Confessions Of A Generation Y Infiltrator
by Paul Castain on May 5, 2010
I began my mission in the fall of 2006 high atop my Dale Carnegie vantage point in Hauppauge Long Island. My mission was clear, I was to facilitate a training session for a team at MTV. Being 20 years their senior, I hoped to play that off like an older, balder brother. Who knows, maybe I could be that good.
We started our session and I hit them with everything I had. Our dialogue transitioned to full blown lecture on how one properly communicates in the business world. I placed my soapbox firmly on the floor, climbed up and told them how wrong it was to rely on email so heavily and how text messages were just inexcusable.
Then it happened, a young woman of about 25, respectfully raised her hand and proposed that maybe the problem was not in their use of these venues, but in my generation’s need to try and change them. My cover was now blown and I kind of felt like the old lady in that commercial who says “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”
I decided from that point on I would embrace more of a “Seek first to understand” mindset and had by far, one of the most awesome discussions I’ve ever had the privilege of facilitating. School was in session for Uncle Paul.
It’s now almost 4 years later and I’m proud to say that I’ve trained and spoken before hundreds of Generation Y’s and I’ve made them a continual study. Truth be told, my main function with the company I work for now is to make this group of young Jedi’s armed and dangerous.
Here’s what I learned:
1) Houston We Have A Freakin Problem: And the problem is this need to try and change them instead of working with the landscape we’ve been given. Sure I could insist that they must embrace the old ways, or I could enter their world and teach them how to work smarter within those parameters. I see others getting caught up in this endless criticism of this generation ranging from work ethic to attire and all points in between. Please understand something and know this will sound shallow. There’s no money in that discussion for you!
2) Respect By Virtue of Age or Experience . . . Think again sista! One thing dramatically different about this generation is that they don’t give automatic respect to those with the title, experience or dare I say their elders; they give it to those who are the contributors to the organization. The ones who earn it!
3) Because They Grew Up With Technology . . . they love innovation! Sales Managers: How can you leverage that? How can you include them in the process? It may also mean that at times they are going to be relying too much on the technology. It may even mean that they have more of a clue than you do with regard to technology and you (yes you) are clinging too much to the days of yesteryear. Sales Reps Selling To Generation Y: How can YOU leverage this with your clients?
4) The True Jedi’s Will Know How To Lead (and kick the proverbial arse) Across Multi Generations: Ladies and gentlemen, our work force is living longer and they are working longer (quite frankly because they have to). We’re already seeing a huge age range from early 20’s to 60+. In our lifetime, we WILL see that number go dramatically beyond 60. That creates a need. A need for people who have a clue in how to manage across multi generations. And there’s no need to wait for that, because the need already exists now.
5) When Generation Y’s Sell To The Older Folk: When selling to what experts call the “Oldeus Farteous” understand that you might get called out on your age. Whether that situation stresses you or not, you had better prepare for it. Suggestion: Understand that it’s always difficult to address age so instead, you speak about your experience. If that doesn’t work, feel free to break glass in case of emergency and use this bad boy: “Truth be told Ms Customer, is that a rep could have a kazillion years of experience and still fall short where it counts and that’s delivering results. Maybe because of your perception of my age, that gives me added incentive to prove you wrong and deliver those results for you. Either way, it’s a chance. I suspect it’s the same chance someone took on you when you first started your career”
6) When The Older Folk Sell To Generation Y: Please forgive me for stating the painfully obvious, but Generation Y’s are rapidly moving into leadership/influencing positions. Armed with that knowledge, we had better learn how they tick, how they communicate and where they like to spend their online time. We need to start showing up in places like Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter. Why? Because at a minimum, it provides you with a free “listening station” and an incredible opportunity to learn. It helps you get and keep your finger on the pulse and most of all (if you learn how to master this space) it will get you noticed!
7) Generation Y (and this isn’t a criticism) Expects Their Career To Advance Faster Than We Did. Some look at that as a lack of patience. Once again, there’s no money in that type of critique. I see it as a sense of urgency that as a sales professional, if I can help them attain that quicker, I become more valuable. I guess your million dollar question now becomes “In what ways can I help them look like rock stars so they move to that next level quicker?”
8) They Are Less Confrontational: There’s a lot that I could say to this point but will take it in a much simpler direction. We’ve all heard the old saying that “People like people like themselves” That’s our cue to embrace our inner “its all good”. Take it down a notch or three.
