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As a business owner, you know what it’s like to lie awake at 2 a.m. Maybe it has happened when you are excited and full of new ideas for your business. More often, it’s because you are worried about issues you will face the next day. Sometimes, it’s because you just woke up with the solution to a problem. I’ve experienced all those emotions about my businesses over the years. Awake at 2 o’clock? is where I share them with you, and hopefully help with answers that will let you sleep.
John F. Dini, CExP, CEPA
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Small business owners are the Hunters of the 21st century. We are 3% of the US population, and yet we create over half of all American jobs. As Hunters, we may not be inclined to manage by the numbers or stick to systems. Are you a Hunter or a Farmer?
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How prepared are you to exit your company?
The Assessment breaks down the four major categories of exit readiness; Finance, Planning, Operations and Revenue/Profit.
Tag Archives: leadership
We Can’t Legislate Job Skills
“Why can’t we find enough good people to hire?” As a consultant to business leaders, I hear this complaint with increasing frequency. From tradesmen to programmers, and from executives to scientists, we seem to be lacking a workforce with the … Continue reading
5 Responses to We Can’t Legislate Job Skills
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Why Do We Hate Salespeople?
A recent episode of “Downton Abbey” included a new servant tasked with passing out canapés at a dinner party. “Try one of these,” he quietly suggested to a guest. “I’m told they are quite good.” He was immediately pulled aside … Continue reading
5 Responses to Why Do We Hate Salespeople?
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If salespeople are hunters in a business culture dominated by farmers, why do I hate being interrupted by ill-prepared, gum chewing, robo-call driven telemarketers? I have managed several very successful sales teams, even started my career in a sales capacity. On a DISC chart I am shown to be a blend of task oriented and influencing. And I am the rainmaker in my own company today, successfully closing introverts and extroverts alike.
People hate salespeople because (1) most of them really stink at their profession, and (2) the craft is deemed something anyone can do.Don’t believe me? Name the one university in the entire USA that offers a degree program in Sales. Can’t, can you?
Our nation’s corporations and privately owned businesses all depend on sales people. Every mobile phone store, every insurance agency, every capital goods manufacturer… there are literally tens of thousands of sales positions through out the country. But few of them provide any real or substantive training and fewer still put quality over quantity. And most play the numbers game.
The real answer- there is simply no alignment between the decision maker’s preference of behavior and the cold call that too many companies still reply on. Cold calling (not so affectionately known as interruptive selling in my office) dates back to a time when the telephone was new and novel, and product or service information was harder to obtain. Add to this today people have to do more with fewer resources (fewer people) and trying to pitch them while they are under a deadline makes little sense.
Even less if you are unprofessional and ill-prepared.
At the risk of appearing to steal your blog, here is an article I wrote some time ago, and believe to be accurate today. http://zenmarketinginc.com/just-effective-cold-calling-anyway/
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John H: as a career salesperson / sales manager / CEO leader I could not agree with your more. Preparation for ‘making the sale’ is sorely lacking in just about every industry. I thought you might like to know that at least one public university does offer sales degrees, http://www.utoledo.edu/business/ESSPS/. I believe I have heard of others. Can’t vouch for any of them but that they exist is a good sign for raising the bar.
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This statement in your post summarizes it – The best salespeople are focused on serving a customer’s need. People hate sales people because they forget this and try to push their products or services down customers throats without understanding their needs. Those who ask questions first and understand customers issues and needs before offering them the products are the ones who will be loved by customers.
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Maybe it’s because 20% of people in sales are professionals, do their research, and have polished their skills. The other 80% are going through the motions, always in ‘sales” mode, and lack any real training. The bottom 80% are also unsupported from a savvy marketing team, and generally work for companies (or owners) who insist on following a sales process they themselves don’t even respond to (cold calling).
Did you know there is only one university in the USA offering a degree in sales? Yet how many sales people do you know? Society places a minuscule importance on this profession (Lost a job? Why not go into sales?) Anyone can do it.
Find a business owner who fully understands the entire sales process, invests in marketing, has realistic goals setting, and properly rewards achievement (results and motivation) and you’ll find those 20% of sales people.
