How to build trust with employees continued. ..

Last week we talked about why leaders need to focus on building trust with their employees if they want to move forward, have engagement, and a good culture. 

If you did not have a chance, go back and read last week’s blog on why we as leaders need to make sure we build relationships with our employees if we want to move forward faster with them. 

On to why we need to think like sales professionals if we want to gain influence with our employees. Sales professionals are trained to gain influence and how to build relational collateral with people.  I like to think of influence and relational collateral as a bank account.  Consistent deposits over time gains great levels of influence.  Constant withdrawls without deposits results in a bad relationship.

People will not buy from people they do not know, like, and trust.  If we want employees to buy in to what we are wanting to do, then we need to make sure we are focused on them.

You may be wondering how we focus in correctly.  It’s actually pretty simple and starts with three questions that the employee is asking about their leaders.

Do I like you?

Do I trust you?

How can you help me?

These three questions seem very selfish right?  We all go into this thought process every time we meet another individual.  It is hardwired into our brains for survival.  When mankind was hunting and farming with their community they needed to know if they could also trust those around them.  No one really wanted to get eaten by a saber toothed tiger right? 

As a leader we need to be outward focused so we need to narrow in on these three questions and how we can answer them well for each and every employee that reports to us.  If we can’t answer any of these questions, then we will not gain influence and engagement from our employees. 

The next question you are probably are asking as you read this is how do we answer these three questions?  We need to sit down and ask questions of the employees.  That’s right, we need to be asking questions to understand our employees.  People want to be understood and known.  How do leaders do that?  They ask questions. 

Three main types of questions:  Situational, Issues, and Ramifications kind of questions.

We need to understand where our employees are at, what issues they are facing, and what are the ramifications if those issues are not resolved.  That is why when meeting with employees we should be using the same CRM that we use for our customers.  We should be constantly learning about our employees.  Not to leverage them, but to know them and their situation.  By knowing where they are and what they are struggling with we will be able to help with solutions.  By doing this we build influence and engagement as a biproduct. 

If we do not and simply focus on getting a job done, we will see turn over, lack of engagement, and slow downs in work which end up driving higher costs eroding our profits.  It is to our benefit if we take time to understand our employees and learn about them to help them.  If we do so, we will be rewarded with what Dave Ramsey says, “They will charge the pits of hell with a water pistol for us,” if we show employees we care about them.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

How To Build Trust With Your Employees

Are you new to an organization and need to get your team to follow you?  Have you recently been promoted and your current reports were recently your peers?  Do you have friends that now report to you?

When we take over a new role and have people reporting to us, we can’t simply believe they should follow us because of our position.  Far too often people in positions fall back on this stance, I’m in the leadership position so everyone on the team must respect and follow my lead.  Expecting people to follow us because of a title is not true leadership.  If we want people to follow us we need to reframe our minds to be one of a servant leader.

That sounds very contradictory doesn’t it.  A leader that serves.  Shouldn’t it be the other way around?  Our culture would want us to think that way, but the best way to lead is to focus on others.  We need to serve them well as their leader. 

To serve the team we first need to make sure that we are building trust with the team.  In order to move forward with others then they first have to know, like, and trust us.  If they don’t like and trust us, then we will have a slow lonely walk.  In business today it is fast paced that if we do not have trust then we are going to be passed by the competition.

How do we build trust fast is what I am often asked when talking to leadership teams.  We need to first put value on each person.  Not for them as employees, but as individuals.  Each person is unique and has unique gifts to help the team.  We need to understand this and learn about our team members, not just to leverage their gifts, but to make them are known and valued. Just think of a team in surgery, each of them has specific gifts that will help them save a life. We need to focus on finding out each individuals gifts and show them they are valued.

By focusing on individuals, we start to learn about them just like a sales person should be learning about the customer.  If we treat each individual as a customer, we start reframing our minds to thinking about how we can serve them well.  We immediately kick into building rapport and trust.  That’s what good sales professionals do best.  They build relationships.  At the core of any relationship is trust. 

You may be asking yourself, what if I’m not a sales person.  How do I do this?  Spoiler alert, we are all sales people.  Whether we have been on an interview, first date (interview), volunteering, parent, etc we are selling ourselves to others as a great option.  We are all selling something whether it is ourselves, or ideas, or our passion to help people be their best selves. 

Sales really is not that hard.  I was an introverted engineer when I started in sales.  It does not get much more difficult than that.  I like my alone time and I am a 1’s and 0’s black and white kind of person.  I still have thrived in sales because I focus on helping people get to a better place.  If we are in a leadership position, we can thrive as by putting on our sales hat and building trust with those that report to us.   Next week I’ll walk through the first buying decision in sales and how leaders can adapt that to building trust and relationships with those that report to them.

For now, sit back and think of a few relationships that could be improved by thinking like a sales person.  Not to sell them something, but how you can serve them and help them get to a better place.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Why Some Leaders Are able to Gain Influence and Trust, While Others Don’t

Good morning everyone,

I hope you are doing well and have been learning through my blogs and youtube videos to gain influence with your team members and customers.  Today I’d like to talk about why some leaders are great at building trust and influence with people while others just don’t.

Ever have a manager that made you feel like you could do anything and you would fight for them to your last breath?  Chances are that you would not go that extreme, but you stayed at your current job because they were a great leader.

The majority of managers are focused on keeping people and process moving steady and having the least amount of push back for the organization.  They want to stick around for a pay raise, or a position raise inside the organization.  These same managers push for their team members to keep moving along and getting their jobs done while hoping to not have to keep replacing people which slows everything down.

Very few leaders take it upon themselves to truly work on building influence with their team members and focus on helping their team members be successful.  When we as leaders turn the focus off ourselves and what we need to how we can help our team succeed, that is when amazing things start to happen.  Buy in goes up, people stay around longer, they even work harder, engagement increases, etc.

Culture, engagement, influence, and a whole bunch of high energy words are thrown around as focus points, but here is the simple thing that leaders need to do to achieve great results with their teams.  Leaders need to answer three questions on a daily basis to their teams.

Do I like you?

Do I trust you?

How Can you help me?

These three questions are what the team members are asking each and every time they interact with each other.  If trust is low, and the members believe they are just a number instead of a team member that is when people start lacking energy at work and looking for other avenues of employment.  Leaders need to really understand this.  If they want to retain employees, and have a culture of growth, the focus needs to be how leaders can help the team grow.