9) Lectures and “When I was your age” rants: Don’t go there. I’ve been that guy too many times and it just doesn’t fly.
10) They are socially conscious and “green”. To that end, you need to be prepared to be questioned by this generation on your company’s involvement or position on green initiatives.
My amazing revelation: Once I demonstrated my willingness to embrace and understand their generation, not only was I accepted, they considered me a resource to understand my generation.
And that my friends is where we really begin to progress as an organization . . . that wonderful moment when we seek to understand, celebrate and leverage our differences!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Smiles, Smokes & Personal Branding! by Paul Castain
Submit for your approval 3 brands of toothpaste.
Crest: For years Crest had this commercial with the same recurring theme. A kid returns from the Dentist (alone mind you) to tell their parents that they just had this amazing check up. Whenever, I would watch those commercials 2 things would immediately come to mind:
1) Why did the kid go to the dentist alone? Nice Parenting!
2) If I use Crest I can lower the probability of cavities.
Close Up: Men and women, are shown together in various states of flirtation and ultimately, a kiss. Once again, two things come to mind.
1) I might be going out on a limb but the active ingredient seems to be sex.
2) If I brush with Close Up, I’ll have better breath and ultimately get the girl. Who knows, maybe even get to put on some Barry White music with Mrs Castain
Kids Colgate: From the name to the graphics, this one is a no brainer:
1) The active ingredient here is fun with flavors aimed at the younger demographic’s palate.
While that’s a quick synopsis of 3 brands I suppose I should mention that there are also
Extra-whitening toothpastes
Toothpastes with mouthwash,
Toothpastes for sensitive teeth,
Toothpaste made from all natural ingredients
Even toothpaste for dogs!
It should come as no shock to you that hundreds of millions of dollars has been spent in branding these products. The best part . . . It’s freakin toothpaste!
So if companies can spend all that time, effort and money branding something as insignificant as toothpaste, one needs to ask . . . How you doing with the Billion Dollar Brand Called YOU?
Some things to think about:
1) Check your “Googleability” or if you prefer . . . Go Google Yourself! Whether you take this step or not, you need to understand that your prospects and clients will do the same. Have you left a favorable footprint? Is there a footprint? What does that say about your brand? In what ways can you change/enhance that? By the way, this is how I started my Castain 2.0 journey back in November 2008. 2 results came back. I’ve changed that footprint significantly to the tune of about 20 pages of results.
2) Answer this question: What do my clients say about me behind my back? (the good, the bad and the ugly) To me, that’s one’s true brand. Not what people say to your face. Its what they say when there’s nothing to lose by being candid. The second part of this question is to answer “What do I want my clients to say about me behind my back?”
3) What is it that you do? How do you do it quicker and better? How is doing business with you less stressful, more profitable, more fun? What is your personal value proposition? Not the company induced, “Come drink the Kool Aid” value proposition, yours. If you sell widgets, how do you take your clients out of the widget business?
4) Don’t ever forget that if you can tell your story in a way that you are first to tell that type of story, you can tell it exclusively or simply tell it better, you are well on your way to being memorable.
5) If you could have any title you wanted without fear of getting fired, which title would you choose? I’ve often said that I hate being a Vice President of Business Development because its way to stuffy and corporate for my taste. I’d rather be the Vice President of Jedi Mastery or VP of Rock Star Development. Important: Once you come up with your new title, breathe the free air, enjoy the liberating feeling and go back and repeat the questions in #3. You will get different answers once you free yourself of corporate induced stuffiness.
6) Understand This Lethal Point About Branding: The most powerful connection you will ever make is on the unconscious level. The key to accessing this level of connection is through repetition. That’s what they’re doing with the toothpaste, right? How this might play out in your world. If you want to be perceived as a subject matter expert, you better do more than show up once as that expert. If you want to be perceived as impeccable in all you do, you have to do it more than once. That’s the part that if you understand it, you will smoke 99% of your competitors.
7) Understand How Your Personal Brand Is Judged: There are 6 main ways. How you look, how you act, what you say, how you say it, with whom you say it and where you say it. You could easily go back to question #2 and go through each one of these points with the question “What would others say about this?”
