Articles
by Sam Silverstein
Below
is a listing of some of Sam's articles. Please feel free to read them
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Some of Sam's Articles Include:
The Power of Choice
Embracing Change
The Paradox of Change
Six Steps To Better Change
Management
Smarketing…Creativity
Counts
Smarketing…Create
Your Perspective For Success
The Value Of Persistence…A
Cornerstone To Sales Success
Quality Requires Measures
V3The Power Of Synergistic
Leadership Leadership
The
Power Of Choice
We
become what we become because of the way we choose and will ourselves
to think. Our choices affect our thoughts and our thoughts affect who
we are, what we stand for, and the footprints we leave on this planet.
Throughout our lives, we are faced with a myriad of choices. We may
not always recognize their presence, but, like it or not, we are constantly
faced with the responsibility of choosing. There is no escaping this
responsibility. Not deciding what to do or how to act in a given situation
is, in itself, a choice.
Making choices also means accepting the idea that we are part of a bigger
picture. We are not alone in our choices. Our choices affect not only
ourselves, but the people around us. Our choices shape our actions.
Our actions are received and interpreted by those around us. These actions
shape the opinions and feelings of those individuals and, ultimately,
the actions they take for or against our behalf.
Some
choices we make, like our financial well being, will ultimately affect
the members of our immediate family. As we grow financially, we are
in a position to provide on a different level for those we love. We
make choices regarding our values and how we balance our lives. These
choices will certainly impact our family and friends. How you treat
others professionally will impact the results your business team achieves.
As you can see, the choices we make can affect a wide array of people
in our lives.
To a great extent, our beliefs about ourselves and our own capabilities,
as well as how we see the world and the forces at play in it, affect
what we will find possible. These beliefs will impact our choices. Our
choices will shape our actions and our actions will determine our results.
Our choices not only affect us today, but affect our abilities and our
choices in the future. For instance, if you feel out of control in a
given situation, you may choose to withdraw or avoid the problems at
hand. This choice leads you to escape from a challenge instead of confronting
and possibly overcoming it. The degree to which you avoid or escape
from problems today impairs your ability to face, deal with, and grow
from various challenges in the future. Choices you make today will prepare
you for choices you will be faced with in the future. As the complexity
of life evolves, one choice will build on another, enabling you to handle
increasingly difficult situations.
An
awareness of choice is the first step towards growth. It is critical
that we understand the importance of our choices and also the value
of the present. By focusing on our current actions, living in the moment,
we develop a certain mindfulness and can apply ourselves to do the very
best job possible right now! Clarity of mind allows us to recognize
the choices at hand and deal with them in a positive and proactive manner.
You can create the future you desire based on the choices you make today!
© 1997 Sam Silverstein Enterprises, Inc.
Entrepreneur, author, speaker, and advisor Sam Silverstein has a solid
track record of building million dollar results. The numbers speak for
themselves--he has sold over 100 million dollars of products and services
and successfully sold one of his businesses to a Fortune 500 company.
Sam works with business professionals who want to sell more, build their
business, and increase income. For more information on Sam Silverstein,
please call 1-888-MOTIVATE (888-668-4828) or check out http://www.BuildaBetterBiz.com
Embracing
Change
Change
is the essence of progress and in order to have growth at work and in
our personal lives we need to be willing to commit to change. However,
change can only be initiated as the result of a primary desire. Lasting
change is possible only when the need and desire for change is both
understood and internalized. People will not change until they are ready
to change. No one can force you to change. No one can start the process
of change for you, except yourself. As human beings, we have the ability
to change any thing and any time we want. Are you ready to change?
Many
people are "too comfortable" to initiate change. They are
too comfortable to risk failure. If we do today what we did yesterday,
we will get the same results tomorrow that we are getting today, or
worse. To achieve any level of meaningful improvement we must consider
and implement change. In business, if you don't improve, you will move
back, because your competition will improve and pass you by.
Let's
say you want to lose weight. There are two variables that you can control,
what you eat and how much you exercise. If you eat the same way today
as you always have, and you don't change your exercise habits, your
weight won't change. Now, let's say you change the food you eat so that
you are reducing fat and calories. Even if you don't change your exercise
routine, the change in food intake alone will change your weight situation.
Likewise if you don't change your eating habits but increase your exercise
regime, you will burn more fuel and lose weight. Of course, the best
thing to do would be to modify your intake and increase your outflow
through a good exercise program. To maximize my performance as a runner
I needed to lose some weight. I went on a low fat diet. Less than 25%
of my calories were from fat. I also increased the frequency and length
of my running workouts. As a result I lost 14 pounds!
It's
common and expected that people will try to stay in their comfort zone.
