Carson V. Heady's Blog, page 70

Humble Pie: An Essential Morsel for Team Success

When you are great at something, you often want the world to know. As human beings, we have an innate, natural craving for recognition and respect, and often we feel it necessary to ensure everyone we come into contact knows specifically what we can do, how well we do it and that we’d gladly do more for more money. From being interviewed for a job or new project to giving a description of your role and contributions to any inquiring party, projecting a team mentality and forgoing over-indulgent self promotion is best.

Prior to acquiring polish and business acumen in our careers, we often express our love of self in the wrong fashion. We should absolutely be big advocates for ourselves! It is vital that we know our strengths and areas of opportunity, our goals and what we are doing to attain them, and ways we can showcase and sharpen our skills.  However, no one likes a braggart; some tweaks to your delivery can make your message so much more impactful.

1. Drop the “I’s”: Think about your dialogue when asked about your job environment or when you send out communications – specifically those where you will be making mention of process you are involved in or projects you have contributed on.  Re-read written verbiage and minimize usage of the word “I,” and do the same when speaking, always looking for ways to illustrate instead how you have worked with a team to achieve results. Hiring managers, promoting managers, visiting managers, general audiences whose attention you desire – they are looking for someone who embraces and is inviting. They want to be enticed with warm and fuzzy feelings of camaraderie.  They want to see that you play nicely in the sandbox with everyone you share space with. They don’t want to hear how great thou art.  Show through your willingness to help others, don’t tell. Your message will get across, trust me.

2. Not everything is a competition. Do you find yourself feeling the necessity of one-upping others? Do you have to win at literally all costs? If the cost is alienating someone whose support you need, making someone on your team look bad or others having a genuine feeling of inferiority around you, you’re doing more harm than good. Remember: find ways to connect with others, add value to your relationships with them and always offer to support or provide service wherever you go. Gaps may exist between you and others, but you can bridge as many as possible with genuine addition of value. Focus on process and teamwork, and other pieces will fall into place. Rather than be intimidated by your skills and reluctant to endorse or encourage you, peers and others in your circle of influence will be more open and honest to you and will legitimately look for ways to engage you and sing your praises.

3. Look for ways to involve others. Sure, you may be the one carrying more weight than others on this project. However, what about the next project when you could learn a substantial amount from others on your team and may need more of their support? When you are talking about your current projects, even if you are the star, find ways to point out the contributions of others, draw them into the discussions and ensure everyone gets input and credit. While you absolutely want to make sure your heavy lifting is woven into that description, do not draw so much attention to yourself that you make others uncomfortable or sound slightly insignificant.

Other people, whomever they are, look for a variety of attributes in you: work ethic, teamwork, success under stress, ability to meet deadlines, multiple metrics and dependability. While your sparkling results in one or more of these areas certainly can speak volumes, what speaks more is your literal mastery of all and your willingness to learn and contribute even more.

It’s one thing to do great things or have great results. It’s entirely another to add enough value to the environments of so many others that you make a significant impact. Focus on how you can best contribute to the team, aid in the success of others and be the consummate team player, and you’ll get your just desserts.

**************************************************************************

Carson V. Heady posts for “Consult Carson” serving as the “Dear Abby” of sales and sales leadership.  You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving.  You will also be directly contributing to his third book, “A Salesman Forever.”

Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail atcvheady007@yahoo.com or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page:https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/

Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled “Birth of a Salesman” that has a unique spin that shows you proven sales principles designed to birth in you the top producer you were born to be.

If you would like to strengthen your sales skills, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICRVMI2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yGXKtb0G

Perfectionism in Business: Blessing or Curse?

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”  – Vince Lombardi.

Do we fret so much about making mistakes that we hamper our own job performance? And, if you are an employer, do you allow your employees to make non-fatal mistakes as part of their growth?

________________________________________________

At the summit of organizations, at the top of each level of leadership and at the front of every sales pack, you’ll find a handful of these folks. Nothing is ever good enough. They are Type A, go-go-go, and even when they’re off, they are working, plotting their next move and strategizing on how to conquer the world. They are perfectionists.

Their work is seemingly immaculate and work ethic unparalleled. But the reality is that there is no such thing as perfection: we all know this, and our knowledge of said fact has a variety of impacts on us depending on our personality.

For the most confident among us, we believe beyond our goals. Because nothing is ever good enough, even the accolades and praise and awards and bonuses leave us feeling unfulfilled. We believe we will reach a plateau where each of the aforementioned results equate to happiness but that day never comes.

Others of us approach work not needing or desiring to stand out for the fact that those who do have expectations that always soar one step ahead of them. Some of us merely want to blend in, stay ahead of the bills and it’s acceptable to get the occasional pat on the back.