8) Commitment: I recently listened to an interview with J Conrad Levinson (Mr. Guerilla Marketing) where he told the story of the rebranding of Marlboro. When his team at J Walter Thompson took over the Marlboro account (I’m guessing back in the 60’s) the brand was 33rd worldwide and was perceived as a feminine brand. They decided to send photographers out to a ranch and told them simply to photograph the workers throughout the day. From that the concept of the “Marlboro Man” and “Marlboro Country” were born. The ads were a hit and people were obsessed with the “Marlboro Man”. They gave it some time and conducted new market research. It was still 33rd! For years it remained at that level in spite of this killer campaign. Fast forward to 2004 and things changed dramatically. Their research showed that 1 in every 4 packs of cigarettes purchased was now a Marlboro. The point (actually several) Do you have that same dedication and patience to develop your brand? Do you understand, clearly that this won’t happen overnight and that you are going to have to consider those branding efforts a work in progress?
And just because I tend to be a superstitious type of dude, what if your competitor not only “gets this”, but is all over this personal branding stuff while you choose to file it under “someday”?
So go reach for your favorite brand of anything today, stop and reflect on what that brand represents to you, think about all the money and resources that went into that brand.
When you are finished, roll up your sleeves and go to work on a brand with true significance . . . YOU!
http://yoursalesplaybook.com/smiles-smokes-personal-branding/
Crest: For years Crest had this commercial with the same recurring theme. A kid returns from the Dentist (alone mind you) to tell their parents that they just had this amazing check up. Whenever, I would watch those commercials 2 things would immediately come to mind:
1) Why did the kid go to the dentist alone? Nice Parenting!
2) If I use Crest I can lower the probability of cavities.
Close Up: Men and women, are shown together in various states of flirtation and ultimately, a kiss. Once again, two things come to mind.
1) I might be going out on a limb but the active ingredient seems to be sex.
2) If I brush with Close Up, I’ll have better breath and ultimately get the girl. Who knows, maybe even get to put on some Barry White music with Mrs Castain
Kids Colgate: From the name to the graphics, this one is a no brainer:
1) The active ingredient here is fun with flavors aimed at the younger demographic’s palate.
While that’s a quick synopsis of 3 brands I suppose I should mention that there are also
Extra-whitening toothpastes
Toothpastes with mouthwash,
Toothpastes for sensitive teeth,
Toothpaste made from all natural ingredients
Even toothpaste for dogs!
It should come as no shock to you that hundreds of millions of dollars has been spent in branding these products. The best part . . . It’s freakin toothpaste!
So if companies can spend all that time, effort and money branding something as insignificant as toothpaste, one needs to ask . . . How you doing with the Billion Dollar Brand Called YOU?
Some things to think about:
1) Check your “Googleability” or if you prefer . . . Go Google Yourself! Whether you take this step or not, you need to understand that your prospects and clients will do the same. Have you left a favorable footprint? Is there a footprint? What does that say about your brand? In what ways can you change/enhance that? By the way, this is how I started my Castain 2.0 journey back in November 2008. 2 results came back. I’ve changed that footprint significantly to the tune of about 20 pages of results.
2) Answer this question: What do my clients say about me behind my back? (the good, the bad and the ugly) To me, that’s one’s true brand. Not what people say to your face. Its what they say when there’s nothing to lose by being candid. The second part of this question is to answer “What do I want my clients to say about me behind my back?”
3) What is it that you do? How do you do it quicker and better? How is doing business with you less stressful, more profitable, more fun? What is your personal value proposition? Not the company induced, “Come drink the Kool Aid” value proposition, yours. If you sell widgets, how do you take your clients out of the widget business?
4) Don’t ever forget that if you can tell your story in a way that you are first to tell that type of story, you can tell it exclusively or simply tell it better, you are well on your way to being memorable.
5) If you could have any title you wanted without fear of getting fired, which title would you choose? I’ve often said that I hate being a Vice President of Business Development because its way to stuffy and corporate for my taste. I’d rather be the Vice President of Jedi Mastery or VP of Rock Star Development. Important: Once you come up with your new title, breathe the free air, enjoy the liberating feeling and go back and repeat the questions in #3. You will get different answers once you free yourself of corporate induced stuffiness.
6) Understand This Lethal Point About Branding: The most powerful connection you will ever make is on the unconscious level. The key to accessing this level of connection is through repetition. That’s what they’re doing with the toothpaste, right? How this might play out in your world. If you want to be perceived as a subject matter expert, you better do more than show up once as that expert. If you want to be perceived as impeccable in all you do, you have to do it more than once. That’s the part that if you understand it, you will smoke 99% of your competitors.
