Carson V. Heady's Blog, page 74

Consult Carson 6/8: “How do I make my resume stand out?”

From today’s mailbag: “How do I get my resume noticed when I’m applying to jobs? How do I make it stand out so I actually get a response?”

Carson: You have likely heard the phrase before that you have to sell yourself – your most valuable commodity. People buy from people, so when you are marketing your attributes and skills it is important to mirror other selling processes; namely, be unique and stand out by any practical means necessary.

1. Avoid the clichés. Frankly, double-think all of the adjectives or statements that make you out to be a team player or driven or goals-oriented or hard worker and discard them in favor of finding ways to illustrate these strengths with numbers (see next point). Think about it from a hiring manager’s perspective – everyone is telling them that they are the best candidate for the job. Show them what you’ve done to merit consideration.

2. Use lots of numbers. One of the most frequent things I see missing in resumes is numbers. You can rarely have too many. From percent increases you provoked in your previous roles to percent of goal and total number of dollars generated and people you impacted, your mission here is to show a potential employer something that makes them say – “Hey, I want this person working for me and doing these things for me!”

3. Be creative. Again, think about what other resumes look like or what is relatively easy to present (namely, a basic, generic synopsis of a role you fulfilled). Make your resume stand out. Make a video resume. Hand-deliver it. Make different versions that are easy to digest, such as in a slide show or web page format. Do the work that others won’t so you are the one who gets the attention.

3. Strength in numbers. Send your materials out feverishly, to the right people in the right way. Anyone can apply to a job online. Not everyone looks up the company or the hiring manager on LinkedIn and connects with a gracious, humble message to be followed by a request for an advice meeting. Not everyone is willing to do what it takes to meet and connect with decision makers outside of the online jobs that are posted for all to see (which prevents them from ever knowing about the jobs that aren’t posted). Not everyone is willing to tweak their resume regularly with new accomplishments and accolades.

To get attention from your resume, make your presentation stand out. Consider what your hiring manager will want to see. You are playing a numbers’ game, so the only logical approach is to tip the odds in your favor by any means necessary.

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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 at cvheady007@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_yGXKtb0G28TWF

Consult Carson 6/7: “What fact-finding questions should I ask?”

From today’s mailbag: “My manager tells me I need to ask ‘fact-finding questions’ but I’m not really sure where to get started. What questions should I ask?”

Carson: Your success in any given sales transaction that hopefully begets a business relationship hinges quite a bit on first contact and how you choose to follow (or not follow) a selling process.

Once you are granted access to ask questions and have a conversation, thanks to maneuvering through the gatekeeper as a friend rather than foe and by capturing enough attention to advance from the decision-maker, it is time to start gathering clues. Like Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, you must advance stealthily but methodically; one false step and you’re toast. Proper and proficient use of your time, however, in ascertaining your customer’s needs and wants, their current method of doing whatever you’re trying to convince them to change (either non-existent or a competitor) and what they do and don’t like about that current choice will determine practically everything going forward.

1. Don’t ask a question just to be asking a question. Many times, I’ve heard sales reps just ask a myriad of questions with no real purpose. Certainly, it does help to know how long they have been in business, but right now I don’t necessarily need to hear a litany of their entire career. Be able to inquire without interrogating; be able to figure out what you really need to know to uncover where you can be the solution to their problem.

2. Think big picture. Where does this customer want to go? What are potential new forays they can make? What’s something they are missing in their current arsenal? To uncover these, think about what you have to offer. What does your solution often cure? Try to find any potential holes or points of discontentment in your customer’s current way of doing business. Then find out what they have done to address it, or why they have not addressed it. Not only will you need to overcome objections like lack of belief and price, but you will need to uncover hidden objections as well – past failures in the very line of work you’re in – to actually proceed.

3. Ask the questions that will allow you to prove return on investment. Find out the worth and value of a proper solution. Utilize this information when you are justifying the price and cost of your solution – “Mr./Mrs. Customer, you indicated previously that landing a new client/ remedying your efficiency issue/ the cost of acquiring a new employee, etc., was $$$$. By applying our tried and true strategy, you increase the probability of landing that client/ resolving that issue by XXX% for a mere $$$$$ investment. That said, just how quickly do you make a profit?” Work with them to uncover the solution you want them to uncover.

