symptom of something wrong elsewhere? Then establish its true importance.

	Judgement:

All their decisions express the judgement of the manager on a situation or a person. Having analysed the available information he must then judicially weigh the evidence in order to decide on the best course of action. Few decisions can be wholly right or wrong. Most involve a balance of advantages and disadvantages i.e trade offs.

	Communication:

What is clear to them must be made clear to other people also. They should ask themselves what every individual needs to know, and why, what reaction they expect from them, and how they will know whether it has occurred. Good communication is not only a matter of clear thinking and expression. Since it takes place between at least two people the communicator should be able to see their communication through ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/918/Sales-Management--The-Essential-Core-Competencies.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/918/Sales-Management--The-Essential-Core-Competencies.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What Exactly Is Strategic Selling? </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As we are all aware, getting to know the customer and understanding their needs is not a quick and easy process.  This is why we need a new type of salesperson for a new type of customer.

So what does this new breed of salesperson look like? For a start he or she has progressed from the more traditional, lone ranger approach of selling to a more team-based consultative style. Our research shows that a consultative salesperson needs to fulfil three basic roles, that of Business Consultant, Long Term Ally and Strategic Orchestrator.

By combining all three roles salespeople are more able to develop and maintain long-term relationships with clients. At the same time, organisations need to ensure that they provide their salespeople with the vital support systems and training that enable them to make the most of their knowledge and skills

Business Consultant:

Gone are the days in which a salesperson could simply walk into an office, establish a good rapport with the client, show he/she had thorough knowledge of their products and services and clinch the sale. Nowadays, the emphasis is on establishing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships and in order to achieve this, the salesperson needs to earn the right to continue discussions with his/her client. Before they can proceed to sell their products or services, the salesperson needs to reassure the client of their integrity, reliability and ability to understand and recommend the appropriate solution. They can do this by demonstrating;

*	Up-to-date knowledge of business news and current affairs

Best practices include - reading newspapers, magazines, journals, trade publications and other sources of business information; maintaining membership of appropriate professional organisations; acknowledging gaps in knowledge and taking steps to fill them; locating or developing databases with information on customers, their industries and their own customers.

*	An in-depth understanding of the customers i ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/917/What-Exactly-Is-Strategic-Selling.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/917/What-Exactly-Is-Strategic-Selling.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Negativity - How To Overcome That Most Deadly Disease</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[“Experience informs us that the first offence of weak minds is to recriminate”
				 	                   Samuel Taylor Coleridge
	 
I am often asked how I manage to be so positive all of the time and always expect success and a positive outcome. Part of my secret is that work hard to banish negativity from my life and negative people from my company.
	
	Negative people typically suffer from what I call the three “C’s” and are usually found to be: Criticising, Condemning or Complaining.
	
	
	Here are some tips to help you overcome negativity and to recognise it in others.
	
	Develop and build your own understanding of what is really negative. Do remember that constructive criticism is not negative.
	
	Check your conversation with others, are you being negative? - Check your thoughts and thinking process - remember that if you are thinking negatively the only person you will harm is yourself. Remove those thoughts as you would a faulty slide from a projector, discard them, you have the capacity to do that and your mind will respond if you are strong enough and willing enough to discard a negative thought.
	
	Build a bullet proof screen around you, so that negative comments or behaviour from other people cannot penetrate. You can do this by instantly recognising negative criticism or conversation.

	From time to time, check the company you are keeping. If you have been mixing in the wrong environment, talk to people who are positive. Go out and mix with people you know have positive, constructive ideas. Mix with people who are doing better than you.
	
	If another persons negativity does get through to you, say to yourself “Why did he or she say that”? You must remember that no positive person becomes so unfeeling that they cannot see life from another persons point of view. It could happen that someone very close to you says something that can be construed as negative; it may be because they are worried, they are concerned or they have fe ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/874/Negativity--How-To-Overcome-That-Most-Deadly-Disease.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/874/Negativity--How-To-Overcome-That-Most-Deadly-Disease.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Six Golden Rules Of Dealing With An Unhappy Customer </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The focus of all modern management thinking and strategic business practice has to be the customer. Keep your customers happy and your sales will continue to grow - neglect them or take them for granted and your bottom line will suffer accordingly.

To respond to a customer who has a legitimate complaint you must keep these six rules firmly in mind.

Rule One:
Listen with understanding &amp;amp; sympathy. This diffuses anger and demonstrates your concern. Tell the customer something such as &amp;quot;I am sorry you have been inconvenienced. Tell me what happened so that I can help you”. It is vital to show a sincere interest and willingness to help. The customers first impression of you is all important in gaining co-operation.
	
Rule Two:
No matter what or who caused the problem, never ever blame or make excuses. Instead, take full responsibility and the initiative to do whatever you can to solve the problem as quickly as possible.
	
Rule Three:
Paraphrase and record what the customer tells you. Whenever you hear an important point say &amp;quot;let me make sure I understand; you were promised delivery on the 10th and you did not receive the product until the 1st of the following month. Is that correct?”

Rule Four:
Find out what the customer wants. Do they want a refund, credit, discount or replacement? The customer is complaining because he/she has a problem and wants it solved as quickly as possible. Find out what their problem is so you can work towards it and not towards a solution they do not want.
	
Rule Five:
Propose a solution and gain the customers support. When the customer tells you what he or she wants the solution is usually obvious. State your solution in a positive manner. &amp;quot;I will be happy to give you a full credit for it or other merchandise. Is that acceptable for you?” If it is acceptable, act promptly.

Rule Six:
If the customer does not like your solution, ask what they would consider a fair alternative. Never let a customer  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/873/The-Six-Golden-Rules-Of-Dealing-With-An-Unhappy-Customer.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/34/873/The-Six-Golden-Rules-Of-Dealing-With-An-Unhappy-Customer.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Successful Sales Leaders Understand The Value Of In-Field Coaching</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Even if salespeople have undergone progressive sales training, there is no guarantee that they will be successful. It is common knowledge that skills grow rusty over time and salespeople are prone to pick-up bad habits along the way or to simply skip steps and take shortcuts that can lead to long-term trouble. Perhaps even more important these days, is the fact that markets, competition, technologies and customer preferences are all in a constant and accelerating state of change. This fact requires that sales people are able and willing to rethink their sales strategy and approach frequently and receive a regular top-up of skills and motivational coaching.

In-Field training and coaching is an ideal opportunity for the Sales Director or Sales Manager to assess the ongoing training needs of their team and to ensure that skills development training and methodology is fully adopted.

Generally people comprehend:

		11% of what they hear.
		32% of what they see.
		73% of what they see &amp;amp; hear.
		90% of what they see, hear &amp;amp; discuss.

This fact alone, should encourage all Sales Leaders to invest more time with their team members at the front line


The Logical In-Field Training Sequence:

The logical approach to field training is to break the call plan down into three phases:

*	Before the call.

*	During the call.

*	After the call.

Before The Call:

Ensure that the salesperson is thinking in terms of their customers issues by asking:

“What are the customer’s needs/issues?”
“What is their potential?”
“What is their turnover?”
“What is the trend – is turnover increasing year on year?”
“Are they affected by competition (if any)?”
“What are their current commercial concerns?”
“What are their commercial objectives for this year?”


These questions ensure that the salesperson is aware that whilst the overall aim is to sell the company, its products and its services, the prime objective of the sales ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/872/Successful-Sales-Leaders-Understand-The-Value-Of-InField-Coaching.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/872/Successful-Sales-Leaders-Understand-The-Value-Of-InField-Coaching.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Organisations Evolve - Phase Three, The Integration Phase</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In this final part of the three part series, we recognise the third development stage which I call the Integration Phase.

The vast majority of organisations in the United Kingdom are currently in the first two phases of development (the pioneering and scientific management phases). This has made it possible to compile considerable data on the characteristics of each phase, both when it is healthy for the company (i.e. suitable for its needs at the point in time) or sick (i.e. no longer adequate) and causing problems.

Comparatively few companies have surmounted the second crisis and entered the third phase. It is not, therefore possible to describe in such detail all the characteristics of Phase 3, nor to identify the nature of the crisis which might logically be expected to follow it. 

Nevertheless, it is possible to describe some of the activities and characteristics which occur.

Principles Of Integration:

The overall aim of the integration phase is to re-establish some of the flexibility, informality and teamwork of the pioneering phase, while maintaining the systematic approach to planning and controlling initiated in the scientific management phase.

This involves a different philosophy to that of Phase 2. In Phase 2, management worked to the basic principle that human beings worked directly for financial reward and were inherently unreliable. The role of management was, therefore, to apply rigid controls to ensure that employees functioned as required and support action to prevent any obstacles to performance.

Phase 3 management aims to create a situation in which individuals can satisfy their fundamental needs as human beings (e.g. the need to be part of a group, the need to be recognised as having status, the need to fully develop their skills set etc.) while contributing effectively to the goals of the organisation. In this situation, the role of management is to assist rather than control, to guide rather than lead and responsibility is  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/32/871/How-Organisations-Evolve--Phase-Three-The-Integration-Phase.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/32/871/How-Organisations-Evolve--Phase-Three-The-Integration-Phase.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Identify And Remove Your Time Robbers</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[We are all subjected to time robbers every day of our lives but our ability to manage the theft of our time can determine our success in life.

Here is a simple exercise that I regularly complete to ensure that I am operating as efficiently as possible.

Either prepare a spreadsheet with three columns or simply draw three columns on a sheet of A4 paper.

Next list out everything that happens in a typical day, if you want to be really strict with yourself then do not forget those chats over a cup of coffee with your        colleagues at the drinks machine!

Then, in the second column, write down how long those activities take. Be honest,otherwise you will only cheat yourself.

In column three identify those tasks that someone else is capable of doing,do not worry about the logistics at this stage and mark with an S. Annotate those activities         that do not add value or positively contribute to your working day and mark those with a V. I suggest the coffee chats go under this category!.

