Archive for October, 2010
Friday, October 29th, 2010
Too often, we live our lives as if we have an unending supply of days. Unfortunately, that is simply not the case. Everybody has 24 hours in a day, and individual experiences vary from day to day. Sometimes we accomplish a great deal, and time just seems to fly by. Sometimes we look at our watches and are surprised by the lateness of the hour. On other days, everything seems to be in slow motion.
The quantity of time doesn’t really change. There are always sixty seconds in a minute, sixty minutes in an hour, and 24 hours in a day. Only our perception changes, and our perception is our reality. When we work at challenging and stimulating projects directly related to our goals, our achievement level skyrockets and time flies. When we are bored or doing something we don’t like, time drags as does our level of accomplishment. When we feel under the gun or out of control, time seems to go too fast. We feel out of control, stressed, unable to get done what we need to accomplish in the time allotted, and are continually behind schedule. Since we cannot increase or manufacture more time, we must get more out of the time we have.
If most of us know how to manage our time and if we realize the value of becoming more effective at managing our time, why don’t we do a better job of it? We all know what we should do. Why don’t we just do it? For most of us, what is easy to say is more difficult to do. To answer that question, we must first look at the key factors that influence our behavior.
The first step in changing any habit is to identify the habit you want to change. Therefore, in order to change your time management habits, you must evaluate your present use of time by analyzing your attitudes and behavior in relation to outcomes. An accurate time analysis will help you to pinpoint who and what occupies your time. Look for time wasters and peak performance periods. Pinpoint precise behaviors that are incompatible with your goals.
Define the new habit that you wish to develop and be as specific as possible. Negative habits in our lives are destructive and positive ones are uplifting. They help us achieve our goals. In order to build habits, we must define precise behaviors for change and perform them at specific times. As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit.”
You will get more out of your time when you learn how to get more out of your life. After you determine what you want, what you value, what you believe, and where your priorities lie, determining how to spend a given day or hour is easy. In order to get more out of your time, know what you want and what you want to get out of it. That may seem very basic, but many people fail to define their values, purpose, and goals. They are immersed in their daily activities, and they fail to think about what they really like to do. They overlook the real purpose of their lives.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses and individuals achieve high levels of excellence and success. Learn how at www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: perception, Purpose, RAC, resource associates corp, Time, Time Management, time management habits
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Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
Change in recent years has created far-reaching implications for anyone in the sales field. Globalization, technology, universal access to information, and the recent economy have changed everything. If you want to succeed in this turbulent arena, you will have to be more knowledgeable, more responsive, and easier to do business with than ever before.
You will have to do some of the things you already do, but you’ll have to do them better. You’ll have to do some things differently. You may even have to learn some new skills and techniques. Whether you are selling a product or service; whether you represent a well-known, established company or a brand new start-up; one fact remains clear: it is unlikely that you will maintain a competitive advantage unless you continue to improve your ability to attract and keep customers. Chances are if you continue doing things the way you have always done them, you will lose market share instead of gaining it. You are the catalyst for improving your results. Your success and the success of your company depend upon your ability to reinvent yourself and your processes and apply them for improved results.
The key to everything is action. All the knowledge in the world is of little value unless it is put to use. Knowledge is not power, applied knowledge is power. Excelling in a sales profession means never accepting less than the best … from life and from you. Excellence is not a position. Excellence in sales means being the best you can be. It’s a continuous process of stretching yourself, your abilities and your skills. You are the critical factor in reaching higher levels of success. The road to success is always under construction. There are always improvements to be made.
In today’s competitive environment, sales represent the critical cog in the success of any operation: revenue generation. Sales is the lubricant for the wheels of all business. It is the link between the production of all products and services and the consumption of all products and services. All business is sales driven.
Whether you call customers “accounts, clients, patients or members,” in sales terms they are customers. Regardless of what your organizational term is, you need them to keep you in business. In the book, Thriving on Chaos, Tom Peters suggests that professional salespeople are at the heart of business and that for a business to survive and succeed, extensive development of salespeople is essential.
