Good morning everyone,
I think the ground hog was lying again with this being a short winter. We are about to dip down into the below freezing for a high temperatures again here in the Midwest. This is also the time where my wife is saying, the south would be a little warmer… Enough with the winter blues, lets get to the post!
This morning I wanted to refresh on the fact that you have used the sales process to really see if you are meeting the needs of those that work for you with what you do. It can be again IT, building a product, performing a service, etc. You are trying to make sure what you are doing aligns with where the people on your team. So far you have been asking questions to learn insight from them and make sure that you are answering those needs with our vision and your products.
Today is the uncomfortable topic of asking for their commitment. Are they willing to go all in with you, or are they just there for a paycheck? Do they truly believe in what the organization is trying to accomplish, or is this just a landing spot for them to jump at the next opportunity that comes there way.
People always have a decision to make when it comes to commitment. Is the cost worth the benefit. Too many people get into thinking a higher paying salary is the only way to measure benefit. The issue is that they will most likely miss out on better opportunities because they chased a paycheck. I stayed in the outdoor power equipment industry longer than I planned because I had a great mentor that I learned a great deal from and he also invested quite a bit in me. Had I jumped back out too quick I would not be as smart as I am today about influence and people. I chose to keep a smaller income while I learned as much as I could from a business owner.
When it comes to asking for commitment I tend not to beat around the bush and ask directly for commitment. I want to know where the person stands and if they are going to have my back for the long haul. I would rather know now than wait until I have spent hours training them and have them leave just for a larger paycheck. I sit them down and ask them where they are at. Is this something you can see yourself doing for a while?
I also set up monthly check points with them to make sure they are doing well as well as getting to know their dreams and aspirations more. I am not afraid of someone leaving, I just want to know where to invest the majority of my time. See time is something we only have a limited resource of and we need to invest it properly. I am not saying that I am going to just toss that person to the side, but I am also not going to poor into them with all that I can if they are going to leave in a month or two.
I do care about them and want to help them get to where they want to go if they are not in it for the long haul with me. I will help them get to where they can function and be on the look out for something that might suit them better. I’ll also talk to them about it. Saying I am not here to push you out, but I want to make sure that I do help you get to where you want to go to the best of my ability.
It is rare that the people leave me actually with this approach. They usually stick around and want to be around me more. I have used this approach in personal as well as in business. Whether I was helping launch a men’s ministry, or leading engineers to quote new business with our customer. I usually gain influence with them just by asking for their buy in and not beating around the bush. Step out and ask for the order just like in sales to your team and see where they stand. You’ll gain respect and possibly someone that will have your back when the going gets tough.
Have a good weekend.
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
Sales and Leadership Enterprises