All other activities which do not fall into the S or V categories should be valuable tasks which cannot be done by someone else; these should be marked as category E.

Next total the three categories up:

		    S =
							            V =
							            E =

Add the three together to give - W =

Now the moment of truth. Using the following formula, work out what percentage of your time is being robbed.

		(S + V) / W x 100 =?
 
	
Finally ask yourself these questions:

	Is the percentage acceptable?

	Can I eliminate, through either delegation or self discipline any of the time robbers?

	Is there anything or anyone consistently abusing my time and if so, can I do something positive about it?

Summary:
I suggest that you complete this exercise from scratch every three months until you are completely sure your percentage is as low as you are ever going to get it.

 
The moral right of the author, Jonathan Farrington, has been asserted.All r ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/828/How-To-Identify-And-Remove-Your-Time-Robbers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/828/How-To-Identify-And-Remove-Your-Time-Robbers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>It Is Possible To Gain An Extra Month Every Year</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I am often asked how I always appear to have plenty of time - time to complete tasks, time for other people, time for my staff, time for my family etc. The simple answer is that I try to stay organised and I plan well. The reality is that time is our most valuable resource and until we realise this we will continue to wonder where all our time goes.

If you consider those times in your life where you have experienced disappointments e.g. the lost sale, or the breakdown of a relationship and ask yourself if you had more time, (i.e. to prepare, to talk etc.) would the outcome have been different? - the answer almost certainly will be yes.

Introducing the Ivy Lee System:

There are many time management systems around, they usually involve attendance on training courses and the purchase of a vast amount of specially designed documentation, however,The Ivy Lee System, like all good ideas, is very simple and yet effective. It could find you an extra hour a day, which is equivalent to an extra twenty hours a month, resulting in an extra month per year.

The Method:

You must commit yourself to trying this system for a minimum of thirty days; thereafter I am confident you will never look back.

Week One:

Write down all the tasks you need to complete the next day,rather like a to do list. It is advisable to do the next days list at the end of each day.
 
Then prioritise those tasks but be careful not to give tasks a higher priority because you enjoy doing them, from experience it is often best to get those tasks you are less keen on, completed first, then you have the most pleasant tasks left as an incentive.

At the end of each day you may be left with tasks that you have not completed and the temptation, as with a to do list, is to automatically carry them over to the next day. A lot can happen in a day and tasks that are important today are not necessarily so tomorrow.

During any normal working day there will be an element of the unexpected, so what ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/827/It-Is-Possible-To-Gain-An-Extra-Month-Every-Year.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/827/It-Is-Possible-To-Gain-An-Extra-Month-Every-Year.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Organisations Evolve - Phase Two, The Scientific Management Phase</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[At the end of the first phase of its development, the Pioneering Phase, an organisation encounters a variety of challenges. These are mainly due to the increasing failure of the informal, unsystematic procedures it has developed to cope with the increasing complexity and size of the business.

To overcome these problems, new systems and procedures are introduced, and the company moves into the second phase of development, known as the Scientific Management Phase. The principles of scientific management fall into four categories:-
		
*	Mechanisation
*	Standardisation
*	Specialisation
*	Co-ordination

Mechanisation:

The activities involved in mechanisation are self-evident. The small-batch, hand-worked process gives way to mechanised mass production. This is necessitated by much higher production requirements, needs to minimise production costs and the requirements for a standard product, as opposed to the tailor-made product of Phase 1.

Within the organisation, this move highlights the importance of engineering and maintenance skills, coupled with mechanical fault finding, while reducing the emphasis on original trade skills of small and large companies, this shift is not always fully appreciated by management and training in hand skills may continue regardless for some time.

Standardisation:

In Phase 2 of development, there is a strong move to ensure that the informal variety of previous planning and activity is replaced by carefully controlled consistency. Quality standards are laid down and individuals appointed to carry out inspection functions. Job methods and procedures are standardised, to ensure that any job is always performed in the same way, regardless of the individual doing it.

To achieve this standardisation, as well as co-ordination, more rigid control systems are needed, which gives rise to much greater emphasis on planning in all areas.

Specialisation:

In Phase 1, jobs were not formally defined - most managers would, in  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/32/824/How-Organisations-Evolve--Phase-Two-The-Scientific-Management-Phase.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/32/824/How-Organisations-Evolve--Phase-Two-The-Scientific-Management-Phase.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Is Your Sales Team Submerged In Their Comfort Zone?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[&amp;quot;Prince Rabadashs army lay close behind them, Anvard ahead. If they did not reach Anvard before Rabadash and his horde, their journey, their entire lives, would have been wasted. The horses, Bree and Hwin (both of whom could, of course, talk) galloped. Certainly both horses were doing, if not all they could, all they thought they could do; which is not quite the same thing. But a lion appeared out of nowhere and with the spur of terror; Bree now discovered that he had not really been going as fast, not quite as fast, as he could&amp;quot;. 

This extract is of course taken from &amp;quot;The Chronicles of Narnia&amp;quot;, that fount of a million, simple and usually overlooked truths and it illustrates perfectly what it takes for some of us to be steered out of our comfort zone. 

Perhaps of all the temptations we meet in life, money, power, sex, alcohol, drugs and fame, the subtlest of all is the comfort zone, that invitation to settle for less, to go for content when the stresses of over achievement beckon. The way that takes you out of the comfort zone is the route less travelled by. Most of us when we come to that place where the two paths divide prefer the one that leads to safety, to warmth and to comfort.

Both in sport and in business, I have witnessed countless companies, friends, colleagues and team mates that underachieved, despite having far superior skills and talents when compared to others who have made it to the top. The reasons have always been the same, fear of leaving the comfort zone and entering into the unknown, the land potentially of failure and rejection. But I believe there is another way to motivate individuals and coax them out and it relies on one simple fact, most people do not know what they want from life. Certainly, the majority working in a commercial field will say they crave success but without understanding what success means for them. Of course, describing success is difficult, because it will be different for all of us. The defi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/778/Is-Your-Sales-Team-Submerged-In-Their-Comfort-Zone.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/778/Is-Your-Sales-Team-Submerged-In-Their-Comfort-Zone.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>In Summary - What Is Major Account Management All About?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Major Account Management Is a Long Term Process - It Takes Time:

We must recognise that we are in Major Account Management for the long term. It takes time to manage a major account and we will only receive a payback on our investment in time if we can have a long term result. In some of the organisations we have worked with this produces a tension because the whole culture is about creating a short term sales result in which product and profit are the main drivers and measures of success. We should not underestimate what a challenge Major Account Management can be to the corporate culture. It emphasises relationship more than product, profit more than volume, and team more than individual, long term more than short term. At the same time the practical short term realities of business life need to be recognised.

One of the best ways of managing this tension is to have someone who acts as a mentor, conscience or guide to the account manager and account team. They are not involved in the day to day management of the account but are invited in to look at and comment on major proposals and presentations. Their main role is to be involved in reviewing the long term plan every few months to ensure that the relationship is as productive as possible and is reflecting the values of the organisation as a whole.

The role of the major account manager is to be responsible for the overall relationship. They influence all those involved in the account to ensure a coordinated, synchronised approach. The major account manager is responsible for drafting the account plan, gaining the agreement and commitment of the team and then monitoring implementation

Major Account Management Involves Relationships Not Just a Mechanical Approach:

Under this heading we should discuss three main aspects of major account management.

*	The importance of relationships in Major Account Management.

*	The complexity of relationships in Major Account Management.

*	Mapping relationsh ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/762/In-Summary--What-Is-Major-Account-Management-All-About.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/762/In-Summary--What-Is-Major-Account-Management-All-About.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Organisations Evolve - The Pioneering Phase</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[One of the main factors which affects the performance of individuals at all levels within an organisation is the way in which the organisation itself develops and changes in time. Such changes are often closely related to a companys growth but not necessarily; developments can clearly take place in an organisation which is not increasing in size as such.

From analysis of the way in which many organisations have made growth over the years, it is possible to build up a picture of a number of principles of development, which the normal organisation will follow as it develops. 

These principles cannot be rigidly applied: Every organisation is different, and different functions or areas of one company can be at different stages of development at one point in time. However, applied with flexibility, the principles are of value in interpreting company problems and planning future policy.

Outline of Principles:

From its inception, an organisation develops by way of several distinct phases. At a particular stage of development, its management style, internal structure and processes will follow a pattern, which will change as the company develops. The move from one phase to another is a natural but challenging process. As the company develops, its original approach no longer copes effectively with the changing demands made upon it; the resulting problems in turn force the company eventually to alter its approach and thus move into the next phase of development.

Three main phases of development can be identified:-

*	The Pioneering Phase (Phase 1)

*	The Scientific Management Phase (Phase 2)

*	The Integration Phase (Phase 3)

The Pioneering Phase:

Organisations are typically created by one or two people with an idea. They will identify a need for which they feel they can supply a solution i.e. a new product or a service. They believe there are sufficient markets for the product to make a financial profit and that they have the capacity to create the  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/747/How-Organisations-Evolve--The-Pioneering-Phase.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/747/How-Organisations-Evolve--The-Pioneering-Phase.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Major Account Management - The jfa Model</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In this third part of the four part series, we look at the ,,jfa Major Account Management Model.

                            
There are four parts to the model. Each part influences and is influenced by the other parts:

*	Key Information tells us what we need to know about the major account.

*	The Long Term Plan, allows us to gain a clear picture of where we are trying to go (Objectives) and how we plan to get there (Strategy).

*	The Short Term Plan, concerns the actions we must take over the coming weeks.

*	The Traffic Lights give us a quick, accurate picture of our current position and how we should move forward.


Key Information:

As the Chinese general Liu-Ji wrote over 600 years ago:

,,,,,'Action always starts with calculation. Before fighting, first asses the relative wisdom of the leadership, the relative strength of the enemy, the size of the armies, the lie of the land, and the adequacy of provisions. If you send troops out only after making these calculations, you will never fail to win.'