There are other subtle levels of will, skill and thrills, however, at each stage there are decisions we are forced to make about risk and the levels thereof we are willing to take. Some of us have the devil may care approach; we throw ourselves mercilessly forward, haphazardly taking the flying cannonball leap into the deep end of the pool with little – if any – regard to repercussion. Others are so cautious and meticulous that they fear any misstep or misunderstanding that could wind up being construed as an out of compliance mishap – and this mindset prevents them from ever reaching their potential.

Like so many things, balance is the key. True perfection is completely impossible, yet if you set stretch goals and treat budgets like they are literally a minimum expectation, if you go out expecting the best and your potential and you coach to that in others rather than just getting by, and if you conduct yourself and others managing to process instead of results, you’re likelihood of reaching the “perfection” increases exponentially. Even when you fall a little short, you’re still better than expected, than usual, and than goal.

Preoccupation with the prospect of making mistakes makes us second guess ourselves – it makes us second guess process! When we deviate from process, the results suffer and our decision-making process can become even more foolish and misguided in the murk. We become our own worst enemy.

Let’s go a step farther: as supervisors, if we are overbearing in our methods and demanding of results and results alone we will be the culprits in causing this shoddy behavior. We do ourselves and our teams no service if we divert them from following the right processes. Rather than harp about a number, examine their credence to the various components of the business that will yield success. Are they following the right steps? Are they diversifying the portfolio of their pipelines? Are they managing the mechanics of their role? They have earned the role they are in and we must allow them to perform it in the manner with which they see fit provided it is not a detriment to the business and they are not overtly abusing their freedom to do so. Give them time to employ their process; offer feedback and suggestions and coaching and advice, and examine their execution, but never make them so terrified to do everything a certain way – or your way – that they falter completely. You have them on your team for a reason – let them utilize their unique talents in combination with your tutelage and see where it goes.

Excellence is defined in many ways, is achieved in many more, and everything comes down to odds and probabilities and chance; when you apply as near-perfect a process as possible with a near-perfect will to win, your probability of excellence is at its greatest height.

**************************************************************************

Carson V. Heady posts for “Consult Carson” serving as the “Dear Abby” of sales and sales leadership.  You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving.  You will also be directly contributing to his third book, “A Salesman Forever.”

Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail atcvheady007@yahoo.com or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page:https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/

Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled “Birth of a Salesman” that has a unique spin that shows you proven sales principles designed to birth in you the top producer you were born to be.

If you would like to strengthen your sales skills, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICRVMI2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yGXKtb0G

Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow: Fact or Fiction?

Don’t just work a job. Do what you love and the money will follow. Fact or fiction?

When we are raised in our Disney-saturated, pipe dream culture, we grow up with innocence and uninhibited faith. We are asked as early as we can speak what we want to do as a career and I’m quite certain there were a multitude of aspiring astronauts and police officers and heroes of various forms in the futuristic view of our 5-year old selves. Upon graduation or entry into the workforce, there are a myriad of lessons and realities we come across – and the learning will not cease until the day our breath does.

It has been said that we follow our dreams and everything will fall into place. Fortunately for us, we are all blessed with unique talents that make us qualified for various walks of life. Sometimes these are what we aspire to do; other times, and quite often, we find we are quite efficient at something we have no desire to be good at. We are all faced with the decisions of chasing money or chasing our passions. Sometimes they coincide, sometimes not.

So many variables factor into this equation: do we go to college? What do we select as area of study? What types of sacrifices are required for following our desired course of action? What type of commitment does it take to get the career we think we want? Do we really want a particular career, or have we been influenced to select that occupation by another source? Does our current financial predicament promote or preclude us from chasing that career path? What types of competition and obstacles will we face getting into this chosen field?

The reality is YES, you can target specific desirable goals, plant proper seeds, lay necessary foundation and work toward your dream role. Your “dream role” may change in time or you may find solace and satisfaction in what you wind up doing instead. Furthermore, you may have to spend a considerable amount of time accruing the finances and skills and network necessary to launch into your ultimate ambition. Rome was not built in a day, nor are your reputation and results. Often, we must invest a considerable amount of our time and energy into roles that allow us the eventual freedom to branch out and do what we want. For others of us, we have the freedom to choose what we want to do and do not fret about the factors involved. In the end, you most definitely can pursue and realize your proposed purpose but the truth may be that you find ways to incorporate parts of it into what you wind up doing through the natural course of your navigation through reality.

How you choose to apply your talents and skills, what you choose to learn and whom you interact and network with will have a massive impact on your experience. Many of us may find ourselves doing something we never envisioned, but by assessing the situation and matching our skills to roles we have or have within our sights it is extremely viable that we can find enjoyment in jobs that align with our greater goals.

