Who Is the Asterisk* Man

Perhaps you’ve met him. He’s the guy who absolutely cannot give you a straight answer. He’s the one is so caught up in the detail of examination that he can’t get things finished…or started. Why? He doesn’t see the word in absolute black and white…only shades of careful and thoughtful greys. He feels there are not only reasons, but reasons for the reasons. In his work, he would rather be precisely wrong for the right reasons, than partially right on unexamined reasons.

Even on the most mundane of questions, he will try you…

“Is the sky blue?” I ask.

“It depends,” the Asterisk Man answers.

“On what?” my exasperation is sometimes hard to hide.

“Well, the time of day, for one. And weather patterns, as well. And you can’t forget the effect on the topical landscape either. There is a study that indicated that…” I walk away, defeated. I can still hear him capturing the essence of each and every variation as I move down the hall.

Maybe this guy works for you…
If he does, you’re lucky, especially if you know how to use him. If you don’t, he might be paralyzing your organization. He loves to give you every scenario, but hates to make the call on a decision. If he is a manager who gets paid for making decisions – well, you may want to pull that decision back. Let him be the guy that does the careful analysis, gives it to you, and you’ll pull the trigger.

But what if you work for him…
More than likely, he is your customer.

In that case, you do your best to remove the stress of him making a bad (in his mind) decision…and move quick when he agrees, or you might end up like the Sears guy trying to sell Brett Favre a TV (go to youtube.com and search on “Brett Favre Sears Commercial-Cold Feet” – it’s worth it).

Sears guy: “There are some guys out there that really agonize in making decisions. It's not their thing. They waffle; they don't know what they're going to do.”

Brett Favre: “Yeah, those guys drive me crazy.”

Sears guy: "Well, when you think?"

Brett Favre: "I'll take it!"

Sears guy: "All Right!"

Brett Favre: (three seconds later…) "umh... I don't know"

(As the poor Sears guy learned, you have to act fast before another reason surfaces to stop the sale).

"Thank God! I am not a cripple."

There is a story of a Michael J. Dowling, a young man who fell from a wagon in a blizzard in Michigan when he was 14 years of age. Before his parents discovered he had fallen from the rear of the wagon, he had been frostbitten. His right leg was amputated almost to the hip, his left leg above the knee; his right arm was amputated, his left hand was amputated. Not much future for a young man like that, was there? Do you know what he did? He went to the board of County commissioners and he told them that if they would educate him he would pay them back every penny.

During the First World War, Mr. Dowling, who was at the time president of one of the largest banks in St. Paul, went to Europe to visit the soldiers -- to visit those who were wounded. I remember reading that upon one occasion he was in a large hotel in London, and he had before him the wounded soldiers in their wheelchairs. They were in the lobby and he was up on the mezzanine floor. As he started to speak he minimized the seriousness of their wounds; the fact that one had lost an eye, another had lost an arm, etc., was no grounds for complaint. And he got those fellows so riled up that they started to boo him. Then he walked over to the stairway and down the stairs towards the lobby, telling them as he walked how fortunate they were, and they continued booing. Finally, he sat down on one of the steps and took off his right leg. And he kept on talking, and telling them how well-off they were. Well, they calmed down a little bit, but they still resented his remarks. Then he took off his left leg. Well, the booing stopped then. But before he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he had taken off his right arm and flipped off his left hand, and there he sat -- just the stump of a body!

Michael Dowling was the president of one of the biggest banks in St. Paul. He had married, and was the father of five children... he knew how to live, and he knew how to make money, and he knew how to rear a family -- and he finally died as the result of the strength he gave in encouraging the wounded soldiers of the first world war.
(As related by Matthew Cowley, May 18, 1953)

An interesting note, Michael Dowling was known to punctuate his speeches, when addressing the disabled veterans of war "Thank God! I am not a cripple." He made good his promise that he would never become a permanent public charge.

The Unmistakable Eyes Of Courage

You can tell when you have seen real courage. It has an unmistakable feature. The eyes of courage reflect a depth of dignity that is remarkable and transforming.

I have seen a number of remarkable things in my life . But few things move me as when I observe someone in a situation that would scream for self-pity, but instead they ably exercise service and sacrifice.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."

Yesterday, I spent the better part of four hours at a Boulder, Colorado hospital with a loved one. Most of that time, I was sitting in an uncomfortabe chair in the waiting room. There, I watched people with life-threatening illnesses walk in and out as I shifted in my seat.

Then one woman walked to the door who caught my eye. She wore a rumpled wig. Her eyebrows had been painted back on above her eyes. Her clothes seemed big and draped across her emaciated frame. She carried the gaunt pale of cancer on her face. Nevertheless, she had a smile and charm and outlook that stirred my soul.