There are twin dangers about information in major account management: Too little information and too much information of the wrong sort or that is difficult to access.

We have found it most effective to break information down into three broad areas: Global, Corporate and Project.

Global information looks at the big picture, the world in which the major account operates.


*	Organisation

*	Industry

*	Politics

*	Competition

*	Economy

*	Own Company

*	Psychology

*	Legislation

*	Finance

*	Technology      



Corporate information is about understanding the business you are dealing with. It is a broader, more commercial picture than the selling information. Many people who do not think in major account terms will feel this is not needed and ignorance in any of these areas creates a potential banana-skin.

Corporate Information:

*	Culture

*	People

*	Finance

*	Future

*	Structure

*	Relationship ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/746/Major-Account-Management--The-jfa-Model.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/746/Major-Account-Management--The-jfa-Model.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Why One Off Training Rarely Achieves It's Objectives</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Not enough companies have learned how to employ sales training as a strategic tool.  Those that have are leaders in their industries, offering their shareholders maximum return on investment, are able to quickly adapt to changing market conditions, are respected by their customers, and provide consistent sales performance.  The sales people that work for those companies are motivated, and stay in their jobs longer. 

Quite often sales managers and executives do not have the time and experience to do this correctly.  Companies with internal training departments often provide guidance, but sales training is quite different from designing and delivering training to other constituencies within an organisation, such as customer care, engineering, or human resources.

The first step for any company deciding to make a change in their sales approach is always an assessment of the situation.  What processes and methods are currently being employed by the company?  What has their sales performance been?  What percentage of sales people are delivering against plan?  What are the biggest obstacles to success?  How dynamic or stable is the companys environment?  What are the practices and expectations of the buyers?  These are only a few considerations.

Designing or adopting a sales methodology is critical.  Without that methodology in place, training is a tactical attempt to fix a larger problem.  The selling methodology must be developed based upon the companys unique situation, their market, their customers, how those customers buy, the complexity and price levels of the products and services the company offers, competitive pressures, reporting requirements, the participation of partners, the skill level of their current sales people, etc.

The primary objective of creating an individually tailored Organisational Development Programme has to be: To achieve consistently superior results through the performance of every key individual, after all, our people are our mos ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/745/Why-One-Off-Training-Rarely-Achieves-Its-Objectives.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/745/Why-One-Off-Training-Rarely-Achieves-Its-Objectives.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Three Minute Elevator Pitch</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[What is an Elevator Pitch? Quite simply, a short presentation designed to grab the attention of new prospects in a succinct, yet comprehensive way

Nobody seems to remember who first coined the term elevator speech, but I know it has been around a long time and I am often asked to help design speeches for clients. 

An elevator speech is a short presentation that you could deliver to someone in an elevator as it travels from top to bottom or vice versa. It must be compelling as well as descriptive. It should contain such punch that the other person would love to buy from you. Of course, you can use this in ways other than travelling in an elevator.

When cold calling,(apologies to Frank Rumbauskas Jr) it is a good idea to have your pitch ready. When the buyer meets you in reception, deliver the elevator speech with enthusiasm and he or she is much more likely to agree to allocate time to you. On the phone, you can use this to obtain an appointment. You may want to use it in a sales letter where you introduce your company to the prospect. For those who attend trade shows, have your elevator speech ready for people as they approach your stand.

An elevator speech should meet these criteria:

*	Keep it brief,long enough to convince, but short enough to hold the other persons attention. 

*	Be articulate, use the right tone and speed so that you do not rush the message.

*	Make it sincere,the buyer must feel you are a credible source.

*	Be enthusiastic,use appropriate excitement when telling your story. Buyers take their lead from salespeople. Enthusiasm is infectious and if you are not enthusiastic about your products and services or your company, change jobs! 

And it should answer these questions:

	* Who are we?
 
	* What do we do?
 
	* To whom do we sell? 

	* What makes us unique?
 
	* How do we bring value to our customers? 

An elevator speech might sound like this:

&amp;quot;My name is John Brown and I work for Packaging R Us, a gl ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/712/The-Three-Minute-Elevator-Pitch.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/712/The-Three-Minute-Elevator-Pitch.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Major Account Management Is Not One Single Act</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In Part Two of this four part series, we identify that Major Account Management is not a single act but a series of actions which link together to produce a powerful, professional and profitable result.

There are two ways of looking at this process. One is to examine each element of Major Account Management; the other is to create a model which can be applied flexibly but effectively across a range of situations. We will first look at the elements of Major Account Management. We created this approach for a major institution that wanted to break down the different elements of the process to be sure they were doing everything as well as possible.

                                                           *	Identify

*	Understand

*	Plan

*	Influence

*	Deliver

*	Manage

         
Identify
    
Many organisations do not know who their major accounts are. Certainly many of the people who manage the relationships do not know and even if they know, very few people understand why this customer is a major account but that one is not. 

A quick way to test this is to ask ten people in your organisation who your ten most important accounts are. You can be sure that you will receive more than ten answers. In one company we worked with, we received 56 different answers from 10 senior managers! The clarification of major accounts has been a critically important part of our work with a number of the organisations with whom we have worked.

Understand:

We need to understand our major accounts better than our ordinary customers. We need to understand the world they work in, the challenge of their markets, the competition they face etc. We need to understand the individual projects (be it fighting to win new business or managing an existing project for maximum profitability). Major Account management involves understanding who takes decisions and how, who are our competitors, how does our offering impact on the customers business? Those who manage, need  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/711/Major-Account-Management-Is-Not-One-Single-Act.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/711/Major-Account-Management-Is-Not-One-Single-Act.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>In Sales - What Differentiates The Top 5% Players?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Recent exhaustive surveys suggest that only 5% of professional salespeople reach and remain at the highest level, which we call Level 3.  A further 15% attain Level 2 status, but the majority, i.e. a massive 80% remain at Level 1 in terms of potential achievement.

Level One salespeople sell products and depend on having the right technical solution for the customers specification.

Level Two salespeople sell solutions, which changes their image from sales rep to business consultant and positions them as a potential strategic resource.

Most salesmen and women manage to advance from Level 1 to Level 2 fairly easily but unfortunately, many find breaking through that final glass ceiling extremely difficult i.e. moving from competitive sales professionals to collaborative sales consultants.

Level Three salespeople are able to first identify and then capitalise upon the political component within the buying process. They develop and sustain strong commercial relationships at all levels within their accounts and these relationships endure because they are based on mutual respect and trust. Their clients feel secure, so secure, that they would be fearful of changing supplier. 

Level Three salespeople rarely, if ever, lose an order that they really want because they are always in control of the sales cycle. They have identified that in marketplaces where product uniqueness and technical expertise are no longer enough, it is they themselves, that make the difference i.e. their superior skills.

Three additional areas, which set Level Three players apart from the rest, are:

Commercial Acumen: Collaborative sales professionals have high levels of strategic awareness and they can communicate comfortably with board level players, i.e. the economic buyers using common language and terminology. Level 1 and 2 performers, unable to demonstrate credibility when discussing financial, commercial and political issues, are usually left behind and require assistance from ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/699/In-Sales--What-Differentiates-The-Top-5-Players.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/699/In-Sales--What-Differentiates-The-Top-5-Players.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Developing Your Sales Team - What Are Your Options?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In todays highly competitive selling environment, there is less room for apprenticeship, as organisations need to see a swift return on their investment.

Therefore, Sales Directors need to allow sufficient time to enable their investment in training and development to pay off. Introducing ongoing reinforcement programmes will help accelerate the benefits gained from the training and development investment.

A Variety of Development Solutions:

Skills development can take many forms, including:

-	Formal and informal mentoring

-	Sales coaching by managers or professional consultants

-	Classroom training, 

-	Distance or e-learning,

Mentoring:

In mentoring, salespeople choose a mentor, usually a high-performer or more experienced person within the organisation who can serve as a model or guide and consult that person periodically for advice on a range of issues from strategy for handling a particular sales situation, to advice on long term career development. Since the best way to learn something well is to teach it to others, mentoring programmes offer organisations a win win proposition: In addition to enhancing the skills and performance of the salespeople, they help mentors develop their sales skills while improving their coaching and management skills.

Coaching:

Today, more and more organisations are waking up to the value of building a strong coaching culture. Analogies to athletic coaching are common but especially apt. Training alone does not guarantee that a great athlete will deliver a gold medal winning performance. This can only come from continuous daily support and guidance from an expert coach. Equally, top sales professionals need expert coaching support from their managers to stay at the top of their game. Whether coaching is delivered face to face, on the telephone, or via e mail, those organisations that have a strong coaching culture attract and retain the best salespeople.

The challenge for Sales Directors is to pro ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/698/Developing-Your-Sales-Team--What-Are-Your-Options.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/698/Developing-Your-Sales-Team--What-Are-Your-Options.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>A Fresh Approach To Major Account Management</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Most companies are looking for ways to manage their most important business relationships more effectively and more efficiently. It is not easy to do and it is not always enjoyable to do, but when a major account strategy works well it is extremely satisfying. 

Major Account Management is a broad subject and this series of  four articles is designed to help make the management of key accounts;

-	Easier

-	More Enjoyable

-	More Effective

Starting Point:

There are many definitions of major account management but my favourite and one I have used throughout my work, is from The Financial Times:

Major Account Management is the art of developing long-term relationships with selected customers.

It is simple, clear and it shows us what is important. 

This summary looks at each part of this definition i.e.

o	Major Account Management is an art not a formula.

o	It is a process of development, not a single action.

o	It is a long-term process. It takes time.

o	It involves relationships, not just a mechanical approach.

o	It can only be done with selected customers.

Major Account Management Is An Art Not A Formula:

One can often see two ways of managing major accounts that are certain to fail. The first is management by chance. There is no control. There is no plan. No one can explain why we are winning the business or forecast how long our success will last. We do not learn from our mistakes or from our successes. This is at one extreme.