It’s unrealistic to believe that every 5 year old who dreams of going into a certain profession will wind up in it, because they have only begun to unearth their skills and talents and aptitudes. But whether we’re 5 or 50, dream away. Your career, like your life, will take unexpected twists and turns, be endowed with wonder and may take you to a greater realization of your fulfillment needs and wants than you ever imagined.

*******************************************************************************

Carson V. Heady posts for “Consult Carson” serving as the “Dear Abby” of sales and sales leadership.  You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving.  You will also be directly contributing to his third book, “A Salesman Forever.”

Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail atcvheady007@yahoo.com or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page:https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/

Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled “Birth of a Salesman” that has a unique spin that shows you proven sales principles designed to birth in you the top producer you were born to be.

If you would like to strengthen your sales skills, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICRVMI2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yGXKtb0G

Consult Carson 8/28: “My sales team is bilingual and I’m not – how do I effectively coach them?”

From today’s mailbag: “My sales team is bilingual and I’m not. How do I successfully coach them on transactions and best utilize their talents?”

Carson: It’s quite a unique situation when a fair amount of your employees’ transactions can not be adequately monitored and critiqued.  Furthermore, your employees can carry on full conversations that you are not privy to (yet, if you think about it, they can do this while you’re not there as well).  Finally, your team possesses skills that make them even more valuable because they have the ability to communicate with more customers thanks to their knowledge of different tongues.  It’s a three-pronged possibility.

1. Coaching transactions: In the early going of the aforementioned environment, your primary challenges in coaching will be when your team members are speaking with customers in the language you do not know.  As they are bilingual, you will be privy to the conversations in your native tongue, which will likely be the basis of your early deductions of their sales and service process.  While your sampling of their transactions may be smaller and margin of error on your conclusions higher, you will still have some metrics to go on.  Much of sales leadership is the ability to drive metrics through coaching your team’s understanding of why they are important and how to achieve them.  The fundamentals are the same: you must discern what makes your team tick, what their goals are and your role in guiding them and helping them achieve these accolades.  As you continue to work with your team, it’s also hopeful and likely that leaders will emerge – leaders you can trust.  As a bilingual leader emerges that you can delegate to and whom you can entrust the responsibility of coaching and critiquing the transactions in other languages, you not only strengthen your team through appointing additional leaders but you can plug any gaps that exist in your coaching process because of your lack of understanding of a language they speak.

2. Trust.  It’s my philosophy that if your employee earned the right to be in the position they are in, which you decided upon hire or promotion, that it falls upon them to utilize the training and coaching they receive to perform the job the way they see fit.  It’s rare, and not even preferable, that our sales personnel will conduct themselves precisely as we do.  It requires trust on our part.  When your employees can also carry on whole conversations literally while you are in the room that you cannot understand, it could require even more trust.  That said, like parenting or being in a relationship of any kind, we control what we can: the interactions with our team, the coaching and training we disseminate and the effort we put in to eliminating obstacles to their success and helping them develop the tools and talents that will further their career.  The language barrier cannot deter your willingness and desire to work on behalf of your team.  Allow your team to grow and flourish – you have a diverse team whose abilities to transcend language barriers and help a larger group of customers will actually yield far more positives in the face of the challenges.  Your team will actually respect you even more as you show your trust of them on their transactions, and you will have measurable data to show that they either are or are not conducting their transactions as effectively as they should be.  Finally, you can still ask them to give you a rundown of the sales conversations you cannot understand – what did they glean from their fact-finding, what was the customer response and why did they decline the product or any attachments?  It won’t be a perfect science, but nothing in sales ever is.

3. Promotion of your team.  Just like the ability to drive sales better than others, the ability to speak multiple languages is a marketable skill that can open additional doors for your team members.  It’s up to us as leaders to know our team – what motivates them and where they want to go – and to diagnose their strengths and areas of opportunity.  There are often job requisitions that call exclusively for associates who are bilingual.  This gives you an added item to assess when you are working with your team on a career path: they have skills which lend to certain roles that you will want to put on their radar.  Do you have some of your team members emerging as leaders as we discussed before?  Could they benefit your team or division in a larger capacity?  Is the bilingual ability something that is prominent in your larger work group, market or division?  If so, perhaps your peers are facing similar opportunities and you can work with your peers on solutions that benefit all of you – do you have bilingual peers?  Would it benefit you to do so?  Make your leaders aware of this potential opportunity in your region and perhaps they can devise a solution that is in everyone’s best interests: the furthering and promotion of your team, the added coaching from a bilingual manager, and you can work together with that manager so you are each adding value to one another’s work.

Your situation of having an entirely or nearly entirely bilingual team is certainly unique, and just as when you have anyone who is uniquely great at their role you harness their strengths and find ways to help them, trust them, promote them and make them more effective.  This scenario can certainly be a new one for many, but once you explore and discover new ways of coaching them and you get their feedback on what they need from you to aid in their current role and in getting to their next one, it can be harmonious for all.  You need each other; they need your knowledge and support and you need their buy-in to the right way of conducting business.  In the end, you can find these things by ensuring you’re speaking the same language: that of teamwork.