As she walked into the room, she cheerily greeted the receptionist (which was a little backwards, if you ask me). Then I watched her check in with others who are waiting for their turn to be tested. Some tried to hide behind a magazine, or push their flip phone a little harder to their ear. But this woman had the uncanny ability of drawing people into her warming circle. People put their magazines away, and closed their phones so that they could enjoy the spirit of this woman.

Sometimes we look at folks, observe their problems, and make the shortsighted and selfish comparison, "at least I don't have it as bad as them!" Then we try to shake off the self-pity, and resume our everyday life. From what I could observe, this woman had it worst of all, yet she was actively seeking to make those in the waiting room a little happier, a little stronger, and a lot more hopeful.

Someone said, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the awareness that something else is more important." I think this is the real active effort we should shoulder when we make these comparisons on status. Instead of saying, "at least I don't have it as bad as them", we can say, "this reminds me that I have far a more important work to do than to get stuck dwelling on my shortcomings, my sickness, or my sadness."

Could there really be a setback at work that would be so devastating, so all-consuming, that it would be really more important and meaningful than the things that matter most in our lives? Is there really some shortsighted insensitivity from a coworker could be so offensive, so distracting, so egregious, that we set aside our own dignity to angrily react?

You will always see dignity in the eyes of the truly courageous. And while some might bravely stand against the evils of the world, some of the courageous will simply stand for, and demonstrate the good in the world.

Where 'Future-Speak' Fails

I got surprised yesterday...twice.

My first surprise was in a conversation I had with my Vistage Chair. She mentioned that she had read my last post on conversations that are future-focused. Mind you, it was a pleasant surprise that she would read it at all. In a nutshell, I determined to apply this 'Future-Speak' method to guide my one-to-one conversations with my managers. My intention in doing so was to help them clarify a vision of their contribution and value within the company. It certainly has made for more active and vibrant and engaging coaching opportunities that I don't have to manipulate or coerce.

The second surprise came in the same conversation when she challenged my broad application of the practice. She said, "There is one critical area of business where talking about the future can actually hurt your business...and it's a mistake that many managers and CEO's make."

I leaned forward and braced myself.

"It doesn't work when you are interviewing candidates to work for your company."

Yep. She was right, and I knew it, because I had learned it and practiced it. I was first exposed to a seemingly counter-intuitive way of approaching hiring from a 30-year recruiting expert that spoke to my Vistage group (http://www.vistage.com). His name is Barry Shamis, and not only isn't his approach counter-intuitive, it is brilliantly simple common sense. You can successfully self-educate at his website http://www.selectingwinners.com, but better if you can hear him speak.

His premise is that when hiring, seeing how a candidate answers a future-focused question is not only a poor indicator, it is no indicator of future success at a company. The better questions not only explore past experiences they've had, they examine them exhaustively.

Example of a poor question: How will you manage projects if we hire you (Hang on as they dither on).

Example of a better question: How did you put together the project plan for XYZ Company? (From this question follows a dozen more that drill down to the specific, fact-based detail).

Why does this matter?

To give one of many very good reasons (you can go to Barry's site for more): It makes your reference calls more meaningful in that you can substantiate not only the candidates credentials and qualifications, but you can verify their very specific contributions they have shared with you (What? You've never been lied to in an interview? A candidate has never embellished their work?)

The most surprising thing about this down-and-dirty 'tell me how you did it' approach with job candidates? No surprises...

What's all this talk about the future?

It has been a while since I've posted. If I had an excuse, I've been fighting fires...like all of you. But if I were being accurate, I would say that I've been shaping the future for my company, for my family, for my life. And honestly, I’m making better progress in some areas than others.

What I have noticed is that crisis brings a fair amount of future focus, especially if one’s present predicament is uncomfortably unpleasant (see my fighting fires comment above). Nevertheless, I am acutely aware that most typcial conversations are about the past. What they did last night, what they ate, what the weather was, problems about this person, or that politician. Conversations about the future seem to be the exception.

To put it kindly, conversations about the past are sometimes interesting, but often useless, and almost always meaningless. I’ve wondered if they are like the comfortable couch that molds to our behinds, keeping us stuck in inexcusable underachievement. Maybe it lulls us to sleep, keeping us from taking any action that would move us forward towards a higher level of happiness and service and success.

Mindless Questions Beget Mindless Answers.
In speaking with one of my teenaged daughter, I rejected the temptation to ask, “How was your day?” That inane question never ever has generated a substantive conversation between us. I asked her instead, “What is your student government class planning to do about…”

In my weekly interviews with my direct reports, I will generally ask, “Tell me what is going on…” In one situation, because they have achieved some nice stability, there is rarely much to talk about. While I appreciate the fact that the meeting is short, I realize that I’m not helping her, nor am I getting what I need out of the meeting. I want her to tell me of her wrestle with the future, how it supports our objectives, and how she is using my money to get there.

Now What?
In my conversations, I will use questions that open the doors to the future. I have seen how people can buffalo their way through what's happened. I expect them to articulate and then deliver on what will be. Buckle up.