At the other extreme is management by formula. Here everything is documented, controlled and decided. I have seen one account planning process which demands that for every account the team must hold a one day orientation meeting, then gather information for twenty-one working days and then hold a two day planning session. The timescale cannot be changed. The people who must be present never change. The documents that must be prepared are described in detail. The process is a good one but it leaves ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/694/A-Fresh-Approach-To-Major-Account-Management.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/694/A-Fresh-Approach-To-Major-Account-Management.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Secrets Of Inspirational Leadership</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[An inspired and motivated workforce is essential for any business that hopes to stay ahead of the competition. But just how do you motivate people? What kind of leadership do people respond to? And how can you improve the quality of leadership in your business? 

The Inspiration Gap:

In a survey of more than one and a half thousand managers, people were asked what they would most like to see in their leaders. The most popular answer, mentioned by 55% of people, was inspiration.

When asked if they would describe their current leader as inspiring, only 11% said yes. The two attributes that people actually mentioned most often when describing their leaders were knowledgeable and ambitious. As well as this thirst for inspiring leadership, there is also evidence to support the idea that companies with inspiring leaders perform better.

,The Sunday Times publishes an annual survey of the Best Companies to Work For, which is compiled from the opinions of the companies own employees. One interesting fact is that those Best Companies that are publicly quoted consistently outperform the FTSE All-Share Index. Five-year compound returns show a 5.7% negative return for FTSE All-Share companies against a 13.6% gain for the Best Companies. Over three years, the returns were -11.3% and 6.7% respectively while, in the last twelve months, they were 23.1% and 44%.

The Best Companies to Work For have also performed impressively on staff turnover, sickness rates, absenteeism, and the ability to recruit good quality people.

The stereotype of the inspirational leader as someone extrovert and charismatic
is the exception rather than the rule. Looking at best practice across
business, though some inspirational leaders certainly do fit this mould, a large
number do not. Many are quiet, almost introverted The following are some of the most commonly observed characteristics of inspiring leaders:

Strong Strategic Focus:

They are very good at ensuring that the business o ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/693/The-Secrets-Of-Inspirational-Leadership.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/693/The-Secrets-Of-Inspirational-Leadership.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>To Have Growth In Profits You Must Have Growth In People</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Unfortunately, the task of selling never becomes any easier and as competition continues to intensify, sales people will face issues that can be extremely difficult to deal with i.e. decreased product uniqueness, increased competition within safe markets, longer sales cycles and shorter product life spans. Every organisation that intends to survive in the re-engineered environment which arrived with the new millennium must, in my view, respond to those realities

During the seventies, eighties and nineties, it was common for large corporations such as Hewlett Packard, IBM, and Compaq etc to put their new sales recruits through a twelve to eighteen-month training programme. Today, salespeople consider themselves extremely fortunate if they receive an initial two weeks of induction training or product familiarisation workshops. 

So what has changed? Have companies discovered that training is not necessary? On the contrary, training appears to be even more important today than it was thirty years ago and it is becoming more critical all the time.

Lower Training Budgets But Higher Expectations:

The dichotomy facing Sales Directors is how they reconcile the fact that most corporations today provide less upfront training for their sales staff than in years past, yet attach increasing importance to staff development? 

This should not come as a surprise, because current stock market thinking provides a powerful disincentive for firms to invest in their people on an ongoing basis. An organisations investment in their human capital, in the form of training and other forms of education, is not separable from general expenditure. It therefore appears as a cost on the corporate balance sheet. 

Tough Choices:

Unfortunately, as a consequence, many Sales Directors, have concluded that their only realistic option is to cut back on training and instead look to recruit sales professionals who, in theory anyway, already possess the necessary skills needed to do the  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/648/To-Have-Growth-In-Profits-You-Must-Have-Growth-In-People.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/648/To-Have-Growth-In-Profits-You-Must-Have-Growth-In-People.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Match Sales Team Needs With Management Input</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In commercial terms we should seek to develop our teams in two specific areas i.e. Competence and Commitment.

Competence consists of the combination of knowledge and skills whilst Commitment is a combination of confidence and motivation.


The degree to which a person has achieved certain combinations of these factors can be defined as Development Levels. They represent the persons development in the job. 

The four development levels are:

Level 4: High Commitment &amp;amp; High Competence
Level 3: High Competence &amp;amp; Variable Commitment
Level 2: Some Competence &amp;amp; Low Commitment
Level 1: Low Competence &amp;amp; High Commitment

I realise that one or two additional levels could be added  i.e. Some Competence &amp;amp; Variable Commitment etc. but I believe simplicity is essential

This grading is then translated into the style of management required to obtain the best results from each individual and forms the basis of the Controlled Management model that we devised in 1995 i.e.

Level 4: Delegating i.e. Low Supportive &amp;amp; Low Directive
Level 3: Directing i.e. Low Supportive &amp;amp; High Directive
Level 2: Supporting i.e. High Supportive &amp;amp; High Directive
Level 1: Coaching i.e. High Supportive &amp;amp; Low Directive

Whilst conducting this exercise you should consider taking the opportunity to not only classify the level at which you believe each member of the team is at right now but also where you feel they could get to in terms of their future potential and what needs to be done to get them there. 

The areas that you should consider assessing regularly are:  


Internal Sales Competence Areas   

	Personal Organisation
	Communication
	Business Development
	Qualification
	Interpersonal Skills
	Integration Skills
	Resilience
	Pro-Activity
	Team Working
	Motivation


External Sales Competence Areas

	Planning
	Communication
	Presentation Skills
	Business Development
	Account Management
	Opportunity Assessment
	Negotiati ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/647/How-To-Match-Sales-Team-Needs-With-Management-Input.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/647/How-To-Match-Sales-Team-Needs-With-Management-Input.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs Within Your Sales Team</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The organisation with the ability to overcome the variety of mental models living in the minds of their workforce, will be the organisation that wins in the future. Emphasis has to be placed on creating an environment in which the can do - will do mentality thrives and becomes the norm, success and achievement are expected and as a consequence are much more likely to happen. We call this fulfilled expectation.
 
Expect Beliefs To Change:

Throughout a persons lifetime, beliefs change continually. Beliefs that they once thought to be immutable cease to be true. Take the example of Roger Bannister who,at Oxford, in 1957, became the first athlete to break the four-minute barrier for running a mile. Prior to Bannisters achievement, most athletes considered a sub-four-minute mile impossible. But that same year, sixteen other athletes also ran a mile in less than four minutes. Did they become superhuman overnight? Or, more simply, did their beliefs change?

Our Colleagues Can Exert Positive Pressure:

Like those milers, salespeople have their own unique sets of beliefs, some of which limit their potential in sales. For instance, during a recession, the members of a sales force may all believe that strong sales are impossible. But if just one person increases their sales, what seemed an inevitable fact will suddenly appear more like a thin excuse for poor performance.

We Must Challenge Negative Beliefs:

Sales Captains who challenge negative beliefs with good questions can help create shifts in mindset. Take a look at these examples of negative beliefs and examples of questions that challenge them.

Statement	

Our solutions are too expensive.	

Response

Compared with whom?
Compared to what?
How do you know?

Statement

I am hopeless at cold calling	

Response

According to whom?
What prevents you from being good at cold calling?
What would happen if you were good?

Statement

My sales target is too high this month, I will never achiev ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/630/How-To-Overcome-SelfLimiting-Beliefs-Within-Your-Sales-Team.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/630/How-To-Overcome-SelfLimiting-Beliefs-Within-Your-Sales-Team.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The jfa Sales Cabinet Removes Peaks And Troughs In Selling</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The Sales Cabinet concept is a sophisticated process for analysing, planning, directing, and monitoring the activity of a sales team.
	
It is an essential tool for setting sales policies and the management, at whatever level, of a sales team, if not every sales call produces an order and there is a time lag between the first contact with a potential customer and that company placing an order.

SC is also a valuable tool for marketing and business development personnel.

The Dimensions of Sales Cabinet:

          Sales Cabinet is an imaginary four drawer filing cabinet and each drawer represents not only a stage in the buying cycle, but also the critical tasks a sales team should be performing if they are operating in a balanced mode. The aim is to elevate as many of the inhabitants of the bottom drawer up to the top drawer as possible, whilst continually finding replacements for them.


   The Buying Drawers:

We have two buying drawers, the top two. In the very top one, we keep our long term stable partners. We might well have preferred supplier agreements with them or a clearly defined and established purchasing history.

In the second drawer, we place the less well established clients, the occasional buyers or the one off buyers.

A great deal of purposeful, strategic, objective-based selling can and should be done within these two drawers. In the precarious second drawer of the cabinet, every piece of business has to be fought for and often secured through sacrificing margin. Whereas in the secure environment of the top drawer, the inhabitants respect the added value we bring to the relationship and seek stability and value for money rather than lowest price. However, developing and promoting Drawer Two occupants has obvious benefits to the growth and profitability prospects of the Company.


The Working Drawer:

In Drawer Three, we keep our prospects, potential customers who we have visited and qualified, but have yet to win the first ord ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/629/The-jfa-Sales-Cabinet-Removes-Peaks-And-Troughs-In-Selling.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/629/The-jfa-Sales-Cabinet-Removes-Peaks-And-Troughs-In-Selling.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Conduct A Successful Performance Appraisal</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Most organisations review the performance of their employees on a regular basis, usually annually. The term appraisal however, is disliked by many, conjuring up images of a superior passing judgement in a god like fashion. The answer must be to establish good relationships between both.

Every manager has to appraise subordinates and the mechanics of it vary from ticking little boxes, through marking on five-point scales, to writing an open ended report. These notes however, are mainly concerned with relationships.

The primary purpose of an appraisal is to help the subordinate.

Reasons for an Appraisal:

	-	To provide feedback of individual performance.

	-	To plan for future promotions and successions.

	-	To assess training and development needs.

	-	To provide information for salary planning and special awards.

	-	To contribute to corporate career planning.

