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Selling.2.YES

October 2015

(You Can) Make the Problem Go Away!
Your 2016 Sales Plan: Where You At?


(You Can) Make the Problem Go Away!

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Managing a day has become an art form, right? Distractions are everywhere, rhythm hard to obtain, fire drills abound.  Amidst the chaos, we slip down the hole believing that ineptitude rules and we’re on an island.  Why is everyone around me so F&$#ING incompetent?
 
But of course we know that everyone IS competent.  We are surrounded by very capable individuals who are very bright and strategic. So why is our workplace so dysfunctional some times - especially after we've put so much energy into creating operational efficiencies?   Why does it feel like we are working hard, yet we're not getting commensurate results?   

Everyone knows how we got here: we compete in a very intense industry segment where stakes are high, competition fierce, and time is limited.  It’s ‘win fast or fail fast and go home’.  Even though we know of the risks and downsides of entrepreneurism, it’s the ‘fail fast’ that intimidates and scares us.  We say we’re comfortable with the chaos, but are we really?  We march on hoping work will get better, or, our company will exit, or, our stock will hit a price milestone and then, presto, we’re redeemed!  Good luck with all that…meanwhile, Rome burns.
 
Well, I feel your pain.  In previous lives when I was building, scaling, and managing sales operations, I felt these frustrations a lot.  Many times I felt I was working really hard yet not progressing as much as I needed given my output.  In recent years I have studied this problem a lot - for myself and on behalf of my clients - and that's what we're examining with this article.  To be specific, we’re talking about being more connected with work. We’re talking about engaging deeper with the individuals who do the work!  We're talking about being able to concentrate more and driving more productivity.  We’re talking about maximizing our value because we’re more able to focus on challenges and thus, more able to solve problems.  And finally, we’re talking about contributing positive attitudes in all we do, for all around us.  
 
Perhaps some answers and help can be found from an article – and perspective - by Sherry Turkle, Professor in the Science, Technology and Society program at M.I.T.  In “Stop Googling.  Let’s Talk.”  Ms. Turkle writes, “Studies of conversation both in the laboratory and in natural settings show that when two people are talking, the mere presence of a phone on a table between them or in the periphery of their vision changes both what they talk about and the degree of connection they feel. People keep the conversation on topics where they won’t mind being interrupted. They don’t feel as invested in each other. Even a silent phone disconnects us.”
 
Of course I’m not arguing that the mobile device is the root of all business dysfunction, but I do think it’s time we have an adult conversation on why communication, productivity, and morale are all rating poorly more often than not of late.  This, at least, is what I'm picking up in my business travels; workers at all levels are burned out and frustrated.  People are having less and less fun at work.  And before some of you smart alecks reply that ‘work is not intended to be fun’, I’ll beg to differ and suggest that work at least needs to be fulfilling, and because of that, it can be fun. But we’re not even close right now.
 
Further in the article, I read these words that hit me like a ton of bricks:
“Across generations, technology is implicated in this assault on empathy. We’ve gotten used to being connected all the time, but we have found ways around conversation.”
 
Whoa.  We're not empathic any more?  Managers and leaders are not digging in and providing enough support?  Why is this?  Is it because of the pace of our business?  Is it because we're merely just trying to cross the finish line toward an exit?  

It doesn’t really matter what the answer is.  If we don’t immediately address how communication dysfunction creeps into our workplace, we’ll continue to see smart, honest, hard-working individuals get frustrated and burn out of our companies.     
 
So, what do we do?
 
First, read the article.  Again, it’s linked here.
 
Next, empower yourself to manage your technology so that it does not hinder your communication abilities.  Be more aware of how you can create better and more effective communication in your world.  Know the difference between being better at communication, and being better at texting.
 