*******************************************************************************

Carson V. Heady posts for “Consult Carson” serving as the “Dear Abby” of sales and sales leadership.  You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving.  You will also be directly contributing to his third book, “A Salesman Forever.”

Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail atcvheady007@yahoo.com or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page:https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/

Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled “Birth of a Salesman” that has a unique spin that shows you proven sales principles designed to birth in you the top producer you were born to be.

If you would like to strengthen your sales skills, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICRVMI2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yGXKtb0G

Consult Carson 8/27: “Advice for a graduate?”

From today’s mailbag: “I’m graduating college. What advice do you have as I enter the workforce?”

Carson: What an excellent question, as I’m sure many of us had no idea what we were getting into when we faced this moment of truth.

Ideally, you’ve spent time in an academic institution that has truly prepared you for what’s to come, but no matter how accredited the school very few will truly delve into many of the topics you’ll run into – many of which have been tackled as topics in my columns.

1. Develop a network.  Yours may be limited at this juncture for, before you start a network, you don’t have a considerable one.  Know that each seed you plant in the various segments of your career garden will spring forth in their due course; you undoubtedly have family, friends and perhaps other colleagues with whom you have worked during college, etc., who may be able to help you.  We exit college stage left and many of us believe with all our hearts that our degree will magically transport us into our field of choice – and those hopes are quickly dashed.  We also believe we can drop 10, 15, 20 resumes onto online search engines and strike oil.  That myth, too, will be debunked.  Looking back over my own career, I certainly notice the symmetry in the connections I made in each role by various means and how they yielded fruit.  However, there is no silver bullet; you’ll never know which networking event or which LinkedIn connection or which contact will lead you to the next big opportunity.  Just be open to where each relationship could potentially lead – a contact could generate an opportunity for you now or even several years down the road.

2. Establish your brand. Standing out as you set foot into the workforce and evolve your skill sets and experience is very important to ensure that you emerge as uniquely qualified for roles you seek.  While this is a different ballgame at the onset of your career than it will be years later, the earlier you embrace this process the better.  Your resume and how you put it out there (whether you have a basic one-sheet like the rest of them or you have a video resume and extensive networking attempts online and at events to make connections), your utilization of social media and quality content focused on your career interests, your blogs, your projects and how you tout them – they are all part of your body of work.  Your growing brand is what you want others to buy into  – how you package yourself and make yourself known will go quite far in dictating your ability to latch on where you want to be.

3. Have realistic expectations. We emerge from our collegiate career full of life and ready to take on the world – do not let initial setbacks take away this feeling.  Many of us spend years in the workforce before making a splash in our true passion – some of us may never reach that point.  We all have to start somewhere and this is your entry level role.  Be fully prepared to pay dues to reach the place you want – and you will never stop paying your dues.  In each role you fill during your career, there will be rights of passage to earn your access to the segment of the path you desire; every job has issues, each role will have challenges that may go unresolved and it’s up to you to fulfill your duties but provide helpful feedback and maintain positivity in the face of all adversity.  College does not always prepare us for the politics, the swift process changes and how much patience will be necessary to achieve your career goals.  It also does not encapsulate what is incumbent upon us to truly do what we think we want to do.  Finally, our career may make drastic changes over the years; plot a plan and chart a course, but be prepared for anything.

Certainly visualize what your longterm career goals are and put them to paper.  Chart what you feel are your realistic career destinations in 2, 5 and 10 year increments.  Decide upon the steps you know you will need to take to reach each target and continue to modify the list as new steps become apparent.  Develop a rapport with your supervisor to ensure they are on board with what you want to achieve and garner from them the steps they and the company expect you to take to reach desired goals.

Congratulations on a milestone in your life and career!  You have graduated college and have your whole wondrous career in front of you with unlimited possibilities.  Be very open to what is ahead, ensure that you are always seeking knowledge and experience and be mindful of the people, places and things that will aid you in your journey.  You never know where you will find value, so create your own value and always seek ways to provide value wherever you go.  The rest will truly fall into place.

*******************************************************************************

Carson V. Heady posts for “Consult Carson” serving as the “Dear Abby” of sales and sales leadership.  You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving.  You will also be directly contributing to his third book, “A Salesman Forever.”

Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail atcvheady007@yahoo.com or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page:https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/

Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled “Birth of a Salesman” that has a unique spin that shows you proven sales principles designed to birth in you the top producer you were born to be.

If you would like to strengthen your sales skills, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICRVMI2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yGXKtb0G

Consult Carson 8/25: “Work-life balance: Mission impossible?”

From today’s mailbag: “I’m trying to get ahead, make good money and results and survive the corporate game. That said – is work-life balance actually possible?”

