John Wooden Preseason Letter To the TEAM July 26, 1970

"Your race or religion will have no bearing on my judgment, but your ability and how it works into my philosophy of TEAM PLAY very definitely will.

FURTHERMORE, your personal conduct and adherence to STANDARDS that I make undoubtedly will be taken into consideration, either consciously or subconsciously."

Coach John Wooden

See you in the trenches - vmsteveo

George Washington's 7 Habits

George Washington’s ‘7 habits’

Who are we to argue with the assertion that America’s greatest leader was its first? It’s all true: George Washington ran two major start-ups—the army and the presidency—in addition to his farm and other businesses. Not to mention the Constitutional Convention, which he chaired.

In a nutshell, here’s how Washington worked:

He adapted. When he saw that his tobacco crop wasn’t making the grade, he tried something new, exchanging high-status tobacco for more diversified crops, including alfalfa, buckwheat and hemp.

He guarded the troops. Even without modern-day knowledge of germs and sanitation, Washington kept a sharp-eye out to ensure strict sanitation in army latrines. He also threatened
his men with court-martial for any unsanitary behavior.

He valued intelligence. He always sent scouts to observe and report on the enemy, eventually developing a network of spies.

He deferred to experts. Washington’s artillery commander, Henry Knox, had little experience but knew the history of heavy weapons. Knox added an artillery company to every brigade of infantry, an innovation that made the army more formidable.

He went with the flow. Washington wanted the French fleet, headed by Rochambeau, to help him take back New York. Instead, Rochambeau ignored him and sailed south to Yorktown, eventually winning the war. Washington basically said: OK.

He believed. In 1783, with a desperate, unpaid army on his hands, Washington so believed a turnaround was possible that he convinced his officers of it.

He gave second chances. President Washington named as ambassador to France an out-of-control smart aleck. The president had to discipline his ambassador but also expressed the
“fullest confidence” in his ability to improve. He did.

—Article from Executive Leadership and adapted from George Washington on Leadership,
Richard Brookhiser, Basic Books.

See you in the trenches - vmsteveo

The Perfect Salesforce – The Six Best Practices of the Worlds Best Sales Teams

The Perfect Salesforce – The Six Best Practices of the Worlds Best Sales Teams
By Derek Gatehouse
review by vmsteveo

Great! Another book about selling I thought to myself as I finished up the forward section of the book. More formulas, advice, stories etc. But as I cruised through the first few chapters, I found that this book was not about selling advice but more of applying selling advice to build a selling engine... interesting angle and exactly the thought provoking material we look for.

Gatehouse takes a contrarian view with sales training and processes to enable salespeople to become more effective. He found that finding and growing a sales force is more of a people issue than a process or methodology issue. He explains that methodologies are inflexible for the average sales person to track and keep score. But if you want the top performers to be attracted to your organization, focus on the people, not the process.

In the Perfect Sales Force, Gatehouse explains in detail the six best practices for building the perfect salespeople to fit your environment. The first three are specifically based on hiring pointers and the remaining three are best practice sections which explain the management involved once you create the team.

The typical specifications for the perfect sales people are as follows:

1. Self starter
2. Strong Communication Skills
3. Team Player
4. Highly Motivated

Do these look familiar? That’s because these are typical and can fit for any job description with any title. Gatehouse displaces the generic traits and deep dives into a framework of 10 selling talents. Out of the ten, six are constant and never changing and the remaining four depend on the sales situation and type, more to come to explain…

The Perfect Sales Force formula is a culmination of understanding the following traits:

1. Natural talent or ability
2. Training as a performance enhancement
3. External variables or conditions that effect performance

The formula includes the following “true” performance influencers that if the right conditions are created, can allow your salespeople to flourish. The author parallels this with the right environment for seeds to grow and flourish. They are:

1. Compensation plan – Good soil
2. Quota – Water
3. Sales training – Air
4. Immediate management - Sunlight

So on to the six best practices which take up the remaining sections of the book:

#1 Understanding of the ten selling talents

1. Work ethic – Quality vs. quantity
2. Tolerance – High vs. low
3. Persuasion – Adviser vs. pleaser
4. Executive rapport – High vs. low
5. Need – Create vs. established
6. Explanation – obvious vs. concept

Preferences

7. Sales cycle – Long vs. short
8. The solution – Unique vs. commodity
9. Products – Many vs. few
10.Decision makers – Many vs. few

Always needed

1. Good speaker
2. Good listener

#2 Sorting Sales Stages for Talent

Within this best practice the author asks the question, have you ever had an outstanding salesperson that was a horrible prospector? Have you ever had a great prospector that generated lots of leads but could never seem to close them? How about your top producers who are always late with their weekly reports, hate paperwork, etc? Sound familiar?