Why forwarding me your resume won't get you a job...

Here is a shocker...I don't hire a resume. I don't even hire from a resume. If I do look at a resume, it's reluctantly.

Honestly, when is the last time you saw a resume that absolutely knocked your socks off? It was so clear and compelling and targeted to you, that it was all you could do to keep yourself from picking up the phone and calling for an interview?

For me, it has been the very rare exception. I wonder how many other CEO's are different than me?

Now, when I have people who have lost a job, and are looking for help, I don't ask about their resume...I ask if they know where they want to go. Have they targeted potential employers by name? Or at least an industry? If not, I can't give them meaningful help.

If they tell me they are looking to get into a commercial facilities management position (like someone asked me recently), which is as far from my industry as it gets, I have found that I probably won't have a single contact. However, I almost always can think of someone I know who will know where they need to go...or to whom they should go. In this case, I called Bruce Dodge of Jones, Lang, LaSalle. He has represented us in our last two relocations with our company. They have been exemplary. When I asked Bruce if he could help a friend of mine who was looking for a facilities management position, his answer was simple and refreshing and supports this post's conclusion: "Yes. I will brainstorm with him, and together we can figure out who I can introduce him to."

This is genuine and meaningful help. And it keeps the monkey from jumping off of the back of the job seeker on to yours. In short, if you need help, or you are asked for help, skip the resume, pick up the phone, and make the call.

Avoiding the self-pity paralysis of the job hunt

I have a number of friends, family and acquaintances who have found themselves unexpectedly 'available to the market' (laid off - RIF'ed - re-sized right out on their tuckus). After the initial shock, most have resolutely set their jaws with a fierce determination to get back up on their feet.

It doesn't seem to last very long.

Many call me for help. I am so happy that they feel like they can do so. (I'd be disappointed if they didn't.)

However, I have watched most of these superbly talented people hit two potholes. These failure points seem to be terribly debilitating, and sometimes more devastating than the initial shock of getting laid off. Worse, they drive a self-pity paralysis and a self-defeating doubt-fest which is a lousy attitude to carry when looking for a job.

Pothole #1. They are afraid to ask for the help they really need
Now, it’s easier to call people you know. You have the calm, non-chalant, "I am so in control of myself" conversation. You let them know you’re looking. They say, “hey, send me your resume, and I’ll pass it along”, or “I’ll keep my eyes open...” You happily comply, thinking you just got something done.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

That’s not the help you need. How do I know? I’m the guy you’ve sent your resume to. Sure, I’ve passed it along. I’ve got friends in high places that have the jobs you want, but I am batting zeros with this approach. I've learned better, and I'm doing better. I'll share that in a future post.

Pothole #2. They think they are a nobody…all over again
The years they spent gaining relevance and prestige and goodwill with their current employer, their supervisors, and fellow co-workers is certainly portable, but marginally relevant to the new employer. You have to rebuild and reestablish the trust ALL OVER AGAIN. (However, this is completely avoidable, but that is another post). Somehow over the years, they mistakenly identified themselves with their job. No job...no status...no self-esteem.

There are ways to avoid these points of failure, but they demand more than a freakish will…it requires some common sense, a low need for approval, and a structured effort to help a lot of people.

Let me recommend a book by Keith Ferrazzi called, "Never Eat Alone". Poor title. Great book. Copy and paste this link for information on it. http://bit.ly/HPBIl

Why in the world would you buy a $545 parking pass?

Why would I attempt to sell this? Well, my friend, this is no ordinary parking pass...

This would be the world’s most expensive, one-day, one-time-use VIP parking pass to the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. It is valid only on Sunday, June 21, 2009. Such a transaction might garner the consideration of the Guinness Book of World Records - for the buyer AND the seller.

How can I do such a thing? How can I accomplish such a feat? How dare I be so bold? What strategy might I employ?

Simple: I will give you “four” very good reasons to park there.

While you employ the power of your new parking pass, leaving your shiny vehicle parked in the unattended care of VIP Lot A, I have made special arrangements for you and three of your best friends (for a total party of four) to enjoy the musical styling’s of Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood…absolutely FREE OF CHARGE.

That’s right, with your VIP LOT A Parking pass, you will receive, not just one, not two, not three, but FOUR; yes, FOUR (4) lower bowl tickets to see Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood on Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 8pm.

Ticket Details:
Section 122
Row 14
Seats 13, 14, 15, 16

[To see a map of the Pepsi Center, copy and paste the below URL into your browser's address window. It will take you to a ticketmaster site - scroll down, and you'll see the map to which I refer - http://bit.ly/ycyo3]

I trust that you will find this is the best money you have ever spent on a parking pass...or the best memory that money can buy.

If you have any interest, please let me know quickly by emailing me at orders17 at gmail.com. First Cash…First Served.