7) Understand How Your Personal Brand Is Judged: There are 6 main ways. How you look, how you act, what you say, how you say it, with whom you say it and where you say it. You could easily go back to question #2 and go through each one of these points with the question “What would others say about this?”
8) Commitment: I recently listened to an interview with J Conrad Levinson (Mr. Guerilla Marketing) where he told the story of the rebranding of Marlboro. When his team at J Walter Thompson took over the Marlboro account (I’m guessing back in the 60’s) the brand was 33rd worldwide and was perceived as a feminine brand. They decided to send photographers out to a ranch and told them simply to photograph the workers throughout the day. From that the concept of the “Marlboro Man” and “Marlboro Country” were born. The ads were a hit and people were obsessed with the “Marlboro Man”. They gave it some time and conducted new market research. It was still 33rd! For years it remained at that level in spite of this killer campaign. Fast forward to 2004 and things changed dramatically. Their research showed that 1 in every 4 packs of cigarettes purchased was now a Marlboro. The point (actually several) Do you have that same dedication and patience to develop your brand? Do you understand, clearly that this won’t happen overnight and that you are going to have to consider those branding efforts a work in progress?
And just because I tend to be a superstitious type of dude, what if your competitor not only “gets this”, but is all over this personal branding stuff while you choose to file it under “someday”?
So go reach for your favorite brand of anything today, stop and reflect on what that brand represents to you, think about all the money and resources that went into that brand.
When you are finished, roll up your sleeves and go to work on a brand with true significance . . . YOU!
http://yoursalesplaybook.com/smiles-smokes-personal-branding/
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Who Am I?
I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am completely at your command. Half the things you do you might just as well turn over to me and I will be able do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed you must merely be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons I will do it automatically. I am the servant of all great men; and alas, of all failures, as well those who are great, I have made great. Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a man You may run me for a profit or run me for ruin it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
WHO AM I?
I AM HABIT!
Anonymous
I am easily managed you must merely be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons I will do it automatically. I am the servant of all great men; and alas, of all failures, as well those who are great, I have made great. Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a man You may run me for a profit or run me for ruin it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
WHO AM I?
I AM HABIT!
Anonymous
Monday, February 15, 2010
Monday, December 14, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The Next Time You Think You Are Dressing For Success . . .
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 - reprinted from: Paul Castain's Sales Playbook
Oh no. Another know it all blogger preaching some dress for success BS we’ve all heard a thousand times . . . think again sista!
Today, we're going to focus on the all too often neglected areas that seem to slip under the proverbial radar.
So, let’s look at the dress for success thing as meaningless if . . .
Your breath is so bad it could start the windmill on an old Dutch painting. Consider becoming one with an Altoid. Especially important if you will be engaging in close quarters combat like riding in a car together or talking close up at an event. Note: if people retract when you talk you may be guilty of “Ass Breath”
Your cologne/perfume arrives 10 minutes before you do and stays thru the new year. I remember when I worked with my Dad making the mistake of bathing in some Emporio. He promptly invited me to “Shower it the hell off”. He felt it was a huge distraction and it wasn’t until I was on the receiving end of an over ambitious cologne enthusiast that I forgave my Dad for being a bit harsh that morning.
Your eyeglasses are so filthy your blue eyes have taken on shades of dirt. There’s actually a simple cure. Pick up a small bottle of eye glass cleaner or wipes that they have designed for cleaning glasses. Keep them in your bag and viola you are ready to combat “Optical Skankosis”!
If your shoes look like you were on a construction site before the meeting. The shoes are by far one of the biggest areas of neglect that I have seen. I’m assuming they are getting dirty between when people leave the house and arrive at appointments but we all know, there are some people that simply neglect shining their shoes. I’ll spare you the common sense moment on why you need to keep up on polishing shoes and focus, instead on how to keep them looking primo! My suggestion would be to carry some liquid shoe polish in your car for those touch ups. It will surprise you how often you will need to use it! For those of you in Metropolitan areas or who find yourself in and out of airports, why not drop the 5 bucks on a shoe shine? Not only do you get some spiffy looking shoes, you get to sit there on that thrown like you are the master of the universe. How cool is that?