This is an area where risk is minimal. Chances are not taken. Failure
is not a consideration. This is where we're "comfortable"
and where we know we can "handle" almost any situation that
comes up. Greatness does not exist in the comfort zone. The comfort
zone is for people who are not looking to better their position in any
of the seven major areas of life. To succeed in life one must recognize
that "trips" out of the comfort zone are not only necessary
but also required. Most people are afraid of change. However, it's only
through change that we can improve.
The
space inside your comfort zone is finite, it is limited. The area outside
the comfort zone is infinite, it has no limits. For example, if a runner
can run a mile in seven minutes and always trains in his comfort zone,
he will always run a 7-minute mile. Maybe he is happy with his time.
If so, that is okay. All of his workouts will be similar, non-taxing,
and he won't test his ability. However, if he wants to improve, he must
not only desire the improvement, but also be willing to leave his comfort
zone so he can achieve long term success in running (his chosen area
of desired success). By adding more difficult workouts to his training
regime that push his limits, tax his respiratory system, jack up his
heart rate, and increase the lactic acid in his bloodstream, he can
improve and grow as a runner. His threshold will be raised and his time
lowered. The change in the workouts may be somewhat uncomfortable or
even downright difficult, but it is obligatory to improving performance
and lowering times, which is the goal he established from his primary
desires. The satisfaction of achieving his primary desire will be greater
and last longer than the pain (price paid) he endured to achieve his
primary desire.
The
difference between the animals and human beings is that people have
the ability to change. We can change our lives. We can change our surroundings.
We can change our habits. We can change our future based on changes
we make today! The salmon swim upstream every year at the same time.
The swallows arrive at Capistrano every year at the same time. Grizzly
bears crawl into their caves every year at the same time. But if you're
tired of your job, if you're tired of your attitude, if you're tired
of your relationships, if you're tired of your physique: if you want
something better, you have the power to change and get what you want
out of life. Human beings have the ability to change and to shape what
they become.
Ask
yourself the following questions:
-
Have
you fulfilled all of your primary desires?
-
Is
the comfort level of what you have now more important than the unknown
of working toward your goals?
-
Will
you be happy later in life if you haven't put forth your best efforts
to achieve your dreams?
If the answer to any of these questions is "no," or you are
unsure, then you should move forward by initiating change. Only through
change can you break existing patterns and start new ones. By changing
how you think and act, you can change your results. Apply this system
both personally and professionally. By making changes in your attitudes
and habits you will actually have a paradigm shift. You will be able
to incorporate concepts and tasks into your plan that, before, you would
have thought impossible.
If you have limited thinking, you will have limited plans. Change involves
an expansion in thinking. A commitment to change means opening your
mind, realizing the need to make improvements in your personal habits
and behaviors and being able to consider new concepts so that you can
have the creative plans necessary to achieve your primary desires. Make
a personal commitment to change and growth will follow.
© 1998 Sam Silverstein Enterprises, Inc.
Entrepreneur,
author, speaker, and advisor Sam Silverstein has a solid track record
of building million dollar results. The numbers speak for themselves--he
has sold over 100 million dollars of products and services and successfully
sold one of his businesses to a Fortune 500 company. Sam works with
business professionals who want to sell more, build their business,
and increase income. For more information on Sam Silverstein, please
call 1-888-MOTIVATE (888-668-4828) or check out http://www.BuildaBetterBiz.com
The
Paradox of Change
Where
would you like to be in six months? One year? Two years? How do you
get there? The first step is to clearly define what it is you want to
achieve. The next step is to determine what you will have to change
to get to where you want to be. Sound easy? Well, it can be.
If change is the catalyst that helps us grow and achieve at a higher
level, then knowing what we want and creating the target is what activates
the catalyst of change. I refer to these targets as primary desires.
Once we recognize our primary desires, we can concentrate on figuring
out what it will take to achieve them.
Although change is necessary for growth, people naturally resist change.
According to Industry Week magazine, a recent survey revealed that 55%
of all Americans remain resistant, even phobic, when it comes to taking
advantage of technology in their everyday lives. People resist change
because of a variety of reasons including:
-
Fear of change.
-
The
uncertainty that change involves.
-
Trying
new things is uncomfortable.
-
Difficulty
with poor results until the benefits of change come.
-
People
don't want to lose control.
When
Martin Marietta and Lockheed merged, Norman Augustine, CEO and Chairman
of Martin Marietta, said, "These are Darwinian times in our industry.
The failure to change is the failure to survive." I believe that
these are Darwinian times in all industries and all our lives and a
failure to change may mean a failure to survive.
The
paradox of change.
Change is scary, but people only accept change when they feel safe.
Recently
in Richmond Virginia, the City Council felt the fear of change. After
a seven hour hearing, the Richmond City Council voted to erect a statue
of Arthur Ashe among the memorials to Confederate heroes on Monument
Avenue. Mayor Young said, "We have grown, and it is painful to
grow."
Change
offers new opportunities and new hope. Many times people are concerned
when they are in the middle of a period of rapid change. The natural
characteristic of change dictates that new opportunities will open up
and those people that are poised to take advantage of those opportunities
will far outperform those who are not.