4. Realize that a customer’s primary objection is lack of belief. In reality, it’s the only one; it’s the very reason they throw obstacles like price and partners out to you. If they believed this would work, they’d be selling their partner and they’d be spending the money to fix a problem they have already identified (or that you’ve helped them find! Elementary, my dear Watson!). Knowing this, and knowing you don’t really sell anything – they make the decision to buy! – ask the questions that will lead the horse to the water that they will be enticed to drink. You want them to draw conclusions, so make them see the inadequacies of their current comfortable (or uncomfortable) ways of mediocrity or failing. Show them that it’s possible to “have it all” – to dive into the new forays or ventures they want to eventually pursue.

5. Check with them along the way. Remember, we don’t close every customer the first conversation. We rarely do. That said, ask the questions that show you’re there as a trusted advisor. Point out the current state of the union and ask, “How may I be of additional service?” “How may I further support you at this point?” “What additional questions exist, or what can I shed further light on so we may provide the added efficiency we discussed?” Open-ended questions, not questions that end in a yes or a no, that position you as someone with their best interests at heart and make clear you are offering respectful service rather than a hard close will make the environment conducive to the sale.

Ask the questions that will enable you to overcome stated or hidden objections before they even surface. Use your experience and mistakes in sales conversations to figure out where you stumbled before. Odds are, asking more questions and having more facts would have and will enable you to solve the case of what specific combination of facts prompt your customer to respect you, trust in you, and buy from you.

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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 at cvheady007@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_yGXKtb0G28TWF

Consult Carson 6/6: “My team tries to sell the cheapest plan – how do I increase average buy?”

From today’s mailbag: “My average buy is struggling and I’m not hitting goal. I’ve got reps who go for the cheapest plan right out of the gates. I’m trying to convince them to sell on value, but they just don’t listen and say they are afraid of losing the sale. Help!”

Carson: It is imperative I start most of these off by saying “sales is a process.” For starters, you cannot be afraid of losing something you never had. Your team, often when they are slumping or worried or anxious about potential loss, will allow themselves to deviate from process. They will use the excuse that they are afraid to lose the sale or that they are slumping and just needed to get on the board. They will start pitching out of their own pocketbook, second-guessing themselves, and assuming a customer will not pay what your program is worth – solely because they have lost faith in either themselves or in their product or in their process.

When coaching, it is important to get the employee’s agreement that they are not satisfied with their current results. If they have had prior success, it can also help to remind them of what their process was like when they were closing. Like a baseball hitting coach assisting a slumping player in finding his previous, successful stance and swing, like a golf instructor watching for where the mechanics of the follow-through have gotten out of whack, we as sales coaches must diagnose the destructive changes to sales process.

1. Find the reason why your team member is deviating from process. Is something on their mind, and distracting them from what they should know is the right process?

2. Re-visit the why and how of process. We make an impactful intro so we grab our customer’s attention and earn the right to have a conversation. We ask insightful questions to learn the customer’s motivation, gather enough of their words and passions and perspective to utilize their own philosophies in not only constructing the pitch but also overcoming their objections. We build value in our complete solution, and based on the return on investment, we make it make sense to our customer. Immediately going in and pitching the lowest common denominator does literally nothing but scoff in the face of process and if we actually do get a “sale” it will be the result with the least probability of benefiting our customer. The long-term relationship we should be striving for is destroyed before it begins.

3. Establish a commitment between your team member and you that they actually do fully understand why a change is necessary, that you will provide the help and coaching they need to implement the change, and that you will (and you actually do!) follow up to ensure it is carried out. Often, people won’t change because they don’t fear the potential down side worse than they fear changing. They settle for comfortable ways of failing or mediocrity. They may also buy in to the process change, but they go out in a job that’s 1 for 10 or 1 for 20 or 1 for 100 as a good close rate, they fail the first few times out of the chute, and they go back to comfortable ways of failing. They don’t give it enough of an opportunity to work, but they mentally tell themselves it’s the process that failed, not them.

4. Finally, truly re-visit your commitment. Like renewing your vows, like re-visiting a promise or contract, you must hark back to this conversation in future ones. Always use coaching conversations to visit where you are now, look back at where you were, look at what you committed to do and if it panned out. You applaud the wins and coach the opportunities and make a plan to either continue upward trajectory or to address the fact they refused to change.

In the end, this one all boils down to ensuring your salesperson knows the process, knows why process is paramount and is actually following it in the field. Your part in this play is to determine any obstacles or objections they have and eradicate them… so that nothing stands in the way on the road toward successful sales that truly benefit the holy sales trinity: customer, company and you.

