Why Leadership Is Important to Excellent Client Relationships

The true consultative professional understands the importance and value of being a leader and demonstrating leadership characteristics in working with both prospective clients and current clients. Leadership in consultative selling and client relationships can be misunderstood and confusing. For the record I have been highly influenced by several noteworthy writers, practitioners, and influential people who have devoted their lives to the study and application of leadership. Here are a few of the noteables: Warren Bennis (Read everything he writes! His writing is true art); David Maister (a consultant to consultants and advisors); Brian Tracy (he has great audio and video programs). There are many others - and I name more in later posts.

To clear up any confusion around consulting and advising clients, I will borrow from Warren Bennis' book some contrasting ideas about leaders and "also-rans." I have revised his writing, but the ideas below were inspired by his book "On Becoming A Leader."

• The Consultative Professional innovates; The Also-Ran Professional administers.
• The Consultative Professional is an original; The “Also-Ran” is a copy.
• The Consultative Professional develops; The “Also-Ran” maintains.
• The Consultative Professional focuses on people; The “Also-Ran” focuses on systems and structure.
• The Consultative Professional inspires trust and confidence; The “Also-Ran” relies on control and controls.
• The Consultative Professional has a long-term view and looks to the future; The “Also-Ran” looks at the immediate and short-term view.
• The Consultative Professional asks "what?" and "why?"; The “Also-Ran” asks "how?" and "when?"
• The Consultative Professional has his/her eye on the top line; The “Also-Ran” has his/her eye on the bottom-line.
• The Consultative Professional originates; The “Also-Ran” copies.
• The Consultative Professional challenges the staus quo; The “Also-Ran” creates it and tires to keep it.
• The Consultative Professional is his/her own person; The “Also-Ran” is the classic "good soldier."
• The Consultative Professional is focused on the client first; The “Also-Ran” is focused on their firm first.
• The Consultative Professional says "Where do we go from here?" when there is a mistake; The “Also-Ran” says "Who did it?"
• The Consultative Professional passes on the credit to others; The “Also-Ran” takes the credit and looks for photo ops.
• The Consultative Professional does the right thing; The “Also-Ran” things right.

Leaders have nothing else but themselves to work on. They take responsibility and make things happen. Leaders inspire others to be everything they can be and become. They embody the classic adage, "If it's to be, it is up to me!"

Good Luck!

The Sales Interviewing Question

I have interviewed a lot of sales people over the past 5 years. And something remarkable occurs in each interview: the sales candidate sells him or herself pretty well.

Until ......

I ask these series of questions:

1. Tell me how you structure your day.

This little question is like a major "Duh" to some of the people I have asked. What do you mean by, "structure my day?" is the unspoken reply. But perhaps more interestingly the sales candidate goes on and answers something they have no clue of what I mean.

What I mean by this question is: Tell me how you block out time to do the important things that are critical to the success of your role as a sales person. For example: what time do you block out for doing appointment setting? And if you block out this time, how did you come to realize that this time was the right time? Was it your best moment of the day? Or did you find through trial and error that this was the best time to reach prospective clients?

Interesting questions. People who are very good at whatever they do, BLOCK OUT time to get the important things done. They realize it is not the urgent but the important that is critical to the success of their job. This is especially true for sales people. People get caught up in other people's dramas and events and crisises that there is no time to do what they were hired to do.

My advice: Find a sales person who is obsessed with time management.

2. What books have you read on sales lately? (How about ever??????)

Do you know I have found sales people who prefer to "wing it"? They say, "I don't need to learn how to sell. I know people. And I can sell." It is amazing how many people prefer not to read about how to be better at their craft. What if you went to a doctor or lawyer who said, "I don't need to learn how to be better at surgery" or the lawyer who says, "I don't need to learn how to be more persuasive in court." WHAT????? Are you KIDDING me?????

3. The best sales people ask me this question, one that led me leave the company where I was hired to do a start-up: "How does marketing (or your company) help generate leads?"

Wow. A powerful question. If your company is not actively out trying to generate leads, then the company is on the verge of revenue generation issues. You see, the time of the sales person is TOO VALUABLE to have to sort through the list of prospective clients and figure out which potentially viable client is better than another. This is MARKETING'S JOB!!!! The sales person is too expensive to be sorting through low potential prospects in order to find the most likely candidate. As a sales condidate - you should expect your employing company to have a target set of companies and define who in the company is the likely buyer, who are the likely influencers and what the value proposition to each of these buyers is. In addition, there should be marketing materials all centered around those buyers and the results driven in companies similar to them.

If you get asked the third question, and you have a weak answer, and the sales candidate still wants the job, question the sales candidate's capabilities and real reason for wanting to join you.

More importantly, ask yourself, if you don't have a good clear answer and process of gaining access to these companies and individuals - why you are in the current position and instead don't go running for the hills.

That's my story for today.

My Biggest Weakness

Well, I have come to realize something - that - perhaps I should have realized long ago, and that is what I have come to find is MY BIGGEST WEAKNESS.

I have to admit now, in talking to anyone about my strengths and weakness, that my weakness in business, is the stretching of the truth. There are variations of the truth to be sure - because we all see things through our "filters" of the past. The past can make the filter strong in some areas - such as our religious beliefs or our politics.