The three main principles for appraisal and counselling interviews:

1.	Everything written should be shown and shared 
	- Secrecy breeds suspicion
	- Suspicion destroys a counselling relationship

Two specific aspects often withheld are those relating to: -

a)	Poor performance

b)	Potential promotion.

In the first the secrecy reflects the managers own anxiety, telling someone they are doing badly is not easy.

The second, promotion, is difficult as telling the subordinate of potential promotion is very likely to be interpreted as definite, with keen disappointment if it does not happen.

If there is something a manager feels they cannot communicate to a subordinate then that is probably a good enough reason to exclude it from the appraisal report.

2.	The Appraisal report should be finalised in the presence of the subordinate
	- All fair and above board.

3.	The subordinate should contribute a major part to the appraisal
	- Self appraisal is particularly effective in two areas.

Attitudes In Relation To Performance:

First, the area of weak performance, most in ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/601/How-To-Conduct-A-Successful-Performance-Appraisal.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/601/How-To-Conduct-A-Successful-Performance-Appraisal.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Uncover Needs Painlessly Using The Funnel Technique</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Working on the basis that you are dealing with the MAN (the person with the Money, the Authority and the Need) you must very quickly assess if you have a potential prospect or not. In other words can their needs be met by the products and services you have to offer. It may not always be obvious to the prospect that they can use your products but your industry experience tells you that they can. In this instance we are looking for an opportunity to uncover some needs. You cannot create needs - but you can uncover them.

The key to uncovering needs lies in good questioning techniques. Questioning is a skill that requires much practice and concentration but once mastered serves you well because it allows you to:

Sell Not Tell

Most emerging salespeople talk too much. They are good talkers, they must be salespeople or all you need to be a salesperson is the gift of the gab, are often heard misnomers. Most prospects, at the sales stage, come to expect that a salesperson will probably talk at them, for too long and about very little, especially their needs. You want to do the unexpected with your prospects and sell not tell. Do remember that customers and prospects are most comfortable when they are part of the process and not part of the audience.

Listen

If you are talking you are not listening! If you do not listen you will never find out enough information about the prospect or their needs. Apply the 80/20 rule, you should use questioning techniques so that the prospect is doing 80% of the talking and you are only doing 20%.God provided us with two ears and only one mouth and we should use them in that order.

Uncover Needs, Painlessly

Rarely do you receive information unless you ask for it. You need information to sell your services or products and look for future sales possibilities. Skilful questioning means that you do not seem to be imposing on the prospect by asking too many questions.

Maintain Control

Using questioning techniques you can  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/600/How-To-Uncover-Needs-Painlessly-Using-The-Funnel-Technique.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/600/How-To-Uncover-Needs-Painlessly-Using-The-Funnel-Technique.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Essential Qualities Of Leadership</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Although there are many qualities necessary to be a genuine leader in a specific situation, these qualities should be common to all.

	Good Memory
To enable them to recall peoples names, and the few essential facts
that are pertinent to a wide range of problems.

	A Genuine Interest In People
Those that you are responsible for leading will know at once if you are genuinely interested in them and particularly in their development. Show this and you create that personal bond that is essential to the success of your team. You cannot fake an interest in people, they always find you out. A leader can only be successful by ensuring the success of every individual in the team.

	Integrity
If the team has cause to doubt the integrity of its leader, then it will fail when the team is exposed to stress or a risk. If a person is capable of minor lapses in their personal integrity, they fail to keep faith, then they could let their own team members down when they are under pressure. Once the team doubt the leader, that doubt greatly limits their chances of the fullest success.

	The Ability To Communicate Effectively
A good leader must be able to talk and write simply, clearly and persuasively. They must also listen and digest information intently. Communication is a two way process.

	Decisiveness
There is a time when a decision must be made and a risk taken, even though the facts may be incomplete. A leader must recognise when further analysis is unprofitable and action is needed. It helps if the cost of changing the decision is known. If the cost is low, the risk is low.

	The Ability To RelaxIf the team is kept tense and under pressure, irritation arises and performance fails. This is overcome by deliberately introducing a break just a light remark or opportunity for laughter. The importance lays in the frequency and the need for the break to be related to the task or the people not a funny story. The break should be brief, even momentary. It should also c ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/599/The-Essential-Qualities-Of-Leadership.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/599/The-Essential-Qualities-Of-Leadership.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Formal Account Review Can Be A Selling Event</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Why Review?

Obtaining continual feedback against a set of established criteria is vital if an organisation is to retain its existing top clients and seek to improve its standing and the quality of its service levels to them. 
	

There Are At Least Seven Benefits Of Regular Feedback.

-	Feedback reveals your customers current and future plans.

-	Seeing your business from your customers point of view allows you to answer the question would you do business with you? If not why not?

-	Feedback allows you to tailor your service levels so that you enjoy maximum customer satisfaction at a minimum cost.

-	If you do not ask you will never know how you are doing until it is too late! Feedback is magnified by the ice berg factor making it more critical than it originally appears.

-	Feedback can reveal what your competition are doing helping you to be a consistently strong contender.

-	Gaining a reputation for wanting to hear feedback can actually make money for you.

How Often?

This will depend entirely on the importance of the account and revenue levels being achieved, or anticipated.

Assessing The Feedback You Receive:

If the feedback you have been receiving to date has not been useful, ask yourself the following questions:

-	Do I ask enough questions?

-	Do I ask the right questions?

-	Do I communicate effectively about why I am asking the questions?

-	Do I ask the right people?

-	Do I know how to use the data I collect?

-	Am organised to respond to the information?

-	Do I value and trust the information I receive?


What Do You Do With The Results?

Collate &amp;amp; assess

Communicate findings upwards &amp;amp; sideways

Act on vital issues

Feed back remedial actions

Confirm satisfactory resolve
 
Remember,The Account Review Process:

-	Is a non threatening meeting.
 
-	It is a fact finding session not a sales event in the short term. But

-	It is highly likely, that during this meeting you will uncover ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/598/The-Formal-Account-Review-Can-Be-A-Selling-Event.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/598/The-Formal-Account-Review-Can-Be-A-Selling-Event.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Smaller Companies Really Can Outbid The Big Boys</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Extensive research completed by the Corporate Transformation Department at Luton University in England, confirms suspicions and beliefs that I have had for some time now.

In business terms, they claim that these findings represent a revolutionary breakthrough in understanding what makes a successful contract bidder.

Two key facts tell a worrying story:


1.	50% of them said it is important for them to win new business in order to fulfil their corporate plan. 
  

2.	And yet four out of five companies interviewed win less than half of the bids they pitch for.


Conclusion: Most companies are not winning enough new contracts to meet their business objectives.

Not unnaturally, this would cause some anxious looks around the boardroom table if it were not for another key finding from the report.

A small improvement in bidding techniques and tactics can lead to a disproportionately large increase in the number of contracts won.

Not surprisingly, the most effective bid winners prefer to draw a veil over those factors that make them successful but the research has pulled the veil aside and provides a glimpse of the critical success factors in winning major bids. 

The companies answered a detailed questionnaire which focussed on two key areas, how successful they were at winning major bids and what they regard as the factors that made them most successful at winning the bids. Figures are rounded to the nearest decimal point. The companies in the survey represent a cross section of those British companies that compete in major bids either in the UK market or overseas.

The participants came from industries as diverse as information technology, construction, engineering, aerospace, media, consultancy and utilities.                                   

The companies were candid about their success.  Some 37 per cent admitted they won less than a quarter of the bids they pitched for. A further 40.1 per cent said they won between a quarter and half o ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/597/Smaller-Companies-Really-Can-Outbid-The-Big-Boys.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/42/597/Smaller-Companies-Really-Can-Outbid-The-Big-Boys.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Action Centred Leadership - The Three Key Areas</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There are a number of different approaches to leadership. The first is the qualities approach, where over 1600 different qualities, have been thought to be relevant to effectiveness as a leader. The second approach is the situational approach, according to which person with the most knowledge takes charge. Obviously both approaches have their place. Individual leaders will rise to a situation because of qualities they possess.

Any leader must retain respect of the group that they lead and they will be judged by the actions they take in doing their job dealing with their workmates. Developing this theme, one could say that leadership is centred in the actions that a person takes. From this thought came the idea of Action Centred Leadership.

Basically if one person is to run a group of others, then the size of the group will be determined in the first place by the task requirements of the job. This is the first area of need that a leader must to look at, i.e. task needs.  They have also to try to use the expertise and talents of their subordinates and more than this, co-ordinate one person with another and create an effective working group or team.

We can see through our own experience in everyday life, how these three areas inter-act one with another and how sometimes one area can be ignored, resulting in disruption in the other two.

For example, one manager tried to introduce a new machine and system into his factory with no consultation or briefing. This caused individuals to be worried about their own jobs and also the jobs of their workmates. Rumour was abundant; the morale of the staff dropped and the overall result was that the machine was blacked. Another example could be the captain of a soccer team who has not only to use the skills of their individuals, but to blend them as a team to score goals. If the match is won, individuals feel satisfied singly, but there is an esprit de corps within the team.

Some of the greatest leaders had and have t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/596/Action-Centred-Leadership--The-Three-Key-Areas.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/596/Action-Centred-Leadership--The-Three-Key-Areas.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Up Selling And Cross Selling For Increased Margins</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[To increase the revenue and margins of an order by selling products and services at a higher price i.e. up-selling or by selling additional products and services i.e. cross selling, we must be able to prove to the customer that there is something in it for them. We must show them increased, i.e. added value. Value is the worth of something when compared with something else. For example, value would be a high pay back for small outlay, also discussed in terms of ROI i.e. return on investment. Pay back is the tangible return delivered by the benefits of your products and services. The greater the pay back, the greater the value to your customer and customers certainly want value. 