For those that say, what if I invest time, energy, and money which results in the future, the employee leaving…What if we don’t and they stay with lack luster effort?   

When trust is high speed goes up and costs go down.  That means that profits go up.

If Leaders are focusing on answer the three questions every time they show up with their team members, they will gain influence, gain engagement, and create a great culture.  In this great environment people will know that they are valued and will go the extra mile day in and day out to make sure the mission is a success. 

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Why Customer Service Reps Dislike Their Sales Reps…

Good morning everyone,

Have you ever experienced tension between customer service and the sales team?  Has there been passive aggressive exchanges between the two groups in your organization?

Ever have a customer service representative blindsided by a customer agreement?

Today I want to dive into an area of opportunity to help serve your customer as well as your organization.  In many organizations there are sales people and then there are account managers/ customer service representatives. 

Two separate people supporting groups for the customer and if communication is not great, two separate messages being communicated to the customer.  This drives customer satisfaction down as well as cross functional teams to argue and point fingers when issues arise.  Anyone that has been in sales for a while will be able to relate to this tension.

After a sale the sales person rides off into the sunset never to be heard from again which I have preached about in the past as being the ultimate sin in sales!  That’s right about 99% of sales professionals fall into this trap.  This hurts the relationship with the customer, effects return customers, and puts the customer service representative in a bad position when the customer asks for their deal that the sales professional made with them.

 Ever have this situation happen to your customer service team?  The sales person negotiates something different from the standard terms and conditions leaving the customer and customer service representative in a sparing contest to see who will give in.  The customer continues to get irritated stating, “ This is not what I agreed to!”  I’m sure some other adjectives are also used.  The customer service representative is also irritated and the customer experience has just blown up.  It does not even matter if the sales person resolves this issue, the customer already has an opinion of how this organization will support them in the future. 

Remember the organization is the second buying decision, even before the product is sold so we need to make sure we are all working together to make the customer experience exceptional. 

I worked for an organization where the sales people were all over the place with making side deals outside of the normal parameters.  The customer service representatives were processing orders without this knowledge and issues started popping up.  Customer relationships were paying the penalty.  Business was starting to erode and the owner of the organization was getting calls from large customers venting their frustration.  This was a bad situation.

To remedy this, the sales people were brought in for a sit down to understand how to get sales done following the standard program.  There needed to be conformity because there is something else that happens because our customers talk.  They will brag about the deal they received only to make the other customers resent the sales person for not giving them the same deal.  Profits were eroding and things were just not flowing in the organization.

When selling a product / service the customer service teams as well as sales teams need to have an understanding of the program and where there are opportunities to make small changes if needed.  Sales people and customer service representatives need to be on the same page so there is one message communicated to the customers at all times.  This helps when some of those slick customers try to get “a better deal.” 

Communication is key!  If sales professionals are not communicating terms of the deals and with the customer service representatives then there will be opportunities for misses with the customer.  The sales professionals also need to address as much of the terms of the agreement in writing so there are no issues for others to action against.  It is up to sales professionals to support their teams and not just hoping others will just figure it out. 

Both teams are extremely busy!  One idea that I have shared is to use a sharepoint directory so that our customer service and sales teams can reference the signed agreements so that way they can check what was agreed to.  Having this one location is crucial to the success of the organization!  This way we can serve the customer effectively, maintain relationships, and keep profits up!  Everyone needs to be on the same page when communicating with the customer.  Otherwise, the customer experience and profits suffer.

Have a great day everyone and happy selling!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

How Entrepreneurs Can Find Opportunity During the Pandemic Recovery

I am grateful for Curtis Fisher and his support of young entrepreneurs. This week’s blog post has been written by Curtis and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Small business owners everywhere have dealt with the economic impact of the pandemic. If your small business was considered “non-essential,” you may have had to close your doors for a period of months, only to return to limited operations afterwards.

Now, as the world begins to open up again and restrictions are gradually rolled back, you can slowly prepare for a return to normal. Maybe you need to revise your budget, get in touch with business and leadership consultant Kevin Sidebottom, or change your approach to marketing. No matter what you plan to do next, these tips will help you navigate this period of the pandemic.

Administrative Items

Business might not be back in full swing yet, but you can take advantage of this lull by working on administrative tasks instead. For instance, this might be a good time to go over your business plan and determine how you can tweak it for the upcoming year. You could also spend some time getting your digital files and paper documents organized.

In addition, now’s the time to register your business with the state in which you operate. Choosing to structure as a limited liability company (LLC) is optimal for many small businesses, primarily due to benefits like reduced risk to personal assets, less paperwork and greater tax advantages. You can use an affordable online formation service to get this done quickly and easily. Zenbusiness not only walks you through this process and helps you file, the site provides information on items like getting a statutory or registered agent.

Budgeting and Finances

The past year may have been rather lean for your business. Some sectors have benefitted from the pandemic while others have struggled. And if your business was categorized as non-essential, there’s a good chance that you’re wondering how to make up for lost profits.

First, it’s a good idea to create new financial projections for the coming year to see what you can expect in terms of your finances. Next, you’ll need to update your business budget by cutting expenses. What can you reasonably cut? Clean Tech Loops recommends nixing any software programs that you do not use regularly, switching to paperless files whenever possible, and considering a long-term remote work plan or renting an office space in a cheaper location.

Develop a Safety Plan

Depending on COVID case counts in your area, it might be time to bring your employees back to work in-person. It’s a good idea to consult with your employees before you make this decision. If everyone is on board to come back, Work Design recommends spacing out workstations with six feet in between them, stocking up on hand sanitizer, and having the office cleaned regularly. And if you have a retail space or waiting room where you’ll be allowing customers, make sure to put signs indicating that they are required to wear masks.

You may find that some workers aren’t ready to ditch telecommuting, especially those who live with people who are particularly vulnerable to the virus or those who simply feel much more productive while working from home. If this is the case, you’ll need to develop a plan for permanent remote work. Virtual Vocations recommends working with your employees to establish codes of conduct and decide which communication tools should become standard.

Delivery and Pickup Systems

Even though restrictions on businesses are slowly coming to an end, some of your customers or clients still might not be able to conduct transactions in person yet. Some people may still want to take care of business online or purchase items through a delivery or curbside pickup system. Make sure that you continue making efforts to accommodate this for the foreseeable future so as not to lose any customers.