The Passengers Never Crash The Plane!

I listened to Rick Houcek a few weeks ago, and was amazed at the simplicity with which he approached his topic of goal setting.

Recently I received a letter from him that I share with his permission. It was a sock-in-the-gut reality check on leadership.

=======================================================================

I heard that statement in a presentation in 1988, uttered by a good friend and colleague of mine, the late Maurice Mascarenhas, a brilliant businessman.

My heart stopped. A chill went up my spine.

At the time, I was president of an advertising agency. I had 35 employees who showed up for work every day, and I always hoped they came prepared to perform at their highest level of excellence.

But...

Maurice's riveting statement froze me dead in my tracks and shifted my attention to a different question: "Am I showing up every day prepared to do my best, to bring my A-game?"

Maurice's logic was inarguable.

Passengers don't crash the plane. Pilots typically do. Even in the real world of aviation, in 2004 in the U.S., pilot error was listed as the primary cause of 78% of fatal general aviation accidents and 75% of accidents overall. (Source: Wikipedia)

So it is in business too.

Entrepreneurs, chairmen, CEOs, presidents, general managers, and business unit heads -- all need to take a hard look in the mirror when things go awry. Oh sure, bad decisions and non-performance by senior and junior staff can contribute to a downfall too. So can uncontrollable outside forces.

But the key word is "contribute".

The leader is still at the controls. Still running the ship. Still has the highest top-down view of everything.

When a pro or college sports team has a dismal season or two, people ask "Why did they fire the manager? The players lost the games."

Same in the military: When failures occur, it's the leaders who are disciplined, relieved of command, or discharged.

It's no different in business, or any other type of organization. The leader bears the brunt of all negativity.

You can fight this, argue it, or claim it just isn't fair -- and you might even be right -- but it won't change a thing.

As a result, leadership isn't for everyone. Certainly not the feint of heart.

Accountability can be scary for the leader, but the lack of it is scarier for the followers. From the beginning of time, leaders have been held accountable for what goes on beneath them -- and it will happen to you too.

There are a few exceptions, but they are small in number.

Occasionally, a leader is held accountable for reasons stupid, wrong, or political, that have no connection to performance, behavior, or reality.

I'm not talking about those here.

And yes, I have empathy for leaders who are fine and decent individuals who got blind-sided by wrongdoing beneath them. It happens.

But still, this is the hammering point: High-integrity leaders must realize the buck stops with them. No excuses. No ifs, ands, or buts. No argument. Period.

None of this relieves those below the leader -- the soldiers, athletes or employees -- of their poor performance and individual screw-ups. Fact is, every VP, manager, and supervisor has a "mini business" -- or a company-within-the-company -- under his or her command, is the leader of it, and can be guilty of crashing it.

And let's talk about blaming, whining, and moaning.

Does anyone respect a leader guilty of these grade school tactics?

Examples abound, like pro sports managers who complain: "But the owner won't spend anything to get great players" ... or ... "We had the game won if it weren't for the lousy officiating."

Enron CEO Ken Lay threw his hands up and said he was clueless any wrongdoing was going on, and President Jeffrey Skilling said he resigned before any of it happened. Right. Classic cases of "Who, me?"

And after Hurricane Katrina, there was finger-pointing by more leaders -- local, state, and federal -- than I have space to name. A horrible tragedy made worse by leaders engaged in turf protection.

By contrast, Abraham Lincoln routinely accepted blame when things went wrong. It was his nature to be responsible.

After difficult losses, Alabama football coach Bear Bryant was frequently heard to say, "I coached horribly today."

Back when Pat Riley was coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, he said you can't blame losing on having injured players, adding "The team on the court is the team of the moment."

When you hear a leader stand up early and say "I accept full responsibility for these actions," that's someone who gets it.

Lesson & Actions For You:

Bottom line: employees in a company, athletes on a team, voters in a political jurisdiction, soldiers in battle, and passengers on a plane ... all expect and deserve leaders who will accept responsibility for mishaps, large and small.

Everyone loves to take credit for success. But it seems to be the rare individual who will face the music and accept responsibility for failure.

Are you in that elite group?

If you say no, maybe you should re-evaluate if leadership is for you. If yes, then you are in the company of the highest integrity leaders. Be proud -- but keep your flak jacket nearby. It will still get ugly at times.

A friend and exceptional management consultant Pat Murray, says, "When making a tough decision, ask yourself: 'When this problem is all over with and solved, what stories do I want told about me?'"

When you determine that -- in advance of taking action -- you've got your answer as to how you should behave in the moment.

Oh, and here's another good "smell test" on responsibility. When weighing your options, ask yourself: "If I do X, would I be proud or embarrassed to describe those actions to the person I admire most?"

Always take the high road.

Helping Ambitious Forward-Thinkers Soar To Success,

Rick Houcek, President
Soar With Eagles, Inc.