But this is not to excuse the little lies of covering up or blaming someone else for something that someone did not really do. It is the little "hedging" of admitting the truth - that "Hey, I screwed up, I see your point of view, I will fix it and get on with addressing it." Instead of - "Well, you should have..." or "He should have..." We as employees need to act with courage and admit - we all screw up or make mistakes or forget - or slack off and not cover up by looking to see who we can blame.

This is my RANT.

I disdain feeble management who cannot accept responsibility. And I disdain management who says one thing and does another. For example, "I will be right there to help you." And no one shows up. Or "Save money." And they fly first class.

These are the little inconsistencies that drive me BONKERS.

They set my rockets on fire. Next time - when I take a "personality test" I am admitting this is my BIGGEST WEAKNESS. And I feel compelled to address it with my peers when I see it.

I must learn that this sometimes needs to be addressed and then other times - to let it go. But it is so hard - when I see leaders - Not walking the talk.

MY RANT for today

Four Types of People

An Old Hindu Proverb We Should All Know
Here's one from an old Hindu proverb:

Men are four;
He who knows not and knows not he knows not,
He is a fool - shun him;

He who knows not and knows he knows not,
He is simple - teach him;

He who knows and knows not he knows,
He is asleep wake him;

He who knows and knows he knows,
He is wise - follow him!

This has been translated into modern day language as;
The person who does not know and does not know that they do not know.
The person who knows that he does not know.
The person who does not know that he does know.
The person who knows and knows that they know.

Or finally, said another way;
The Unconscious Incompetent
The Conscious Incompetent
The Unconscious Competent and ...
The Conscious Competent

Which one are you?

And which one would you rather be? Most will say "I'd rather be the 'Conscious Competent' person." Others will say, "I am the 'Conscious Competent' person already."

"Oh really ...", I would reply as more of a question.

Isn't the risk of thinking you are the "Conscious Competent" person dangerously close to being the "Unconscious Incompetent" person?

Think about that for a minute or two. You may think you are "Conscious Competent" and therefore never try to learn and grow. And then, after some time, you become the "Unconscious Incompetent."

Think hard on that. For me, I am going to remain in the category, "Conscious Incompetent" so that I never to approach life from the point of view of, "Maybe I don't know everything." This way I may remain teachable and never become enamored with my intelligence.

I told a friend of mine this, and he said, (I believe in some jesting manner), "Don't worry Murphy. You won't become enamored with your own brains. That would be like being enamored with the way you look." Thanks friend. I need all the esteem building comments I can possibly get.

THANKS! Joe Murphy

Using Anecdotes To Sell Complex Services and Solutions

Some people believe that selling is outdated and is no longer viable. If they are thinking about selling techniques used 10 years ago, they are right. Selling has changed. It's no longer about cold-calling, finding out how much money they have and figuring out how to explain the features and benefits of your services, product and total solution.

Selling is more complex. Selling has more to do with educating the prospective client. Selling is more about providing service. Selling is based more today on trust, credibility and delivering what you promised you would deliver. Other than that - selling is easy!

How Do You Build Trust and Credibility?
There are many ways to build trust and credibility. But perhaps one of the most overlooked strategies is through telling the prospective client a story or an anecdote about a client who had a similiar problem, who was from a similar industry, that you helped.

An antecdote is about educating the prospective client - and allowing them to draw their own conclusions, rather than telling them. If you look up the word "educate" you will find the root of the word is derived from "educe" meaning to "draw out." By allowing prospective clients to "see" how you've helped others, you educate the prospective client on their problem and how others have solved their problem, and allow the prospective client to "see" the similarities.

Trust and credibilty means that you can perform - you can deliver - you can solve the prospect's problem, with very little risk and exposure. An andecdote or story helps demonstrate that capabability.

Telling Your Story
A story is explaining how others - in a similar industry, with a similar problem - were able to use your services. This 6-step method - or framework - will allow you to put your capabilities into an understandable format that the prospect will understand.

1. Show you know the industry: "Jim, we've found that working in the food products industry (or whatever industry you are targeting) with organizations about the same size of yours faces many similar challenges..."

2. Show you have experience with the specific problem: "The President of XYZ company, Robert Greene, was faced with ..." (the specific problem similar or the same as the prospective client).

3. Identify the solution: "When we met with Robert and his staff, they needed to do ... " (describe the desired solution).

4. Demonstrate how you provided a solution: "Our team began work on the situation, we found out this and we uncovered that, and within 6 months, we were able to get XYZ ... (explain what you found out, how it may have been different - or the same - than expected, and the time period it took to deliver the solution).

5. Describe results in measurable terms: "We were able to bring DSO down from 92 days to 45 days, which improved their bottom line by $3 million and the price of their stock increased by 12 percent - within this 6 month period of time." (Always quantify the results in a time period. This will be easier if you "baseline" the current environment - which as a consultant - I do not see many people do!!!)

6. Get the prospect to explain their situation: "Is this similar to what you are looking to have done?" (Wait and listen ... )

If you know the business, and the problems faced in the industry, this selling technique or tool, is really a very effective method to use and humanizes you, the problem and the solution.

Good Luck! - Joe Murphy