The Value Formula:

The formula for calculating value is the benefit minus the cost of achieving or acquiring the benefit i.e. value + benefit - cost. So, it is important that we use rigorous questioning techniques to uncover as many needs as possible, for which we can offer, benefit oriented solutions. We need to be able to explain and sell benefits. The more needs we can uncover, the more benefits we can deliver, the more benefits the greater the pay back, the greater the pay back the higher the value, the higher the value, the better the chance to up sell and cross sell.

Proving Value:

Using the funnel questioning technique will uncover needs, if they are there to be uncovered. However, it is one thing to uncover the need it is another thing to prove that there is adequate pay back and value in fulfilling the needs.

Having uncovered the needs we must probe and find out as much as we can about those needs and the implications to the customer if they are not met or fulfilled. We do this by asking past, present and future questions i.e. How did you use to do this? (Past), How do you do this now? (Present) and How do you plan to do it? (Future).

What we are trying to establish is the difference between what the customer used to do and how he does it now. If we can establish t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/595/Up-Selling-And-Cross-Selling-For-Increased-Margins.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/595/Up-Selling-And-Cross-Selling-For-Increased-Margins.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Are Self-Limiting Beliefs Constraining Your Sales Team?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The winners in life constantly think in terms of I can, I will and I am. Losers on the other hand concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have done or what they do not do.- Dennis Waitley 

Allowing self-limiting beliefs to constrain  performance, will in turn limit sales results, because like everyone, salespeople hold stubbornly to private beliefs about themselves, clients, markets, competition, and even the economy, beliefs that can have an enormous impact, either positive or negative, on their sales achievement levels. If salespeople do not see themselves as providing value for their prospects and clients, they will tend to approach customers in ways that appeal to reasons for buying other than the  genuine business need of the customer. This is what sometimes leads salespeople to oversell, for example, pressing a customer to act now in order to get a low price or to be too accommodating. It also can lead salespeople to adopt unethical behaviour, because they may try to sell a customer something that they neither need nor want. If they fail to take care of their clients best interests, salespeople will fail to build long-term relationships and lose customers.


Fear of Calling:

Recent studies have confirmed the obvious, that is to say that fear of calling in sales, can contribute to a significant proportion of lost sales revenues. One study that I read recently found that as many as 40 per cent of established salespeople experienced periods of fear of calling severe enough to threaten their future in sales. Stemming the ever-increasing costs of the fear of calling syndrome cannot be addressed by training alone. It requires an experienced coach or mentor to work with each salespersons particular set of beliefs, so that they feel truly empowered to breakthrough their self-created mental barriers. One particular statistic in the following survey should give any salesperson suffering from fear of calling, renewed confidence

How Customers Reg ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/594/Are-SelfLimiting-Beliefs-Constraining-Your-Sales-Team.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/594/Are-SelfLimiting-Beliefs-Constraining-Your-Sales-Team.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>An Effective Business Development Strategy Is Essential For Success</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The Business Development Strategy is used to underpin your main Business Plan and essentially it sets out a standard approach for developing new opportunities, either from within existing accounts or by proactively targeting brand new potential accounts and then working to close them.

This document highlights the key issues you should consider prior to compiling your own plan and will hopefully guide you logically through a proven framework.

The key word is Strategy, because you are creating a workable and achievable set of objectives in order to exceed your annual target.

Your Starting Point:

The key words are Who? What? Where? When? Which? Why? How?

For example:

Who - are you going to target?

What - do you want to sell them?

Where - are they located?

When - will you approach them?

Which - are the appropriate target personnel?

Why - would they want to meet with you?

How - will you reach them?
	

If you have conducted regular account reviews with your key accounts during the previous twelve months, you should be aware of any new opportunities that will surface during the next twelve months. You will also, when assessing what percentage of your annual target usually comes from existing accounts, need to review data over the last two or three years. It is likely that you can apply Pareto i.e. 80% of your business will probably come from existing accounts and in fact 80% of your total revenue will come from just 20% of your customers/clients

You will be left with a balance  i.e. 20% of my business next year will come from new opportunities,therefore you can then begin to allocate your selling time accordingly. 


Ideal Customer Profiling:

Pro-active business development demands that we create an ideal target at the front end,i.e. an Ideal Customer Profile. The essential characteristics you will need to consider are:

-	Industrial sector

-	Geographical location i.e.demographics.

-	Size of organisations, turnover, n ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/552/An-Effective-Business-Development-Strategy-Is-Essential-For-Success.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/552/An-Effective-Business-Development-Strategy-Is-Essential-For-Success.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Exploratory Meeting - The Most Important Stage Of The Sales Cycle</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The Exploratory Meeting is a key element in the sales process. Typically the meeting will have been arranged after qualification via the telephone and a decision made by both parties that it would be mutually beneficial to meet. It is the exploratory meeting that will allow the professional salesperson to set the ground rules and get a feel for the client and their needs. 

As this is normally the first meeting it is also where the potential client will get his first impression of you, therefore the way you look, act and conduct the meeting will have a direct bearing on whether or not you are able to proceed to the next stage. Finally, the objective of the meeting is to gain commitment to the next stage and NOT to try and get the order.

Key Elements to a Successful Exploratory Meeting: 
 
Pre-planning &amp;amp; Preparation:

-	You will have confirmed your appointment in writing or e-mail. 

-	You will have already carried out some initial investigation into the company, the ethics etc and if time has allowed, you will have probably obtained some company literature and a copy of their annual report.

-	You will be armed with names of clients your company has already successfully helped within their market.

-	You will be dressed smartly.

-	You will arrive in plenty of time.

-	You will act professionally and friendly to the receptionist,theymay be a relative of the Chairman.

-	Remember: Never sit down in reception areas, be psychologically prepared. 

Rapport/Empathy: 
It is important that you do not launch into your sales pitch as soon as you meet, but that you try and put your client, and therefore yourself at ease by finding some common mutual ground to break the ice. Good rapport will result in the potential client being less defensive.

Remember: 86% of buying decisions are based first on emotion, i.e. do they trust you?

Courtesy:
This should be obvious but is often forgotten through nerves etc. Remember you are a guest in their envir ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/551/The-Exploratory-Meeting--The-Most-Important-Stage-Of-The-Sales-Cycle.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/551/The-Exploratory-Meeting--The-Most-Important-Stage-Of-The-Sales-Cycle.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Quality Activity Achieves Quality Results</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Failing to focus salespeoples activity reduces efficiency and consequently reduces results, because there is not a salesperson alive that believes they have enough time in their working week to complete all the activities they want to achieve! Time is a huge constraint on their activities so that when their manager asks them for more, it is no wonder that they are overwhelmed.

Poor Quality Activity:

Secondly, but equally important, salespeople often are not clear about how to identify the prospects most likely to have a genuine need for their product or service. Without an objective way to prioritise which prospects to contact first and an efficient strategy for contacting them, salespeople are doomed to waste a large percentage of their time. Another huge dilemma for many salespeople is how to divide their time between servicing existing clients and generating new business from new prospects. Existing clients frequently make requests for service that could be dealt with by support staff. But salespeople who lack a disciplined, future orientated plan for generating new contacts and sales often find themselves spending more time attending to so called urgent tasks for existing accounts instead. A common approach among salespeople can be summarised in the saying If you throw enough mud against the wall, some of it is bound to stick. This approach is exhausting, demoralising, extremely unproductive, and very expensive in the long term.

Far too frequently, competent salespeople are expected to channel their own activities into the areas that will produce the quickest wins. Unfortunately, left to their own devices, they do not develop and pursue a formal strategy for moving a sale tangibly forward during each prospect interaction, neither do they have a clearly defined set of goals against which to measure the progress they are making Typically, their judgment is based on gut reaction and is purely subjective, because salespeople have to be optimistic by nature. ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/483/Quality-Activity-Achieves-Quality-Results.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/483/Quality-Activity-Achieves-Quality-Results.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Develop A First Class Sales Team</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Pick up a typical report and what words do you find? Verbs like analyse, forecast, plan, assess and schedule, are used in pursuit of organisations that are efficient, productive and predictable. What set of people are required? Obviously, people who are efficient, effective, proficient, competent, productive and co-operative. But I believe we need to go beyond – we need to be inspired, motivated, creators, who are enthusiastic and able to consistently deliver against our key objectives. We should be developing individuals who are not afraid to challenge paradigms, who are prepared to go that extra yard in search of excellence and who understand that success is 80% attitude and only 20% aptitude.

For a group of people to remain consciously competent at optimum performance levels, they require frequent injections of stimulation, motivational guidance, prompting and directing, otherwise they can easily lapse into becoming unconsciously competent or worse, unconsciously incompetent.

The primary objective of a professional Sales Manager has to be: 

To achieve consistently superior results, through the performance of every key individual.

 The Acid Test: When thinking about your own sales force,

 -	Do you understand their motivators i.e. what is driving them?
 
-	Do you have visibility of their numbers i.e. year to date, forecast vs. required performance? 

-	Activity levels, i.e. are they working hard and smart enough? 

-	Engagement, i.e. are they talking to the right level in their prospects/accounts? 

-	Messaging, i.e. are they capable of delivering an appropriate message at the right level? 

-	Qualification, i.e. are they only spending time on deals where they can compete and ultimately that they can win? 

-	Closing, i.e. are they constructing successful campaigns and closing business?

Controlled Management:

The basis of Controlled Management is to provide a means of effective management by adopting different approaches in differ ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/482/How-To-Develop-A-First-Class-Sales-Team.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/482/How-To-Develop-A-First-Class-Sales-Team.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Traversing That Bridge From Sales To Management</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When a salesperson gains promotion to management the first thing they have to do is to quickly acquaint themselves with a new set of working relationships and a new set of rules.

The salespersons primary working relationships are with customers. However the sales managers is with the sales force i.e. his subordinates.

Essential Attributes Include:

    Successful Salesperson:
 
     - Personal drive (Ego).

     - Needs to win battles (Individual sales).

     - Able to work alone.

     - Persuades customers to see his/her point.

     - Needs selling skills, personal skills and knowledge.

     - Able to work away from the office.

     - Works well with people and numbers.