New Offerings

The world is turning over a new leaf, and this could be the perfect time to introduce new offerings from your business. For instance, you could invite your customers or clients to a series of workshops that are held virtually for the time being and will shift to in-person gatherings as soon as it is safe. If you run a retail business, you could launch products that customers can easily enjoy outdoors this summer, since people will be looking forward to getting back outside.

Sales consultant and speaker Kevin Sidebottom blogs about the importance of knowing what customers crave. “What is the customer really asking us each time they interact with us whether [it’s] face to face meetings, calling customer service, on social media, etc. What is it that the customer is trying to communicate to us? We need to be intentional to reach out to them to figure out what they need. It’s that simple.”

Marketing Strategy

As people continue shopping online while others venture out, you’ll need to focus on combining both digital and offline advertising in your marketing strategy. You can rely on social media marketing, email campaigns, and search engine optimization to bring in new customers through the internet. In addition, set up fun window displays to attract more foot traffic to your store!

As restrictions are rolled back during the recovery phase of the pandemic, small business owners will have some breathing room to expand. You may want to use this time for administrative tasks, reworking your budget, or finetuning your marketing strategy so that you can speak to what your customers need right now. By looking forward with an optimistic attitude, you can prepare for profitable months ahead!

10 Resources for Top-Notch Home Office Design

Today we welcome guest writer Alice Roberts as she helps you with your organization and strategy to help you get your home office up to top working order.

If you’ve recently started working from home, you might be having trouble staying focused without a dedicated workspace. And if you’re hoping to grow your business by boosting your sales strategy with Kevin Sidebottom, creating a home office where you can concentrate is the first step! These resources will show you how to shop for office furniture, keep your desk tidy and organized, and ensure that your Internet connection is fast enough for your work.

Basic Necessities

To design your home office, you’ll first need to make necessary repairs to the space and choose comfortable furniture.

●      From selecting a desk to an ergonomic chair, these guidelines can help you purchase furniture that will last for years.

●      You don’t want a drafty home office, and a window repair may be in order. Find a local contractor with top ratings to ensure a quality job. Be sure to also put up sheers or shades to avoid glare from the sun.

●      Consider finding space for a bookshelf if you want to keep business development books in your office.

Invest in Tech

In order to stay on task, you’ll want to outfit your office with the right tech.

●      Make sure that your home WiFi network can handle your workload.

●      You might want to consider using dual monitors to tackle your to-do list more efficiently.

●      Purchase a high-quality printer for times when you need paper documents.

Get Organized for Productivity

Maintaining an organized home office is the key to staying productive and increasing your sales when you’re working remotely.

●      Develop a system for avoiding clutter on your desk so messes don’t disrupt your attention during the day.

●      Keep storage in mind as you move forward with your design - bins, filing cabinets, and even a desk hutch are all great options.

●      Take steps to soundproof your office so that you can avoid being interrupted during sales meetings and calls. You can also invest in a pair of quality headphones to drown out any noise.

●      You can even get creative and choose decor that will inspire you to stay productive! Consider artwork, plants, lighting, or whatever fits your design aesthetic.

When you work from home, it’s all too easy to get distracted. Designing a home office can help to eliminate this issue. By referencing these tips, you’ll be able to transform a spare room into an office where you can maximize your productivity and drive new sales!

Ready to optimize your business processes to boost sales? Kevin Sidebottom can revolutionize your sales strategy. Book Kevin today through the contact form on our website.

Photo via Pexels

The Customer Bought, Now What Do We Do?”

We’ve done it! 

We have made it to the fifth and final buying decision for the customer which is “Buy”

The customer has now purchased our product / service and we celebrate! Unfortunately, this is where 99% of sales people fail in the sales process. 

That’s right, they fail!  I am not saying that it is not okay to celebrate the win and I encourage the celebration, but when the sales person stops the sales process after receiving the order, the customer is left to fend for themselves.  This is wrong and we have not served the customer if we do this!  If we leave the customer and don’t make them successful with their purchase then the customer soon will develop buyer’s remorse, not hitting the desired outcome from the purchase, and possibly thinking they were just sold something instead of purchasing a solution.  The customer then associates us with the slimy salesperson that does not care about them.

Far too many sales people take the signed order and ride off into the sunset never to be heard from again.  It’s a huge opportunity that unfortunately most sales people miss out on!

That’s right, when the customer agrees to buy, this is the time that sales professionals need to roll up their sleeves and move forward with the customer.  The more this is done, the more the customer will brag to their friends, family members, social media, etc. about how awesome we served them and that everyone they know needs speak with us.  Who wouldn’t want a salesforce of individuals selling of us without having to pay them?  

I love having people that have taken my trainings tell others that they need to work with me because I know that what I am doing is working!

First and foremost, when the customer agrees to purchase, they will second guess themselves (buyer’s remorse) about the purchase.  That’s right, they are not sure what they did was the right decision.  This typically happens for purchases over $50.  No, we are not talking about a pack of gum.  The real-estate market has done a fantastic job overcoming this issue of “buyer’s remorse.”  As soon as the customer agrees to purchase a property, they immediately begin moving the customer into the next steps. 

When we confirm that the customer has made the right decision, they feel justified and will be set at ease.  Getting the customer moving forward after this decision to buy and onto the next steps such as delivery date, onsite training, etc., the customer is reaffirmed and feels like they have made the best decision possible.  They have a game plan for the next steps.  The customer will be fired up and ready to begin moving forward with our help!  They appreciate this, because most sales people do not do this!  This simple step!  Now we have a few other things we need to do as well.

The last step in the sales process is crucial.  Again 99% of sales professionals do not do this.  This is the most crucial step in gaining influence with customers.  It’s the next 90 days after the sale that really makes the customer’s purchase a success, or a failure.  That’s right, after the installation and quick run through, the customer is going to have issues.  The faster we communicate how to resolve those issues the better the customer will feel.  That is why organizations have had support lines waiting for customer to call, but the sales professional has an opportunity to take this one step further.

This is the sales process step in trainings that most organizations ask a great deal of questions on how they can get better.  This is where I gain my consulting business and coaching for.  Helping them gain the tools so they can make the customer successful 90 days after the sale.  We figure out how to make the customer successful and the organizations see higher levels of business gains.

What do we have ready for your customers so that they can consistently win with our product / service?  That is the question that we need to answer and if we do this well, we will be rewarded with greater levels of influence.  With more influence comes greater growth in sales and increased revenue.  At a certain point we become such an influencer that people stop focusing on price.  Wouldn’t that be amazing to take the pricing discussion off the table?