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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 at cvheady007@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_yGXKtb0G28TWF

Consult Carson 6/5: “How do I get past the gatekeeper?”

From today’s mailbag: “I’ve had a really hard time getting past the gatekeeper and reaching the real decision-maker. What tips do you have on accomplishing this?”

Carson: Like practically any facet of selling, there is a process. There is a sales food chain. Prior to connecting with the decision-makers in a business, you will need to reach “the man or woman behind the curtain.”

People have gatekeepers for a variety of reasons – to field initial queries, to disseminate the work and to filter what reaches the top brass. Just like you have a sales process, they often have a process: of minimizing, or completely keeping out, the “solicitor.”

It is important to point out that often to prevent from being treated like the solicitor or the telemarketer or the dreaded salesperson, your aim should be to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack. It’s just like winning a romantic interest: you stand out from the crowd, you offer something that they need or want and you utilize charm and wit and confidence to steer through the initial awkwardness.

Most gatekeepers only seek to stop you in your tracks because of the poor presentations that have come previously. They are used to the salesy lines and those who are only out for themselves. Break from this mold and you can break the pattern.

1. Treat the gatekeeper like a human being. Remember that they are an important part of their business and a trusted advisor of the business owner or other decision makers. Showing them respect can garner you a reciprocal approach.

2. Be direct. Don’t beat around the bush or try to over-complicate the first step. They have likely stated their name if we are phoning or you can see a name badge or placard if not. “Good morning/afternoon, Gatekeeper’s Name! John Smith, please.” Don’t ask if they are available, don’t talk too much. “Is he expecting you?” “He very well may be – I’m here about your account.”

3. Expect the initial objection, and be prepared with a response. If you know you are shot down at a pivotal moment in the sales process, have a solution. “Well, he’s not in right now. Would you like his voice mail?” “Certainly, but what number should I reach him at right now? It won’t take long to update him on the account.” You will not make it to the next leg of the sales process every time, but it’s all probability. The most effective approach at each stage of the game will give you the best odds at advancing. You’ll go farther if you are more effective at each stage of the process.

4. Go ahead and leave a voice mail. Often, you are being screened (sometimes even by the decision maker masquerading as a gatekeeper!) solely to get a glimpse into your pitch without any sign of commitment. Be concise but to the point. “Hello, Mr./Mrs. Decision Maker, this is Jane Doe with XYZ. I’m calling because many in your industry are taking advantage of the services/customers/offerings we have. Please give me a call to let me know when would be a good time to discuss how we may best collaborate.”

5. Seek and take their advice. It’s OK to say, “Hey, there, Betty, we’ve chatted a few times and I’ve had no luck reaching The Big Cheese to update him on the account. When is the best time to reach him? What number should I call right now?” There’s always a chance you’ll get that cell number. Persistence paid off when Bud Fox wanted to meet Gordon Gekko – be confident and charming but clear about your goals and adamant in achieving them.

If you can earn your way into the gatekeeper’s good graces by being respectful and honest, the chances of them granting you access to the dance increase exponentially.

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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 at cvheady007@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_yGXKtb0G28TWF

Consult Carson 5/26: “How do I transition to managing peers and friends?”

From today’s mailbag: “I’m now in a management role and leading a team of people I used to work alongside with, some of whom are my friends. Any advice?”

Carson: If you are part of an organization that hires from within, and/or if you are around long enough with one company, it is entirely possible you will find yourself superior in the hierarchy to a friend or former peer with whom you may have confided or event spent time with outside of work. They may know more about you than a typical employee or subordinate should. You may have been overly candid with them previously. All of that now has to change.

It’s not to say you cannot manage a friend. In fact, if you can successfully separate business from personal, you can often have a straightforward conversation with a friend who is working for you and not doing their share. “______, I consider us friends outside of work and I greatly value that friendship. However, your performance is reflecting poorly on me and I need your help. How can we collaborate to improve this situation?” If they are truly your friend, you’ll find out from what happens next. You will also, fortunately and unfortunately, find out in some of these challenging situations that some of these folks were never really your friend or that they value certain things ahead of your friendship. It’s a tough lesson learned.