Former
manufacturing CEO John Mariotti, said, "The successful companies
of the future will be able to react to change with incredible speed
and flexibility by shifting their shape to create and deliver value
better than their competitors - by being very good at what they do."
The
world in which we live today not only expects us to change, but demands
it. By identifying your primary desires, determining changes you need
to make to achieve those goals and then implementing those changes,
you will achieve immediate results. Tap into the powerful force that
change brings. Learn to manage that force and use it to create competitive
advantage professionally and a richer life personally.
© 1996, Sam Silverstein Enterprises, Inc.
Entrepreneur, author, speaker, and advisor Sam Silverstein
has a solid track record of building million dollar results. The numbers
speak for themselves--he has sold over 100 million dollars of products
and services and successfully sold one of his businesses to a Fortune
500 company. Sam works with business professionals who want to sell
more, build their business, and increase income. For more information
on Sam Silverstein, please call 1-888-MOTIVATE (888-668-4828) or check
out http://www.BuildaBetterBiz.com
Change…The
Order Of The Universe
Six Steps To Better Change Management
In a theology class at
a major university a professor told her students that each week they
would study a different piece of ancient text. On Monday, the professor
would give her interpretation of the text, and on Wednesday, one of
the students would give their interpretation of the same text.The professor
would then drill the student unmercifully. Students began to panic with
the thought of being chosen. One Monday the professor presented her
ideas and thoughts on the weekly text assignment. One of the students,
Joe, took copious notes. On Wednesday Joe was called on to discuss the
text. Joe presented the exact same interpretation on Wednesday as the
professor had given on Monday. When Joe was finished the professor stood
up and said, "That is the worst interpretation of this passage
that I have ever heard!" Joe was bewildered. He said, "How
could my interpretation be so bad? It was exactly the same as yours
was on Monday." "Yes," said the professor, "but
I have changed since Monday. I have grown."
To
be competitive today we cannot continue to do things the way we did
them last year, last month, and in some cases, last Monday. Scientists
have shown that our universe is constantly expanding. If the universe
in which we live is growing, expanding, and changing, it would be naive
to think that we can just sit still. Change is the essence of progress.
Not only must we change to progress, but because so much is changing
around us, we must change just to maintain.
So,
we know that we need to change and change at a more rapid pace. The
question becomes, how do we face change? How do we deal with change
and use it as an ally? Below are six steps that will help you better
manage the changes that are thrust upon you, and also help you create
your own changes that will lead to significant growth and achievement.
Expand
Your Knowledge Base
One
reason that so many people have difficulties with change is fear. We
fear the unknown. We fear what we are not familiar with. It is only
natural to want to continue to do what we have always done. To address
our fears it is critical to strive for continual education. As we learn
and grow we will be best able to face our fears and try new things.
My
daughter, Allison, loves to play soccer. At first she was reluctant
to play with some of the older girls. After several weeks of soccer
camp and intense training Allison developed excellent skills. Once Allison
realized how proficient she was, Allison was willing to try competing
against girls that were several years older then her.
By
expanding your knowledge base you will gain new skills and techniques.
You will naturally find applications for these skills over time. You
will also gain an inner strength and confidence that will allow you
to face and implement the changes you need and want to make.
Study
Change In Others
Vicarious learning is the easiest and fastest way to learn anything.
Learning from other people and their experiences is a trait of many
very successful people. You can learn in many ways from studying changes
that other companies make. You can see how change has worked for them.
If it has been positive, you learn about the benefits that change brings.
If they have struggled, you can learn what to avoid and increase the
chances of your success.
When
McDonalds whet from only serving lunch and dinner to offering breakfast,
that was a big change. McDonalds changed a significant portion of their
business model. Due to that change their business had significant growth.
Companies create new market niches with their changes. Sometimes, a
completely new industry is born out of change. As you continue to study
how other companies have changed you will be less adverse to change,
and you will also gain insights and ideas that will make your changes
results oriented and successful.
Seek
Excellence Not Perfection
Some
people are caught up in the trap of trying to be perfect. Since there
is always some risk associated with change these individuals are less
likely to try anything new and take the chance of being less then perfect.
We can never be perfect. Even great baseball players strike out a significant
amount of the time. But, great baseball players continually strive to
improve, to be the best they can be, and to achieve great things. Excellence
is achievable. Excellence is born out of a desire to grow and achieve.
Change is a natural component of reaching for excellence.
Examine
your activities. Are they structured to move you towards excellence?
What one thing can you do today that will move you closer to the picture
of excellence that you have for yourself? Try and put one activity on
your daily planner that will help you achieve excellence. You may not
notice any changes today or even this week, but over time you will see
tremendous growth and many positive results.