Sorting the sales stages enables you to understand the requirements of both new and existing clients and the necessary talents needed for both. Most of the time you will find top performers are only the top in one to two of the total sales stages.

#3 Talents Based Hiring Process

This is a two step approach in which the first step encourages to specifically and exactly know which talents are needed to sell specific to your organization. This would be based upon your market, its sales cycle, and what you sell.

Step two is the questioning, analysis, and probing you do to fully understand the talent of the candidate.

Structure your questions around the talent needed and listen for common patterns of behavior. It is imperative that the candidate is not made aware of the talent needed as this would sku the results. Sample questions are provided within this section.

#4 The Pay Plan & Quota

Two lessons here…

1. Provide clear parameters
2. Treat them right

Part 1 - Quota
Quota is defined as the results that a properly cast individual can regularly accomplish with reasonable effort. Let’s break this down a bit more:

“results” meaning monetary or non-monetary
“properly cast individual” meaning the right person for the job
“regularly” meaning vibrancy of quota attainment
“with reasonable effort” meaning that with extra effort the salesperson will surpass quota

Some sales managers believe that quota is a positive motivator, however

1. Quota is more often perceived as negative
2. Based annually which is way too long of a time frame
3. If there is a bonus attached to the new annual quota, reaching the goal becomes increasing uncertain since quota is raised to a new level becoming less attainable each year.

Part 2 - Pay Plan
Keep it positive, immediate and certain (PIC). When developing a pay plan Gatehouse urges you to begin with the most positive pay plan you can offer your salespeople and then make it fit within management. Components of the pay plan are as follows:

1. Base salary – not a performance influencer
2. Commission – performance influencer in which the author believes that every position should have a commission component
3. Short Term Incentives – spot bonus or additional compensation within 90 days

The author gives examples of sliding scale pay plans that fit his PIC model.

#5 Sales Behavior Training

Sales training seems to have the least impact on overall performance however to improve sales training effectiveness implement these three best practices:

1. Building of rapport – Mirroring and bonding with different personality types based upon salespersons talents/expertise.

2. Discussion of the solution – Describes how you sell and the best way to do it. For this type of training the author highly recommends SPIN selling.

3. The advising process – The authors contradictory findings for this portion of sales training is that customers do not want to be asked what to do but rather be told what to do.

Sales Training Delivery Parameters:

1. Classroom – Listen and learn
2. Role play – Do, practice
3. Field training – The missing link as the author puts it. Have the trainer accompany the salesperson on a call to help bring the trainee through the process

#6 Results Based Management

“The manager’s primary job is to get those in her charge to produce results.” Even though the right pay plans, training, sales type, etc from the previous 5 disciplines have all been implemented, there is still a significant need to address the human side of your team, hence the sales manager. The sales team still needs encouragement, guidance, feedback, arbitration, praise, reprimands, and support. The right sales managers with maintain equilibrium.

So who do we select as the best managers? The best sales managers are pare salesperson, part disciplinarian, part friend, part boss, part trainer, part mentor, and part psychologist. They are at once a respected colleague and a down to earth member of the group. Listed are sales manager qualities:

1. Empathy
2. Diplomacy
3. Leadership
4. Amiableness
5. Humility (lack of ego)
6. Fearlessness

The sales manager’s critical daily activities:

1. Enforce results, manage activities
2. Develop strengths, not weaknesses

Summary

The author summarizes by saying “if you have invested the effort and indeed built a high performance vehicle – an autonomous growth machine – then let it run”. The last sections of the book contain a great case study, worksheets, and a helpful website you can access additional information (www.theperfectsalesforce.com) you can use to help build your perfect sales force.

So what’s your #1 strategy for building the ultimate sales force? I would enjoy hearing your comments.

See you in the trenches - vmsteveo

Trailer Park - Never - Not me.... well, maybe....

Just a quick story...

I recently went to visit a friend that lives in a Trailer Park... I was concerned, since I have never been in a trailer, what to expect or how was I going to react. This was the first time I had visited my friend.