We are in the service business no matter what we sell.  Serve the customer well and reap the rewards.  Underserve, and stay a commodity in the customer’s eyes.

It’s okay to have a little celebration, but then get to work rolling up your sleeves and help serve the customer!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

The Scariest Part Of The Sales Process

Welcome back everyone,

We have been walking through the buying decisions that customers must make before they will buy a product / service from us sales professionals.  If you haven’t read the past few blog posts, I encourage you to go back and read them as they will help you understand how we got here.  For today, let’s jump into this fun topic! 

When I first got into sales, I actually hated this buying decision.  I was so nervous that I kept selling the product as long as I could and would talk myself out of a sale in most cases.  The reason was that I feared rejection.  Just like asking that girl out in high school, I was nervous to ask for the order from the customer. 

Back in high school I was literally under five-foot-tall, weight around 100 pounds and let’s be honest the wind may have been able to knock me down if it blew over 10 mph.  Asking for a date seemed like a monumental task when I had to look up to just about everyone.  Luckily, I grew taller and so did my confidence.

No one really enjoys rejection and I was no different when it came to sales.  I did not want to find out if I had not done a good job at understanding the customer’s needs and addressing those needs.  I did not want to hear “NO” just like a child hates the word no.  I did not want the customer rejecting my request to move forward with the purchase.

Here is what I have learned through many years of selling.  We as professional sales people need to hear the word no.  That’s right, if we have not answered the customer’s needs, we should hear “NO”.  We do not need the customer buying the product only to hate the purchase and then remember us as the ones that sold them that product / service.  We need them to be glad they purchased the product / service and that it helped them.  Otherwise, we are just another sales person that made a quick buck that did not help the customer.  Serving the customer well leads to much more sales success in the long run.

Now, why is it okay to hear the word no?  Once we hear the word no, we can go back to the uncovering needs and verification of needs steps to make sure we completely understand the customer.  Which is what the customer truly wants.  The customer wants to be known and understood.  They want to know that this solution in front of them will actually help them move forward. 

As professional salespeople, we need to make sure we have courage to ask for the order.  We need to find out if we are on the right track or if we missed something.  This is our opportunity to come back and help the customer better if we missed something.  It’s our sign to make sure we are moving in the right direction.

You never know, the customer may actually say “Yes” and award us the business if we have followed the process correctly.  That is when the real work starts! 

Have the courage to ask for the order and wait for the reply from the customer.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

The One Decision Sales People Get Wrong

Ever have a customer answer your sales proposal with the following statement, “ That is great, but how does that help me?”  I have had this experience and had to use those same words with some sale people when they tried to sell me something.

This part of the sales process is where most sales professionals believe they need zero help.  Unfortunately, most sales professionals need a great deal of help with this part of the sales process.  To show this I ask people to sell me their product / service.  This is where the attendees have a reflection moment.

Most attendees start with firing features and benefits in rapid fire, their elevator pitch, or how their product is so revolutionary like they are in one of those late-night infomercials.  Unfortunately, this is an incorrect process in selling your product / service.  The reason I know this is because I started out selling my products this way which drove my lack of sales.  The customer does not care about how many features and benefits we have to offer.

What the customer does care about is how this product / service will meet “their needs”.  That’s right! How does what we offer help them?  That is the question our customers are asking.  Each customer is different and has different needs which means we need to be smart about how we approach this part of the sales process.  We can not simply rain features and benefits all over them.  We need to answer their needs.

To effectively answer the customer’s needs, the salesperson needs to do the work in the first buying decision by asking great questions to uncover the customer’s needs.  By asking questions we are able to actually understand the customer, what they are looking to achieve, and why they are looking to achieve it with this purchase.  If we assume that we know exactly what the customer needs we typically miss the mark in sales.  

You’re probably asking yourself how do I avoid this mistake?  The answer is simple.  By making sure that the question I am asking aligns with my features and benefits.  That’s right I use the features and benefits of my product / service to roadmap questions for the customer.  If the customer is saying yes to those questions, then we know that we are on the right track to help the customer.  Simple right!

One more point here and this is a big point!

If the answer is no to most of my questions about my product / service.  I quickly understand that what the customer is looking for is not what I offer and I point them in the right direction to meet their needs.  That is right, if my product / service will not help the customer I am going to do everything in my power to help them find what they need.  Most sales people are shaking their heads in disbelief, but they are wrong.  See I am playing the long game with selling that builds influence.  Influence that will come back to me ten fold later on.

If my current product / service does not help the customer and I help them find something that does, I have just solidified my value and gained tremendous influence with the customer. Even if they do not buy this product / service today, they will tell their friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. about the service that I have provided and how I helped them.  They will tell those people that they need to come talk to me.  It has helped me time and time again with references and grow my sales in the long run.

Yes, this is an internal decision to focus on helping more than just selling our products / service.  I chose this early in my career which helped me gain more sales than I could have ever thought possible.  Customers have come to me years later telling me that someone referred them to me because I was the best and helped in such a way that they needed to see me first.

Isn’t that where we want to be?  To be the person everyone wants to come to for a solution to meet their needs?

If you need support on making sure you are hitting the mark on this part of the sales process, or any others feel free to click here to see my online membership that gives you lifetime access.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Does Your Organization Answer The Second Customer Buying Decision?

Have you been disappointed by the lack of customer service lately?  Has it affected your decision to buy from this place of business again?

Have you ever decided not to buy a product or service because of the reputation of the organization?

I recently ordered some workout gear from an organization that I often do business with.  I ordered the products and received the shipping information and for a week with no shipment info.  When I reached out to this organization, they informed me they would ship out a new order for me.  A week later nothing.  I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, but after weeks of trying to figure out why my products were not shipping, I reached out once more to find out that the replacement order was never placed.  This was exhausting follow up that was very discouraging.

If an organization builds a reputation of poor customer service, unethical practices, bad quality, etc., they are not going to be the organization with the large value proposition to customers.  Organizations often try to cut corners to save a few dollars, that end up sacrificing millions in the long run.  Truth be told that if organizations are not providing exceptional value they are a commodity.  There are other options to buy similar products and services.