As a rule of thumb, you should not spend time with your team outside of work engaging in non-work-sanctioned activity. Sure, you may take your team out for a meal and you may even – if your company allows it – buy a round of drinks for your team. However, when outside of the office, it is much easier to get caught up in compromising situations. It is much easier to relax your necessary guard. You cannot get caught up in office gossip (or become any!) at such functions. You cannot show favoritism toward any member of your team, because this can come back to bite you if you need to discipline another team member. Also, if you are taking it easier on your friends, they will often try to get away with more and more. This is where these “friends” can manipulate your friendship to gain favors that other team members are not getting – and believe me, they will notice.

Be sure to have a conversation with these friends right up front to talk about how you will work through this transition. Make clear your intention to remain friends, but that the dynamic in the office has shifted. If you frequently spend time with these people in a social setting, you will need to keep from telling them anything that could compromise you or your leadership position. Truly keep business and personal separate. And, like managing any employee, you will have a unique plan in place with them on how they work and what items you agree need to be improved by the next session.

In other words, you want to work with your former peers and friends to establish the new relationship and – if anything – utilize the friendship as a reason to work better together. They as your friend should never want to make you look bad. Never show favoritism and never allow yourself to compromise your position by slipping from the established protocol. Play it right, and former peers who respected your performance when you were peers and friends who value you can actually be the best employees you’ve ever had.

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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 at cvheady007@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_yGXKtb0G28TWF

Consult Carson 5/25: “I keep making bad hiring decisions. Help!”

From today’s mailbag: “I keep making poor hiring decisions. I feel like I’m seeing one person on interview day and I’m seeing their evil twin show up to work. Help!”

Carson: No matter how hard we try to avoid it, we will make bad hiring decisions as leaders. That said, like our selling style and leadership style, we must evolve based on our experiences.

When we start out interviewing, often there is this benefit of the doubt which exists while we look intently at resumes and seek out those with what we deem the best or most experiences. As you hire some of these folks who either have worked in several selling jobs or who spent all of their time in another industry, you can find out relatively quickly why they didn’t make it at all of those previous companies or that their different industry skills do not translate into your world.

Focus on these areas as you are looking to new candidates:

(1) Do not over-value the resume. There are countless articles out there about how often and easily these “accomplishments” are embellished. The resume is a selling tool whereby people sell themselves to us and we know that they are obviously going to present the “first date” version of themselves. Glance it over, look for some buzz words you will want to further explore in the conversation – how did they rank in their roles? Out of how many? What did they do that made them more successful than peers? Does their resume reflect specific, number-oriented accomplishments, or is it generically written?

(2) Look for personality! I’ve hired “by the numbers” with what they looked like on paper and I’ve hired diamond in the rough candidates with little to no experience who came across like the guy or girl who would be coachable, would come in and light the world on fire with their passion and enthusiasm and who reminded me of me when I was just starting out. The thing is: everyone, at some point, ourselves included, had zero experience at some point. Someone has to give them a chance. If we are hiring for an entry level role, what do we have to lose? For experience – as mentioned above – can be embellished or dressed up. True, raw passion and enthusiasm and the attitude that they are going to do whatever it takes to be successful, why they are motivated to do so and what they plan to do once they get in there can certainly pay off.

(3) Realize that no matter how good you get at interviewing, that you will still hire duds and still pass over potential stars. It’s a fact. You can get better at making these decisions by asking your candidate specific, targeted, experience-based questions. You can improve by being tougher on judging why they have had 5 jobs in 3 years or putting them on the spot with questions whose responses will address how they will react to what they will face when they work for your team. You also have to realize that this is business and just because someone is nice and has a family does not mean your job is the one for them. In fact, you would be doing them a disservice by hiring them into a role in which they will fail; in the long run, their heartbreak of working here, not cutting it and eventually being let go would be tougher for them than you cutting ties now so they are allowed to find their real destiny.

You hold an important responsibility – you are now the gatekeeper into your organization for this candidate. No matter the outcome, your decision will impact the candidate, you, your team (their potential peers) and additional leadership. Don’t over-think it, but ensure that you continue to evolve what you are looking for. Continue to be more accepting in some areas (lack of experience) and less in others (inflating the value of the resume, accepting their word for it that they were the best in their previous jobs). Somewhere in all that paper and their responses, you can ascertain if this person selling you today will still want to sell your product in two years. Somewhere you can gauge their presentation against all those presentations that have gone before and determine how they will fare in this role. And you can take their previous experiences and weigh their relevance against what they will do here. And, lastly, and most importantly, you can learn from your hiring wins and losses how to find a balanced approach to resume review, experience-based questions, and true assessment of talent potential.

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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 at cvheady007@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_yGXKtb0G28TWF

Consult Carson 5/23: “How Do I Network?”