Ask
The Question
The
question that you should be continually asking yourself is, "How
can I do this differently?" You notice that I didn't say, "How
can I do this better?" I want you to create as many possible ideas
for change as possible. After you create the ideas, then you can evaluate
them for feasibility, potential of success, and significance to the
growth and well being of your organization.
By continually asking yourself "How can I do this differently?"
your mind will always be seeking the answers to that question. You will
be amazed at the amount of creative change ideas you generate. Take
the best ideas and look for ways to make them happen.
Communicate
Communication
is where so many organizations fall short. Environmental change, change
that comes from outside of us, change that we don't initiate ourselves,
is the most difficult to deal with. Frustration comes from not being
in control. Your team members need to be informed on what is happening.
Everyone on the team should be educated as to the challenges the organization
is facing, changes that are being forced on you, and changes that you
are initiating. Get their input. Ask for their ideas. Train everyone
around you to create and suggest ideas for change, and give them the
responsibility, and the safe environment, to implement those ideas.
Nobody
likes surprises. By working hard at keeping all the channels of communication
open your team members will feel a greater sense of belonging on the
team, and your challenge of change will be easier.
Start
Small But Think Big
Infants
crawl before they walk, and they walk before they run. Treat change
the same way. As you look to implement change into your daily routine,
look for small areas you can tackle first. Successfully implement small
changes first and then move forward to larger and larger projects. As
you discover the power change creates, you will find yourself actually
seeking change ideas and people that can both create these ideas and
implement them.
Sometimes we create change internally in order to establish a competitive
advantage. Sometimes we face environmental change, changes forced on
us by government, our competition, or other uncontrollable sources.
When faced with environmental change, the key is to focus on our reaction,
our response. Since we cannot control the source in that situation,
focusing on it will only cause frustration and anxiety. Focus on what
you can control. You can control your attitude towards change. You can
control the changes you create and implement in order to deal with changes
forced on you.
Just
like the eternal expansion of our universe, change is a constant. Do
you fight it, accept it, or seek it? Those who seek change create amazing
futures, futures filled with opportunity for growth and amazing results.
Be a change seeker.
© 1998 Sam Silverstein Enterprises, Inc.
Entrepreneur,
author, speaker, and advisor Sam Silverstein has a solid track record
of building million dollar results. The numbers speak for themselves--he
has sold over 100 million dollars of products and services and successfully
sold one of his businesses to a Fortune 500 company. Sam works with
business professionals who want to sell more, build their business,
and increase income. For more information on Sam Silverstein, please
call 1-888-MOTIVATE (888-668-4828) or check out http://www.BuildaBetterBiz.com
Smarketing
Creativity Counts
The
American Heritage Dictionary defines marketing as: "The commercial
functions involved in transferring goods from producer to consumer."
Simple enough. As marketers, we know it goes much deeper than that.
To be successful, one must find ways to surpass just transferring goods.
What adjective could accompany marketing to define what it takes to
make marketing actually work?
The
American Heritage Dictionary defines smart as follows: 1.a. Characterized
by sharp, quick thought; bright. See Synonyms at intelligent. b. Amusingly
clever; witty: a smart quip; a lively, smart conversation. 2. Energetic
or quick in movement.
Alone,
these words represent two different ideas. Together, they are a very
powerful and useful business tool. Smarketing kicks the proverbial box
that we're always asked to think outside of to the curb and forces us
to change the way we think about transferring goods to consumers. With
the introduction of electronic media and the Internet into the business
community, it is safe to say a billboard isn't going to cut it anymore.
Smarketing,
as I define it, is the creative application of organizational resources
designed to produce dynamic marketing results. These resources are:
-
Technology
-
Time
-
Money
-
People
-
Information
(Knowledge)
-
Fixed
Assets
Below
are two powerful Smarketing concepts.
Enterprising
is a smarketing term for leveraging your database to generate passive
bottom line dollars. In other words you can use the information you
know about your customers to have other people and companies generate
you profits!
Let's
say that you are in the remodeling business. You sell replacement windows
and siding. You don't install new roofs, or do interior work such as
kitchens. You can arrange a strategic marketing alliance with a roofing
company and an interior remodeling company. These companies would market
their products and services to your customers and you would receive
a commission for every sale they made to one of your customers.
Your
customer list contains valuable avenues for business that maybe outside
the products and services you offer. For example, if you are in the
plumbing supply business and your customers are plumbers what other
products or service do your customers need? The answers to this question
would point you toward possible organizations that you can partner with
to generate enterprising dollars that take little or no effort on your
part to create!
Cycle
Timing is a smarketing term for anticipating your customers regular
product or service needs and then contacting them in advance to secure
the business.
I get
a hair cut every four or five weeks yet I have never received a phone
call from by stylist to set an appointment. He waits for my call. The
difference between my getting my hair cut every 5 weeks, 10 times a
year, and every 4 week, 13 times a year, is $75.00 revenue to the stylist.