With the onset of Millennials in the workforce we are seeing a trend of them working for organizations that align with their values more so than just to collect a paycheck.  This same demographic is also the largest demographic of individuals in US history.  This demographic of individuals stive to work for organizations that align with their personal mission statements.  Millennials want to make sure they are going to help society by working with and for these organizations.  It is imperative that organizations recognize this and make sure they are selling themselves as well as their products.

These same Millennials are also purchasing products and services from organizations.   If the organization does not align with the Millennials goals, guess what, they won’t buy from these organizations.  Again, the largest demographic in US history means the largest buying power.

How do organizations make sure they are selling what makes them unique to the customers?  Organizations should use the same process they use to sell their products and services correctly.  They answer the needs of the customer.  What does the organization offer that will help the customer “WIN?” 

When we look at our organizations whether they are for profit or non-profit, we need to see what we do well.  Do we offer online SEO plans to help customers get quicker growth on the internet marketplace?  Do we have solutions to handling ecommerce for the customer’s products and services online?  What does our organizations do to enable personal growth of our customers?   Do our organizations donate a large part of our profits to help society?  Each of our organizations offer solutions that are vital, but it is up to us to define those game changer answers to the customer’s needs.

What does your organization do well to help the customer?  It just may save your organization in the long run. 

Put your answer in the comments below in this blog as I love to hear how organizations answer the customer’s needs.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Do I Trust You?

Good morning everyone,

Last week we talked about how we need to let the customer feel comfortable and relaxed when they meet with us.  What colors to wear options and why were provided, how to approach them, tones of speech, etc. to help us make the customer feel comfortable and so that they could be relaxed which will allow them the opportunity to like us.

This week I want to work on the other two questions that the customer has which are Do I trust you?, and How can you help me?  These two questions are very important with sales of $50 or more.  People need to know like and trust us before they will do business with us.

If in the first buying decision that the customer has, “The Salesperson” the customer does not trust us and we can’t show them how we can help the customer, then they will simply go to another source and purchase.   Our product / service has now become a commodity.   It does not matter if we have the best product on the face of the earth.  The question is how do we build trust and how the customer knows that we are there to help them.

In my training on The Sales Process Uncovered, I walk sales people through the house analogy that I use to learn about the customer.  We want to learn about the customer, their family, their passions, issues they are needing help with, and the consequences of not fixing those issues.  We need to know their S.I.R. before we can identify a solution.

Asking questions is the way to get to know if what we have to sell will actually help the customer.  Not just simple questions like, would the customer like a certain color of the product, but why are they looking to achieve with this purchase.  What did they like about the last product they used, what do they wish they had on the previous product that they are replacing today?  What does a win look like for the customer with this purchase? 

Is the customer looking to gain a certain sense of prestige, needing a vehicle that basically drives itself so they can get more work done on their commute, or do they have a child that has a condition that makes the need for them to have a certain easy entry vehicle?  Ask deeper questions to understand the why behind the customer’s decision.  Until we do this, we are unable to help the customer.

People crave to be understood and known. Customers also want to know that we are with them to make them a hero in their story.  Customers need to be the hero in their story and know that they have the solution that will solve their issues.  That is why they talk to sales professionals.  They are looking for guidance to find a solution.

Think back to the last time you had an amazing buying experience.  What were some of the key elements of that sale that you had to tell your friends about because it just made you feel like you were set up for success with that purchase?  How did the sales person make you feel?  What did that salesperson do that stood out to you?  What extra step did they do that no one else has ever done when you were making a purchase?

Next, think of a bad buying experience?  What were some of the reasons why the sales person lost the sale?  What could they have done better?  What made you run away as fast as you could to get away from that sales person?

Now look at some of the wins and losses we have had in sales.  This will take some time, but it will help us in the long run.  Playing through the situations in our head will help us reevaluate what we did well and what we can improve on.  We want to focus on opportunities for improvement to allow the customer to have a fantastic customer experience.  Experiences that customers can’t help but brag to everyone about how we helped them.  Do this enough times and we will not have to work as hard in sales and will become a success.

If we do not get the first buying correctly and constantly improve, then we will be mediocre in sales.  No one really wants to be mediocre.  We want to keep growing and getting better because without success we start losing hope and looking for other careers.  This is a slippery slope as with all new ventures, failures come quickly and often.  This is why people that consistently start over when a challenge happens never really excel.  Those that stay true to the process of growth and refining are the ones that truly hit high levels of success.

Today focus on making sure that the question asked to customers are ones that will hit the mark.  If you need help with drafting questions reach out.  I am here to help you!

Have a great week everyone. 

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

They Won't Buy From You If They Don't Like You

Good morning everyone,

Last week we talked about how sales people tend to get introductions out of the way quickly and then jump straight into selling.  These same sales people have not proven themselves reliable, or trustworthy to the customer, but yet these sales people believe that the customer should trust and investment with them.  Sales people assume the customer likes, trusts, and believes that the sales person can help the customer.  How do we perform typically when we assume in situations?  When we assume we get the situation wrong. 

The first buying decision is the longest and hardest to complete.  Mainly because there is so much decision making that happens in this buying decision before anything can move forward for the customer.  The customer has to know, like, and trust us before they will ever buy from us.  Do you think that right after someone gets your name and starts selling that they really care about you or your needs?

We as sales professionals need to make sure we are answering these three questions for the customer within the first 60 seconds of the interaction:

Do I like you?

Do I trust you?

How can you help me?

If we jump straight into selling mode after we get their name the customer will be quickly be turned off.  Ever wonder why when asked what brings you in to this store today the customer says something like this, “Just looking.”  It’s because the customer has been trained to think that sales people are all the same and all the sales person cares about is selling their product or service.

Let’s change that perception.

Let’s start by using a plan on how we will approach the customer in a way that builds likeability and trust right out of the get go.  Let’s start with making sure when we approach the customer we are not circling like hungry vultures.   Let’s let the customer come into our facilities and let them get comfortable by smiling and saying “Hi, welcome.  We are here to help you when you are ready.” 

Smiling, wearing the right colors that psychologically reflect trust, honesty and lowers anxiety.  Not power ties, not blacks, not dark greys, but light blues whites, and some greens to ease the customer into lowering their defenses. We also need to listen to how we talk.  That’s right speech patterns that don’t align will also increase anxieties.  I found this out when I started selling in the southern United States.  I needed to change my speech patterns a bit instead of a fast-paced midwestern speech pattern. I also needed to say soda instead of pop J

Science has shown that depending on the environment (noise levels, smells, colors, lighting, etc) the customer can actually become engaged, or withdrawn.  Next time you walk into a department store check out the different areas of the store and notice the lighting, colors, music playing, and scents pumped into each area.  This helps to ease the customer’s anxiety lower.  Ever wonder why Costco offers free samples?  Because the longer a customer is in the store the higher the probability they will buy more.