TO SUBSCRIBE TO RICK'S EZINE: Go to www.SoarWithEagles.com and fill in your name and email address in the upper left of the home page.

Selling to Big Companies

I recommend this blog from Jill Konrath.

http://bit.ly/inh5u

Why People are NOT Your Most Important Asset

Really an insightful article by Michael Webb, and I wanted to share it. Why? Because, as Peter Drucker said, "the purpose of business is to create and keep a customer". This article lays it out powerfully.

* * *
B2B Sales executives often believe that hiring the right people and training them well is the most important success factor in their business.

Unfortunately, believing this is a serious mistake.

Want proof? Consider:

You would probably agree there are a LOT of great people in companies like GM, Ford, and Chrysler.

Yet, Toyota, Honda, and Mazda have been kicking their ****** in the market for decades.

Would you say these landed Japanese automotive companies are winning because they’ve hired the right salespeople, or because they’ve trained them better? Is it because they use Sales 2.0?

Of course not. The greatest salespeople and the best sales training in the world will not save the American car companies.

The caliber and training of a company’s people are no match for the larger forces in play here. Yet, these same forces are pressuring every business all the time, especially in today’s market.

So, why are the landed Japanese companies winning?

They are winning because they create more value. The proof is in the market’s reaction: they sell more.

Clearly, the sales process is only one component of their success.

Unfortunately, many, many talented sales leaders are trapped in corporations that view the world in ways similar to those of American automotive companies.

It is high time for B2B sales executives to stop being so myopic about their trade.

I’m not saying people and training aren’t important; they are important. But they are not the most important thing.

The most important things are as follows:

Find a starving market (i.e., what customers want)
Develop a system that finds, wins, and keeps customers (i.e., a sales process)
Develop and continuously improve the organization to execute that process (i.e., the people, training, machines, materials, systems, etc.)
Businesses need to grow out of the false assumption that the sales process is “what salespeople do.”

This error causes B2B organizations to get their sales process completely wrong. It is the reason salespeople only give lip service to the sales process. Salespeople know better, although they are usually unable to articulate why.

The fact is, processes that work create real value. Not only that, people follow them.

In sales and marketing, the sales process is what causes customers to become:

-aware of their problems,
-interested in your solution,
-convinced of your value relative to your competitors, and
-committed to your products and services

Companies must recognize it takes more than just salespeople to do all those things, especially in today’s market.

It is irrelevant whether the customer’s actions are caused (or enabled) by copy-written ads, social networking, web pages, or the words of talented, trusted salespeople.

If something your company did got the customer to take one of those steps, it created value.

If your competitor did a better job of it, they deserve the customer instead.

If your prospects are now looking for information they need on their favorite search engine, and you insist on hiring and training more salespeople to make cold calls, that is your problem, not theirs!

Further, consider all the things your company does that cause no customer actions, such as generating tons of brochures no one reads, spending millions on branding exercises customers care less about, consuming thousands of hours on proposals that are never purchased, or asking salespeople to pull out picks and shovels to turn over more rocks in their territories looking for leads by hand.

All these are mostly waste.

It is high time that B2B sales executives stop being so myopic about their trade.

They need to learn to think of their business as a system for creating value. Value is created when customers take the steps listed above: it is called the “customer’s journey.” Every one of those steps is measurable with hard data. Data from the flow of people through their customer journey is proof you will be able to deliver revenue to your company in the future.

If it is to work properly, your company’s system for getting customers to act needs to be designed. It requires the best selling savvy you can muster. It must be as automated as possible. Your salespeople need be able to implement the portions of the process that cannot be automated.

Executives who cling to old-fashioned notions about selling (hire the best people! make more sales calls! twist more arms! work harder!) are riding the Titanic to the bottom and will be looking for bail outs, just as the American automotive companies are doing today.

The quality of your people is important, but it is not the most important thing.

* * *

Michael J. Webb, president and founder of Sales Performance Consultants, is the author of Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way (Kaplan, 2006) and is the foremost expert on sales process improvement. Michael and his team have helped executives of Fortune 500 as well as tiny start ups to improve sales and marketing results by eliminating waste and making the sales funnel flow faster. His company’s website (www.salesperformance.com) contains helpful information around designing, managing and improving B2B sales processes.

The most important thing is the quality of your business process.

* * *

Loyalbility

I used to think that my father was loyal to a fault…that it was even a liability for him. After courting me for seven or so years to leave P&G and then Clorox, I finally submitted and came to work for the family firm. Within the first six months, I leveled a department he had created to house more than a dozen “down on their luck” mis-fits he knew from church and the community.

My father never said much about their dismissal; he either bit his tongue, or was glad I did his dirty work. Very few ever came back to say “thanks” to him . Most were pretty hacked at me, but every single one knew it was coming. The Gravy Train Express had been cancelled. It was the right call for the business.