Finally, address this issue with the influencers in your company.  Show them the article by Ms. Turkle and talk about what’s going on in your organization.  (To take it further, you can read the book from which the article is excerpted…better yet, start a book club in your org to discuss her perspective.)  Also, address the issue individually when you see it: when you spot a friend in your organization who is struggling, show the article to him/her and perhaps enlightenment can occur one person at a time. 
 
Those familiar with my writings and philosophies know I am a huge proponent for clean, clear direct communication techniques that help drive business progress and goal-achievement.  And because so much of what I do centers on helping managers and leaders perform better, it’s time we all formally address this issue because responsibility lies on our shoulders.  There's a lot you can do on your end to help yourself and your organization, but if you feel there's a need for an outside perspective, I'd be happy to help.  
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Personally, I love the Chick-Fil-A commercials urging us to "Eat Mor Chikin"...ripping a page out of that book, we can simply summarize our challenge here: "Have Deeper Conversations!"

Read the article!  Think about it!  Be the change!  Have deeper conversations!

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Just because I respect Ms. Turkle's perspective, here's one final excerpt from the NYT article in her words: 
 
“One start toward reclaiming conversation is to reclaim solitude. Some of the most crucial conversations you will ever have will be with yourself. Slow down sufficiently to make this possible. And make a practice of doing one thing at a time. Think of unitasking as the next big thing. In every domain of life, it will increase performance and decrease stress.
 
But doing one thing at a time is hard, because it means asserting ourselves over what technology makes easy and what feels productive in the short term. Multitasking comes with its own high, but when we chase after this feeling, we pursue an illusion. Conversation is a human way to practice unitasking.”

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December 2014
November 2014

Congrats on Starting Your 2016 Sales Plan (Let's now get it done.)

As you’ll recall from the September issue, there are six prescriptive guidelines that will help you write a good, solid sales plan for next year.   Each guideline is summarized below with commentary on where you should be against each of these steps at this point in the calendar.
  1. Review and assess last year’s plan.  If you didn’t review last year’s plan prior to writing this year’s plan, it’s not the end of the world. However, your 2016 plan will be better with knowledge of how you executed against this year’s plan.  Recommended action: review your 2015 plan now before any more work is done to the 2016 plan.
  2. Meet with non-sales leadership.  Odds are you haven’t sat down with everyone you should talk to who can contribute to the accuracy of a 2016 plan  – product managers, client services, etc.  Again, that’s ok, but you’ll want to at least grab a coffee with them or a g-chat soon so you can compare notes on what next year looks like.  Recommended action: send calendar invites for meetings that should take place within the next two weeks.
  3. Check in with your constituents.  Get a feel for what the street says by talking to your regional managers and reps…they have already been talking 2016 for months.  Recommended action: set up twenty minute calls with various field workers to focus entirely on one question: “what’s 2016 looking like right now?”
  4. Create two scenarios, a best and worst case plan.  The first version of your sales plan is probably going to be pretty optimistic; purposely writing a conservative and aggressive plan can help you find the truth somewhere in the middle.   Recommended action: assess whether your first version is aggressive or conservative and then write the other plan. 
  5. Justify your thinking.  For those of you who have not yet begun writing your plan, you may want to start by first writing down your assumptions.  You don’t have to start by putting quota numbers next to reps’ names; you can start by making assumptions along the lines of “the West is going to grow at 40% next year because of xx and the Midwest is going to grow at 20% because of yy.”  Recommended action: keep editing your assumptions and testing them.  Do your written assumptions align with the numbers you have deposited into cells of your plan?
  6. Manage your time wisely.  If you haven’t yet started writing your 2016 plan, expect to dedicate about six to eight hours a week for the next six weeks to make sure you have a strong product.  If you feel you are about halfway there, you’ll need to dedicate three to four hours a week for the next six weeks to do a proper job in writing your 2016 plan.  Recommended action: start allocating time blocks on your calendar for you to complete this important exercise.
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The goal is to have a finished product that you can confidently present to your superiors by mid-November.  Good luck.  

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