A top IBM sales executive once said it very simply, “If they don’t buy you, they sure aren’t going to buy whatever else you’re selling.” There is a great deal of wisdom expressed in that opinion. Truly successful salespeople are never satisfied. They are constantly striving to improve their prospecting skills, their presentation and their customer base. Success belongs to those who refuse to be satisfied with the status quo. “I am doing okay,” may well be the four most dangerous words in a salesperson’s vocabulary. Satisfaction with the status quo is one of the greatest deterrents to achieving success. Preparation for success begins with your commitment to learning what you need to learn and doing what you need to do.
You are the cornerstone of your success. Innovative ideas and finely developed skills are required to realize that success. You must continuously strive to develop skills that are effective in today’s complex environment. Focus on improvement and excellence. Satisfaction with the status quo has no place in the world of sales today. Remember, it is better to dare mighty deeds than to live a life of quiet desperation and wonder what might have been.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses accelerate results through sales development and sales coaching. For information go to www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: applied knowledge, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, Sales, status quo, Success, thriving on chaos, Tom Peters
Posted in Sales | No Comments »
Thursday, October 7th, 2010
Public speaking skills are important, but most people devote far too little time and energy developing listening skills. Nature is clearly telling us that we should listen twice as much as we talk as we have two ears and one mouth. It is impossible to find out what someone else is thinking if you are doing all the talking. Listening is a key communication and empathy skill. Keys to becoming a more effective and empathic listener include:
Take the time to listen and be attentive – Often we are so preoccupied in our “busyness” that we only pretend to listen. Take time to really concentrate. Listen with both ears. When a team member comes into your office or stops you in the hall, stop what you are doing, make eye contact, and really listen. You will be surprised how much more effective the exchange will be and how much time is saved in the long run.
Be quiet – You can’t listen if your mouth is moving, so be quiet while the other person is speaking. Wait until they complete their thought or sentence before you begin to ask clarification questions or answer the question at hand. If you rearrange the letters that spell listen, you get silent. Remember that when someone else is talking with you.
Listen with an open mind – Selective listening limits your ability to learn, grow, and achieve. Listening with an open mind increases your ability to understand and respond effectively. Your openness will create such noticeable rapport that the other person will be inclined to listen to you with equal sensitivity.
Listen for emotion – People tend to repeat those things that are important to them. Listen not only to what they say, but how they say it. Voices express emotion through pitch, intonation, hesitation, and speed of delivery. By listening to what people say and how they say it, you will discover the feelings behind the words.
Listen for retention – How often have you wanted to tell a good joke or story that you had heard but you simply couldn’t remember it? On those occasions you probably wished you knew how to increase your memory retention. Well, there is a way. While you are listening, occasionally summarize in your mind the highlights that you’re hearing. This will increase your understanding and your retention. Verbalizing your summarized thoughts from time to time throughout the conversation will also confirm accuracy.
Pay close attention to non-verbal communication – 55% of communication comes from our body language, 38% is contained in our tone of voice or how we say, what we say and 7% of communication is actually the words. When verbal and non-verbal communication conflict (saying something different than what is physically portrayed) the non-verbal will always be heard over what is said verbally. If a team member comes to you for advice and you tell them you have time and are concerned but you continue to shuffle papers on your desk, sneak peaks at your computer screen, or make side notes, what does the person really hear? Do they hear that you are truly concerned, or that you really don’t have time to listen? Body language can be subtle or very obvious and you don’t have to be a genius to read it. Recognize how the body language of others makes you feel and you will instinctively know what it means. Good communication is critical to the success of any team.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses achieve sustainable results through leadership development and executive coaching. For information on creating a leadership succession plan visit www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: active listening, Body Language, communication, Emotion, open mind, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, Retention
Posted in Communications | No Comments »
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