The next time we show up to work we need to be putting our best foot forward to make the customer relaxed.  Will we be paying attention to the customer and welcoming them, or will we be going in for the kill to make a sale?  Make sure to be attentive to the customer and allow them to like us.

Answering Do I trust you and How can you help me? for the customer is essential in the first buying decision. We need to build that trust as well as show the customer that we will work to help them meet their needs.  There is a great deal in these two questions so we will have to save that for next week as to how we will do this, but for today think about asking questions to the customer. 

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Stop Jumping Into Your Sales Pitch

Ever attempted to buy a car, furniture, or some large electronic device and the sales person asked how you are doing and immediately dives into trying to sell you something?   At this point you have likely decided it is time to plan your escape.  Hopefully not with the sales person holding on to your leg saying, “Please Stay!!!”

Far too often sales people jump right into the deep end of the pool and start trying to sell to customers before they understand the customer.  How do they even know the situation before they make that leap? Most often times sales people are spitting out all sorts of features and benefits of the product / service they offer in hopes something will make customers say yes and close a sale.  What most sales people forget is that customers buy to satisfy needs, not features and benefits.  It’s a simple concept, but hard to put into practice unfortunately.

When I train sales professionals, I have to make sure that I highlight this fact each time I start the training.  We as sales professionals need to stop launching right into a sales pitch early on in the sales process.   The customer is actually put off by this practice of selling.   I know some sales people at this point think that sales is just a numbers game so keep it up and a sale will happen. 

Most customers will wait for the presentation to end patiently and then thank the sales person for their time before making a way to the exit as fast as possible.  People want to feel heard and understood.  Too many times sales people leap into action and sell something because they are looking for that next kill.  Most sales people think of sales just like hunting for something. 

I started selling like this, but quickly learned that sales is actually like farming.  When we hunt we can eat for a day if we end up achieving our goals.  When we farm and plant the seeds, take care of the soil, we will harvest a feast for a long period of time.  We start small and grow our influence with the customer over time. 

By changing out mindset and focusing on how to serve the customer well we will gain more influence and generate more sales.  We need the customer to buy off on us before they will ever think about buying our product or service.  That’s right people will not buy from us if they don’t know, like, and trust us. Here’s another fact, the larger the sale, the longer it takes to understand the customer’s needs.  That means the sales process will take longer.

I have structured multi-million, multi-year contracts and every one of these deals took years to come together.  Not one of these customers has ever stopped on my doorstep and said please help me, I need you to sell me your product without growing the influence with them first.  I had to grow influence before they would look at me as an option to help them with their larger investments.  They gave me opportunities for smaller deals and then as they grew to trust me and trust that I understood them well enough they gave me larger opportunities. 

Apple has done a great job of getting people to line up for their new products, but back when they started, hardly anyone wanted their products.  It took years of the correct leadership, marketing, and growing influence to get to where they are today.

Each day there are new strategies on how to sell to a new sophisticated type of customer, but most of these new sales strategies are trying to do the same exercise of growing influence with the customer.  Shortcuts may work for the short term, but long term they fizzle out and influence erodes.  I have used the same process for almost two decades to sell to different industries, and in different parts of the world.  It’s a simple process and it helps the sales professionals walk through the customer’s five buying decisions that they must answer before they will purchase our products or services. 

We have to meet the customer’s needs and then we will be rewarded with their business and grow influence with them for future sales. 

If you’d like to take the opportunity to learn this easy to utilize process to increase your sales click here.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Want Influence? Focus On Rapport

Have you ever wondered why people just ignore your request? 

Ever have someone work for you that consistently looks and acts disengaged until you pressure them for your request again? 

Would you like to have people that are engaged?  I think most of us would say yes to that right?

When I teach people about building greater levels of engagement and influence with those around them, I have to remind most of the people that it all starts with us.  That is right if we don’t focus on building rapport then we shouldn’t expect others to step up?  See people want to feel valued and by us investing into them, they will feel valued.

Whether we are coaching, are a boss, sitting with a client, interviewing, or anytime we encounter another person, we need to be able to build rapport quickly. People form their first impressions of others in less than 60 seconds. Two questions “Do I like you? and Do I trust you?” are answered in that 60 seconds.  If we want influence, then we need to be able to answer those two questions quickly.  That is why we need to have rapport.

People also associate with others that they know, like, and trust.  I have even heard of people being hired because they were more relatable even though they were not the most qualified.  Isn’t that interesting.  Rapport building is an essential skill to have if we are going to interact with other people.  Especially if we want to grow influence with those people.

So how do we build rapport?

Here are four ways that I build rapport with others:

Be Helpful

Be willing to help others with whatever I am capable to help with.  Go the extra mile to help others even when we think we have done enough.  One step further...  It could be jumping in to help unload something that the person we are meeting with is trying to unload from a truck without trying to get something from them in return.  It could also be helping sweep up a mess that has happened for the customer while they are trying to fill an order, or sending follow up note to the person that the task was completed for them by our organization.  Being genuine and helpful will go a long way at building rapport with people.  Not trying to leverage the interaction with others.

Be Intentional Curious

By being intentional curious I mean valuing others that you’d like to learn about them.  This can be done by researching others on social media such as Linkedin, Facebook, local associations they are affiliated with, google etc.  Being intentional to learn about those people and their interests are very impactful.  Not just to gain leverage, but to be intentionally curious about them and hear them. 

Be Respectful

People want to feel valued and that they are important.  Why not make them feel that way?  Let them know that we have their back and are willing to do the work with them.  Call them sir or ma’am shows respect.  Using their name (sweetest sound to any person is their own name), using our manners, asking them questions.  By being respectful we are showing respect and who doesn’t like some R.E.S.P.E.C.T.?

Be Enthusiastic

Show some enthusiasm with the person we are talking to.  Use humor, make them feel comfortable, and lower the anxiety.  People that smile and make people laugh are far more enjoyable.  These people build rapport more so than someone who walks around like the Winnie the Pooh character Eeyore that moped around and never showed excitement.  People like to be around light hearted and fun people.  Show some enthusiasm and energy.  People gravitate towards others that are full of energy.

