How to get High Quality Consistent Sales Training for your Team
Feb 4, 2015

It has been said there are 3 things that top sales people do consistently. They train, train and train. But as a business owner, how do you provide consistent training that gives you and your team the edge to stay at the forefront?

Well, for starters you can go to seminars, read books or bring trainers in house. All of which work, but organizing them and the associated cost can sometimes be prohibitive.

I'm not going to tell you I have 'the' answer but I do believe what I'm about to share with you has a lot of credit.

Enter Jeffrey Gitomer.

Perhaps you've heard of Jeffrey, perhaps you haven't. His style is unique but his results are unquestionable. I've been studying his material for many years and have found it to be solid. It resonates with me. Perhaps it will you too.

Anyway ... about the sales training. Jeffrey has taken his life's work (9 books - many best selling), and developed a platform that allows salespeople get get daily doses + more in-depth training on a schedule that suits the individual user. He has hosted it on a state of the art multi-million dollar platform called VT (Virtual Training). It is a interactive web-based  technology that is designed to emulate what happens in a live training environment. It tracks, monitors and measures everything the user does and has built-in real time reporting and notification features. It truly is leading edge.

If you think you and your team could benefit from a skills and attitude steroid shot ... this is worth checking out. Below is the link to the technology and you can get a FREE 5-day trial. Check it out and have fun with it - you won't regret looking it up.

http://www.gitomervt.com/contact.cfm

 

 

 

Do Your People “Want To” or Feel They “Have To”?
Oct 20, 2014

There are not many businesses out there where the results are not massively affected by the people who work there. In fact there are none.
Knowing this is true, how much effort and emphasis should be place on your philosophy and practices concerning your people? Tons.

I commonly hear Business Owners complaining about how hard it is to find good people and the stress and inconvenience caused by employees etc.
Yes people are complex, that is what makes us human—but the truth is—you don’t have a business without them.

People are your staff and they are your customers. They are your suppliers and your financiers. And how they feel about you and your business is going to greatly influence how easily and well you grow your business.

As recently as February of this year, only a scant 30% of workers in the US were considered to be “engaged” in their jobs. That means that almost 3/4 of an entire workforce are DIS-engaged and are working well below what makes them happy and fulfilled. Now those words ‘happy and fulfilled’ make some business owners cringe …

“I mean shouldn’t they just be happy they have a job? They should be thanking me!”

That attitude is fine if you are happy with below average people. And when I say below average people, what I mean is people who are not inspired or engaged.

89% of employers think that employees leave them for more money—when the shocking truth is that only 12% actually do. So why did the other 88% up and leave? The answer may be more basic than you think:

The fact is every human being wants to be and feel loved and cared about. We are selfish creatures who are primarily concerned with how we feel. For some this is a lesson we’d rather not hear. It’s too soft and emotional.

In contrast, today’s business environment is sprouting a new breed of business that is employee-centric. These businesses (think Zappo’s, Google, Netflix to name some) know that when their team feels cared for, engaged and challenged, they pass that on to the customer who in turn feels great about the business.
More importantly, engaged employees are so, not only because they are cared for, but because they truly understand the trajectory of the organization—and exactly what their role is in its success.

Have you ever been served a coffee by someone frowning? It might physically be the best coffee in the world but you don’t necessarily get that feeling from it. You may not even consciously notice – it’s just that the experience is ‘just ok’. Compare that to being served a coffee by someone with a genuine smile who when they look you in the eye communicate, “I really hope you enjoy this. I made if for you” and there is a hand drawn smiley face on the lid. There is a tangible difference.

And the same goes for all people who interact and connect with your business. Do your team ‘want to’ be there or feel they ‘have to’ be there. How people feel after they interact with your business is a telling sign for the sustainability and potential for greatness of your business.
Take it seriously. It should be one of your top priorities—not only for your people—but for the throngs of customers who will jump ship to a competitor that truly “gets it”.

Just look below, and ask yourself. Do I “get it?”

10 Shocking Stats About Employee EngagementInfographic crafted with love by Officevibe, the corporate team building and employee engagement platform.

Ignorance
Jan 14, 2014

There is an excuse for ignorance, but there is no way to avoid the consequences - Edward Deming

Stress Your Team Out!
Oct 24, 2013

Well not really. Check out this short video that talks about why more mistakes happen when things are quiet.

Supportive Work Team

How do I bonus my team at year end?
Nov 28, 2012

Some Insights on an Effective Bonus System

It’s that time of year when business owners are thinking about ‘how do I reward my team’ or ‘they are expecting a bonus … what do I do?’

I am a believer in sharing the financial rewards with your team. AND I believe it is important that there is some structure and education in place or else it can and usually does lead to entitlement or a misunderstanding what the ‘bonus’ is for.

Here are the key points to ‘Bonusing’

  • Profit Share vs Bonus. Profit sharing should be based on how the company does financially. Bonusing can be more subjective and less effective. Lots of profit, lots of sharing. No profit, no sharing. We are all in this together.
  • Be sure people understand what has to happen in order for the company to have lots of profits. Education is key. And make it transparent so they have the power to impact the result.
  • Keep your formula simple. I like x% over a certain amount of profit (remember to keep enough profit in the company to finance growth and reward shareholders) goes into a pool. That pool is then divided up equally or divided up based on salary levels.

It may be too late this year to put a structured system in place and do the education necessary. If that is the case for you then certainly bonus but make sure you position that moving forward you will be developing a system so everyone can have an effect on how much they get at the end of next year. Managing expectations is very important.

The points I’ve outlined above really are just the high level things to consider. For a details understanding of what I believe to be the best, simplest and most effect system read Brad Hams “Ownership Thinking”