What struck me was that their effort to contribute was never commensurate with the generosity he provided. It bothered me more than it obviously bothered my father, because he never said a word about it…even when I would.
At his funeral, and for months after, we received note after note from friends and strangers talking about their fondness and appreciation for my father and some secret service he had provided them when there was nowhere to turn. Almost universally, they noted that they wished somehow they would have liked to be able to repay him, or somehow make it up to him.

It was in these mini memoirs of memorializing that I realized that I gravely mistook his kindness for some ignorant and blind loyalty. He was loyal to his charge to provide a chance for others…even when they weren’t everything they needed to be for him. He was willing to let them grow into it.

How do I know?

I’ve come to see that is what he did for me.

The Plinko Principle

This is a post about two of our approaches to creating tradeshow traffic...

I’m a purist. I would rather our success come from a principled approach, than some cheesey manipulation. Unfortunately, I’ve had to reevaluate whether I wanted to stand prim and proper, or stand among a crowd clamoring to talk to me.

Let me explain two approaches we’ve used to drive tradeshow traffic (and just so you know, we’re no experts…just trying to do our best). One we have used and improved over the past nine years. Another we’ve used just twice…and probably will use a few more times given that we’ve generated five times the results from just two shows than we have over all our shows from the past two years!

Approach #1: The ‘Leading’ Questions
In preparation for the show, we’ll compile a number of good, non-threatening questions that lead people into our booth. Regardless of their answers, we flow to the next question that ultimately leads them to drop their guard and turn into the booth. We have a 33% success with this. Based on the attendance of the show, this translates to a great or good show.

The questions help to engage the buyer who carries some anxiety as they walk that fine, invisible line right smack down the middle of the aisle, carefully avoiding eye contact, and looking at your signage from the corner of their eye to see if there is any reason for them to stop.

Our initial question is designed for them to identify their affiliation (for us, it’s what program group they belong to). We ask, “Are you a _______ dealer?’ It isn’t threatening; in fact it builds a common link between us.

The follow up question takes them to an offer or information they might have received from another source that again ties us to each other. “You probably received the special offer for x, y, or z from [program manager].”

If they aren’t a dealer or with a group we recognize, we might say something like, “Most likely, you didn’t received the special offer for x, y, or z, did you?”

Again, it doesn’t matter whether they answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’, I always have another question that helps me bring them in our booth (and trust me, if someone doesn’t want to talk, we let them go).

Here is the key for us: Once they are in the booth, I can qualify them.

What about the 2/3 of show attendees that I can’t get in my booth? I let them go…happily. They weren’t ready to buy… yet.

Approach #2: The Plinko Principle
Let me create a tradeshow scene for you: Hundreds of people swarming your booth. People lined up 40-50 deep waiting to get in. Crowds standing around your booth trying to understand what in the world you are doing. The marketing company in the booth next to you absolutely embarrassed over the fact that you are not only outdrawing them, you are skunking them.

Believable?

We’ve lived it, and we are trying to figure it out.

We still start with a question: “You want to play?” Most everyone does. Those who don’t want to play, love to watch. Since they are in line waiting to play, we have a captured and friendly audience. They are mesmerized by the plinko tire bouncing down the board missing a road hazard trap or two. While in line, they answer our questions pretty openly. To play, they must give us a card with their contact information. We tell them straight up that we plan to call them after the show to sell them on our programs. “Are you going to be okay when we call?” Most assure us that they will.

“When we call, what would you like us to spend our time on?” After a quick overview of our programs, we get an upfront agreement; make a note of it on the paperwork, and turn them loose on the game.

Here are some of the dynamics we’ve observed with this approach:

1. Make it fun. …and you can make it fun by having the crowds react with the master of ceremonies. It was incredibly loud.
2. Make it loud. The bigger the crowd became, the more it started to draw others. People would leave their aisles and head towards the noise. It was hip to be where the action was. Don't worry about your neighbors...they'll feed off of your success.
3. Be unique…in a good way. We were quite literally, “the only game in town”. No other booth had a game or contest.
4. Crown a champion. We held a “Plinko Playoff” for those who qualify to come back on the last day of the show. You might think there would be some who would come to their senses, and not come back. Nope. 90% and more came back, and brought an entourage with them. Our second tradeshow had 37 out of 40 qualifiers there with bells on.
5. Give a prize for every player. Expensive? I haven’t done the ROI yet, but something tells me that it is less expensive than having workers twiddle their thumbs. I look at it this way, I had hundreds of qualifying conversations with people who actually buy and use what I sell. I’m willing to bet that it will pay out.

And…if you are looking for a Plinko Board, I’ve got a guy for you.

I’ll get pictures up soon.

Never waste a perfectly good recession…

The auto industry is particularly important to my company. Yesterday’s news stated that Auto sales fell to 9.1 million seasonally adjusted annualized rate...far below even the worst case scenarios in the automakers 2009 plans (GM was planning on 10.5 M and Ford was planning on 12.0M). Continued months with sales rates in a similar boat will mean more drastic action is necessary from all automakers.