There you have it, think of H.I.R.E. when you are looking to build rapport.  Focus on others and help them get to where they way to go, be respectful and be enthusiastic in order to build rapport.  We want the person to like us so much that they can’t think of anyone else they would rather talk to for our subject matter.

If you are interested in building more influence follow click here to my course and I will guide you in the principals on how to answer the three questions that everyone asks at each interaction. 

Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

How Can I Help?

How often do we ask this question? 
How can you help me is typically what we ask.

All of us by nature are born with the innate desire to find out how we can be helped by associating with others. Call it selfishness, survival, whatever you want to call it.  We are born with this desire to find out how we will benefit by the interaction with another. 

Our employees want to know how they will get to a better place by working for us as well.  Just like us, they want to know how their lives will improve.  It’s up to us to answer that question each and every time we interact with them.  If we chose not to, then we will find ourselves losing engagement from our employees.  We want to have people coming to us with ideas on how to improve, with engagement, with excitement to work with us!

The question we should be asking ourselves is what do we have in our capabilities to make the lives better?  How by working with us will their lives be better?  This is a crucial change in our focus.  Instead of focusing on how we can benefit, we need to shift that focus onto how we can help.  What is it that we, and our organization can do to help the employees flourish? 

What do we have in our capabilities to enrich those that work for us and with us to improve their lives.  Do we know what major events are going on in their lives and what capabilities we have to come along side them to help?  We don’t need to get into tons of details, but if we knew someone lost a loved one, could other people in the group rally around to pick up some of the slack that will likely get dropped for a shot period of time?

One thing that I have strived to do is add value in each interaction.  It doesn’t have to be monetary all the time.  It can be helping the employees learn a new skill or software, ideas and local hot spots for a vacation, life hacks, deals, or helping them find toilet paper when the country is freaking out during a pandemic.  Finding out what they need help with and stepping in shows that we value others and they will pick up on that.

The key is to take the focus off of wondering how we can capitalize from the exchange and how we can add value.  I love the quote from Zig Zigler that says, “You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough people get what they want.”   It really works and the outcome is far greater than we would have expected.  It is harder to accept something with a closed fist, but with an open hand more can be added.

Helping others when they need help will grow trust and influence to where they will run with us in the heat of battle for the cause.  Engagement will increase and we will see more output with those that we help and value.  Let’s focus on how we can help instead of what we can gain from an interaction.  That will drive better results.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Why Should They Trust Us?

Today we get into the second question that employees are asking themselves when speaking to to leadership.  Do I trust you? 

That is a huge question that if answered No, can stop engagement in its tracks.  If the employees do not trust the leadership then the organization is just going to be stagnant.  Now if you have ever walked by a stagnant pool or water, what did you notice?  There was likely a not so pleasant smell and algae growing on the top of the water.  Would we want our organizations to become stagnant? 

I have spent the majority of my career studying why people buy products and services as well as why people buy into leadership.  Being that I was an engineer there had to be an equation to the solution.  Magic was also not going to be the answer.  What I found is that when people use humor, are upfront, and show empathy towards others.  That is when people really start to open up and trust.

I’ve had a manager that had issues gaining trust.  This manager would openly tell anyone he first met within the first few minutes about his Christianity, but his actions would contradict what he would say he stands for.  He was explosive to be around and would demand you follow his view points.  If you challenged his view points, watch out!

This kind of behavior erodes trust the same as lying to others.  Trust is crucial for any kind of growth individuals 

So how can we grow trust fast?  Here are four principals that will help us grow trust with individuals.

1.     Social Proof

2.     Heart of a teacher

3.     Open and honest communication

4.     Encourage others to hold the microscope

Social proof is using a mutual connection between the someone else and yourself.  So many people like Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, music artists, etc would see huge followings after being on the Oprah show.  Once they leveraged that connection, they were considered the go to expert.  Now we can’t all get on the Oprah channel, but we can leverage anyone that we know who knows us well that could reach out on our behalf. 

Having a heart of a teacher is offering help to the others get to a better place even if it does not benefit ourselves initially.  Teaching to give free knowledge for the heart of helping others is something that is lacking in today’s culture.  People tend to only want to help if they will receive something in return in that transaction.  If we want to gain trust, we have to have a heart of a teacher to help others. Not for what we will gain, but to help.  Zig Ziglar stated, that we will get all we want out of life, if we help enough other people get what they want.  I love that concept!

Open and honest communication means reaching out when we see something bad coming, but also making sure that others are aware and that we have their back.  Making sure that they are communicated to in a personal level is key.  Pick up the phone when we can instead of just sending an email.  This is something that I still struggle with sometimes when I am busy, but what I have learned is making sure I communicate is key.  Keep in mind the written word it taken negative most times when someone reads it.  Most of communication is nonverbal, posture, tone of voice, etc.  An email does not have the same impact as a verbal, or in person conversation.

The last key thing to do is encouraging others to hold the microscope.  No one is perfect so we should stop thinking we are.  We should stop judging others by their actions and want ourselves to be judged by our intent.  We should give others the opportunity to speak life into areas that we may have blind spots to.

There you have it. Four ways to grow trust fast.  SHOE… We need to have our shoes on if we plan to walk the talk :)

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Do You Like Me?

Good morning everyone.  Last week we discussed the three questions that employees ask when the meet with us on every interaction.  If you missed it click here to catch up.

The first question that we ask ourselves subconsciously when we interact with another person is “Do I like you?”  Our brains are trying to figure out if this person standing in front of us is a threat or a potential ally.  Should we stay, or run…

Physically our bodies will change posture depending on how this question is answered.  Our posture will literally change as much as leaning in to leaning back depending on engagement and trust.  This is why sales professionals have been taught to always mirror our customer’s posture during meetings.

Did you know that depending on if you are male or female you tend to want to stand in different postures when interacting?  Women prefer to stand at 90 degree angles to men when they are interacting in the personal space.  They naturally want to keep a guard up to not feel vulnerable.  Men typically like to stand face to face total body facing their counterpart.

Are you starting to see how this might be a problem getting someone to like you if you do something small like use the incorrect stance?

Here is something else that will impact the way someone answers that question.  The colors clothing we wear can also impact how we are judged.  That’s right the color we wear actually has an impact on how others perceive us.  We could start the discussion off on the wrong foot just by color.  In Robert Cialdini’s book “Influence” he breaks down the colors and what they mean.  It is a must read if you are working to sales! To make it easier for you, I tend to wear light blue and white shirts when I meet someone for the first time because those colors are associated with “Trust.”  They are also calming colors.  I want the customer calm and feeling like I am a trustworthy advocate for them.