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Hey Merv… what can I say? Haters gonna hate.
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How to Get Employee Buy-In for Your Values
There are few things more important than determining your company’s core values. I define an ideal core values statement as something you can frame and put on the wall so that, in your absence, any employee who has a question … Continue reading
One Response to How to Get Employee Buy-In for Your Values
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John,
You hit the nail right on the right spot!! Thanks! I don’t get a lot of time reading your blogs, but I put them in “your folder” and try to look back at them when possible. This is the time for making our small company statements, and since I have survivedYear 5, I feel we are at the point to really grow, so I will definitely follow your blog for today!! Thanks and Happy New Year!!
Cathy
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Goals are More than Just Resolutions
Most of us (at least those who don’t own retail businesses) are in low-power mode at this time of year. Double midweek days off and decompression following the holiday rush allows us time to think. For many, that thinking naturally turns … Continue reading
2 Responses to Goals are More than Just Resolutions
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Once again a great adaptation of what to do and why – Excellent writing John !!
Frank
Merry Christmas and a Happy 2015
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Hi John!
Good info & timely reminder!
Here’s to a successful 2015!
Thanks, Claud
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Holiday Terminations: It’s Not “Just Business.”
Yesterday, I received a comment from a woman on my column from 2012, “Holiday Terminations: Scrooge or Chicken?”. She had been unexpectedly terminated from her position, and said in part “Employee termination during the holidays is an act of spiritual … Continue reading
One Response to Holiday Terminations: It’s Not “Just Business.”
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If the termination was a documented performance termination, the Holiday can be looked upon as a bad time, but then when is a good time, there is holidays in January, February. What this means is there is no good time for the employee. What if the termination was for thief, sexual harassment, do you wait until after the holidays.
Great article. I agree that the numbers have to be skewed that government is reporting. And I believe our Govt. is the biggest problem. Our Unemployment laws need to be seriously revised. If someone works and then gets seriously sick or injured, it makes sense to help them with unemployment for a longer period of time, because they earned it. We need to address the younger people. We have two MAJOR issues:
1. Is the fault of our society and their parents — this younger working age generation are spoiled rotten and suffering from a severe case of ENTITLEMENT. I see it every day. Why should they work hard, or even show up to work, when Daddy just bought them a new car, and pays for everything.
2. It is way too easy to file and collect unemployment, and it lasts too long. I post an ad on Craigslist at least once a month. The amount of responses is usually pretty good. However, I’m lucky if 1 in 6 scheduled interviews even show up. And even then, they usually don’t ever show for the job I hired them for. And I know what their doing — they’re checking off the box that they’re “looking, but can’t find anything” so they can continue receiving unemployment. I can vouch that there are more jobs than people, but it sure doesn’t seem that way.
Nor can we legislate respect, work ethic, self-motivation and personal responsibility. Recently read an article stating we are who we are by the age of 12. Parents are the key to improving the workforce, not the school, government or the day care provider. Children are not possessions like cares or houses. They are a lifetime commitment and one’s enduring legacy of their contribution to society.
Great Article. A subject that is close to my heart, and as a matter of fact, is what made this country so great..in the first place..” The Middle Class”. Where is the middle class, did they just disapear, and the jobs that went with them disapear as well. Is the new generation so spoiled, that they refuse to work? Does it make more finacial sense to go on longterm unemployment, wellfare or disability, than to get a JOB?
The wriing in already on the wall, just look at the numbers. Who’s fault is it…you might ask….An even better question is how do we FIX it.
The fix is complex and long-term. I see no signs that the entitled class will go away, since their parents are leaving them something like 15 trillion dollars. For many, that points to another generation to follow of kids who never had to scratch to make it. They may look up one day and find that they’ve been passed over. Those who wake up and follow market needs (STEM, trades, non-legal mid-market professionals) will be the new middle class regardless of their socioeconomic background.
Great article. Being self-employed, myself as a contractor for 40 years I have to keep up on all of the changes in construction. Many times it is online courses from manufactures. It has to be a personal thing if you want to keep up. People need to be self motivated to get a head in this world.