Good morning everyone!
I hope this building influence is helping each of your where you are at. If you have any questions, feel free to post in the comments or reach out to me directly. No question is too small when we lead others.
Last week we made sure that we have sold the team on the organization as its vision aligns with the core values of the team. For Apple their core value is making great products that makes its users lives easier. Their employees are committed to that value and vision to make them ready to fight to the death for their organization. How is your organization’s vision as well as your vision doing? You can usually see how well by the change over that your organization is seeing. I apologize if that was kind of a punch in the gut to some of you. It is not to hurt, but to make sure you are gauging how you are doing and if you are communicating to your teams to make sure they are aligned and that that vision is striking a cord with them to want to stick by your side.
Today is making sure the product is also doing this with your team. Does the product that you are producing have a purpose to help society get better, or is it some widget that is cheaper than the competition? When I first got into sales it was to learn how to sell so I could become a better manager in the future. Now my vision is to eliminate bad sales tactics and bring about a positive outlook on sales professionals from society. My products are set forth to teach people how to focus on those around us and to focus on answering needs. If the product does not answer the needs, then it does not need to be sold to the customer. Something I am teaching my son while he is trying to earn money to buy a Nintendo switch.
What product / service does your organization produce? How does it benefit society? How can your team understand thier impact on this product / service? These are the questions that should be floating around in your head to make sure you are able to answer your team’s needs. If you are the IT team that is bringing about security for the organization, the product you produce is security to the organization. Every day you team is showing up to protect valuable information from the forces of evil that would love to exploit your intellectual property.
If your team is a bunch of sales people, what are they selling and why are they selling it. Is it just to make money, or is it to do something bigger than themselves? I like using Apple because if you walk into one of their stores you see energetic people that feel a sense of purpose when they help customers buy, fix, and learn about their product. I have witnessed tech services work for over an hour with an elderly person to help them with their new iwatch and iphone without frustration. Not to say that elderly people are the only ones bad with technology. I am thinking about going back to a flip phone currently. That person willing to sit for long periods of time to help a customer knows why they are doing what they are doing and they are able to do it.
So, what does your team produce and how does it help them buy into the vision by meeting their needs as well? That is the question that you need to be answering so that you can be selling the impact that your group has to society and the organization so they are willing to go the extra mile and stick it out with you for years to come. This takes time, and thought. You will go back to the needs analysis to make sure that you are answering those needs from the team just like you did for yourself and your organization. Do this right and watch you because those loaded water pistols are ready for action!
P.S. If you have any input or would like to write on a topic feel free to reach out, I would be more than happy to discuss your interest and let you be a part of this blog.
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
Sales and Leadership Enterprises