     - Good at implementing sales tactics.

  
    Successful Sales Manager:

- Submission of personal needs to the goals of the Company (Corporate drive).

- Needs to win the war (Meet corporate goals).

- Able to work with others.

- Persuades the sales team to see the Companys point.

- Needs management skills and marketing knowledge.

- Needs to work at the office.

- Works well with people, numbers, paperwork and the corporate hierarchy.

- Good at developing sales and marketing strategies.


The most common danger in having sales managers who are basically super salespeople is that relations with subordinates, including the critical tasks of development and supervision may deteriorate.


Lack of skills and resources:

Even when they do recognize the importance of developing their salespeople, many sales managers find that they lack the skills and resources to do it effectively. It then becomes easier not to bother.


An Overwhelmed Manager:

To make things worse, most sales teams consist of a number of individuals with differing levels of experience and ability, so the whole issue of team development becomes too daunting for the overwhelmed manager to contemplate.


The Answer? - Divine Intervention From Above:

Sales Directors ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/432/Traversing-That-Bridge-From-Sales-To-Management.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/432/Traversing-That-Bridge-From-Sales-To-Management.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Why Do So Many Potentially Good Sales Managers Fail?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Unfortunately most salesmen and women believe that a successful career in sales culminates in sales management, and yet there are of course far less management positions up for grabs than sales positions. As a consequence, salespeople with this attitude concentrate on making sales rather than investing in themselves in order to become Top 5 % players and eventually most become disillusioned, resulting in a significant dip in achievements levels.

The knock-on effect of this is that good Level 2 salespeople who move into management, take with them an underdeveloped view of selling, a Level 2 orientation and as consequence they help to create or maintain an unrealistic and short sighted vision of what will be needed to develop their teams. Because they lack Level 3 experience themselves and an insight into the skills needed to make it at Level 3, the environment that they help to create fails to recognise the need for Level 3 performers and this is particularly noticeable in the compensation structures they build, which neither supports nor encourages their teams to break through that final glass ceiling. (Please see my articles, The Three Levels of Selling Identified and Top 5% Achievers, What Do They Look Like?)

Good Salespeople Do Not Necessarily Make Good Managers:

The single most common mistake that organisations make is promoting their number one salesperson into the role of sales manager, thereby depriving themselves in a single stroke of their best producer and hamstringing their sales force with an ineffective manager. The skills required for managing, mentoring and developing a sales team are totally different from those required for selling. As a result, it is not uncommon to find newly promoted sales managers who regret having taken a management position and may even leave to get back into sales.

Insufficient Time for Sales Team Development:

The majority of sales managers, new and experienced alike, say they do not have sufficient time to tra ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/431/Why-Do-So-Many-Potentially-Good-Sales-Managers-Fail.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/431/Why-Do-So-Many-Potentially-Good-Sales-Managers-Fail.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Are You Really A Leader - Or Merely A Manager?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There is a difference between leadership and management. Leadership is of the spirit management is of the mind. Managers are necessary, but leaders are essential. We must find managers who are not only skilled organisers, but inspired and inspiring leaders  Field Marshall Slim

You can buy someones physical presence, but you cannot buy loyalty, enthusiasm or devotion. These you must earn. Successful organisations have leaders who focus on the future rather than cling to the past. Leaders bring out the best in people. They spend time developing people into leaders. Here are the qualities of a leader:

-	Leaders have a clear vision of what they are working towards. They do not keep their vision a secret, they communicate it to their people.
-	Leaders are consistent. They keep their principles and values at all times.
-	Leaders can and will do what they expect of others. They are prepared to walk the talk.
-	Leaders are not threatened by competence. They enjoy promoting people and are quick to give credit to those who have earned it.
-	Leaders enjoy developing their people into leaders, not followers. They train people to take on more challenging tasks and responsibilities. They develop peoples confidence.
-	Leaders do not betray trust. They can treat confidential information professionally.
-	Leaders are concerned about getting things done. They do not get embroiled in political infighting, gossip and backstabbing. They encourage those around them to do likewise.
-	Leaders confront issues as they arise. They do not procrastinate. If something needs fixing, they do it right away, even if it is uncomfortable. The longer things are left, the more difficult they become.
-	Leaders let people know how they are doing. They reward and recognise performance that is above expectations and they help people identify ways of improving poor performance.
-	Leaders are flexible. They welcome change. They do not stick to an old position simply because it is more comfortab ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/401/Are-You-Really-A-Leader--Or-Merely-A-Manager.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/401/Are-You-Really-A-Leader--Or-Merely-A-Manager.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Leadership Defined</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Leadership and motivational abilities are very closely related, as strong leadership will motivate and strong motivation shows good leadership.

Your ability as a potential leader will vary, but if we can pinpoint just what leadership is and define some of the attributes of good leadership, we can all benefit.

Leadership has been defined as, the ability to inspire willing action. Emphasis is placed on the willing. But to understand leadership, we need to delve a little deeper than that.

One thing which experience has proven over and over again down through the ages is that when any group of people are thrown together for any length of time or for any project, a leader will emerge from the group, one to whom they will listen and give their confidence and support.

Their position on the organisation chart or their title alone cannot make a person a genuine leader. They must have certain traits and skills, or they will surely fail. In business, it has been shown again and again that these skills can be learned and the traits can be developed in any individual who is willing to exert an effort based on strong desire and a true hunger for success.

Generally, a leader or teacher does not actually develop another person. They encourage and inspire that person to develop themselves from within. Thus, leadership is, in a large sense, self-initiated.

Once we understand and identify the methods and characteristics of admired leaders, we can take steps to develop these skills and traits ourselves. We can analyse ourselves honestly, ruthlessly, objectively and identify which skills we need to acquire or improve and those which we need to play down. 

No One Is Perfect
The perfect leader has yet to be born. We all have room for self-improvement. If we can agree upon what it takes to be a good leader,what are the traits of leadership, what are the skills, we will at least have made a good start. We should analyse every genuine leader we know and try to learn whi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/400/Leadership-Defined.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/49/400/Leadership-Defined.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Create A Life Plan - And Take That First Important Step - Part 2</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[These are the stages you should now follow to create your New Direction.

Stage 1:	Complete a S.L.O.T. analysis.  This will help you to understand your current status
  
Stage 2:	Design a personal business plan for yourself with the following components. 
-	A mission statement
-	Critical success factors
-	1, 3 and 5 year projections

Stage 3:    Check all your goals and objectives are S.M.A.R.T.E.R

Stage 4:	Begin today - set personal improvement objectives for the next twelve-months

In summary if you follow these four steps in goal achieving you will be on the straight and narrow road to success.

-	Goals Must Be In Writing
-	Goals Must Be Vividly Imagined
-	Goals Must Be Ardently Desired
-	Goals Must Be Sincerely Committed

Lets move to Stage 1. 
	
A state without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation.Edmund Burke

A technique used widely in business to evaluate situations is the SLOT analysis.

SLOT stands for
	Strengths 	Limitations 	Opportunities    Threats

SLOT this is the American version, British people talk about SWOT analysis where W stands for weakness, I would rather talk about a persons limitations.

The SLOT analysis can be an extremely useful technique for you to think about what you can offer relative to your external environment and helps you to take stock of your position so that you can plan your future development.

The Strengths and Limitations elements are personal to you. Opportunities and Threats lie in the external environment.

Use your SLOT analysis to:

-	Identify how you can maximise the use of your strengths
-	See how you can compensate for your limitations
-	Identify opportunities, particularly ones that may not be immediately obvious
-	If at all possible, see if threats can be turned into opportunities

S = Strengths
What can I do well? What are my best skills and attributes? Where do I have the greatest talent? Try to illustrate your ideas with concrete examples ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/399/How-To-Create-A-Life-Plan--And-Take-That-First-Important-Step--Part-2.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/399/How-To-Create-A-Life-Plan--And-Take-That-First-Important-Step--Part-2.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Create A Life Plan - And Take That First Important Step - Part 1</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Success should be something you don’t just ‘Kinda Sorta’ want to achieve but something you must achieve. 

Generally Top Achievers expect to be successful and as a consequence they usually are. They are driven by a ‘Have To’ attitude not a ‘Want To’ attitude.

If you have no concrete goals and you have been succeeding in spite of yourself, just think how much more success you could enjoy if you set your sights on a definite path and had a specific time-frame in which you expect to reach your destination.

Even though you do not need to set goals in order to reach some level of success, most professionals who fail to set goals reach a plateau and lack either the motivation or the direction to go beyond it. They are unable to move upwards to a higher achievement status.

Setting Goals Keeps You Focussed
What you should know is that goals give you three distinct advantages, which help you succeed:

	-Goals Keep You on Track
	-Goals Let You Know When and What to Celebrate
	-Goals Give You a Focussed Plan to Work With

If nothing else, goals let others know what they have to aim for to keep up with your standards!!! 

Effective Goal Setting
Take the time to think about what would make you happy, contented and satisfied and about what would motivate you to become a Top 5% Player.

It’s important to remember that goals are maps; they will guide you towards your success - the more detailed your goal setting the easier it will be for you to reach your destination.

When you are in the first stage of goal setting you also need to remember two important factors - i.e.

-The Goal Must Be Better Than Your Best Yet - But It Must Be Achievable

	-Goals Should Be Based On Productivity Not Production

Keeping these two rules of goal setting firmly in your mind will help you to form and stay committed to what is really important to you.
 
Time Yourself - By Months, Years &amp;amp; Decades

•	Always begin with long-term goals and work back ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/398/How-To-Create-A-Life-Plan--And-Take-That-First-Important-Step--Part-1.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/398/How-To-Create-A-Life-Plan--And-Take-That-First-Important-Step--Part-1.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Assertiveness &amp; Interpersonal Skills - Part 2</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Continued from [URL=http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/119/Assertiveness--Interpersonal-Skills--Part-1.php]part 1[/URL]...

