Posted by Eric Hubbs on Tue, Aug 24, 2010 @ 04:33 PM
By Eric Hubbs, Business Development Manager
Have you ever found yourself finishing up a very busy week, checking your calendar for the next seven days, and realizing there’s nothing on it?! No work scheduled, no sales appointments, no consultations, nothing! You are not alone. We see it so often in our clients, we have given it a name: “The Sales Roller Coaster.”
For those of us who have sales responsibilities, in addition to client/customer work, this is a very common problem. We get so busy writing our proposals, working with our co-workers or assisting customers, that we forget to generate, cultivate and close leads! We end up starting from scratch, desperately recruiting leads and attempting to close business. Does it work? No. Does it create unnecessary stress for us, our team, and our bottom lines? Absolutely.
What is the answer to avoiding this roller coaster and keeping business consistently coming in at a growing rate? Balance. The balancing between your current customer work and the three essential pieces of bringing in new business:
- Building leads
- Nurturing leads and turning them into relationships
- Closing the sale
Here are some very helpful hints to avoid this stressful situation and stay off the Sales Roller Coaster:
- Look at your calendar a month out and find those holes--weeks, not days before they are set to occur.
- Review on a weekly basis who you have in your sales pipeline. Are you getting in front of new people? Are there individuals who are ready to close for business?
- Spend at least 2 hours each week working on leads and relationships, and schedule this time into your calendar.
Once you begin to balance the three steps, you will gain momentum which will carry over in your month-to-month sales. The feeling is exhilarating and you will surely sleep better at night knowing business is growing!
Join Us At the Next Jump Start Your Sales Seminar!
Posted by Kaitlin King on Wed, Jun 16, 2010 @ 06:01 PM
By Michael Gunther
Entitlement. It's an interesting concept that seems to have worked its way into every corner of the workplace. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, entitlement is a belief that one deserves certain privileges. In the workplace, many employees feel that they are entitled to raises, days off, promotions, and other benefits, and don't necessarily think they should have to work for them. I know this because I regularly hear about this issue from business owners.
No Entitlements in Life
Entitlement is an interesting concept to me; growing up in a household of 17 kids made it hard to ever feel entitled. My parents did an exceptional job providing for our needs, but our ‘wants' had to be earned. We learned from an early age that if we wanted something, we had to take responsibility, work hard, and go get it; consequently, we all had various jobs ranging from babysitting and cleaning houses to mowing yards and managing paper routes. Eventually, we became very good at turning true wants into goals. In essence, my parents created a household of entrepreneurs.
Although there were numerous situations where I had to work for my wants, one in particular stands out. My parents initially enrolled their children in a private high school; however, they eventually stopped because of the cost. The younger siblings (myself included) would have to go to public high school. When it was my turn to go to high school, I had a strong desire to attend a private school like some of my siblings did. My parents made me a deal: they would pay for my tuition my first year (I would pay for my books and incidentals), I would be responsible for half the tuition my junior year and all of the tuition my senior year. I took the deal.
Once we made the agreement, I realized I not only had the desire to attend the private school, I had the drive. I worked various jobs - from McDonald's to babysitting to valet parking - and took the responsibility to make sure I could pay my way. And I am so thankful that my parents taught me this lesson early in life. Successfully meeting this goal gave me the confidence to know that I can create whatever I want, if I am willing to take the responsibility and make the effort. This is contrary to the entitlement attitude we hear of so often from employees in the workplace.
No Entitlements in Business
As business owners, our employees tend to rely on us to lead the charge in providing them with the opportunities to learn, expand their responsibility, and provide them with a living; however, what we business owners need to realize is that we have the opportunity to teach our employees to earn what they want, and not to expect that it be handed to them. Just recently, one of my team members, Eric Hubbs, wanted to hire a personal coach to enhance his skills and asked if Collaboration would pay for it. I told him that the company would pay for half of it only if we as a company achieved our quarterly revenue goals. This allowed Eric the opportunity to take responsibility and earn what he wanted. And he did just that!
Do your employees act as though they're entitled to that annual bonus, new sales training, or birthday lunch? You can change that by teaching your employees that they can have increased benefits, pay, and responsibilities, but that they will need to assist in creating additional revenue and opportunities to support those goals. I try to never say "no" to an employee's request. Instead, I ask "how can we make that happen within our current budget and structure?" This methodology takes the ‘entitlement' attitude and turns it into a ‘you can create what you want' attitude. It helps the employee, the business owner, and the company to grow. Bye-bye, entitlement. Hello, goal setting.
The Bottom Line
Employees need incentives and growth opportunities. Shift the entitlement attitude by offering them the opportunity to create what they want through their own hard work and focus. This approach creates an opportunity for innovation, teaches employees about goal-setting, and gives them a chance to experience the success of reaching their goals - all of which help propel an organization forward.
This is the fifth in a series of articles on Michael's entrepreneurial story and how being raised in a large family has influenced his career. To read the previous articles in this series, visit his blog at www.Collaboration-llc.com.
Michael Gunther is Founder and President of Collaboration LLC, a team of highly skilled business professionals who are dedicated to assisting proactive business owners to build profitable, sustainable businesses through results-oriented education, coaching, and consulting services. Learn more at www.Collaboration-llc.com.
Posted by Michael Gunther on Mon, Jul 27, 2009 @ 07:21 PM
By Michael Gunther, President of Collaboration LLC, Business Growth Specialists
I must admit, as a business owner, I feel the need to create balance in my life quite often. In fact, I originally thought when I started my business that I would have more free time and flexibility by being my own boss. More time to exercise, to be with family and friends, to take kayaking lessons, or finally get that painting job done at home.
Yet, like many business owners, I am so busy working in my business that I'm afraid before I know it summer will be over and my dreams of taking a summer vacation will have slipped away. So I've decided to go on a family camping trip - one that has been a tradition in my family for over 40 years. I grew up in a family with 17 children and this trip is an annual reunion for those siblings who can still brave the camping regime. In fact, my 85 year old mother still camps with us; further motivation for me to find time to go.
Here I am, on the eve of my camping trip, stressing about going out of town for just a five day break. I'm stressing about getting out of town, stressing about my business surviving without me, stressing that I will not be able to relax enough before I turn around and come back home, stressing at my hectic schedule I will return to. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
The irony is not lost on me: I work with business owners on balancing their lives, and yet I struggle with that very same challenge. I am fully aware that every time I take a break or create more balance in my life, I come back more energized, more focused, and with about 50 more ideas on how to grow or improve my business.
I have been pondering this dilemma; knowing the value of getting away from the office (whether for just a few short hours or days) yet still not partaking in the activities or trips that I know would make me a better leader, business owner, and consultant . And I realized that we stay so busy working towards achieving a goal or dream that we do not take time to enjoy the journey. Before we know it weeks, months, or years go by - time we can never regain.
I encourage you today to take a few minutes and identify a list of activities, goals, or dreams that you want to do to create balance your life; to enjoy this glorious summer season. With this list, plan when you will start the top three items - block the time on your calendar if necessary. Keep a commitment to yourself that with all the hours you work, you will spend at least a couple of hours a week on activities you believe will create balance your life.
The Bottom Line
To be more effective in your role as leaders or business owners, you need to make sure that you create balance in your life by making time for the activities or relationships that bring you happiness.
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