If the stylist has 200 clients that would be a loss of revenue equal
to $15,000.00 a year!
Some
automobile dealers do a fair job of cycle timing by sending out service
reminder cards. The only problem is they don't accurately account for
your specific driving milage history and sometimes a postcard just isn't
enough. A call would cement the process and garner a service appointment
on their behalf. If the average dealer has 1000 service customers that
drive an average of 15,000 miles a year the difference between getting
an oil change every 3,000 miles, on a timely basis, or going 1000 miles
over the recommended service interval is the difference between selling
five oil changes a year and four oil changes a year. That translates
into $20,000 lost revenue! This figure doesn't include the additional
service that would be sold when a customer brings their car in for the
standard oil change.
Cycle
Timing and Enterprising are just two smarketing techniques that will
help you build your business and add profitability. Most companies have
a limited amount of resources. It is critical that we leverage these
resources, that we stretch our marketing dollars until they scream!
Sure, if you have an unlimited advertising budget you can buy TV time
during the Superbowl but most companies are not in that position. Ask
yourself the question, "How can I more effectively use my existing
resources to generate the results I desire?" This question will
begin the process of leading you into the creative world of Smarketing.
A recent
casino advertisement promoting their frequent guest card was giving
away valuable gifts and bonus credits if you signed up for their free
card and gave them your frequent guest card from the competing casino.
The new casino was building their customer base and eliminating the
competition. That's Smarketing!
© 1998 Sam Silverstein Enterprises, Inc.
Entrepreneur, author, speaker, and advisor Sam Silverstein has a solid
track record of building million dollar results. The numbers speak for
themselves--he has sold over 100 million dollars of products and services
and successfully sold one of his businesses to a Fortune 500 company.
Sam works with business professionals who want to sell more, build their
business, and increase income. For more information on Sam Silverstein,
please call 1-888-MOTIVATE (888-668-4828) or check out http://www.BuildaBetterBiz.com
Smarketing™
Create Your Perspective For Success
Knowing
exactly what business you are in may be the single most important factor
in jump starting your marketing efforts. So often, companies see themselves
as selling specific products or providing specific services. These specificities,
in effect, become blinders on their vision and greatly limit the potential
growth of their businesses.
Smarketing
is all about creative marketing and leveraging organizational resources.
In order to maximize every marketing dollar you invest, it is critical
to fully understand what you do and for whom you do it. Marketing then
becomes the process of transferring that knowledge to the market place
and converting this knowledge, along with customers needs, into profitable
business.
The
knowledge of your core business activity can best be summarized in a
market perspective statement. This statement is comprised of two pieces
of information:
-
What
do you do.
-
For
whom do you do it.
The
market perspective statement does not deal with how. The how can change
over time as new opportunities present themselves. You don't sell cosmetics.
You help people enhance their appearance. You don't sell software. You
work with companies that want to increase operating efficiencies. You
don't book speakers. You work with organizations that want greater education
opportunities for their employees and with companies that need assistance
creating the best convention ever!
Most companies get trapped into the mistake of only dealing with the
how. In analyzing your business, you should determine where your potential
customer's greatest pain is and then determine what you do to deal with
or ease that pain. Removal of that pain, filling a need, is what people
and companies invest in.
There
are three critical reasons for developing your own market perspective
statement.
1.
A market perspective statement enables you to maximize your marketing
dollars. -- By thoroughly understanding what you do and for whom you
do it, you are best able to get maximum impact for every dollar invested
in marketing. Knowing your specific target enables you to advertise
directly to people and organizations that can buy! Your direct mail
pieces, TV ads, newspaper ads and other advertising vehicles are all
focused on your specific what and who. This marketing focus or power
will greatly enhance your bottom line results.
2.
A market perspective statement enables you to maximize networking opportunities.
-- Most people want help eliminating their pain and will be interested
in hearing how you go about doing that. Let's examine the printing industry.
What would be your response when someone asks you, "What do you
do?" Do you say, "I am a printer" or "I work with
business people looking to increase their marketing exposure and earn
more dollars from their marketing investment?" Which phrase is
more limiting? Stay away from limits. All business people want greater
market exposure and increased profits. Now you can tell this prospect
the how. Your printing services enable you to deliver on this promise.
3.
A market perspective statement enables you to maximize possible revenue
opportunities. -- Take, for example, the railroad industry earlier this
century. What business were they in? If you asked them, they would tell
you that they were in the railroad business. They should have said the
transportation business. Because railroad business was their mind set,
when airplanes came along, the railroad companies ignored an opportunity.
Airplanes have become the market dominate force in transporting people
and are also incremental in mail and express delivery.
I
would say that the railroads worked with businesses that needed to transport
products to and from the market place and they worked with people who
needed to travel. With this market perspective, the what they did would
drive their marketing and planning instead of the how they did it. The
railroad companies are still a factor in today's transportation business,
but not to the extent they used to be or could be.