If you pull out some messy pad that you have to flip through 50 pages of “stuff” to get to a clean page. I won’t lie, this was me, not too long ago. I went out and bought a leather padfolio from Staples and fixed that one real quick. Just when I thought I had it figured out, a multi millionaire client set me straight on something else that was destined for a “Who’d a thunk it?” moment. He sat me down one day and said “Paul (they call me that back home), you wear nice suits, silk ties, monogrammed French cuff shirts, your shoes are always shined and . . . " I stopped him right there and said "Michael, I'm not into dudes" After shaking his head in complete confusion, he continued "then you screw it up by using that 25 cent Bic pen!” Truth be told, I thought he was being snobby until I stepped back, lost my ego and realized that whether or not my pen was indicative of success, it certainly was a distraction. I upgraded to a nice Waterman pen so when I would ask people to sign, it made a better impression.
Fingernails: I’m not talking about manicured, I’m talking about nails that have accumulated enough dirt to fill in a pot hole! Not a bad idea to keep a nail clipper in your trusty bag, unless, of course, you are striving for that “raised by wolves” look.
This next one is tacky so I will avoid all preface and simply “go there”. In the summer months we can really sweat. It takes no rocket scientist to deduct that where there is sweat, there is at least the potential to become what specialists call "the smelly kid" Short of taking a “whore’s bath” in your client’s sink (and risking them calling you “lazy”), look into a travel size Fabreeze. Get in the habit of giving your jacket a quick once over. It kills odors without putting a heavy scent on your clothes.
Gentleman: Always scan your fly for barn doors being open.
Women: Check those buttons on your blouse for potential over exposure and realize that I am demonstrating great restraint right now in an effort to keep this politically correct. I’m only flesh and bones, damnit!
Pop Quiz: You are visiting your prospect/client and are wrapping up a great meeting. They walk you to your car continuing a great conversation. Would the inside or trunk of your car embarrass you? Not to brag, but the inside of my car would never embarrass me, but the empty 7-11 coffee cups and wrapper from my egg sandwich might. The only thing you can do if you screw up is to say the following (word for word) “Mr/Ms Prospect/Client, I’m afraid I can’t let you leave. You’ve seen too much!”
Women (or very feminine men) Going overboard on make up or even not putting it on can be a distraction.
How about your computer bag? Does it look like it was dragged on the back of your car for the better part of the year? Don’t laugh, mine used to. I was clueless until a few of my teammates facilitated an intervention on my behalf. Once again they reminded me how distracting it was for them as well as the clients we visited. You know what gang, I knew better and there was simply no excuse for me to neglect something like that!
Do you show samples? I know in the printing industry, we show them like photos of our summer vacation. Keep in mind that color fades over time and samples can just get plain old tired. I’ve even seen coffee stains, dog eared samples as well as out dated ones to boot!
So here’s the bottom line gang, compliments of my late Dad (he was actually quite punctual but I mean late as in deceased and/or dead)
We all have an important message to deliver that is worthy of our audience’s attention. We can’t afford to have distractions!
And just for the heck of it, I’m wondering if we pay close attention to the details if that in and of itself sends a message? Something to think about while you chew on an Altoid.
Subscribe to Paul Castain's Sales Playbook by Email
Join Our Sales Playbook Linkedin Group http://tinyurl.com/c6nwq7
Oh no. Another know it all blogger preaching some dress for success BS we’ve all heard a thousand times . . . think again sista!
Today, we're going to focus on the all too often neglected areas that seem to slip under the proverbial radar.
So, let’s look at the dress for success thing as meaningless if . . .
Your breath is so bad it could start the windmill on an old Dutch painting. Consider becoming one with an Altoid. Especially important if you will be engaging in close quarters combat like riding in a car together or talking close up at an event. Note: if people retract when you talk you may be guilty of “Ass Breath”
Your cologne/perfume arrives 10 minutes before you do and stays thru the new year. I remember when I worked with my Dad making the mistake of bathing in some Emporio. He promptly invited me to “Shower it the hell off”. He felt it was a huge distraction and it wasn’t until I was on the receiving end of an over ambitious cologne enthusiast that I forgave my Dad for being a bit harsh that morning.
Your eyeglasses are so filthy your blue eyes have taken on shades of dirt. There’s actually a simple cure. Pick up a small bottle of eye glass cleaner or wipes that they have designed for cleaning glasses. Keep them in your bag and viola you are ready to combat “Optical Skankosis”!