From today’s mailbag: “I’ve taken on a new role and know I need to network to make new connections, but it’s not really my thing. How do I go about it?”

Carson: No matter what type of business role you are in, it’s extremely probable you will have to network at some point. From networking and utilizing your network effectively to land a job to prospecting and creating new network, the people you can connect and collaborate with play a vital role in your success – and theirs! Do not forget it can often be just as important that they know you! You likely offer value and service, and it’s important they know it, too.

If you lack comfort with networking, fret not – some of the greatest salespeople and sales managers I know are introverts. The fact is you likely do not enjoy being in a room filled with strangers and having to force conversation – right? More people feel this way than you probably think. Furthermore, those who appear to be social butterflies often either do not want to be or they had to learn how to master this part of the dance. Like any type of business or personal relationship, you cannot start a fire without a spark. We will never find new connections without making effort.

Some of us are more comfortable behind the screen of our computers, and, honestly this is not a bad way for the whole process to start. Utilization of social media is a magnificent way in this day and age to find the people you should be connected to, making an introduction and setting up the initial meeting. It makes it easier to find who we need to meet, make an introduction and briefly present why a meeting would be valuable. Asking for advice or guidance, explaining why their expertise interested you and assuring them you are not seeking an interview or a job (by not mentioning either!) can be great ways to get yourself to the table the first time.

Preparation is another key for success in networking. Whether you are going to a networking event or using the web to meet new connections, having a game plan is crucial. Sure, we may still fumble at times – specifically if we are too rehearsed – but being observant, listening for key words in conversations, talking to the guest speakers after they deliver their speeches, or even simply saying, “Hi, I’m _______, what brought you here today?” is a great way to begin the process itself.

At networking events, others are there to network also. Listen for cues of how others start conversations! They are likely doing the exact same thing and have once been in your shoes. Do not over-think it: others are there to find value in the room. You may not meet your next mentor or customer while you’re there, but you are establishing a presence as a resource. Like any process, if you consistently apply the proper principles, results will follow. As you continue to plant seeds, seek out ways to be a value to others and establish yourself as a resource, others will introduce you to more people you need to connect with… and the dance continues and it becomes easier.

Are you comfortable talking about your value – great! If not, focus on this first as your initial goal will be to feel good about your process. Once you have a process, like anything else, you practice it, evolve it and be consistent with it. From there, you will build and grow the foundation of a network that you will engage in many often very fruitful ways for years and years to come.

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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 at cvheady007@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_yGXKtb0G28TWF

Consult Carson 5/22: “How do I get my sales team to care about metrics they aren’t compensated for?”

From today’s mailbag: “How do I get my sales team to care about metrics that they are not incented for, but I am?”

Carson: The short answer: by finding out what they do care about (often their careers and success) and showing them how that equates to all-around success.

Absolutely, we are incented based on a myriad of factors. Often, we as leaders are judged by key metrics in addition to just raw widgets and revenue. However, sometimes these metrics are not extended to our sales teams. When that happens, and they are earning commission and bonuses based on one factor or two (often money and total sales based), we have to find ways to get them to perform in these areas.

The mistake many bosses make is that they think telling their team, “Sell more of this or that” will do the trick! They think that writing people up for not selling these components will work. In other words, they forget the first rules of people management: that the only things that matter are people and process!

You’ve got to get your people to care about the big picture. You’ve got to develop a process to get the metrics you desire. You’ve got to sell them on selling these metrics that matter to you.

The way to make the metrics matter to them can be achieved in a few different ways. When you know your team, you find out their motivation. Some people want to move up in the company; they want to be of value to the company and they wish to be successful. When you’re lucky enough to have people like this, they will often want to stand out in these areas when they understand senior leadership is watching those who do. Also, when you can show these folks that overachieving pays off with promotions or you can run contests to give financial rewards of some sort behind these metrics, you can make them care about something they would not care about otherwise.

Another key way is just visibility of the metric. By showing that people are achieving in this metric and by making performance in the metric common knowledge regularly, people can see that some are achieving and some are not. This can move some to try harder….

… and this can also serve to show you with whom you must work to eliminate objections of selling the product! Take best practices from your top achievers and share them with the group. Spend time with the bottom achievers and find out what reasons or objections or excuses they are using to avoid selling the metric. Develop plans with them to improve their process. Hold them accountable to follow those plans!