In
our printing business example earlier, you can see that by not being
tied into a specific how, you would recognize that printing is not all
that you can do to increase your clients' exposure. Maybe you sell web
sites, either produced through your company or through a joint venture.
The internet can increase market exposure and boost the bottom line.
You see, now your creativity is freed to develop many hows to take to
market.
By
understanding what you do and for whom you do it, you create a powerful
base on which to build your entire marketing program. Smarketing necessitates
efficiency. Your market perspective statement will help you create an
efficient, yet powerful marketing attack as you begin to implement other
Smarketing techniques.
I am Sam Silverstein. I work with business people who want to grow their
business and individuals who are looking to accomplish more in their
lives.
© 1998 Sam Silverstein Enterprises, Inc.
Entrepreneur, author, speaker, and advisor Sam Silverstein
has a solid track record of building million dollar results. The numbers
speak for themselves--he has sold over 100 million dollars of products
and services and successfully sold one of his businesses to a Fortune
500 company. Sam works with business professionals who want to sell
more, build their business, and increase income. For more information
on Sam Silverstein, please call 1-888-MOTIVATE (888-668-4828) or check
out http://www.BuildaBetterBiz.com
The
Value Of Persistence
Many
widely accepted books on the subject of selling contend that the average
sale is not made until after the sixth, seventh, or even the eighth
sales call. Many of my better accounts were only acquired after six
months or more of energetic sales effort. I once challenged my marketing
assistant to be just five percent more persistent. I found that her
increase in persistence translated into a twenty five percent increase
in the bottom line. Clearly all of these situations point to persistence
as a key ingredient for selling success.
Over the years I have found that the greatest sales skills in the world
are useless unless combined with the correct amount and right form of
persistence. Sometimes, persistence can be confused with high pressure
or being pushy. However, they are not the same things. By understanding
the correct elements that comprise a quality persistent effort you can
avoid being pushy and make the sale. Let’s look at three steps
to successful persistence.
The
first step to persistence is respect. Respect is a two way road. The
universal law of reciprocity dictates that you must first show respect
before you can receive it. Respect means understanding and showing that
your prospect’s time is valuable. When calling your prospect always
make sure that they have the time to talk before you tear into your
sales presentation. This simple courtesy helps build respect. Remember
that your prospect may have prior vendor relationships. Show respect
for those also. I always like it when a prospect is slow to change because
of loyalty to their supplier. It means that when I finally close the
account they would also show loyalty to me.
Secondly,
you must build rapport with your prospect. Building rapport means building
a solid relationship. People buy from people they like and trust. Get
to know your prospects. What are their likes and dislikes? Where did
they grow up? Where did they go to school? Are they married? Do they
have children? The more you know about your prospect the better equipped
you are to look for commonalities. With information in hand, you are
in a position to build your relationship and develop greater rapport.
Building rapport is key to building bridges to greater sales.
The
third step to effective persistence is to deliver value. When you contact
your prospect you must deliver value. Do you have a great product idea
for your client? Can you show them how your product or service will
help them achieve their goals? In order to be able to deliver value
you must first know what it is your prospect is seeking. What are their
goals? What do they want to change? Now you must devise ways for your
products and services to help your prospects with these issues. It’s
not enough to just call and say “hi.” That can be seen as
a nuisance. When you call or visit your prospect, deliver concrete ideas
that will be of value. Your prospect may want to further discuss your
ideas, or they may not. Either way, you are delivering value, and your
worth as a supplier is growing in their eyes. Your persistence is starting
to pay off.
Many
times I have had clients tell me that I was the most persistent sales
person they knew. They would go on to say that I was also the most professional.
I believe that my persistence and professionalism led to those sales.
It is critical to follow up with your prospect in order to make the
sale. If you ever feel that your prospect is pulling back because of
your follow up, you may want to try saying something like, “I
don’t want to seem over zealous in my follow up , but I also don’t
want to be seen as anything less than professional. How would you like
me to follow up at this time?” This puts the ball in their court
and relieves the pressure. If you have built respect and rapport, then
your prospect will answer with information that will help you move forward
and make the sale.
Being
persistent builds credibility with your prospect. When handled properly
you are showing your prospect that you are professional, you are a resource,
and you are reliable. Being persistent will move you past the pact and
get you the account. So, what would being five percent more persistent
mean to your bottom line?
© 1999 Sam Silverstein Enterprises, Inc.
Entrepreneur, author, speaker, and advisor Sam Silverstein
has a solid track record of building million dollar results. The numbers
speak for themselves--he has sold over 100 million dollars of products
and services and successfully sold one of his businesses to a Fortune
500 company. Sam works with business professionals who want to sell
more, build their business, and increase income. For more information
on Sam Silverstein, please call 1-888-MOTIVATE (888-668-4828) or check
out http://www.BuildaBetterBiz.com
QUALITY
REQUIRES MEASURES
Quality
is required. There is no longer a question of whether or not to implement
a quality program. You must have one to survive. Yet, many are failures.