Furthermore, GM filed a statement with the SEC that bankruptcy was a possibility if its Viability Plan didn’t succeed. GM’s auditors, Deloitte & Touche said, “recurring losses from operations, stockholders' deficit and inability to generate sufficient cash flow to meet its obligations and sustain its operations raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern." Basically, GM’s auditor has serious doubts about GM’s ability to continue without bankruptcy.

So what does that mean to me?

I’m not spending a whole lot of time waiting for the bottom. While we have traditionally sold our wares to the consumer, through the auto dealer, we are creating a product (quickly!) to go straight to the driver.

Tough? Very much so.

If I can generate 20% of our typical volume, I will more than double my net.

Why didn’t we go there before? Great clarity comes from opportunity wrought from adversity.

Will it work?

I’ll let you know…I'll even invite you to protect your tires and wheels!

A Cool Tool I Use...

Ever have a question that you can't answer, and it just drives you nuts?

An absolutely free service is available called ChaCha. You can call or text for answers on your cell phone anytime you need them. You simply call and ask any question in conversational English and receive an accurate answer as a text message in just a few minutes.

How to use it? Two ways:
Simply text your question to 242242 (spells ‘ChaCha’) or call 1-800-2ChaCha (800-224-2242) from your mobile phone to ask any question. On your first call, there is a very quick set-up when you register your phone.

Example: Went to the Celine Dion concert this week. My wife leaned over and asked me, "I wonder how old she is?" Exactly two minutes and 14 seconds later, I had my answer (she is 40...and turning 41 on March 30th). We met a new friend at the concert. Said he was an endodontist. Three minutes later I had my answer...and I'll let you call to find out the answer yourself!

Enjoy the resource.

Why “customer service” is a stupid answer

Why is it that when you ask a potential supplier or vendor to define the "one" thing that really sets them apart from their competition, they stop…bow their heads reverently, and humbly state, “it’s our customer service”…

In response, you then quietly sat back in your chair, dabbed your misty eyes, and said, “my friend, with an answer like that, you have earned our business…” (sniff!)

If you really think that you can get away with a ubiquitous answer like that, then I’m guessing your sales are in the toilet right now.

However, if you happen to try and sell me something, I would expect you to be prepared to outline specifically and quantitatively why, how, when and where you are better than your competitor in your customer service. Can’t do it? Best not say it…especially in front of me.

Liberal Laryngitis

I love the leadership that Govenor Romney exhibits. This is a telling and strong speech.

It is the best overview of how a stimulus package should work, and how the current proposals are not designed to deliver the needed stimulus. It is a tremendous primer on how CEO's can interact with Washington leadership, as well as to formulate strategy in their own companies.

Governor Romney delivered the following remarks to the House Republican Conference Retreat hosted by the Congressional Institute at the Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia.

The term "liberal laryngitis" has to do with an attempted smack-down by the Washington Post when they were critical of Romney's very early proposal to stimulate the economy with a $233 Billion package. The Post opined, “Romney’s plan is way too big.”

Romney asked, "So what critique do they have for the size of the Democrat’s package? I’m afraid they’ve caught a bad case of liberal laryngitis. It’s everywhere these days."

Read the entire speech by clicking the link below (or copying the link).

www.freestrongamerica.com/blog/item/2009/01/30/overnoromneysemarktotheouseepublicanonferenceetreat

A Correction On Correcting Correctly

Here’s another gut-check statement: If you fail to correct, you are only thinking of yourself.

Ouch…

Last post, I shared my failings on not only reinforcing positive behavior, but leveraging it for the strength of the employees and the viability and vitality of the company. I also attempted to debunk the delusion that distributing positive feedback is a slam-dunk skill that all of us have. We don’t.

You might also think that most CEO’s (though probably not you) don’t want to give critical feedback. That they avoid it. They procrastinate to administer the poison. They are confrontation-adverse.

Again. I say that’s an ignorantly false statement.

The more accurate statement for me is that I just give terrible feedback…regardless of what I’m trying to accomplish.

How we address ill-advised behavior can distinguish the good from the great to the downright inspiring CEO’s. I have had the uplifting experience of being dressed-down in rebuke. I was so appreciative of the feedback that I worked to improve myself and my results. Why? Because my boss thought more of me than of himself. Was it uncomfortable for him? I have no idea. Was it uncomfortable for me? Only in that I was not meeting up to the vision of what he felt I could accomplish. More accurately, it was inspiring.

Again, the formidable task of the CEO is to give feedback to either change performance or reinforce it. Threats, manipulations, coercion, fear can only carry so much, and for only so long. Clarity, candor and commitment to the individual’s performance is what makes a deeper impression and a more solid contribution.