Carson: It is. That said, finding that utopian balance in a frenetic working world can be one of the most challenging endeavors you will undertake.

If you are faced with this conundrum, you likely have a role which requires you to work long hours either to fulfill requirements or to achieve the results you need.

Work-life balance has a different definition for each of us: it’s the contentment and peace with the place our career fits into our world; it’s the belief our personal and business lives mesh well and that the former is not crushed by the prominence of the latter.

Sometimes, job requisitions, hiring managers and supervisors will be clear: “This job requires 50, 60, 70 hours.”  Sometimes, to make ends meet, you have to work 2, 3+ jobs and the hours pile up quickly.  And then, there are roles where there is no set prescription for your commitment in the way of hours, but in order to reach the expectations from the role from quality and quantity perspectives, it’s imperative you will have to put in longer hours than originally thought.

Which of these groups do you belong to?

1. Schedule. When we lack a schedule, it’s quite easy for things to get out of control. While spontaneity spices up life, lack of organization in our schedule can lead to chaos.  Just as you must schedule the client meetings, the debrief with your boss and your cold calling and follow up time, you’ve got to take that lunch break, escape and read a book or see a film and unwind, and you’ve got to make time for your other passions and people in your world.  If you fail to make time for the other things that matter, that part of your world will dissipate and you will be left with your career; heaven forbid something happens to jeopardize your business world at that point, but if it does – guess what you have left then?

2. Prioritize. Certainly, we work to maintain or better the life with which we have become accustomed. It’s extremely important that we pay our bills and manage to get ahead so we can plan for the down side. It’s important to take care of ourselves and our family.  However, you are not your job.  Your job is not your sole purpose.  And while it is fantastic if you enjoy your job or are contributing and making a difference, you very likely have other interests and talents in the real world outside of the office.  Failure to develop those aptitudes will lead to their erosion.  Yes, your job is very important for a variety of reasons – at the very heart of which is its ability to fund your fun and fundamental needs.  But it is not all of you and therefore does not deserve all of you when you’re off the clock.

3. Evaluate. If you’re working all the time – why?  Is it to get ahead – because you feel the second you let up that somebody’s going to pass you up?  Is it to make a ton of money that you’ll never have time to spend or people to spend it on?  Certainly, if in the line of duty you stop giving your best, it’s very possible that others will position themselves ahead of you.  However, if you…….

4. Work smarter, not harder, you’ll find balance.  Look for ways to delegate work by working with your supervisor and team.  Look for ways to manage your day where you devote certain hours to certain components of your business.  Do not get caught up in the daily minutiae – it’s so easy to get lost in responding as quickly as we can to e-mail or getting bombarded by putting out fires.  Each of these makes us less effective, though, because they take us away from prioritization.  While we desire to complete 100% of our slated tasks in a given day, we often must accept achieving 70% of them and 100% of the absolutely necessary ones.

When work can be completed, that’s when we need to shut off that aspect of our lives and throw ourselves into investing in the other ones.  The people and places and activities that enrich our other persona are vital to refresh and rejuvenate us so we can be at optimum efficiency!  You may feel you need to work all the time, but this will only serve to leave you run-down and less effective.  If you can recharge your batteries by checking in with the best facets of your personal life, you’ll return to work at your best.  It’s the very reason vacation makes us return with fervor and keeps us fresh and at our best.

Yes, work-life balance is very possible, but we often have to work just as hard to achieve that as we work to sustain a successful career and our relationships!  Work issues may come up which cannot be ignored, but be sure to keep track of the time you owe yourself to invest in the other side of your life.  Even when you greatly enjoy your job, it’s vital you diversify your portfolio of personal preferences.

By making work-life balance a priority, scheduling for YOU and for others who enrich your life and for activities that enhance your enjoyment, you make very sure it can be a reality.

*******************************************************************************

Carson V. Heady posts for “Consult Carson” serving as the “Dear Abby” of sales and sales leadership.  You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving.  You will also be directly contributing to his third book, “A Salesman Forever.”

Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail atcvheady007@yahoo.com or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page:https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/

Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled “Birth of a Salesman” that has a unique spin that shows you proven sales principles designed to birth in you the top producer you were born to be.

If you would like to strengthen your sales skills, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICRVMI2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yGXKtb0G

Consult Carson 8/24: “Sell me this pen. How do you respond?”

From today’s mailbag: “So, I’m curious as to your take on the ‘sell me this pen’ interview question.  What do you say?”

Carson: Without hesitation, I immediately jump into sales process – excited introduction, fact-finding out current process (pen, in this case), uncovering of needs and weaknesses in current process, and potential desires.  Then it’s all about presenting a solution that remedies their ills while taking their process to new heights and keeping them from fearing the change.  Confidence throughout, and CLOSE!