The question is why?
Quality
is like any other business process. It must be managed to be successful.
Too often, a business will spend all of its resources on the quality
program (TQM, CIP, and other three letter acronyms) and nothing on managing
for results. Management is where the good ideas get implemented. Management
makes change happen.
Quality
requires a process of change. Change is disruptive and therefore, humans
will resist change except to reduce pain, in response to fear or for
ego and greed. Measurement and rewards are the easiest tools we have
to accomplish productive change.
The
basic role of management is to move numbers. It does not matter if the
numbers are customer complaints, return shipments or lost sales. Good
managers move numbers by encouraging people to do the right things.
The first thing a manager needs to succeed is an understanding of "where
we are" and "where we want to be." The company's leadership
must establish the vision and supply support for management. Without
clear direction, even the best managers will fail.
Next,
it is possible to define what is to be measured and how? Given a quality
goal, it is necessary to define how we can measure progress toward that
goal. For example, one measure of quality purchasing may be the number
of return material authorizations (RMAs) approved due to shipped product
which does not meet our customer's quality specifications. Now that
we know what to measure, the next question is how?
Where
is the best place to capture the information? Is it when the returned
goods hit our dock? Or is it when the customer service organization
issues the RMA?
Timing
may be critical. Old numbers, long after the fact, are impossible to
use meaningfully. Numbers must be available in real time if they are
to support active management. Most numbers need to be available every
work day.
The
time must not only be fast, but it must be consistent if we are to measure
our ability to move them. If we normally measure in the morning, and
then suddenly switch to the afternoon, it will may skew the results
and lead to mismanagement.
Next,
a starting point is required. In many cases, starting numbers will be
unknown until we attempt to capture them for the first time. The initial
results require careful monitoring and analysis. It is important that
the measurement and corresponding results are understood. Otherwise,
decisions will be made where the results can not be predicted.
Finally,
it is possible to set goals. Provide some leeway for the first actual
measured period. It may take some experience to understand how fast
the numbers can be moved and their consequences. Without guideposts,
we might cause change without direction.
As
a base of experience is developed, the managers need to have flexibility
in establishing rewards and recognitions to encourage staff to make
the goals.
For
example, there might be rewards for any "picking team" with
zero errors. This is important. It should not be for the team with the
least errors, as that might imply that in a tie, everyone looses. It
could also set up some unproductive competition to force other teams
to have errors. Be careful. Improper rewards will cause harm. People
learn to win within the systems that are given to them. Set your measurements
and rewards carefully. They will affect the way people work and what
they produce. Do not get surprised by the results of carelessly established
policies.
Rewards
for change must be made in public and be considered valuable. Some changes
will require risk on the part of your employees. They need to know that
their effort will be valued by the company before they are willing to
risk anything.
In
cases where reengineering has led to layoffs, it is difficult to get
cooperation from a second department. Why should anyone risk their future
by helping to eliminate their job? The only way around this is to reward
those who helped with promotions or other tangible benefits that will
encourage others to do the same.
The
rewards and measurement must work together to invite actions which support
the direction of the company and the expected results. Poor definitions
in these two areas can have disastrous consequences for any organization
where quality must be improved to survive.
Include
front line employees in setting up goals, guidelines, and rewards. Everyone
will buy into the program and have a higher level of commitment. Change
is the essence of progress. Only with meaningful change can we improve
as companies and grow into the future. New systems, better performance
and accurate measurement of progress will ensure that quality change
is positive and long lasting.
© 1998 Sam Silverstein Enterprises, Inc.
Entrepreneur, author, speaker, and advisor Sam Silverstein has a solid
track record of building million dollar results. The numbers speak for
themselves--he has sold over 100 million dollars of products and services
and successfully sold one of his businesses to a Fortune 500 company.
Sam works with business professionals who want to sell more, build their
business, and increase income. For more information on Sam Silverstein,
please call 1-888-MOTIVATE (888-668-4828) or check out http://www.BuildaBetterBiz.com
V3…
THE POWER OF SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP
Values,
veneration and vision are the three elements of quality leadership.
Used individually, your organization can expect to see a minor impact.
Used together, these concepts create a powerful synergistic force that
can turn failing organizational environments into profitable and marketable
companies. This synergistic force is the difference between the organization
that will be going out of business and the one that will dominate and
lead the industry into the next millennium. Using values, veneration
and vision, you can create a synergy within your company that will enable
your employees to achieve higher levels of productivity, better morale,
improved customer service and increased profits.
To
effectively implement synergistic leadership, a strong foundation must
be laid. This foundation is based on understanding and mastering the
concept of change.