Here is where I fall short: I’m sloppy at reinforcing behavior that drives the results I want, and I’m too careful in correcting. I think that taking the sharp edges off of my words will be more effective at inspiring and edifying and uplifting the employee. The exact opposite is true. The hard reality is that I am only thinking of myself…my own discomfort at demanding the best from someone.

So let me amend the opening statement to read: If you fail to correct correctly, you are only thinking of yourself.

Let me recommend a book that has been helpful for me. Should you use this link, I’ll get a few pennies that I will apply to a non-profit (Doorstep Donations™) I have started to feed the elderly and fatherless in the Denver area.

The book is called, Fierce Conversations, by Susan Scott. Copy and paste the very long address into your address bar to take a look at the book:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425193373?ie=UTF8&tag=insighfromthe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0425193373

Starving A Company To Death

Here’s a gut-check statement: A company starves when leadership (read, the CEO) won’t give feedback to the employees.

Feedback - That’s our charge as CEO’s. It’s our right, our burden, our divine appointment, isn’t it? We are a feedback machine…or we’re supposed to be.

Interestingly enough, CEO's live off of feedback. From customers, the markets, our employees, our gut…

Yet, it’s how we react to that feedback which I think can distinguish the good from the great to the downright inspiring leader. The daunting task is to give feedback to either change performance or reinforce it.

Here is what I see-

You might jump to the conclusion that it is easy to dole out atta-boys with some appreciative back-slappin’ to reinforce positive behavior, or behavior that delivers the outcomes we want.

Not true. At least for me…and probably not you.

In fact, this practice is what I overlook the most. Here is my cynical mistake: I presume that any great work was simply the result of my inspired direction, a manager’s careful planning, and the department’s fabulous execution. If it worked, no sense wasting time celebrating what they were supposed to do anyways. Business moves way too fast for that.

But here is the lesson: What is recognized, gets reinforced. If it gets reinforced correctly (meaning, the principles are taught as the pattern to follow), it gets systemitized. If it gets systemized, you have a decent chance that it gets inculturated. And a culture of performance is a money and talent magnet.

Ah, to be a CEO with the moniker of a "Money Magnet". Yet, we choose to starve the company? We choose to not feed back to those who must fed. Why? Because recognition takes work. It takes time. It takes analysis. And it makes us vulnerable. We open ourselves up to other’s feedback on what wasn’t as easily inspired and instituted.

Next time: A correction on correcting correctly

The High Price Of Panic

Why is it that the recession brings out the extremes?

A definition of 'Panic' that rings true to me is when we sublimate our sensibilities to sensational and unsubstantiated circumstances.

Consider the retail sector - the media bemoaned the death of holiday shopping at every opportunity leading up to "BLACK FRIDAY". It is estimated though that the day after Thanksgiving yielded a 3% increase ABOVE last year. The media reported this as the "smallest growth in years".

But consider this:

It was still growth.
It was during a recession.
It was amidst substantial job losses
It was happening despite Wall Street melt-downs, auto industry collapses, a credit crunch of monumental proportions and a paralyzed economy.

Interestingly enough, prices were slashed by retailers by 50-70% (versus an average of 30%). It seems that PANIC PRICING yielded growth with losses. Good luck to them. Such stimulus will yield store closures and job losses...not the delusions of sustainability they envisioned.

Worse still are the industries that have given themselves over to socialistic control. It's a recipe for disaster. And the high price of panic here will be borne by taxpayers who buy into the lie.

Instead of panic, I choose performance.

BOOK: "Not Quite What I Was Planning..."

I got this book as a gift. It was a fabulous gift for one who loves to write. The essense is incapsulating your memoir into just six simple words.

There are hundreds included that range from the insightful to the obscure.

Enjoy.

By the way, my what's my memoir in six words?

Hesitant striver with blessings beyond measure.

Cut and paste the below link to order book, "Not Quite What I Was Planning, Revised and Expanded Deluxe Edition: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure".


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061713716?ie=UTF8&tag=insighfromthe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0061713716

Action DissipatesDespair

Acting on these three simple words could quite possibly be the antidote to all stress related anxiety.

What kind of action? Action that is in accord with the desired outcome.

The result of such action?

-It brings clarity.
-It eliminates anxiety.
-It provides perspective.
-It yields answers.
-It begs better questions.
-It moves you closer to the outcome you desire.

And by the way, talking is a poor substitute for doing.

If you're going to beat the drum...

What gets reinforced, gets repeated...

Make certain that you make your 'what':

- A specific 'what'
- With a remarkable 'why'

Call it what you will, just do it right.

Downsizing
RIF's
Layoffs
Right-Sizing
Purge...(have I missed any?)

When making cuts in the company, two things to remember:

1. You can't move fast enough
2. You can't cut deep enough

If you do cut too deep, don't hire back those who were let go...hire better.

'Hiring better' is a business multiplier.