MY SOCIAL STYLE A very simple way of identifying your Social Style is to copy the dimensions of the behaviour model below onto a number of pieces of paper. Now ask people who know you well, to plot your behaviour as they see it. Explain the two axes to them and then ask them to put a cross, first on the horizontal scale and then on the vertical scale. Try not to influence their decision, better still ask them to do it anonymously.

If you have a majority of crosses on &amp;quot;control&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;ask&amp;quot; then your behaviour is seen as Analytical. But if the majority are on &amp;quot;control&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;tell&amp;quot; then you are seen as a Driver.

If you are &amp;quot;emote&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;ask&amp;quot; then you are seen as an Amiable. &amp;quot;emote&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;tell&amp;quot; as an Expressive.

By knowing about your own Social Style and recognising Social Styles in others, you can improve the effectiveness of your meetings with them.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH SOCIAL STYLE

ANALYTICALS * Concerned with being organised, having all the facts and being careful before taking action. * Need is to be accurate and to be right. * Precise, orderly, methodical and conform to standard operating procedures, organisational rules and historical ways of doing things. * Have a slow reaction time and work more slowly and carefully than Drivers. * Perceived as serious, industrious, persistent, and exacting. * Are task oriented. * Use facts and data. * Tend to speak slowly. * Lean back and use their hands frequently. * Do not make direct eye contact. * Control their facial expressions. * Others may see them as stuffy, indecisive, critical, picky and moralistic. * Comfortable in positions in which they can check facts and figures and be sure they are right. * Neat/well organised offices. * In times of stress, analyticals tend to avoid conflict.

A ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/120/Assertiveness--Interpersonal-Skills--Part-2.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/120/Assertiveness--Interpersonal-Skills--Part-2.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Assertiveness &amp; Interpersonal Skills - Part 1</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[&amp;quot;Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.&amp;quot; Ralph Waldo Emerson

Assertiveness skills are very important in many situations; by being assertive you are letting people know what you want, need or prefer, in a way which is acceptable to both you and them. Put simply; assertiveness is about getting what you want without upsetting anyone!

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ACQUIESCENT, ASSERTIVE AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR

ACQUIESCENT You: hope that you will get what you want, sit on your feelings, rely on others to guess what you want.

You Don't: ask for what you want, express your feelings, often get what you want, upset people, get noticed.

ASSERTIVE You: ask for what you want directly and openly, ask confidently and without undue anxiety.

You Don't: violate other people's rights, expect other people to magically know what you want, freeze with anxiety.

AGGRESSIVE You: try to get what you want in any way that works, often cause bad feelings in others, threaten, cajole, manipulate, use sarcasm,

You Don't: respect that other people have a right to get their needs met, look for situations in which you both might be able to get what you want ('win-win situations')

Understanding and recognising assertiveness is a major step in helping you to develop your interpersonal and influencing skills.

There are two other important factors however:

* How you prefer to behave with other people

* How the people you interact with, like others to behave towards them.

For example, some people are the life and soul of the party, dress flamboyantly and speak in loud, fast voices; get two of them together and it's almost a competition to see who can burst the other's eardrums! Try approaching one of these people in a polite, mild-mannered and factual way and you're unlikely to make an impression.

Other people like to conduct business in a very formal way, they're abrupt and to the point and only interested in &amp;quot;the bottom line&amp;quot;. Ap ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/119/Assertiveness--Interpersonal-Skills--Part-1.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/44/119/Assertiveness--Interpersonal-Skills--Part-1.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Has Selling Changed Since The Nineties? - Part 2</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Continued from [URL=http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/117/How-Has-Selling-Changed-Since-The-Nineties--Part-1.php]part 1[/URL]...

Strategic selling begins in the boardroom In most industries to-day, a handful of ideal customers have become universal targets. Nearly every industrial salesperson dreams of calling on the CEO's or managing directors of those top companies, which logically means that there are maybe 500 customers for a million sellers. With such intense competition, conventional approaches are not equal to the challenge. Salespeople need to develop strategies that distinguish their products, services and their organisations in the mind of the customer.

Making a sale has always involved an element of systematic planning but strategic selling means more than rehearsing product information and timing the close. Strategic selling begins with understanding your company's strategy, vision, and distinctiveness and then selecting high profile customers.

The next step, logically, is anticipating each stage of the buying process, from analysing the competition to identifying the influencers and decision-makers and being switched in to the buyer's political issues. In other words, there is a need for a comprehensive strategic profile and rigorous opportunity assessment process. Most important, strategic selling means strategising from the customer's point of view. Top achievers see strategic selling as a routine part of their work - not a final resort.

What are the implications for sales management? For companies to remain competitive now, their sales organisation must be able to respond positively to changing economic tides. As businesses strive to establish customer orientation, sales partnerships and a strategic approach to selling, they are demanding more and more from their salespeople but ensuring that these new methods are widely practised and smoothly implemented falls to sales management

Building productivity Sales productivit ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/118/How-Has-Selling-Changed-Since-The-Nineties--Part-2.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/118/How-Has-Selling-Changed-Since-The-Nineties--Part-2.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Has Selling Changed Since The Nineties? - Part 1</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The traditional customer call once seemed indispensable to the selling process; the time and expense involved were just a basic cost of doing business. In recent years, however, the business community has come to regard the sales call as an expenditure for which there are substitutes. For many companies telemarketing and direct mail have made the sales call a choice not an inevitability. This is not surprising when various studies suggest that getting one sales person in front of one customer now costs £500 - this cost has trebled since 1983. As a consequence professional salespeople have to be more effective than ever to justify the investment in a face to face effort.

In essence, we can draw seven primary conclusions and taken together, these findings paint a picture of the current state of the sales environment.

Customer Focus Creates Competitive Advantage

* The one term that sets top performers apart - customer focus
* Outstanding sales results depend on - The ability to think from the customer's point of view - Understanding the customer's agenda, buying cycle and best interests
* Beyond a superficial reading of immediate customer needs, salespeople must gain a deeper understanding of both the buyer's long-term goals and the overall business climate
* At the heart of customer focus is the art of listening constructively - the best salespeople are masters at capturing information
* Customer focus means taking the customer seriously - to-day the salesperson who clings to the product orientation of a decade ago is losing ground
* As client companies branch into new markets and unfamiliar territories, they are demanding unique, flexible solutions from their vendors - customised to support specific goals
* Another myth which can be exploded is that whilst customers value flexibility, being too flexible can undermine the sales relationship.

On the whole salespeople imagine that customers value a vendor's responsiveness above all. However recent res ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/117/How-Has-Selling-Changed-Since-The-Nineties--Part-1.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/55/117/How-Has-Selling-Changed-Since-The-Nineties--Part-1.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Motivation In Perspective - Part 2</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Continued from [URL=http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/115/Motivation-In-Perspective--Part-1.php]part 1[/URL]...

The first set of needs defined by Hertzberg is called Hygiene Needs and deal with a person's relationship with the environment. They consist of how people are treated at work.

* Do you pay them well?

* Good working conditions?

* Human relations - the nature and quality of their supervision.

* Status

* The nature of the Company's policy and administration.

They are called Hygiene Factors, because if the factors are right, they prevent people from being dissatisfied in their working environment, so they keep people from being unhappy and that is their function - but they do not motivate.

One form of hygiene that has long been practised is to deny people fair treatment at the beginning. For example:-

&amp;quot;I am not going to pay you as much as the going rate, but prove you can do the job, and I will make it up to you later&amp;quot;.

The trouble is that you can never make it up. That lack of fair treatment at the beginning will never be forgotten and normally leads to a revenge psychology on the part of the employee. In other words, they will get back at you later because they cannot forget the remembered pain. The principle here is very simple - Treat people fairly, because it is in your own and their best interests.

The other set of needs of people is caused by the fact that they are human beings and therefore, not only do they not want to hurt, so treat them well (Hygiene), but they want to do something. They want to grow and show what they can do. They want to be able to say at the end of the work experience not that they vegetated, but that they are more than they were (know more, can do more and, therefore are more) and the only way to measure this by what they have done in that experience.

They are, therefore, asking these questions:-

* Do I achieve? Am I contributing?

* Am I given increased responsi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/116/Motivation-In-Perspective--Part-2.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/116/Motivation-In-Perspective--Part-2.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Motivation In Perspective - Part 1</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Everyone needs some form of motivation to get them to do anything. This really means &amp;quot;sufficient reason&amp;quot; for doing it. It can take very little to motivate someone to do something pleasurable. It can take quite extreme circumstances to get that same person to do something objectionable.

The key point is that what constitutes sufficient motivation can be judged only by the person being motivated. Circumstances that would motivate one person will leave another unmoved. The task of a Manager lies firstly in assessing what will motivate an individual and secondly in applying that motivation.

Everyone is constantly subjected to a variety of motivating factors. The more basic the factor, the stronger it is in determining the course of action which will be taken.

Beware of the common management concept of motivation - it can be briefly described as falling into two general classifications.

* The Carrot * The Big Stick

The Carrot This concept is based on the assumption that money always motivates. This is a fallacy - it does not. It will always depend on whether the person to be motivated considers it worth it. Do they need the money sufficiently to make the added work or responsibility that goes with it worthwhile? Only if the answer is &amp;quot;yes&amp;quot; - in his view, not yours - will it motivate them.

The Big Stick Using the &amp;quot;Big Stick&amp;quot; technique - offering some kind of threat, such as &amp;quot;The Sack&amp;quot; if there is not a visible improvement in performance - does motivate people. The trouble is that you, as the Motivator, cannot control what effect the motivation may have.

However you wrap up the big stick, it will seen by those who are to be motivated, as a threat to their &amp;quot;Shelter/Security&amp;quot;. That provides a very basic motivational drive. Faced with such a threat they may decide that it is not worth the effort or that they are incapable of it. The result, so far as you are concerned, is that they start looking for anothe ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/115/Motivation-In-Perspective--Part-1.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/51/115/Motivation-In-Perspective--Part-1.php</link>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>