“Hi there, how are you today? I see you have an XYZ Pen – what are your favorite features about it? That’s fantastic! How often do you get it replaced? OK – if you could change anything about the features, what would you change? Is that your favorite color? How often do you use a pen? Perfect – based on what you’ve told me, I’m ecstatic to say that not only can I save you money but make life easier on your writing hand and provide a solution that will last longer and need to be replaced less. ABC Pen comes in your favorite color, the grip is firmer and takes less of a toll on your writing hand, plus it lasts twice as long as XYZ.  You will save time on having to replace it or on resting your hand after strenuous hours of writing, you’ll enjoy all the features you already like but have a more comfortable pen of the color of your choice.  In fact, I’m going to leave this pen with you today to sample – we estimate you typically need half the ABC Pens compared to XYZ… I can check on your discounted rate right now; how many would you need to order for your office for this coming year?”

Next up?  You’ll get the job.

*******************************************************************************

Carson V. Heady posts for “Consult Carson” serving as the “Dear Abby” of sales and sales leadership.  You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving.  You will also be directly contributing to his third book, “A Salesman Forever.”

Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail atcvheady007@yahoo.com or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page:https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/

Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled “Birth of a Salesman” that has a unique spin that shows you proven sales principles designed to birth in you the top producer you were born to be.

If you would like to strengthen your sales skills, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICRVMI2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yGXKtb0G

Consult Carson 8/20: “My team isn’t carrying their weight. How do I respond?”

From today’s mailbag: “I’m part of a team where I rely on others for support and results from my peers, but most of them are not carrying their weight. How should I respond to this?”

Carson: This is similar to being assigned a school project where your group is graded based on the sum of the parts.  Whether you do the entire project yourself to ensure it’s done right or you get contribution from others, the results of the team are your results – fair or not.  It is often that these scenarios do not feature a perfect balance.  Hopefully, you and your peers have both the skill and will to accomplish the common task.  When you do not, that is when potential conflict can arise.

Each of you has an assigned task: you may have similarities in your roles and each of you may have components unique to your job.  Ideally, everyone will work together, fulfilling the fleshed out parts of their jobs and you will be a cohesive partnership when it comes to items you co-manage.

However, the reality is you can typically only control your own output.  Everyone has their own motivations and work ethic and priorities and sometimes they may not all align.  Furthermore, it is also quite possible your peer is just not up to snuff when it comes to managing their tasks.

1. SWOT analyze the team.  Even if you are not the leader of the team, it is quite likely (and hopeful) that you have some input on how responsibilities are designated.  If it is clear that someone weak on a certain component of your team output is managing that output but someone else is strong in it, either ensure that there is collaboration, training or a shift in roles.  Frankly, it’s great when people are challenged to develop their aptitudes in areas where they are not as strong; however, sometimes they are not up to that challenge and their mishandling of that item is of extreme detriment to the team initiative.  It’s important that each member of the team is accountable and aware; people should be honest with themselves and teammates about what they are comfortable with and what they could use a helping hand on.  Only with this mutual respect and teamwork will the team thrive.

2. Ensure accountability.  Again, you may not be the point person of this team, but each member must hold each other accountable to the tasks allotted when everyone’s reputation is on the line.  It’s one for all and all for one, like the Musketeers (or the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few for those Star Trek buffs) but whatever philosophy you’re subscribing to it is imperative everyone is honest about the wins and losses of the team.  If someone is not carrying their weight, they need to know about it.  If they can right the ship – great!  If they continue to be the cause of your ship sputtering out of control, it must be addressed.

3. Be flexible.  We all want to believe that all members of the team want to pitch in and do their part – it’s the human nature and belief in people that exists in each of us.  However, it is quite common for a team to set out on a mission under certain circumstances and parameters and processes only to see changes occur in the landscape; priorities change, goals change and the mission changes.  When this happens, the adaptability of the team is paramount.  This is why the relationship of the team – the mutual respect, the selflessness and the willing to help one another – will determine the success.  This is why adaptability and potentially shifting roles or readjusting the game plan based on how the game is being played can have a huge impact both on the results and the relationships.

4. Communicate with the appropriate parties.  If it’s a skill issue, there is a lot to be gained by reaching across the aisle to help the team member who is falling behind.  There may come a time when a project calls upon skills that you lack and you need someone to return the favor and reciprocate that help.  The team is as strong as its weakest link, so whomever that weak link in the chain is – swarm to help them and plug gaps in process until the machine is fine tuned.  If it is a will issue, that often cannot be fixed; you cannot control the determination, motivation and effort of others.  You can offer incentives, you can sell them on why they should operate at peak efficiency, but you cannot control their consistency or lack thereof.  It’s likely you are not the only team member who sees it, and it’s also likely that you and your fellow suffering team members have a team lead or manager you can communicate with.  It’s not even necessary in many instances for you to point fingers or place blame – the issues will be glaring.  It is, however, vital that you communicate your perspective – that you are contributing, that you are willing to contribute in additional ways to ensure team success and focus and that you and your team are concerned about the lack of forward motion in the affected areas.  Once you have done this, and followed up with further progress reports as necessary, you have done much of what you can.