I make sure to wear the right color tones for the meeting that I am about to have.  The reason is I need the customer to feel at ease while meeting with me.  They will be more relaxed and willing to hear me while we are discussing a topic.  I also pay close attention to their posture as what I have learned is that 93%  of communication is actually non-verbal.

Here are some other factors that can affect the first impression:

Scents we wear, voice tonality, pace of speech, jewelry, etc. 

The old saying we only get one chance to make a first impression still is true today.  Making sure we are paying attention to the person in front of us will help us greatly generate trust.

Have a great day!  Next week will jump into the second question we need to answer.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Employee Engagement Do We Really Need It?

Do you have any people that just don’t seem to engage in your mission, vision, or plan?  Do they just seem to listen and then go back to what they were already doing?

Ever see people not paying attention during your meetings?

Chances are if you are in a large organization, you have witnessed this engagement issue.  Even if you are under 100 employees, you may have noticed this as well.

There are a lot of reasons why people are disengaged and it slows the organization down.  People become complacent and then slowly just show up to collect their paycheck.  This starts to suck the life out of the organization. 

Lack of engagement is a huge problem!  So much that organizations spend millions of dollars booking keynote speakers, sending management into trainings, and still do not gain engagement from the employees.  It’s a culture problem and the main solution is found by answering three questions:

Do I like you?

Do I trust you?

How can you Help me?

These three questions are asked in our subconscious every time we interact with others.  Our bodies are hardwired to want to know if we like, trust, and can be helped by the other person.  These questions have been embedded into our survival since the beginning of mankind.   We also are programmed to know if we are safe in an environment, or if we need to run (fight or flight response). 

In business, if we are not answering these questions for our employees then why should we expect them to engage?  The people that report to us want to know that what they are doing has meaning and that they can like, trust, and be helped by us.  This is deeper than just a pay check.  These people want to know that we will be there to support them.  Otherwise, we are just like any other organization they have worked for that has not cared for them with the only differentiating factor is the size of the paycheck.  Enter employee turn over!

I have worked in various industries and business environments.  The one thing that is common is that leaders can have all this enthusiasm and charisma, but still have engagement issues in their organizations.  People just going through the motions and collecting a pay check. No enthusiasm, no going the extra mile for the team, and just showing up for their hours of work and then leave.  No cool game area, sleep pods, or other fun things to do will fix this.

If we want to get engagement and people showing up for a cause, going the extra mile, and willing to charge into battle with us, then we need to make sure we are answering the three questions to each and every employee.  We need them to like, trust, and know that we can help them.  It’s a two-way street as they have to be able to answer those three questions with us as well.  That is hopefully why we hired them. 

Start by having a conversation with them and asking questions about what they need.  They may not be able to correctly articulate everything they need, but at least they know that you care and you want to help.  By showing you care and have empathy for your employees, they will start going the extra mile for you.  Then as discussions evolve with employees, together there will be more buy in for the mission, vision, and goal of the organization. 

People want to know they matter and that their leadership does actually cares about the employees before they will go all in for the mission. 

The next few weeks we will break down the three questions and give you tips on how to actively hit the mark on each of them.

Have a great weekend! 

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Back To Normal…Back to Staying Fit While Traveling

Now that vaccine numbers are up and the COVID numbers are getting lower in many locations in the US.  Business organizations are starting to open up customer visits and traveling to see customers.  In person events are even starting up.  Things are starting to get back to normal.

With things opening back up, the question is how to we stay fit while traveling.  Maybe it’s summer vacation, maybe it’s work travel, maybe it is even trying to shed the COVID 15 lbs.

What fitness programs can we do anywhere at any time?

How do we schedule time for fitness as our schedules get tighter and tighter?

I have spent a great deal of time on the road in my career and I can say that it is extremely hard to stay fit when traveling.  I have spent hours trying to plan workouts whether traveling for business or pleasure and was mostly unsuccessful.

Some things I would do was research where I was traveling to in order to find hotels with fitness centers that were not just a treadmill and an exercise bike, map out gyms near hotels, or figure out routes to run.  I would get so exhausted from all of the planning that I would usually just give up and find something on tv to watch.

My epiphany happened one day I was watching informercials when I could not sleep from an extensive business trip.  One caught my attention mainly because it was stating that fitness could be done in a small amount of space with limited workout equipment.  The infomercial was for P90X taught by Tony Horton.  This is where my beach body adventure started.

I bought the program and I have to say it worked.  I was able to get in the better shape than I was in college.  The program worked so much that I have done it at least once a year for the past decade.  I was able to travel with minimal workout equipment.  Usually just fitness bands and running shoes.  I could also plan my workouts.  I could do plyometric training, kick boxing, and yoga while I was on the road.  I was even able to use a small 8’ x 8’ space to workout at home.  Beach Body now has streaming service called Beach Body On Demand (BOD)

There are over 40 different workout programs on this system with different coaches. There is a great variety of workout programs on this service so whatever you are feeling like that day you can push play and get to work easily on your schedule.  Now here is the cool part about this.  You don’t need a gym membership, a bunch of gym equipment at your home, or a great deal of space.  You also don’t have to waste time waiting for people to get done sweating over equipment you need to use.  It’s efficient and wide open for you to decide what you want to do that day.  You can also stream it on your phone from the app, or from a laptop.

They even have nutrition programs that go along with the workout programs.  One stop shop to help us stay fit when traveling.

Peloton, Nordic track, and mirror all have similar formats for working out without needing much equipment.  Some work out facilities and hotels even have equipment set up to use these programs as well. Getting outside and walking / running is also a great way to see the location, but that will take some planning on how far you want to go for your fitness goals.

No, I am not a beach body coach, I don’t sell the materials, or their magic shake formula (which I don’t use), but I do endorse this format especially if you are a busy individual.  It works if you put forth the effort and push play.  I have used this workout formula which helps me mitigate stress, process ideas, and clears my head.  If it worked for me then it can work for anyone. 

Also, when I finish a workout program entirely, I treat myself to something as a way to set a goal to complete a program.   

We are getting back into the swing of things as well as the summer travel so it will take some planning and execution if we want to stay fit as we get back to normal.  It is achievable, but we need to start now if we want to hit our goals!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com