WOW... that is all I can say. Once I entered the trailer (which was a double wide one), I could never tell that I was in one. It was a two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit and it also contained a dining room, full kitchen, living room, etc. All the items that you would expect in a one-level dwelling or apartment. I was impressed and the cost was so reasonable, it made complete sense for him to grab a trailer vs. paying a much higher cost for a house. it also had a deck connected to it as well... which came in handy when we were drinking a few beers together.

Here is a white collar professional who was clearly thinking outside of the box.

Two Quick Lessons Learned:
1) Include all options in making big decisions
2) Don't discriminate people or places

Excerpts from Coach John Wooden To His Team

Born October 14th, 1910, Coach John Wooden is one of the most thought provoking and inspirational people in sports. I received this from a friend and wanted to share. I would enjoy hearing your feedback.

DO NOT CAUSE YOUR OWN FAILURE
1969 Preseason Letter to the Team

“Recorded history shows us that the underlying reason for the failure of every civilization or cause has been a breakdown from within, and I deeply believe that most potentially great teams that did not measure up to what seemed possible and logical failed to do so because of friction in one way or another from within. Let us not be victimized in such a manner”.

HOT TO INFLUENCE THE FUTURE
1972 Preseason Letter to the Team (following his eighth national title)

“I must caution you that you cannot live in the past. The 1971-1972 season is now history, and we must look toward the future. The past cannot change what is to come. The work that you do each and every day is the only true way to improve and prepare yourself for what is to come. You cannot change the past, and you can influence the future ONLY BY WHAT YOU DO TODAY”.

Adapted from excerpts on http://www.coachjohnwooden.com/

See you in the trenches - vmsteveo

Executive Coaching

12 traits you need at the top

Executive coach Debra Benton urges her CEO clients to pay special attention to these traits:

1. Attitude - Good leaders stay positive and do not waver.
2. Tenacity - Nothing is ever accomplished with just one letter, one telephone call or one request.
3. Risk tolerance - Mistakes help you and others learn.
4. Active honesty - Carelessness with facts kills your credibility.
5. Prudence - Thinking before you speak helps build your purpose.
6. Originality - People like to sense that with you they are breaking new ground.
7. Modesty - It’s better to have other people recognize your ability than to point it out yourself.
8. Style - It’s not about your clothes, but about what you do while you are in your clothes.
9. Willingness to admit mistakes - If you are error-free, you are probably effort-free.
10. Downward loyalty - Leaders protect their people.
11. Straightforwardness - People support what is simple and direct.
12. Inquisitiveness - Curiosity leads any organization into new areas.

Executive Leadership, May 2008 — Adapted from How to Think Like a CEO, Debra Benton, Warner

See you in the trenches - vmsteveo

Stories of Excellence

Yankees pitcher imitates his mentor

Model yourself on the people you hope to become. For the New York Yankees’ ace closer Mariano Rivera, that person was Chico Heron, the scout who in 1990 spotted something in a 20-year old kid from Panama who threw only 85 mph.

Rivera, in return, saw a mentor in Heron. “I loved that man,” Rivera says. “He used to tell me to work hard, be committed, be respectful, trust what you have and trust the Lord, be able to do it in tough situations. And he was always, constantly encouraging me to just do it, don’t give up.”

These traits will take anybody far, but they made Rivera the kind of closer who causes batters to curl up and die. Now he’s trying to instill the same air of invincibility in younger players.

Some of these characteristics:

Caring - Rivera “cares about helping people, period,” says the Yanks’ general manager. Until Heron died last November, Rivera was able to call on him anytime, for anything. Now Rivera stands ready to help his teammates, which has elevated him to the same level of influence as captain Derek Jeter. The watchword: “If you need something, ask Mo.”

Curiosity - When a reliever was called up from the minors last fall, Rivera startled him by asking a ton of questions about the AAA team. Rivera wanted to get a handle on the Yankees’ prospects, to gather intelligence.

Strategic Advice - Another new reliever, Joba Chamberlain, was spooked by Rivera’s accomplishments (“He’s won and lost some of the biggest games in the history of baseball”) and unable to duplicate the veteran’s cutter pitch, but he calmed down as Rivera continued to coach
him. He learned to pay attention in the early innings, watching for hitters’ strengths and weaknesses. He also learned by watching Rivera at work, how he’d muster all his resources.

Perspective - Rivera keeps a cool head, win or lose. “You have to know how to control your emotions,” he says. “If you don’t control your emotions, your emotions will control your acts, and that’s not good.”

—Execleadership.com, May 2008 - Adapted from “Rivera’s a Closer With an Open
Heart,” Tyler Kepner, The New York Times.

See you in the trenches - vmsteveo