If your shoes look like you were on a construction site before the meeting. The shoes are by far one of the biggest areas of neglect that I have seen. I’m assuming they are getting dirty between when people leave the house and arrive at appointments but we all know, there are some people that simply neglect shining their shoes. I’ll spare you the common sense moment on why you need to keep up on polishing shoes and focus, instead on how to keep them looking primo! My suggestion would be to carry some liquid shoe polish in your car for those touch ups. It will surprise you how often you will need to use it! For those of you in Metropolitan areas or who find yourself in and out of airports, why not drop the 5 bucks on a shoe shine? Not only do you get some spiffy looking shoes, you get to sit there on that thrown like you are the master of the universe. How cool is that?
If you pull out some messy pad that you have to flip through 50 pages of “stuff” to get to a clean page. I won’t lie, this was me, not too long ago. I went out and bought a leather padfolio from Staples and fixed that one real quick. Just when I thought I had it figured out, a multi millionaire client set me straight on something else that was destined for a “Who’d a thunk it?” moment. He sat me down one day and said “Paul (they call me that back home), you wear nice suits, silk ties, monogrammed French cuff shirts, your shoes are always shined and . . . " I stopped him right there and said "Michael, I'm not into dudes" After shaking his head in complete confusion, he continued "then you screw it up by using that 25 cent Bic pen!” Truth be told, I thought he was being snobby until I stepped back, lost my ego and realized that whether or not my pen was indicative of success, it certainly was a distraction. I upgraded to a nice Waterman pen so when I would ask people to sign, it made a better impression.
Fingernails: I’m not talking about manicured, I’m talking about nails that have accumulated enough dirt to fill in a pot hole! Not a bad idea to keep a nail clipper in your trusty bag, unless, of course, you are striving for that “raised by wolves” look.
This next one is tacky so I will avoid all preface and simply “go there”. In the summer months we can really sweat. It takes no rocket scientist to deduct that where there is sweat, there is at least the potential to become what specialists call "the smelly kid" Short of taking a “whore’s bath” in your client’s sink (and risking them calling you “lazy”), look into a travel size Fabreeze. Get in the habit of giving your jacket a quick once over. It kills odors without putting a heavy scent on your clothes.
Gentleman: Always scan your fly for barn doors being open.
Women: Check those buttons on your blouse for potential over exposure and realize that I am demonstrating great restraint right now in an effort to keep this politically correct. I’m only flesh and bones, damnit!
Pop Quiz: You are visiting your prospect/client and are wrapping up a great meeting. They walk you to your car continuing a great conversation. Would the inside or trunk of your car embarrass you? Not to brag, but the inside of my car would never embarrass me, but the empty 7-11 coffee cups and wrapper from my egg sandwich might. The only thing you can do if you screw up is to say the following (word for word) “Mr/Ms Prospect/Client, I’m afraid I can’t let you leave. You’ve seen too much!”
Women (or very feminine men) Going overboard on make up or even not putting it on can be a distraction.
How about your computer bag? Does it look like it was dragged on the back of your car for the better part of the year? Don’t laugh, mine used to. I was clueless until a few of my teammates facilitated an intervention on my behalf. Once again they reminded me how distracting it was for them as well as the clients we visited. You know what gang, I knew better and there was simply no excuse for me to neglect something like that!
Do you show samples? I know in the printing industry, we show them like photos of our summer vacation. Keep in mind that color fades over time and samples can just get plain old tired. I’ve even seen coffee stains, dog eared samples as well as out dated ones to boot!
So here’s the bottom line gang, compliments of my late Dad (he was actually quite punctual but I mean late as in deceased and/or dead)
We all have an important message to deliver that is worthy of our audience’s attention. We can’t afford to have distractions!
And just for the heck of it, I’m wondering if we pay close attention to the details if that in and of itself sends a message? Something to think about while you chew on an Altoid.
Subscribe to Paul Castain's Sales Playbook by Email
Join Our Sales Playbook Linkedin Group http://tinyurl.com/c6nwq7
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sales tips for the aspiring rock star!
The Wedding Crashers Guide To Sales Success!
written by the great Paul CastainA wise man (and an awesome guitar instructor) once told me to find inspiration in everything around me. While I’d like to think of that lesson taking on the form of some Kung Fu flashback, the truth is I remember thinking he must of become “one with a joint” before our lesson. I mean, how does one learn from EVERYTHING around them?