Certainly, you cannot force someone or anyone to care about a metric they aren’t compensated for. But what you can do is formulate a process together that your employee commits to following. If they do, you will find success. If they don’t, you know what to do.

Always: With people and process as your priorities, results – in ANY metric – WILL fall into place.

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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 at cvheady007@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_yGXKtb0G28TWF

Consult Carson 5/21: “I’ve hit a brick wall in my career with nowhere to go!”

From today’s mailbag: “I’ve hit a brick wall in my career because there’s really nowhere else to go. I’ve had success in my role, but my boss isn’t going anywhere, I am not mobile and I’m growing stagnant. What do I do?”

Carson: The short answer: always look for ways to add value for yourself, your clients, your employees, your peers – anything. Nothing lasts forever and when there is an opportunity or a role you have to be the obvious #1 or someone will pass you up.

Here’s the thing: A little known secret to success is that no matter what your station and situation, you have likely realized a problem out there. It could be in your office or organization, but wherever it is be proactive and be the solution. Find ways to make your peers’ lives easier. Gain the buy-in from your team members and your boss to take on new projects that improve processes. Make your name synonymous with teamwork, innovation and improvement.

Michael Jordan won 6 NBA Championships and was the greatest NBA basketball player of all time and that will ever be. He even left to play baseball and star in Space Jam and then came back. (Guess which one was the better decision of the two?) Then he became an owner and his best decision was to activate himself yet again at age 40 for the Washington Wizards. All of that said, one of my favorite books is Sam Smith’s Jordan Rules. It and other interviews with Jordan detail how Phil Jackson had to create new challenges for Jordan on a regular basis to keep him engaged, striving for something new and continuing to chase new levels of greatness though he was already the best. Sure, he can score – can he pass? Can he rebound? Can he engage his teammates?

Sure, you are successful in your role. Are there other metrics you can master? Are there areas you could stand to learn that would add value? Does your job pay for you to continue your education? Can you offer more to your peers and your hierarchy? Have you formed a plan with your supervisor to get you ready for the next level? Frankly, your promotion may come long after you’re ready, but you have to make sure you are that obvious choice.

The role that’s right for you may not even be created yet, either. Find areas where you can impact your business and if you make enough impact and a strong enough case, they may create a new role just for you. We live and work in a new, more innovative age and companies are adapting and evolving with those times. It’s cliche, but be the change you want to see and be the change your company needs. It will pay off, whether financially, with a new role, or even with just new experiences and learning that make you more valuable wherever you land next. I promise you’ll get there.

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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 at cvheady007@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_yGXKtb0G28TWF

Consult Carson 5/20 – “How do I keep my personal life from hurting my work?”

From today’s mailbag: “How do I keep the disaster that is my personal life from destroying my work life and career?”

Carson: This dilemma befalls us all in one way or another at some point in our career. No matter how hard you try, your personal life will affect your mindset while at work in some way. Period. However, it is vital not to let it affect your output because if a disastrous personal life is allowed to make a business life disastrous, you’ve certainly got one heck of a disaster.

Tragedy in your life, end of relationships, trouble with the law, drama: they all serve to take your mind off your work at given times in the day. Depending on the severity, you most certainly should pursue resources available to you through your work or insurance to receive counseling and support through a difficult time. Most every company has these options and, if they do not and you have the means, you should seek professional treatment to assist you in coping with these challenges.

While I would love to say you should also be able to confide in your boss, I must warn to be careful and selective with whom you allow to see you bleed. I’ve known bosses who will use these sensitive subjects as ammunition against you later; even a boss that tells you they sympathize and are there to help. Furthermore, this rule goes with your co-workers and certainly with any employees you have. When keeping your personal life separate it means not talking about it in the workplace.

Finally, there is the emotional anguish that these things can cause. As best you can, “throw yourself into your work.” Focus so intently on the things you CAN control. We often cannot control these happenings in our personal life from spiraling out of control yet we have control over our business process and that can be very comforting. Exerting control over what you can control aids and soothes in whatever healing processes we must undertake. Most personal drama passes, but the impact it might have on our careers can be everlasting. This is why it is so vital to separate the two as best as you can. Take the frustrations and anguish you have out on the obstacles you face (constructively, of course). Because you cannot control your personal drama, control the energy you put into those reports or overcoming your customer’s objections. You’ll find you can very much turn negatives into positives. And, I truly hope you find positive resolution in any struggles you face!

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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 at cvheady007@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_yGXKtb0G28TWF