Believe that your team members do want to be part of a successful team where they are carrying their weight, first and foremost.  Give the benefit of the doubt, offer to help, offer to get involved in additional ways that will help the team, develop your personal aptitudes so you are even more valuable to the team and be sure to communicate successfully with everyone with a vested interest in the project.  Someone may need to be replaced on the project down the road, but always operate in the best interests of the team and the goal – even if and when that means deviating and adapting your process along the way.

*******************************************************************************

Carson V. Heady posts for “Consult Carson” serving as the “Dear Abby” of sales and sales leadership.  You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving.  You will also be directly contributing to his third book, “A Salesman Forever.”

Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail atcvheady007@yahoo.com or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page:https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/

Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled “Birth of a Salesman” that has a unique spin that shows you proven sales principles designed to birth in you the top producer you were born to be.

If you would like to strengthen your sales skills, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICRVMI2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yGXKtb0G

Consult Carson 8/17: “I don’t want to job-hop, but everywhere I go has issues.”

From today’s mailbag: “I don’t want to be a job-hopper, but everywhere I go I’m faced with unbelievable issues. What do I do?”

Carson: In essence, you have conducted an informal survey, albeit with a very high margin of error.  Do not ignore the results of that survey: that every job has issues.

You’ve heard the adage that the grass is always greener on the other side, but the brighter hue could exist because of more manure (or the less appropriate word for it).  It’s relatively easy to be convinced that an outcome other than your current predicament is more desirable, but I can tell you from my friends who have pursued those opportunities and from someone who has been in high visibility roles in multiple big companies that your results – despite the sample size – are accurate.

In our younger days, it’s far easier to be a crusader or to “follow our dream” or rely solely on our principles to guide us.  We’re lied to or misled, we aren’t rewarded or recognized or compensated for our successes like we were promised, and our talent goes unnoticed while others of lesser caliber move up the ranks due to nepotism or favoritism or some other -ism.

It’s life.  It’s not you, it is the system, and the quicker you realize that our dues not only never stop being collected but also are the most important thing we pay the sooner you will have a realistic approach toward your career.

You cannot go running every time something doesn’t go your way.  And even if you have realized this and you’ve had fifty or a thousand something’s not go your way you’ve hopefully realized you still cannot run.

You’ve changed jobs, and when you signed on to your current post and your last post and the one before that you sold yourself, believed this was going to have a positive outcome and you approached the role like Chicago Cubs fans face every season: like a fresh start full of possibility (that eventually ends in failure).  (And I have the utmost respect for Cubs fans, because unlike other teams’ fanbase, they remain loyal through centuries of failure to deliver a championship.)

Instead of picking apart the failures of your job, present solutions for problems!  Align with the people who can make a difference, or become one!  You will never work in an environment that is perfect; it’s not to say you will never enjoy your job, but acceptance of it and what you do and your impact will go much farther than waiting around for changes.  Certainly, things may improve in your line of work – and they should over time.  But you hit the nail on the head: every job has issues.  Jobs and companies are created by imperfect people who may have one or more components of the business mastered but there remains process or people needs to complete the puzzle.  Be part of the solution!

Frustration with a job is normal: many, many people face this.  While these frustrations can greatly diminish your enjoyment of the business part of your world, being without a job or suffering through massive career uncertainty can trump these.

Let’s face it: it’s a reaction to want to look elsewhere when things are not going our way.  We’re in a storm.  But what happens after the storm, no matter how long it lasts?  The clouds part and the sun shines, and we’ve weathered another darkness.  Stop, slow down, and think: what’s better – coming out on the other end of a storm, learning from it and being more valuable to your company because of your knowledge and experience?  Or jumping ship to something brand new you have less experience in where you may have to take a step back or start all over when it comes to getting ahead?

Hopefully, you will find that your current role offers you the opportunity to take it one day at a time, head-on and chance at either advancement or making a difference and contributing to process change to rectify the issues you currently face.  Even if it does not, do you have a goal you are working toward, and is the reality of getting to that point there?

Your decision to weather the storm you’re in or to jump to unknown country that has its own storms is up to you, however your ability to withstand the pressures and uncertainties and process flaws in the job you currently carry will offer you experiences and value that is yet unbeknownst to you.  It may very well be worth your while to explore that.

*******************************************************************************

Carson V. Heady posts for “Consult Carson” serving as the “Dear Abby” of sales and sales leadership.  You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving.  You will also be directly contributing to his third book, “A Salesman Forever.”

Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail atcvheady007@yahoo.com or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page:https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/

Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled “Birth of a Salesman” that has a unique spin that shows you proven sales principles designed to birth in you the top producer you were born to be.

If you would like to strengthen your sales skills, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICRVMI2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yGXKtb0G

Consult Carson 8/14: “How do I sell myself?”

From today’s mailbag: “I’ve been told I need to sell myself in a few instances, like attempting to get a job or being considered for other projects and roles. How do you suggest I do that?”

Carson: It’s been said that everything comes down to the psychology that lies behind selling; whether I’m trying to convince my daughter to get herself ready on time in the morning or I’m selling a dinner companion on where we’re going, I’m utilizing the same principles I use when I successfully negotiate a deal – large or small.  The reality is that we are constantly utilizing a certain process to obtain desired results, for a variety of reasons.  It is up to us to determine the goal we have in each individual situation, figure out how we will uniquely and exceptionally approach the scenario, what steps we will take to uncover any opportunities or challenges, and ultimately how we will persuade the recipient of our words and actions to choose our proposed course of action.

Look at all of the similarities to the sales cycle and sales food chain (my terminology for the ties that link leadership to sales professionals to customers). When you seek an additional project or new role for yourself, you have a clearly defined goal in mind.  Similar to when you are selling a product or service, there is competition – other people are also being considered for these potential roles and projects.  Similar to a sales process, it falls on you to show a potential customer/end user – in this case, an interviewer or person in charge of the project you seek – why you are the one and only.  Similar to selling, you have to uniquely stand out, show that your relevant experience is superior to anything else out there, and you must present specific examples of times you successfully fulfilled tasks that will be required of you in the past.  An interviewer wants to visualize you achieving these things for them; it’s far easier to do this if you have done these items before to great acclaim and have the numbers, numbers and more numbers to back up the success you’ve had.

1. What is your goal?  Look at what you are attempting to achieve and contemplate fully why you are the perfect choice.  It really comes down to you convincing the interviewer or manager that you are the right choice.

2. Forsee challenges and areas of opportunity, and be prepared to answer for them. Do you lack necessary experience that you can make up for with supreme excellence in another area?  For example, you do not have any experience on a certain component they are looking for but you have adapted well in previous situations and have a plethora of experiences in a certain component of sales?  Closely examine a job requisition or project description so you know exactly what is expected of you.  Prepare your approach and how you plan to correlate your relevant experience to the task at hand.

3. Stand out!  It’s so easy for anyone to have a resume, wear a suit, and show up.  What did you do to make yourself memorable?  Do you have a video resume, showcasing your speaking and presentation skills?  Do you have a brag book compilation of awards and recognition and achievements from your career?  Have you arrived at the conclusion of why you are a better candidate than anyone else out there?  If 100 or even 5 people are up for the same role as you, it’s vital to stand out as the obvious choice.  In most of these cases, unless you are seeking a role that is hiring a massive group at once, there are no points for second place.

4. Learn.  No great salesperson was awesome their first time around.  Like any situation, you follow a process and make a presentation and you make tweaks here and there as necessary as you learn what works and what does not.  You may stumble through a job interview.  You may not have a perfect answer to an out-of-left-field question.  But the more you seek out and experience these scenarios and the more you put yourself in the situation to be in these discussions, the better you will be at them.

5. Seek feedback.  Even if you are not qualified and the final decision is to go with someone else, ask for constructive feedback during and after the process.  Find out who other people you should connect with might be.  Figure out where your skill set may even be a better match in their department or organization.  Following up with these people who took time to consider you for a role makes an imprint!

When in doubt, think about what the average candidate for any of these things would do, and often do just the opposite!  Remember that when you are selling yourself, you are showing why you are the clear choice; you are rising above the pack of status quo and you are ensuring your target audience sees in you something that they want for their team.  Lack of experience can actually be made up for with passion and enthusiasm.  Lack of sales experience can be made up for with the right attitude and work ethic.  Lack of knowledge of a certain component of their business can be made up with by a track record of adaptability and success.

Just like sales, you will not win every time out, so you want to prepare for that; you also want to take each experience and learn from it, expound upon it and master that process until it becomes second nature.  You will take the losses as lessons and the wins will become more frequent.

Selling yourself is like selling a product, only when you sell yourself, you must believe you are selling the greatest service of all!

*******************************************************************************

Carson V. Heady posts for “Consult Carson” serving as the “Dear Abby” of sales and sales leadership.  You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving.  You will also be directly contributing to his third book, “A Salesman Forever.”

Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail atcvheady007@yahoo.com or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page:https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/

Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled “Birth of a Salesman” that has a unique spin that shows you proven sales principles designed to birth in you the top producer you were born to be.

If you would like to strengthen your sales skills, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICRVMI2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yGXKtb0G