It really did’t take me long to realize he was spot on. In fact, to this day, I try to learn from everyone, everything and try to have some laughs along the way.
I was thinking we were long overdue for a “fun” post and thought I would present for your approval . . .
The Wedding Crashers Guide To Sales Success!
“Always have an updated family tree!”
Lesson: This represents Pre-Call Planning and continually updating our information. The big mistake many sales people make comes in the form of Googling (the individual and company) before the initial meeting and then ending the process. It needs to be an ongoing process (perhaps in the form of a Google Alert). The updated family tree also means taking the time to keep up to date on who the existing as well as the up and coming players are.
Jeremy Grey: (quarterbacking a touch football game) John! Red seven!
John Beckwith: I don't know what red seven means.
Jeremy Grey: Hot route!
John Beckwith: I don't... What is hot route?
Jeremy Grey: Will you just go stand on the other side please?
Lesson: Say what you mean and lose the “jargon”. If you have a need to use jargon, use the client’s; after all people like people like themselves. Right?
“Don’t take a trip to negative town”
Lesson: Aside from the importance of being positive, people avoid negative people like the plague. Who needs a downer? I know people that even when someone mentions their name to me, I immediately associate them with complaining, negativity etc. Taking a look in the mirror, I know I too have taken a trip to “negative town”. The problem with that trip is that some poor soul inadvertently comes along for the ride.
Another lesson to consider: You’ll feel better when you stay away from “negative town” and quite frankly, its so much easier to feel like conquering the world when you are positive.
You may even have to give your attitude an enema by clicking here http://salesplaybook.blogspot.com/2009/09/when-your-attitude-needs-enema.html
Motor Boating isn’t just a cool water sport . . . who knew?
Yelling: “Mom Meatloaf!” doesn’t get you fed!
Lesson: Needless to say, we need to get out and hunt if we want to eat. Yelling, complaining and yes, even over talking what “we are gonna due” is useless until action is added to the equation.
“I almost Nun chucked you. You don’t even realize!”
Lesson: None that I can think of but I think we should say it to 3 people today in the spirit of being totally random!
John Beckwith: Don't waste your time on girls with hats. They tend to be very proper.
Jeremy Grey: Yeah? Well, the proper girl in the hat just eye-f**ked the s**t out of me.
Lesson: Careful how you qualify. Better yet, rethink all those companies you thought were too big, too small or, dare I say, too likely to reject us!
Jeremy Grey: Tattoo on the lower back? Might as well be a bull’s eye.
Lesson: Preconceived notions of any type can be disastrous. One of my favorite examples comes in the form of the rep looking around the prospect’s office for conversation starters. You know, if you see pictures of kids, they must be into family. Golf thing a ma jigs then clearly they are golfers . . . or they borrowed someone else’s office and they can’t stand those things.
I’ve also seen this in the form of prejudging the disposition of someone by title. Example: All CEO’s must be outgoing, I want to conquer the world types. All financial type people are bean counters and introverted. No one has preconceived notions regarding us sales folk, right?
The other side of this lesson is for us to be mindful of getting pigeon holed by our customers. I see this all the time in the printing industry where clients label one printer as their high end 4 color printer, another one as a short run, quick copy type of vendor etc. The long and the short of it is . . . don’t let others define you or your company. Take control and manage their perceptions!
“No excuses. Play like a champion”
Lesson #1: When you screw up, don’t make it worse by inventing some BS excuse. Come clean!
Lesson #2: Times are tough right now, no doubt . . . time for us all to kick it up a notch or three and play our best game ever!
Jeremy Grey: [speaking to the priest] This girl's fit for a strait-jacket. I mean she's f**ked three ways to the weekend. But you know what, Father? I dig it!
Lesson: Step outside your comfort zone. By the way, a year ago Thanksgiving weekend, I stepped outside my comfort zone in starting this blog and jumping head first into Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook. It was scary and quite foreign for the first few months and now I’m stronger for it. Facing fears and stepping outside comfort zones can and will make us stronger! Does lots for one's confidence too!
Action: Define one sales activity that makes you uncomfortable and face it head on!
OK, good talk, now let’s all get out there and in the words of the immortal Jeremy Gray get some “strange ass” (new customers)
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