Change
is the essence of progress. Without a commitment to change, you cannot
have any meaningful improvement in your life or organization. A great
many people appear to resist change, but they're really just disheartened
by previously unfulfilled promises of change. What seems to be resistance
is really fear of another disappointment. Improvement comes through
altering, modifying and transforming. Old thinking will not yield new
solutions. If you have limited thinking, you will have limited plans.
Change involves an expansion in thinking. A commitment to change means
opening your mind, realizing the need to make improvements in your habits
and behaviors and being able to consider new concepts so you can have
the creative plans necessary to achieve your vision. By opening up to
change, all members of your team will be able to create the new solutions
necessary to transform your organization into a market leader.
VALUES
Values
are the cornerstone of all individuals and of any organization. It is
critical that you first look to define and understand your own values,
then look to define the organizational values. What is it that you really
stand for? What are you willing to do to get new business? What are
you not willing to do to get that new account? These questions must
be answered before personal and organizational leadership can progress.
Quality
organizations don't change their values over time. They look for ways
to change the application of a time proven set of core values. As industries
evolve, product lines change, markets may change, customers may change,
but a consistent core organizational value system will be your foundation
of strength and long term success. Your values are the rules by which
you play the game. It's much easier to make a decision when you have
a well defined value system on which to base your decisions.
Define
your personal values and your organizations values. Dig deep inside
and seek out what means the most. You will find a basis for strength
and a foundation for implementation of synergistic leadership.
VENERATION
Andrew
Carnegie once said, "You must capture and keep the heart of the
original and supremely able man before his brain can do its best."
By first understanding what is at the core of the team members around
you, you will be able to serve them and allow them to reach their fullest
potential. You should not only recognize that there are differences
among your team members, but also value those differences.
In
many organizations, employees (your internal customers) don't feel like
they are part of a team. They don't feel valued. They feel as if no
one understands their goals, desires or ambitions.
The
Council of Communication Management surveyed 705 employees in 70 companies
of all sizes and industries. Here is what they found:
-
Sixty-four
percent don't believe what management says.
-
Sixty-one
percent feel management doesn't inform them well about company plans.
-
Fifty-four
percent feel management doesn't explain decisions very well.
Understanding
each individual team member's needs and values will enable you to serve
them and create an atmosphere of trust and common cause. It's really
very simple … if you help your employees achieve their goals,
they will help you achieve yours. Team members help other team members.
It's an unwritten universal law. Serve your team. They will feel the
team spirit and help everyone on that team achieve higher levels of
performance.
Veneration
also means shaping the right work atmosphere. It is critical that we
create a work environment that promotes creative thinking, an openness
to change and rewards good effort. All fear must be driven from the
workplace. Team members must feel as if they can try new ideas without
the risk of persecution if they don't achieve success. Only then will
you unleash the power of all individuals and create an atmosphere that
promotes growth.
VISION
Just
as individuals need goals and a personal vision, every organization
needs a vision. This is a unified picture of what everyone on the team
is striving to achieve. The clearer the concept, the more likely your
team will achieve their goal.
There
are three elements inherent in a good vision. To create your company's
own vision, have your entire team answer the following questions. Then,
begin boiling the answers down until you create your own organizational
vision.
-
What
do you do?
-
How
do you do it?
-
For
whom do you do it?
If
you use these guidelines, you will be able to create a meaningful vision
statement that will serve as the guiding light for your organization.
While
on a fishing trip to Canada with my son Geoffrey, an interesting thing
happened. Geoff and I were on our way forty miles down river to a base
cabin to spend the night. On the way down, our guide pointed out a nest
in the top of a tree and standing proud over the nest was a beautiful
bald eagle. What a sight!
Upon
arriving at the cabin, I mentioned the eagle to others in our group.
One fellow stated that he saw forty-seven eagles on the way down the
river. He was looking for eagles and found them. We were watching the
shore and looking for animals visiting the stream for water.
More
often than not, if you are looking for something, you will find it.
If you are looking up, you'll see eagles. If you are looking for something
else, you will see that. Know what it is you desire. Look for it. Work
for it. In the end, you will achieve your goals.
Values,
veneration and vision do not achieve results. You do. It is your responsibility
to take these concepts and apply them to your organization. The difference
between management and leadership is this: Management administers past
ideas, implements existing systems and maintains existing relationships.
Leadership creates the future, with and through people.
So,
the question I ask you now is: Do you want to be a manager and be in
charge of the past or do you want to lead and create the future?
© 1997 Sam Silverstein Enterprises, Inc.
Entrepreneur, author, speaker, and advisor Sam Silverstein has a solid
track record of building million dollar results. The numbers speak for
themselves--he has sold over 100 million dollars of products and services
and successfully sold one of his businesses to a Fortune 500 company.
Sam works with business professionals who want to sell more, build their
business, and increase income. For more information on Sam Silverstein,
please call 1-888-MOTIVATE (888-668-4828) or check out http://www.BuildaBetterBiz.com
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